DISCLAIMER: I will not be discussing the X-Men universe, Marvel's Netflix series, The Agents of SHIELD, the Fantastic Four movies or the Sony-verse of Marvel. For the entirety of this blog series I will only be discussing Africa as it is portrayed in the Infinity Saga and the ongoing phase 4 of the MCU. (And yes, I did re-watch each and everyone of the movies and shows just for this, so you're welcome.)
The MCU is by far the most financially successful film franchise in the entire world. And recently, we have seen some major commitment from them in the push for diversity and authenticity in mainstream media. So let's talk about it. I am an African man from Uganda who loves superheroes and the MCU is home to some of my all time favorites. But I want to focus on how the MCU portrays Africa. So let's dig in, shall we?
Where is Africa in the Iron Man Trilogy?
The Iron Man franchise successfully launched the MCU into existence and also managed to reimagine the superhero genre.
As a child watching the Iron Man movies, I was taken away by how cool Tony Stark (played by the iconic Robert Downey Jr) was. He really was a symbol of heroism. However, after re-watching the trilogy as an adult, Iron Man represents something a little more nuanced than heroism. He is a symbol of American nationalism and capitalism.
In Iron Man, Tony Stark is labeled as an American patriot. Within the first 20 minutes of the film we learn that Tony is the CEO of the weapons manufacturing enterprise, Stark Industries-- a "weapons industry leader protecting America and her interests". In Iron Man 2, Tony himself claims to have "privatized world peace" by becoming a self-sustaining superhero who acts out of his own volition.
The MCU has never tried to hide how arrogant and rich Tony Stark is. In fact, those attributes are two of the character's best selling points. We all love a character who's flawed and imperfect. But there's a reason they call the rich 'filthy'. It's made pretty clear that Stark Industries isn't what Tony thought it was and the ways in which it makes money are sketchy at best. But what does Africa have to do with this?
Well, I have a theory that Stark Industries not only perpetuated destruction and death in various US conflicts with other nations such as Afghanistan in the first Iron Man, I also think they probably exploited African resources (a reoccurring practice in the wider MCU, believe it or not) in the accumulation of such wealth.
Now this is not to say that Tony Stark is an evil man or that you shouldn't like Iron Man. On the contrary, Iron Man is one of my favorite Marvel superheroes. But when I think about how the movies portray him and his mega corporation, I just have a hunch that all of that extravagant wealth and technology would not be possible without the resources undoubtedly provided by the African continent.
In the real world, Africa is rich with natural resources, many of which are essential for technological innovation and global economic growth. According to a news article by Al Jazeera, Africa is home to about 30 percent of the world's minerals, 40 percent of the world's gold and 90 percent of the world's chromium and platinum. In the MCU, Africa is also home to a majority of the world's Vibranium, yet we hear no mention of this throughout the Iron Man trilogy. But that’s life for you.
Anyway, I feel a little encouraged knowing that some of the platinum that wound up in Tony’s suits and weapons might have originated from the continent I call home. It’s not much in terms of representation, but it certainly makes me feel better than the rest of phase one. There is the Vibranium shield Captain America wields in Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers, but other than that I don’t think there’s any direct reference to Africa or anything Africa-related until Avengers: Age of Ultron. So stay tuned for next Friday! I will be discussing Age of Ultron and how the Avengers need to pay reparations for the damage they caused.
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A previous version of this post contained a broken link which has since been restored effective 1/24/2024.
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