He’s a hyper smart (He’s descended from Reed Richards, the smartest guy on the planet) super-technologically advanced warlord from the future. Essentially has the resources of an entire empire that’s at least an entire planet at his disposal. I’d say he’s more than Ultron and as dangerous as Thanos with at least 4 of the Inifinity stones.
Having 2 avengers for phase 6 makes me wonder who's the Big Bad for the 10th year of their next master plan
Chances are that Dr. Doom will steal whatever from Kang and end up the big bad of Secret Wars. Galactus, Annihilus, The Beyonder, Onslaught, Magneto, Dark Phoenix (although I doubt we will see her again any time soon), Mephisto, Apocalypse (probably another one we won't see again soon). Then there's Hulk, who had a World War Hulk storyline where it was him and his buddied vs all of the heroes, and in the more recent Immortal Hulk was shown in the far future to be the last thing standing int he universe (because he destroyed most of it). His future self, The Maestro, also killed all of the heroes and ruled the earth.
Infantile Love For Superheroes Can Be Precursor To Fascism https://deadline.com/2022/10/alan-m...sm-precursor-fascism-donald-trump-1235139369/
Alan Moore is just smart enough to be too smart for his own good, and he drinks his own kool aid and thinks he’s the smarteres.
Captain Britain turnedt me straight after (Peggy Carter) but I'm scared Captain Britain (the male mutant version) gonna make me gay again. No more CAPTAINS please.
This is probably D&D fare but I can see his point. Superheroes are Jungian and Nietzchian archetypes and Fascist propaganda definitely uses similar archetypes. The idea of the uncompromising hero bringing order to a chaotic world is certainly an image that authoritarian leaders like to project but also many Fascist leaders have come to power as revolutionaries posing as the avenging ubermensch of the common oppressed by wealthy. effite, or both elites. Consider Superman, son of Krypton but raised in Smallville and who's greatest villian is the richest and smartest man in the World. Or Batman who although wealthy himself uses his wealth to fuel a war of vengeance on a corrupt and decadent world. I like Frank Miller but I think there are Fascist overtones to his work especially in the Dark Knight Trilogy and 300. Alan Moore's Rorschach in The Watchman is in the same mold but rather than the hero he makes Rorschach out to be the inevitable extreme of a Batman. A figure so consumed with his sense of justice that even when order and peace come to the World he has to die because as he says there is no compromise.
Jack Kirby and Stan Lee certainly didn’t have any intentions of writing characters who would promote facist ideals. At least they tried to do the opposite. Look at Spider-Man which is Stan Lee’s real passion project. The guy we follow is mostly concerned about high school stuff and then it’s a lot of family close friends drama with the back drop of him being able to climb walls and fight aliens in secret. It also shows a world where superhero’s like him are hated and used as propaganda tools to serve a narrative that he tries to control but never can fully. It’s good stuff and does a great job of focusing on the flawed human character rather than the savior aspect. 300 is an example of hero p*rn out of control though. It even glorifies a society that literally kills babies who aren’t perfect specimens. Batman can get a little sketchy at times and misinterpreted. But often writers or directors like Nolan try to right that ship for the viewers like The Dark Knight where Nolan pretty on the nose makes it clear to the viewers that billionaires or people of privilege shouldn’t be using their power in order to get praise. They need to be willing to be take the fall. It also pretty on the nose makes a case for the need to preserve the ideals of democracy and a justice system. TDK ends of showing Batman literally covering up corruption and crimes from the leading law enforcement agent in Dent but still. He’s saying that even though the system isn’t perfect because people aren’t perfect, we need to protect the faith people have in that system. So no I wouldn’t agree with the take that super hero films are fascist propaganda. But it certainly can be with writers and filmmakers who don’t care to write characters who are truly flawed and relatable characters.
The Boys is where the Super Heroes are the corrupt establishment. In Stormfront there literally is a fascist that wants to see the world ruled by Ubermensch. My own interpretation of The Boys is that it is a take on Disney and late stage Capitalism. Vought is a massive entertainment conglomerate where the stars / rides actually are real. It’s completely amoral with its only interest in maximizing profit.
Superheroes genre is a large genre and teenage alienation is a big theme in much of it. Spider-Man and X-Men that is featured and part of the appeal of the genre is the kid that feels like a mutant actually has power. That is also one of Alan Moore’s critiques of the genre though that it is emotionally juvenile. They they are primarily male fantasies of disaffected boys. There are actually ties between the appeal of Fascism and the disaffection of young males in society. It is the appeal of those who feel that they don’t belong in society that they really have power and it’s not they that have to change but society. When you combine that with a political appeal you can get a Proud Boy or a Brown Shirt.
