One Marvelous Scene - Military Ads in Marvel Movies
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- čas přidán 14. 06. 2024
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The earthbound films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have had an interesting and ever-changing relationship with the US military. In this video, I take a look at the military propaganda montage in Captain America: The First Avenger, how it stands out in contrast to the rest of the MCU, and how Marvel has depicted its heroes in relationship to the military over time.
Hope you enjoy.
This video is part of a series. Check out all the videos here:
ONE MARVELOUS SCENE Playlist: • One Marvelous Scene
#OneMarvelousScene
Watch Pop Culture Detective’s video here: • Military Recruitment a...
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Works Cited:
Pop Culture Detective’s video: • Military Recruitment a...
US Military supports 1800 movies and TV shows:
/ exclusive-documents-ex...
Captain Marvel: US Military Propaganda
www.mintpressnews.com/hollywo...
www.lamag.com/culturefiles/ca...
www.prindlepost.org/2019/03/m...
Enlisting an Audience: How Hollywood Peddles Propaganda
theoutline.com/post/3794/holl...
The Nerds Who Hate ‘Captain Marvel’
theoutline.com/post/7143/capt...
Brie Larson Interview:
bit.ly/2UwTeCb
Air Force Captain Marvel Ad:
bit.ly/2VeaWPl
Us Military Suicide Rate Near Record High:
www.businessinsider.com/activ...
Air Force Sexual Harassment Issue:
www.airforcemag.com/Features/P...
And all of this without even mentioning war machine.
Don't you mean "Iron Patriot"
Yeah, wasn't it a huge plot point Iron Man 2 for Iron Man to keep his new tech out of the military's hands. And the only way they got it was through theft. And they worked with another, incompetent manufacturer who got played by a terrorist.
Or Falcon.
Let's also forget how the entire plot of Iron Man 3 is about a white guy creating a fake terrorist threat to justify selling his technology.
Too easy!
Re: sexism in the military: the key point in these films is the portrayal of sexism in the military as a thing of the past, the 40's and 90's. It washes the hands of the military of today.
ElleRoni sexism doesn’t exist
Wtf are you talking about.
I think it would be more fair to say both men and women practice sexism on various issues. Men are just more aware of it than women are now. Women usually don't realize they are engaging in sexism. Its just like there is institutionalized sexism against men but women rarely notice it women only claim victimization.
Are you ignoramuses in the military? No wonder sexually assault and other forms of male abuse of women are so common in military settings. Pretending it doesn’t exist or that men are victims as much as women are just make you look deliberately obtuse and worsens life for your female colleagues
I was more implying that women just didn't notice when it happened to men not that it didn't happen to women.
A detail I really love. The "German tank" in the wartime movie is an American tank given German markings
@Inquisitor Shadowlord nope, M3 Stuart Light Tank
damn, now yoh mentipned it, the scene flied by so fast and my eyes were locked on capt, i kust though it was a panzer 3
@@ethanhatcher5533 Technically an M2, M3 got the sloped front armor.
i heard than ship a pzIII to USA in 1943 was hard...
Nice given that it would be impossible for an American film in the 40s to get a Panzer III
Oh my god that outro was incredible...
Captaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaain.....
Captaaaaaaiiiiin...
It made me feel patriotic despite the fact that I know it was satirical.
@@nroke1684 Yeah, me to. Great reminder that good propaganda works on everyone, even when you are aware of it.
Midnight.
I had genuinely never looked this closely at the first Captain America scene, and for a non-American, that wider context is easy to miss. Thanks man! Really cool discussion.
Hello Hello Future Me!!
So a character played by Martin Freeman goes on and adventure to restore a king to his rightful throne while Andy Serkis plays a shady antagonist. Sound familiar?
OMFG, I never realized that! hahaha lol
@@TheMVAproductions Lol I just realized it when he said it 😂
They were the Tolkien white guys after all.
jliller Was hoping someone would reference that joke!!
One big difference is that gollum contribute more to the bigger picture while klaw was disappointingly killed off in such rushed and badly subverting expectation way.
Wow, when you described Black Panther through the lens of how it supports the CIA, my jaw literally dropped!
Stardust Nation
CIA in fiction: Undermines the tyrant that oppress the people and restores the legitimate king to save the world without regarding the interest of evil corporations.
Real CIA: Overthrow the legitimate ruler of small countries and support the coup that will establish a new government that provides benefit to American corporations like what happened in Latin America and Iran.
@@nont18411 It would almost be worth the sheer character assassination if Killmonger was a Pinochet-alike instead of basically Laertes.
@@Otter34 Mi general Killmonger
@@nont18411 EXACTLY
Well, it kind of does. Ross is portrayed as a heroic individual who chooses morality over mission. But the CIA itself is still portrayed as shady, self-serving, and had they known about Wakanda probably would be seeking ways to insert itself in there to obtain their vibranium. They're originally only after Klaw to get their hands on the virbranium he has stolen. They're also portrayed as being wildly out of their depth compared to Wakanda's intelligence arm and the fact Wakanda has kept the true nature of their existence a complete secret from them. Also, most glaringly, they trained Killmonger. Killmonger was recruited out of the SEALs into a CIA black ops trained specifically to infiltrate and destabilize nations before Killmonger went rogue after he got what he needed from them. So they're partly responsible for Killmonger being the threat it is.
I always found it weird how in every Captain America movie, I - as a non-American - completely agreed with Steve Rogers, even though he is supposed to be the white, freedom-loving, American guy fighting the good fight.
But I guess that's the point as the man, who represents all the good of America, is branded as a criminal by them.
Captain America is interesting in that instead of being anti-establishment like early pulp and super heroes (like the Shadow and Super-man) and then becoming pro-establishment over time, because he came out during WW2 and then quit being Captain America after the Watergate in the 70s his character has kinda had the opposite happen to him. He's very much a people are more important than the government type guy.
Honestly, as an American I was surprised at how popular the character has become outside of America especially since our wars, military, and mercenaries (PMC) hasn't really given of a good impression for a long time. I guess people got over the outfit and saw past the name. :P
@@AngryCosmonaut even as a person who has a slight distaste in (please i will be wrong on this) somewhat overused american patriotism, i did like captain america. idk, most marvel heroes are like that. anyways, he is more down to earth than most heroes, even if he do have super serum and stuff
He embodies want the U.S. says to be and want to be, but isn't and can't, so far. He embodies the struggle of the U.S. trying to be the country it says to be. And as an american who was fed war propaganda for breakfast, then was told the bloody truths of war, I couldn't be happier.
Captain America as a character stands for stuff like freedom and democracy and truth, all things that are usually considered good and what America wants to see itself embody. Of course just like female empowerment and the military in the video, it becomes more complex once other things are roped in like political or economic interest. Fighting for democracy is all good, but what happens when that "fight for democracy" is just window dressing to get a pro-whatever side you are on government in power? What if you abandon that ideal in service of another? A lot of South American nations democratically elected socialist or left-leaning governments only for the CIA to come in and coup them to replace them with more authoritarian right-leaning governments. Ignoring the actual ideologies, most people would agree that one country forcibly removing a leader of another nation whose citizens elected into office isn't a good look if that country claims to promote democracy.
What do u mean branded as a criminal?
Huh, I never knew Marvel partnered with the American military more times other than Captain Marvel. This was really eye opening, thanks.
Leonard Church yea there’s a lot of American military moments in the MCU that people causally miss
As a rule, anytime you see US military machinery in an American film, it likely means the Pentagon was involved in production.
@@gabrielmedrano6875 That only applies to real machinery and stock footage. If a film used all new footage and only props and CGI then they don't need the Pentagon's approval of the script.
I'm okay with the military cutting the line "I'd die for..." Outside of America, like Australia, any mention of suicide must be preceded by a link to a prevention hotline.
Yeah, a first for me too. I didn't know that at all. Maybe I should have.
14:27 That last bit (with a soldier throwing a rotten tomato at Cap) after the montage was perfect!
Now THAT's my favorite scene!
Yeah; that's something else that he could've talked about. The *actual* military in WWII ridicules this propaganda. While they are slightly played off as jerks being mean to the protagonist, there is validity if you look into the unit's circumstances with them being "what was left of the 107th" and everything.
The Doctor agreed! The soldiers could see right through the bs. That being said, their hearts may have still been in it. Not because America is great, but because the enemy was, you know... literal Nazis.
Yes!
Where do all these rotten tomatoes come from? I mean, did the soldier take a perfectly good tomato and hang onto it until it got rotten? Did he pick it from the military vegetable garden so often found on the front lines? (That was sarcasm by the way.) Did he get a rotten one somewhere and save it just in case? Did he bring it to the performance hoping there'd be a bad part so he could throw it? Did they hand out rotten tomatoes to the soldiers just before the performance?
I would suggest that Iron Man 3 might be the franchise's biggest critique of the US military. It features several elements in service of a theme outright stated of "creating ones own enemies" revolving around wounded veterans being exploited and the creation of a terrorist group and figurehead to manufacture conflict for personal gain, much of which could suggest it as a kind of allegory for the US involvement in the middle east and its culpability in the formation of terrorist organizations in the region. Which doing so as a kind of allegory may be the main reason it gets away with this sort of thing.
thetramp123 yes thank you👏🏼
omg yes!! i thought i was crazy for feeling this way when i first saw the movie!!
Yeah really surprised they didnt bring it up, Iron Man 3 although goofy has really solid sentiments
I'd re-watch it in preparation for Shang-Chi if it still holds up.
🤓
That scene in First Avenger is one of the many reasons I adore it and think it's so horrendously underrated. It does such a great job of not just utilizing propaganda mixed with war that reflects the reality of our history, but it puts Steve in the middle of it and gives his character some powerful moments. It's a section of the movie that is just as instrumental in him understanding what it takes to be Captain America as later on when he leads the rescue of his fellow men in arms.
All Steve wanted to do was be of service, and for the first little while you can see that he takes what he can get with the propaganda job, as he can see that his work has a positive effect on his fellow Americans and he's bringing in the money the war needs to keep the Germans at bay and under fire. But as time goes on, and he eventually has to perform his routine in front of men who have been in the thick of it and seen death up close, his act is an insult to their sacrifices. It's that cold shower moment, embarrassed and ashamed in front of the soldiers, that once again reminds Steve why he wanted to join the fight in the first place: he couldn't stand to give anything less than them, and so he takes his act and truly embraces the symbol off the stage by being a genuine soldier. It's that aspect of Steve, always willing to go one step further out of the sheer principle of doing his best for others, that makes him the kind of leader that the Avengers need.
*goes on CZcams sees 10 videos on ‘One Marvelous Scene’*
Me: Wait... what’s going on here?
I counted nine, what is the tenth?
Winter, I mean, Endgame is coming...
Synergy. Soft advertising
Rosé Gamer Mr Sunday movies was supposed to upload one but he hasn’t yet
I swear I thought I was losing my mind
Marvel: Infinity War is the most ambitious crossover event in history.
Film essay CZcams: Hold my beer...
nestorknows im not sure if you stole this comment or the original poster just reposting for likes..
ive seen this comment on all the other one marvelous scene vids, so unoriginal
@@joelmiller2601 It works though, doesn't it? Yours got 8 likes; his got 345. That's all that matters in the end.
@@TheOminousFlareShow What value do likes have though besides being a pat on the back?
OminousFlare Why are the likes my comment gets relevant?
The Winter Soldier is such a cop-out...
“Look at this nuanced commentary on government surveillanc... oh, wait, it’s just nazis again”
Yeah, but surveilance obsessives ARE similar to nazis as well as far left extremists in behaviour. Because autocrats generally depend on control over what people say and do.
same thought exactly, I think he downplayed Winter Soldier a bit.
Devil's advocate: Maybe it's a reference to growing extremism and militarism in government. But I agree, it's lousy.
It is a cop-out, but I think for different reasons: because, guess where Winter Soldier came from? The Soviet Union. Guess who were conquering Europe with American-provided equipment while we were fighting the Nazis? The Soviet Union. Guess who co-sacked Poland and kept it under its thrall after WW2? The soviet union. Guess who had spies in the White House---like Alger Hiss, co-founder of the UN---during and after WW2? The Soviet Union. And yet the deep state conspirators in Marvel are 'muh nazis!'.
Yeah: because there was absolutely nobody worse than the Nazis...even though both Black Widow and Winter Soldier came originally from Communist Russia. For god's sake, Bucky had *a red star* on his arm in the comics and in the movies.
I figured they wrote it that way to avoid having a large segment of the American audience turn on them.
I was pretty confused about the Air Force's endorsement of Captain Marvel. From what I could see, the Air Force in the film is super-sexist, and Carol et al work on Pegasus because it's literally the only way they're allowed to help. Plus, Carol herself abandons her military ties to the Kree in favor of helping the unfairly demonized aliens they sought to destroy.
But it's still a strong propaganda. Carol didn't have the "right" background, the "right" upbringing, the "right" talent, the "right" gender. She wasn't "the right stuff". But still she signed up and did her best. Because she was a hero. That was the 90s. All those bad stuff totes not happening anymore. at all. Now the Air Force respects women. Sign up today!
@@johnlee7164 Ah, that makes a bit more sense now.
Well generally, the various military branches or any intelligence agency sometimes works with movie producers when shooting a movie. If you go on the CIA website, I think there's a section for the relationship between the CIA and Hollywood. For instance, if you're making a film about an American spy whether true or fictional, the CIA can help give you tips on the portrayal. So there's no surprise whenever they endorse certain movies or projects. At the end of the day, a lot of things are propaganda.
Well generally, the various military branches or any intelligence agency sometimes works with movie producers when shooting a movie. If you go on the CIA website, I think there's a section for the relationship between the CIA and Hollywood. For instance, if you're making a film about an American spy whether true or fictional, the CIA can help give you tips on the portrayal. So there's no surprise whenever they endorse certain movies or projects. At the end of the day, a lot of things are propaganda.
They supported it because she doesn't leave the US military. That Kree military? That's the evil fascist SPACE military. The real US military isn't like that. See? Here's an African American fighter pilot flying our hero into space so that she can rescue refugees!
I god damn loved that scene in captain america. Everyone I spoke to about it said it was cheesy rubbish; but I loved that cheesy rubbish. I thought it not only did a great job at incarnating Captain America in the exact role he played in america in the real life during WW2, that being propaganda for the Americans. But the scene is just so damn fun to watch and I have this massive grin on my face every time I see it.
Also great video as per usual Sage :)
Hi Henry,
I love your videos; I was hoping you could do one talking about story structure in depth.
Keep doing the great work Closer Look👌
You should make One Marvelous Scene too!
@@ayeshasyed1682
He is making it...
I hope so
And we got a comic accurate Captain America costume (wings and all)
One thing I wish you mentioned is just how much that scene bleeds character. The evolution of the shy Steve Rogers awkwardly reading lines and taking pictures to the happy, heroic symbol who punches Hitler in the jaw and smiles when applauded (because he accepts that selling bonds is his way for helping the fight, he doesn't want to shoot or kill, just help [with the earlier scene with the doctor]), and then the poignant jumpcut to him being shunned by real soldiers and reminding the audience that "it's still just 40s propaganda and we all can see through it, even the soldiers."
It really shows, especially in Phase One, that character is the MAIN goal of every movie. Every scene with the main character that doesn't advance the plot, either develops the character's identity or further reinforces it. Say what you want about the MCU's storytelling structure, CGI, etc. but they are the current gold standard in character development in blockbuster franchises.
No. He shoots to kill, but only when the time calls for it in the movie. He is more than willing to do so if it'll save others. Cap's a Soldier, he knows this.
Yeah, yeah, but the IMPORTANT thing here is muh evil propaganda.
"Every scene with the main character that doesn't advance the plot, either develops the character's identity or further reinforces it." That is such a great guideline for good storytelling in general.
But Steve does want to be on the frontlines. He settles for the Propaganda. Earlier Bucky suggested he be one of the loading boys and he wasn't interested.
@@darksideofevil13 but he doesn't want to kill anyone, he wants to stand for the little guy and his country. he kills because he has to and fights on the frontlines because he has to.
They sure love to promote intersectional participation in warcrimes lately. "If you're a woman, join the airforce today and drop your very own missile on a Pakistani village!"
that's a great way to differentiate "liberal" from "leftist". Liberals want more female POC CEOs and drone pilots, Leftists want there to be no CEOs or drone pilots.
@@camazotzz female Proof Of Concept CEOs? Am I too eastern european to get it?
@Get Baited apt name
@@TheArklyte people of color
@@joannaszulc1496 yeah, I figured it out later on. That didn't make his comment sound any better neither in context, nor as standalone comment though. Maybe I'm also too leftist liberal whatever to treat it as okay and I haven't even known it yet?:(
"Thank you, Captain. I'm pretty sure this guy is a war criminal now, but whatever, I have to show these videos; it's required by the state."
Lol even the gym teacher know why we showing kids a war criminal saying to fit it's kinda funny
Micheal Bay is the king of military propaganda.
Agreed
Is he though? I mean...imagine a whole series of movies like Captain Marvel, but with bad acting, poor plots, and three times as much blatant advertising.
@@moredetonation3755 Well that's just it. We won't get that from the MCU, at least not if they wanna continue to make good money and keep their fans. Their military propaganda is pretty spread out and pushed into the background. A single Bayformer movie I think vividly jerks off the American military way more than the entire MCU combined. Except maybe TF4 which had the least military presence.
@@moredetonation3755 Captain Marvel already had extremely poor plot(s), though..
And as many explosions as a Michael Bay film.
@@darwinxavier3516 I can see why you'd think that. Non Americans see almost every Marvel film as over the top patriotism.
The Iron Man example I feel, is unfair. The Michael Bay-esque propagandistic opening scene borders on self parody, and is quickly cut short by the deaths of three young Airmen in which defense moguls like Tony Stark are directly implicated.
It’s a brilliant scene because it both smashes the unreality of military propaganda and goes to great lengths to characterize the sort of lives that usually get lost in the noise of these sorts of action films.
it also sets up that the whole plot revolves around the war economy and the idea the movie promotes via tony stark that there is moral agency to not put profit over moral, ie stopping the horror of war by enforcing the moral attitudes to let your business die because it shouldn't exist if its based on selling weapons, as well as responsibility and altruism of using your own judgement rather than relying on others, ie iron man is an agent against terrorism whilst the us military is supposed to be but is very inefficent at it and isn't to be supported. The entire movie is tony stark breaking away from the military.
But yet again this channel misses the point to support some suspiciously biased viewpoints you would expect form someone that came out of a liberal arts school, even if they ironically completely miss the entire point of the movie that is allegedly being analyzed.
@@christopherrapczynski204 it was the point where the video complained that women were being recruited into the military because the military harasses women that I realized this bias. How the fuck is the military supposed to stop being a 'boys club' and start being a respectful organization if women don't join up? You think a bunch of 18-23 year old men are going to self-police and become more respectful of women on their own?
@@danielbrandstetter8713 If women being in the armed forces puts them at high risk of being sexually harassed/raped, how do you expect a bunch of 18-23 year old women to join? More women in the service would just mean more women being at risk if the men aren't held accountable.
@@zan3958 That is true and I hope something is being done to make the men more accountable. But what such men want is to keep women away from such careers in the first place, because they want to feel that there are some things only men can do in order to feel superior. Young women in the STEM field also face a lot of harassment. When most of the established professors and mentors in the field are predominantly men, they tend to think young women eager for a promising career can be their playthings. Does this mean young girls shouldn't be encouraged to go into STEM (or whatever field they please)? Additionally, I think there is the factor of 'safety in numbers'. As the only female student in my engineering degree, I had to put up with a lot that female friends of mine in more gender-neutral courses didn't, for instance.
there is also the case of war being being extremely stressful. I mean a good example is Vietnam were most soldiers got into drugs and slept with native women in order to release the stress. This is the same reason why alot of rape is committed by service men/whenever any army marches into a foreign land and not even just rape there are a extreme amount of consenting sexual relationships that happen. I mean it is no question as to why then putting women into the armed forces with these men leads to a large amount of sexual harassment.
I haven’t seen anyone explicitly talk about this in terms of Captain Marvel, and I appreciate the valid criticism that’s not mixed in with thinly veiled misogyny. Love your videos!
women are valued more than men
@@mrosskne no, but they should be
@@aff77141 wrong
@@aff77141 common ath W
@@mrosskne cope
On a character point I would say the whole tour helped build cap's confidence before the transformation he was small and weak and it showed in his mannerisms and speech but during the whole scene you see him becoming more confident which helped him in become the leader he is in later scenes and movies.
It’s ironic how Captain America, who is probably the most obviously propagandistic character in pop culture, has movies that come closest to criticizing the US military and government. The First Avenger points out the ridiculousness of propaganda, but takes place on the European front, which gives it a far more black-and-white good versus evil dichotomy than if it took place in the Pacific. Plus, its decades-old setting makes it easy to disconnect it from the US military now. Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier rejected a government-imposed surveillance state. I feel like the message that the corruption of the agency had become so deep-rooted that it was an inherent part of SHIELD got lost though. I suppose it is much easier to think of it as “fictional agency gets infiltrated by Nazis” than “governmental institution is so corrupt that it must be entirely destroyed.” As for Civil War: it was probably a fault of divisive and exciting marketing, but Cap’s opposition of the accords is made to seem less obviously correct than it actually is. By hiding the negative aspects of the accords, it makes his position less justified. Thus, the movie makes it seem that it is valid to think that by going against authority, he is against accountability; authority is made to seem like fair justice. Still, I suppose that whether intentionally or not, the military marketing department was successful in making a character so linked to them as being good. The subconscious propaganda is much easier to absorb than the hidden criticism against the government and military.
Good points.
It's not even hidden it's literally the core of the plot of the Winter Soldier.
Not to mention that the US military hiring Nazis was a literal thing that happened.
beep boop Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The pacific theater was not a grey area.
@@CaptainBagman www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/us/12holocaust.html
@@ImInLoveWithBulla If anything, I'd agree & say the Pacific was worse.
That ending was brilliant. I clapped.
If you mean the edited Captain America propaganda song to clips of all the movies ending with a tomato thrown at the shield then yes, I loved it too.. but did this video make me cry today? Nope.. only yours did..
As did I, brilliantly done!
It broke new ground!!!
“Each one you buy is a bullet on the barrel of your best man’s gun”
- Captain America
3 years later, still watching One Marvelous Scene videos, this was an amazing idea and I'd love something similar to happen again!
That "Everest Ross" thing is hilarious and is lowkey the plot of so much films.
Just Write and LFTS uploaded the exact same moment. How do I choose which to watch first?
I know, what a dilemma!
Don't forget the Take by ScreenPrism. This collab is just surreal, and it's my day off today!
Clearly you made your choice
@@apullcan And I did not regret it
Who the hell planned these? Marvel? If so holy shit is their marketing game on point
Captain Marvel, the film, is essentially about an American pilot realizing she's a part of a militaristic empire that's terrorizing other nations with its superiority - in a time where the actual US air force is killing civilians in horrible numbers in their operations with drones and such. In Afghanistan US air strikes (and US backed forces) now kill more civilians than the Taliban.
I know the horrors of civilian casualties is perhaps a bit much to expect from a superhero film, and it might be a miracle as it is that the military allowed for a script where a soldier casts aside their loyalties and refuses their mission in order to save civilians, but... I'm just bothered they brought the subject matter up if they then did nothing with it. And as you point out - quite the opposite, the film is anti Kree, but celibates for the real life Kree - the military industrial complex. It's almost Orwellian how an anti-war character is a propaganda tool for the most hawkish nation in the world.
Which is SPECTACULARLY meta since the film is based on a story about shape-shifters who disguise their true identity and manipulate the public.
Mark Arandjus agreed! I feel like he totally missed that plot twist.
The dominant military is able to have it any way it wants.
"Afghanistan US air strikes (and US backed forces) now kill more civilians than the Taliban"
@mario barcelon how bout instead of pointing out the obvious people take solid action instead
@@hashtagunderscore3173 The fact that you did not dispute the original claim suggest you couldn't because it's true, so you created another argument and tried to tie it to the original. Just say the claim is not true and give numbers.
I'm kinda surprised you managed to do the entire video without mentioning War Machine/Iron Patriot at all
As far as I know, the military does seem to favor films that paint them in a positive light, but unlike the Transformers films, most of the Marvel films you mentioned also serve to undercut that sentiment, and it becomes obvious the more you look at it. As you said of the Avengers, it depicts SHIELD as a shady organization that doesn't have a clear chain of command. Winter Soldier gets a little gray by implying that HYDRA, a "super nazi" group, is responsible for the shady stuff going on, but Cap himself calls Fury out on this, asking if Fury would have covered for their actions if he didn't know who was carrying them out. The first Iron Man film does prop up the military as heroic, but it also plays on the history of the military industrial complex dealing weapons to enemy fighters, which calls back to the Iran Contra and the formation of al Qaeda by the US government. I think the entire Iron Man trilogy plays with themes of "arming the enemy" and how we create our own demons. It's not always a direct attack on the military, but the themes are there. Captain Marvel may glorify the Air Force pretty shamelessly, just as you say, but it also uses the Kree/Skrull War as a thinly veiled way to call out the US government's treatment of refugees. They keep finding ways to play both sides of the table, which I think helps to open their appeal to the wider audience without alienating everyone all the time.
That's a really good way of looking at it. My only gripe about Captain Marvel is that the propaganda is so blatant. It feels like Michael Bay or some USAF director was on-set filming those bits.
Wasn't the only portrayal of the Air Force in the flashback shots though
@@suspicioususer There's also the thing about the USAF T-shirt providing Danvers' color scheme, and the fact that Danvers' friend still seems to be an air force pilot.
@@moredetonation3755 you mean a random obscure shirt, that doesn't really have the Air Forces colors on it. The emblem isn't even from the modern air force
@@suspicioususer "The emblem isn't even from the modern air force" so what, we can clearly see it's an air force T-shirt. What else would it be in the house of an air force pilot, with a daughter who idolizes her "aunt" and mother, both pilots?
I don't think Iron Man is as nice to the military as you claim considering that the movie acknowledges that it's US weapons that enable the terrorists' existence and that the military seems either helpless or unwilling to help threatened civilians pushing Iron Man to fly back to Afghanistan (and they try to prevent him from doing so as well). Great video otherwise!
They kind of sidestep the whole “US weapons enable terrorists” thing by making it *Tony Stark’s* weapons being sold away by one villain in a metal suit. It’s not really the government’s fault, it’s Obadiah’s fault for dealing under the table, and Tony’s for making the weapons and not paying attention to where they’re going. It’s one man fixing his own mistakes, not the government’s.
That's because all of the blame is placed on stark and Obadiah. Theres a point in the movie where Tony straight up asks Obadiah if he knew they were selling the weapons under the table.
It was a sneaky way of making Obadiah the scapegoat as opposed to letting the armed forces take some of the blame for destabilizing those regions in the first place
@@angelaphsiao This has happened many times in real life, arms manufactures selling directly to terrorists and revolutionaries.
Specifically the seller of those weapons happens to be the antagonist. So, in a sense, his defeat represents the triumph of the military in defeating corruption.
SirC you're right, it does, but it does it in the least confrontational way possible. The themes are there, but don't think about it too hard! We got obidiah stane here for Tony to punch!
Don't you feel, however, that the creators behind those movies are sometimes trying to indirectly criticize the military establishment by metaphor? Like, the people who finance those productions and the people who actually make them don't necessarily agree on the message. It's not uncommon, throughout history, to have artists getting a few ones pass the patrons.
For example, I read the Kree in Captain Marvel as an analogue for the military. At the end of the movie, Carol doesn't go back to serving the US Air Force, she breaks free from this abusive system. She starts out wanting to be in the air force, it's her goal in life, but when she is finally part of a military, it's a twisted perversion of her original ideals, which she doesn't even remember that she had to begin with. It's only by recalling her original values and breaking free as an autonomous individual that she attains her true power.
I believe the movie is basically saying: "you know all those feelings that the military propaganda gives you? That's not really the way it is in the military. We kill innocent people for money and power. But those feelings that you have are still important and meaningful. Just don't let organisations use them to manipulate you."
That's the way I see it, anyways.
To me this is a good example of how propaganda ends up leading to bad art, the fact that Captain Marvel could've been a much better movie if it could've actually gone somewhere with the Kree-USA analogy. The fact that the main character is kidnapped from her role as an elite high-tech warrior for a gigantic imperial military power, only to be brainwashed into a new role as... um... an elite high-tech warrior for a gigantic imperial military power... where she then breaks through her brainwashing and learns that her own military is the aggressor and the evil foreign terrorist bad guys she's been brainwashed into hating are actually the oppressed victims? I mean come on, the entire premise is practically *begging* for the characters to acknowledge this parallel and directly critique the US military, and the fact that USAF support prevented the movie from going there openly seems like a good explanation for why the final plot ended up feeling so incomplete and half-assed.
No
I think this actually sums up the movie well. Its kind of like the Arbiter in Halo 2. He joins the Covenant because he believes its the right thing but later finds out he is serving a organization that wants to cause genocide of a species because they have the power to destroy their entire culture and lose their power. Once realizing this he helps destroy the Covenant for leading him to slaughter.
@@sombramemer1230 And it’s even more like Halo than that. Like Captain Marvel, Halo has a very anti-war message while still overwhelmingly portraying the military as cool, mixing its messages quite a bit.
Its weird because I remember Ross in Black Panther being nothing more than a Joke who needed a teenager to help him do anything.
That’s the insidious thing though, that’s the point. He’s played as harmless, silly, and almost incompetent.
He’s probably thinking how he’s going to overthrow the king
OK. THIS was the best of the bunch. Like yeah. It acknowledges the quality of the marvel movies. But that doesn't get on the way of the video being incredibly critical.
It really was and I learned something new from this video.
Yup I agree 100%. I would love it if it was a subject that was discussed more often when discussing superhero movies.
I prefer the one about the hulk
@@johnhood-morris1444 The Hulk one was fine but they didn't say anything else besides what we already knew imo
The. Point. Of. The. Challenge. Is. To. Acknowledge. Quality.
Going on a semi-political tangent belonged in another video imo
I think it’s worth mentioning though that Captain Marvel also pretty unsubtly pins the Kree as an allegory for US imperialism and explores that idea through the entire main plot
Which is what made the movie so thematically awkward for me.
The film goes out of its way to parallel the Kree and US military’s heavily interventionist foreign policy, but makes so little comment on Carol’s own involvement with the actual American war machine.
Which is kind of tragic. The war between the skrulls and the kree should of been one of gray. Why go out of the way just to make all skrulls good?
"explores" is a pretty generous word to use, seeing as that theme didn't really go anywhere meaningful.
That allegory is completely undone by having her leave the Kree and decide that the only way she can fight them is by rejoining the American military-industrial complex, and then endorsing American policy on Israel and refugees to resolve the plight of the Skrulls in the way she did.
It might have been a valuable commentary if it had come in 2016, but in a post-Wonder Woman environment (and maybe I'm just speaking for myself), it felt like a remarkably ambiguous approach that was all-too-easily overshadowed by the constant barrage of pro-American militarism throughout.
Cake# they arent good
There was an idea...
To bring together a group of remarkable CZcamsrs...
So when Endgame came out...
We'd be ready.
This was always my favourite scene from this film. A clever idea, it works really well within the context of the film
I really liked that montage at the end. Perfectly made.
Sage!! This video is phenomenal. Something I've never really though about and hit close to home, being a military kid myself. Thanks for this!
Oh, this was beautifully done, exquisitely put together.
I remember watching Black Panther for the first time and being genuinely creeped out by its apparent rehabilitation of Everett Ross's character, whom last we saw was *gloating* over a man (who, yes, was a murderer, but we have due process as an ideal for a REASON) being put in a terrifying solitary confinement cubicle that had previously been used pretty explicitly as a torture device for Bucky. As much as I loved Black Panther, and I did, I've never been able to get over that part of it.
That montage at the end gave me chills. So far into this playlist, this is the best video I've seen.
Four "One Marvelous Scene" in my notification simultaneously XD
I've got 2. From Just Write and Hello Future Me. Who are the other 2?
ExtraBully I got Captain midnight and Ik lessons from the screenplay, Nando v movies and hitop films did it too.
@@dickwaffle468 Nando v movies and screenPrism
lol same
I'm sensing some kind of conspiracy.... 🤨
That scene is sort of a more extreme version of what they did with the wrestling ring scene in the first Sam Rami Spider-Man movie. A ridiculous costume and being introduced as the amazing Spider-Man. It made sense and made his actual suit look great in comparison! Not to mention that compared to “the human spider” Spider-Man sounds pretty normal and cool.
It’s this on purpose cheesiness that conveniently explains the costume and name. This is just one function that the star spangled man scene serves. It really hits like 3 birds with one stone.
Seeing Cap with a tommy gun is something i never knew i wanted until i saw it.
This is so ingenious. It's like the Marvel script writers sat down and asked "how can we say fuck you to the military and get their money at the same time". I love it
I kind of love that you made a video in conjunction with a massive studio release but your video is just a bit critical of them.
Wonder what the military thinks of the MCU movie with the most explicit anti-colonialist message. Y’know, the one whose point ends up being “While the individual descendents of colonizers do not deserve to be destroyed, the land, power, and wealth amassed as a result of colonialism is too toxic to be left around and is better off destroyed.”
Matt Laub Ragnarok?
@@TheVistastube Ragnarok doesn’t seem to carry that theme. That’s more of the sins of the past empire (Hela) now resurfacing to torment the people of today (Asgard after Orin’s death). Even that was deflected by the action and comedic tone of the film. Thor’s reasoning to destroy Asgard to destroy Hela is not based on those ideas, but merely from a plot perspective of “gotta beat the bad guy no matter what” or “enemy of my enemy is my friend”.
Thanks for this! Always love a critique that challenges my thinking and contextualizes a movie or scene in a way I had not seen before! Well done!
I was a kid when "Top Gun" came out. Of course I thought the movie was awesome, but I still remember that there were army/navy recruiters set up at the exit of the theater. Even at that age I was aware that was not entirely kosher.
Do people really not notice the propaganda? I always thought it was obvious. But maybe it's because I grew up a military brat and later joined so I notice it more often? Since I know some of the realities I tend to roll my eyes at movies with military super glorified. It's also fun to judge all the things they do wrong lol.
@@somethingsomething922 that's infuriating and heartbreaking. I hope your friends is okay.
bookXbat didn’t at all. Read them as anti military. The underlying theme of the MCU is that private individual superheroes working outside of the government. Is better than the government and their nukes.
This is the safe middle ground propaganda has reached - it goes to great lengths to be subtle enough that it's not immediately detected by the majority of people as propaganda.
My Dad likes to point out the inaccuracies of the uniforms in their costumes. As well as things like “You can’t hold a machine gun like that.” Or “There’s no point in pulling back the hammer on a double-action revolver at close range.” And “They would never be that close together in real life. If they were, they would easily get mowed down by machine gun fire. They just do that for the movie shots.”
Just to name a few examples. He was Air Force.
The sexism of the Air Force is actually brought up twice (technically three times) rather than the one. The flashback where Carol is objectified is shown in two key points in the film - the memory machine and, I think, the hero "stand up" moment. The second time the sexism is referenced, it's by Rambeau who literally points out that the only reason she and Carol became test pilots was because the Air Force refused to let women in the air.
The irony of those moments in relation to the negativity around the film? It highlights sexism and objectification in the workforce/military without making it a key part of the plot beyond why they were working with PEGASUS yet the film is sometimes attacked for being a feminist-driven SJW propaganda film.
Andrew Belton I think the feminist propaganda reputation it received has to do with internet clickbait websites like buzzfeed. I could go deeper into this but to make it short: these websites praised the movie for things by the time the first trailers dropped, many of which unjustified. These articles got shared, including ones about it being feminist propaganda. And the Internet did what it does best, overexaturate everything associated with the movie as a result. Both the parts that made people angry and the one amount of actual hate.
Although if you want to be super ironic, sexism has (in a way) saved the day in the film. If Carol got to fly like normal soldiers she wouldn’t have flown the jet that gave her powers. Therefore the moral of the film is, women are at their best, after money was wasted on their training. Good job movie.
@@frankwest5388 The moral of the film is that by making the best of your situation while still striving for more. Yes, Carol and Maria fly the test planes because they aren't allowed to fly combat missions, and it's the only way they can really make a difference. But in the end, lacking a prior opportunity put Carol in that jet with Mar-Vel and in position to absorb Space Stone energy, which was critical to later saving the Earth.
Lt. Dax
The joke
Your head.
@@@frankwest5388 You're right in those points. I've seen entire swaths of the CB community go absolutely nuts against Captain Marvel and they generally give bland/one-note answers as to why they don't like it (boring/worst movie since Dark World etc) or rant over the sexism of the film. And in practically none of these cases do they give any actual critique of the movie itself.
It's a real shame. While the film itself isn't good enough to stack up to any of the crossover films (including WS and CW), I honestly think it's one of the strongest solo/intro movies in the entire MCU. I'd have to watch it as much as I've seen the other origins to say for sure, but it's currently fighting it out with Iron Man as #2 intro movie for me. Unfortunately, it really looks like Captain Marvel is going to be a film where all the crap around it will forever taint those of us who watched the entire process happening. I have a feeling its true worth as an MCU film will only be accepted once we're in Phase 4 or 5 and far enough away from the film to have the majority of the sexism insanity thrown out of the window.
Andrew Belton ok, it’s nice to see that you enjoyed it, but I just didn’t like it.
For me there were just too many deal breakers.
I didn’t like CM, she had nothing that makes her stand out when compared to other MCU protagonists, and she didn’t even have any personal stakes for most of the story.
The story felt poorly paced, with things and events just happening.
I hated that dumb cat, it had no reason to exist, aside from the “gag” of it scratching Furies eye out. Which I hated.
And the CM is so incredibly overpowered when compared to her opposition, that I couldn’t take the kree serious at all.
There is more, but those are my main problems.
There was an idea, to bring together film essay-Tube...
Sage, this is such a valuable in-depth essay. You hit the central point and touched on several key issues with filmmaking, screenwriting, creative voice, military, and ethics. You had a deft hand with writing this. Kudos, my friend! I'm on board for more from you!
I read the use of the military/CIA in Capt Marvel and Black Panther very differently. Ross is an asset and ultimately a heroic figure, but the movie goes out of its way to highlight the shadiness of U.S military tactics through both him and Killmonger, and in Captain Marvel, the repeated idea that Carol and Maria are flying *non-fighter* missions "not to fight wars, but to end them" suggests to me that the film is actually more critical of the Air Force's standard MO than one might initially think. Granted, that is very much undercut by the real-world context you mention of said organizations actively participating in the films' marketing.
I would argue that in Captain Marvel, the message no "not fight war but end them", which is mentioned like 2 or 3 times in the movie, is really undermined by how prominently military (both American and Kree), jets, guns etc are featured (and in a heroic, or at least "cool" fashion).
Besides, how is the idea of fighting to end wars anything new ? Isn't it to some extent the reason (or justification) why wars and confrontations are started today ? To protect or bring peace
@@davidmccarthy4206 But that motto was decidedly NOT that of the US and the Kree - it was the motto of those who broke away from the US military and the Kree: Mar-Vell and later Carol herself.
Johanna Geisel yeah, in many ways Carol rejects the militarism in favor of the nonviolent solution of just getting the Skrulls to a new home out of the way of the Kree - that was the goal all along for her mentor.
“Peace by kicking ass” is not the “end the war” she had in mind.
David McCarthy the difference is that Mar-Vell and (unknowingly at first) Carol and Maria aren’t testing planes to be used as weapons. They’re testing an engine with the *express* purpose of ferrying refugees away from a warring imperialist faction. That’s pretty opposed to America’s standard “let’s trump up a reason to go to war so we can BE the imperialist force” method.
@@Justanotherconsumer yeah by "non-violently" blowing up their starship
Watching PCD's video on how the military effects films was really eye opening
Pop Culture Detective is awesome. Popular C/C has a really good video on it, too, focusing on Captain Marvel.
I've watched a ton of your videos. This has got to be one of my favorites. Thank you for shedding light on a largely unrecognized topic.
That montage at the end was perfect. Good stuff.
That Pop Culture Detective video about military and Hollywood is so great.
Some great insight here, thanks!
I noticed a whole bunch of "One Marvelous Scene" videos in my subscription inbox. Does that make me one of the cool guys?
Easily my favourite of the marvelous scene videos. Incredible breakdown and poignant message too. New subscriber here.
I loved the marvel military ad edit you did in the end, ties your point together perfectly
Glad you cleared up some common misconceptions on the word “propaganda.”
May as well just call it “marketing” - the techniques and tools are identical.
My old dance teacher did the choreography in this scene
thank you sir. You, nando and all other content creators on this playlist have restored my faith in my dream to write for fun and fulfilment. well done with all your work so far.
Great video!
You made some really good points that I haven't heard presented before. Thank you.
Very interesting, I hadn't understood that the connection went that deeply.
Really cool. Marvel studios 10 Years! Nice video
@Kurt Barryman "heretically" found the Warhammer 40K fan lmao
you do you bud @Kurt Barryman
this comment sounds kinda bot-y xD
I literally laughed out loud when he referenced the Hurt Locker as an accurate portrayal of the military. 😆
I don't think accurate was the implication - just, gritty and concerned with the psychological and life consequences of service. Hurt Locker is woefully inaccurate in the details but faithful to certain soldiers' experiences in spirit, because it focuses on trauma, PTSD, stress, anxiety, alienation and withdrawal.
And a shot of Hawkeye to boot.
Honestly one of the best video essays I’ve seen in a long time. I really respect you man.
11:45 This! Man, the part where she "remembers" everything so that she unfolds her full power, it looks exactly like a freakin' ad!
Captain marvel is disapointing. Your main character is a super saiyan and you do nothing with it.
@@emmanuelmondesir1314 Yeah. I wouldn't have minded a beam struggle or something like it. But no, she single-handly defeated an army.
@@Yoseqlo1 For me, It was a bad movie in comparison to it's Marvel competitors, being Infinity War and Endgame. On a critic standpoint, it's Phase 1 quality
@@Fordring1776 Agreed. As a Phase 1 I would have been more forgiving as well. Even the story relating to Fury felt like a Phase 1.
@Snehil Shrey *one-shot an army in like 5 seconds*
meh.
LFTS, Browntable, and JustWrite making an organised anthology series without announcing it? What a treat!
Definitely @Browntable did the BEST MARVELLOUS SCENE!
And "Nando v Movies".
Loved browntables the most, that said, I am heavily biased because TWS is my fav MCU flick so far, tied with infinity war.
So here I am, just lying on my chairs at 3:00 trying to get some homework done. I come across a video by one of my favorite creators and I'm like "Wow, that sure was a nice video by one of my favorite creators. It's a shame there aren't more videos like this..." and then BOOM! He says it's a part of a playlist and I'm saying "Wow, too bad I won't get any homework done tonight". So I click play and it's all rather nice... Then I start hearing something from someone acting like captain marvel matters and I look at the channel and understanding dawned on me... It's the bane of my happiness. The bars holding me from the sun. The endless ocean that stretches out in all directions keeping me from calm and fresh water... Just Write.
Great work Sage! This is something I think about a lot for films in general, but I never really gave it much thought in the context of Marvel-- thank you!
Oooooft, that montage you made at the end!
This video would be a great companion with Siddhant Adlakha's Road to Endgame series on SlashFilm. He goes a lot into each movies relationship with the military and the wider political landscape of the MCU.
he didn't even mention incredible hulk where the atagonist is the military
Nobody has mentioned that movie since it came out
@@keeganharris186 true
Awesome video. Wish you touched on something specific about Black Panther.
In Black Panther, the CIA overthrows the government of a sovereign African nation and it's considered a good thing. If you look at history, the CIA has done that exact thing and it was horrendous.
In 1960, Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Congo (later the Democratic Republic of the Congo), was pushed out of office by Congolese President Joseph Kasavubu amid the U.S.-supported Belgian military intervention in the country, a violent effort to maintain Belgian business interests after the country’s decolonization. Lumumba maintained an armed opposition to the Belgian military and, after approaching the Soviet Union for supplies, was targeted by the CIA once the agency determined he was a threat to the newly installed government of Joseph Mobutu. The CIA alerted Congolese troops to Lumumba’s location and noted roads to be blocked and potential escape routes. Lumumba was captured in late 1960 and killed in January of the following year.
Damn, we live in a completely different time, we have to explain propaganda.
That's very true, there's such an oversaturation of media that we've become desensitized to it. But propoganda has also gotten a lot less obvious and people aren't being taught media literacy or how to do their own research. I don't even know if they still teach internet safety in schools. Smh
Propagana is just governmental advertisement. If you know its there its fine. It's when its hidden that you should worry.
@@redoutlander No propaganda is literally anything trying to make you think a certain way. Even commercials are propaganda as they want you to think "Buy this product"
nobody will ever know what got this comment over 200 replies ;-)
@Kurt Barryman you're an idiot. It's about empowering women to not let old cultural bs control their lives. Do some go too far yes. But I feel like that's a better message then join the military so ya can be sexually assualted, shot at, bombed, brainwashed, forced to kill civilians cuz orders, taught to be racist and then throw out on your ass to be homeless and crazy and mutilated cuz PTSD is considered a pre existing issue according to the government and veteran hospitals only keep ya for a few yrs at most with little to know equipment or support that can help. Yet the military is given the highest amount in taxes but they use it on tanks we don't need and planes that can't be flown. Yes I'm a equalist not a feminist there's plenty of bs men have to get through. No I don't hate the military just the way the government runs it.
@Kris Feminism isnt needed in the west anymore. Nowadays its not even about what it orginally was intended for. Woman arguably have more rights than men now and are a far more protected class. But I respect your opinion. I'm not really a fan of any form of propaganda I only accept the facts of reality and propaganda tends to paint messages that have no flaws when in reality every ideology has down sides.
@@Kris-wo4pj this reaction is the problem.
Propaganda is now in the forms of children's books at books stores. Both conservatives and liberals publish bullshit to get the young on their side.
You know, many Leftists hate Nazi's...so are you against propaganda for our military fighting fascists?
Yes, because a child doesn't come out of the theatre wanting to become Ironman or captain Marvel, no, they come out the theatre wanting to become military
I love the way you decode these films, great channel! 🙏🔥
Also, I couldn't help but think you might want to review the movie "The Crazies." Their critic on the military & government handling of a disease outbreak would be interesting to review considering this video. Just a thought, thanks again!
Really great content. It’s a service to the MCU and us fans to have these films thematically linked in a coherent essay
Can anyone explain what this "One Marvelous Scene" thing is. There's over 10 channels I know that uploaded videos with this title in the past 5 minutes.
Omfg pleeease
In short resume, practically the crossover of all the movie analysis / reviewers / writers that take an specific scene in the MCU movies and talk about them, why they are so special and the message they have about it. Since Avengers: Endgame is coming around, you can take it as way to honor the MCU Phase One as a whole.
@LagiNaLangAko23 That's why the movie is named Avengers: Endgame.
LagiNaLangAko23 It isn’t.
I don't realize these at all until this. Now I see it. Thanks for the insight. 👀👍
i love the fact that this video about ads in movies contains an ad about watching movies
great job everybody. this is such a cool concept !
back when i saw captain america in the theater i never thought in 2019 id be seeing a movie like endgame
Dude you channel is awesome, i just discovered it and already i ve seen all your videos. Love your analysis. Particularly loved Nolan’s narrative video. would you do the same work with other directors like Tarantino or Coppola?
War Machine. Literally the most destructive weapon America has at their disposal...... but he’s a ... good guy? Crazy
Hoo boy, that last montage was fantastic.
4:30 this scene always bugged me because U.S military is trained to never stop while being ambushed. And if I am wrong can a man in blue (or wore blue) be able to fix my mistake
Duuuude, that closing montage after your final thesis was incredible!! I've never seen such a masterfully crafted and clever bit in a CZcams video. Nicely done.
Hey! I really enjoy your videos and I thought it was really cool that you gave a small shoutout to Mr. Sunday Movies. Two of my favorite CZcams channels! Keep up the videos - you give great perspective to aspiring writers like myself
When did movies rated PG-13 start being considered movies aimed at children?
You're a child well into your teens, shockingly enough.
You're a child up till the very and of your teen years
Seing the Pentagon having so much ties with Hollywood studios, is actually quite worrying.
You should watch Pentagon Wars. It is not about Pentagon Propaganda, but Bureaucracy. Great movie.
@@whoareyou1034
I have seen this movie few months ago, it is indeed quite interesting.
Damn, how did I just find out about this video? Great work, btw! I had lost hope that anyone would talk about this!
Very well done! Very very enlightening. Makes me want to watch Cap: The First Avenger again!
Also nice use of daybreak by Electric Mantis :)