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New Book: Nicholas Carnes

The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe returns for volume 2.

By Matt LoJacono // September 5, 2025

 

Sanford Professor Nicholas Carnes has co-edited a new book examining the surprising intersections of politics and pop culture: The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Volume 2. Building on the success of the first volume, this new collection explores the political messages, cultural debates, and real-world implications of Marvel’s Phase 4 films and series.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Illustration: man dressed as superhero, big smile, futuristic clothing
Illustration of Nick Carnes by Darick Ritter, Sequential Potential

A new volume of essays exploring the on-screen politics and real-world implications of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s expansion into the multiverse.

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) moved on from the Thanos storyline, it became more political than ever—both on screen and off.

Following up on their first volume about the politics of the MCU, editors Nicholas Carnes and Lilly J. Goren are back with a new volume of essays exploring the political worlds within and outside of the MCU, authored by leading experts on politics, philosophy, and popular culture. This second volume tackles the sprawling narratives in the MCU’s Phase 4, the movies, TV shows, and related content released in 2021 and 2022. During Phase 4, Marvel Studios released films at an unprecedented pace: seven in just two years, including titles like Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Phase 4 also marked the start of the MCU’s move into streaming television, with shows like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight. With a fifty-hour combined runtime, Phase 4 included more new MCU content than Phases 1 through 3 (2008 through 2020) combined.

ILlustration of woman as superhero. Futuristic clothing, fun glasses, big smile
Illustration of Lilly Goren by Darick Ritter, Sequential Potential

The chapters in this volume are organized in three parts that each explore a different aspect of the politics of Phase 4. In Part One, the authors examine “on-screen politics,” looking at the political messages (some subtle, some more explicit) in stories about Thor, the Eternals, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, Loki, and Captain America. Part Two explores the “off-screen” politics of the MCU’s fans, examining topics like political participation, partisanship, and whether MCU fans are more cynical about real-world politics. In Part Three, we face the perennial issues around representation—especially gender, race, and sexuality—that have long dominated popular and academic commentary on superhero fiction.

Like The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Volume 1: The Infinity Saga, this is another indispensable guide to understanding how the MCU—a fundamental aspect of American pop culture—has a profound and complex relationship with American political life.

 

 

Buy The book

The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Volume 2

Policy 360 Podcast

The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

In this episode of Policy 360, Nick Carnes and Lilly Goren discuss the themes on government, public policy, and society in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This podcast was recorded when their first book on the topic came out.

Written by

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Matt LoJacono

Matt LoJacono is Sanford's Senior Public Relations Manager. With a focus on media relations, Matt oversees and nurtures connections between the institution and various outlets, ensuring effective communication about faculty, staff, and students. He is also responsible for crafting engaging news stories and in-depth articles that highlight the events and achievements within Sanford. As such, when the need arises, Matt is in charge of updating printed materials including the faculty guide throughout the year.

Matt holds a BA in Public Relations from George Mason University and an MS in Communication from North Carolina State University. He is an active member of the Public Relations Society of America, further expanding his and Sanford's network. Outside of work, Matt enjoys going to baseball games and is an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox.

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