The Importance of Humanity to the MCU
By: Elizabeth Trupiano
Tags: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Aliens, Marvel, Humanity, Science Fiction

I have often felt that humanity’s influence on the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is greater than their (our?) capabilities should allow. This might be a confusing statement so I’ll try to explain. Films in the MCU that focus their attention beyond Earth, such as Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy, reveal that the life around the universe is much more powerful and advanced (technologically and/or magically) than that of Earth. This being said, the films, a majority of the time, focus on the Earth. For example, the war that wiped out half of the universe was fought on Earth and by Earth’s heroes.

It is this that troubles me. As viewers, we witness the great power of what is inhuman, easily far beyond humanity, but are simultaneously overwhelmed with storylines that emphasize the power and importance of Earth and center around humanity. I think everyone would admit that the MCU focuses heavily on what occurs on Earth while there also exists an entire universe that only gets acknowledged, for the most part, in Guardians movies. (I know this is an over generalization, don’t attack me.)

A good example of this tension exists in The Avengers. The Tesseract has been on Earth for some time, at least since the 1940s, but it has been kept safe and seemingly hidden in a Norse temple as seen in Captain America: The First Avenger. In The Avengers, it is revealed that. S.H.I.E.L.D. is attempting to harness the power of the Tesseract because of Thor’s arrival, and thus alien presence, on Earth. It is the use of this power that seemingly alerts the rest of the universe that the Earth possesses the power and capability to deserve attention, which brings the Chitauri and Loki to New York City.

In summation, Earth previously did not have the power to warrant the universe’s concern, but once we began experimenting with the Tesseract, which seemingly took seventy years, it appeared we were prepared for a different kind of war. (I know that Captain Marvel brings aliens and experimentation with the Tesseract to the timeline earlier than 2011/2012, but at the time of The Avengers that was not yet planned/known.) This supposes that humanity was too weak and inconsequential for other planets to acknowledge.

Thor mentions that Asgardians believe themselves to be above humans, like gods, which is a comparison made repeatedly. Despite this, Thor reflects on the backward nature of their fighting tactics and way of life. They act evolved and superior but in reality they are not any better than the people of Earth. I think this presents the idea of societal evolution and growth as opposed to magical superiority. It seems “magic” if you will causes a people/place to remain stagnant because they believe so greatly in their power and current capabilities that they do not attempt to progress or better themselves. Evidently, it appears humanity is more evolved and advanced in terms of societal structure and certain kinds of technologies.

This presents the possibility that maybe humanity and Earth has its own kind of power and advancement as opposed to the sheer power, magic, and cosmic capabilities of the rest of the universe. Humanity then could be its own kind of threat. The Avengers ends with Thanos being told to fight the humans would be to court Death. Though we have established that perhaps humanity is powerful in its own right, it seems to be a bit of hyperbole to imagine Earth could stand up against these various powers. Honestly, it was luck that the Chitauri all died with their mothership because I believe the Avengers were severely outnumbered and unprepared if that had not happened.

Additionally, it seems only once Earth starts tampering with various alien powers do these global conflicts in need of superhero response occur. Is it then really humanity that is a challenge or call to Death? Or is it the power that never existed for us that gives the appearance of capability? Perhaps humanity is just dumb enough to fight back and attempt to preserve what we created and, coupled with power that does not belong to us, creates a greater threat than imagined.

Regardless, it seems the MCU focuses heavily on humanity and Earth, which juxtaposes the appearance of power we see throughout the universe. Realistically, it seems the great power of Asgard or the Frost Giants or the Kree or the Infinity Stones in general would destroy Earth in an instant. It just does not make sense why Earth is seen as such a great threat to Thanos or anyone else in the universe for that matter. The fact that we were ignored until we received alien powers is further evidence of Earth’s insignificance.

Perhaps I am harping on something that does not matter, but I am interested to know if anyone else feels that the importance of Earth is inflated compared to the power of other planets and peoples. Comparatively, humans do not have anything to use to stand up against an alien army or various superpowers and advanced technology. Especially in recent films, it seems the powers of the greater universe dwarf what the Earth is capable of and many of the conflicts in films are the result of humans trying to better protect themselves against this impossible, unknowable threat. For example, experimenting with the Tesseract and Ultron.

I think humanity might be given too much credit as most of our power comes from access to various alien elements. Certainly, we have created our own superheroes and our own kinds of power like Iron Man, Ant-Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man. There are technologies and science that allow us to stand apart from the rest of the universe and perhaps it is these skills that make us different. Our power is not given but made and there is a certain pride in that and a certain desire to protect it. Perhaps this is what makes humanity something to be feared. It is not necessarily raw power but the desire to attain it.