A university is to begin offering a course in Marvel movies studies, offering students the chance to swot up on the superhero universe which has taken the global box office by storm.



Titled Media Genres: Media Marvels, the course, at the University of Baltimore, aims to offer a deeper understanding of characters such as Iron Man, Thor and Captain America, and the manner in which Disney-owned Marvel Studios has woven together interlinked comic-book movies over the past six years. It is believed to be the first of its kind in the country.

Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy Photograph: Uncredited/AP

“This series not only provides action-packed entertainment, but also profound statements about the nature of heroism, the great responsibilities that come with wielding great power, our willingness to trade freedom for security, and much more,” said course teacher Arnold T Blumberg.

“Every generation has a modern media mythology that serves as a framework for entertaining as well as educating about ethics, morality, issues of race, gender, class, and so on. For the past several years, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings have served in that role for tens of millions. When I was younger, it was the first Star Wars series.



Earn your stripes … Iron Man 3 Photograph: Allstar/WALT DISNEY PICTURES/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

“[Now with Marvel] we have a generation coming of age with these characters and this completely mapped-out universe. It could be argued that it’s never been done better. But no matter what your age, there is always a fantasy/sci-fi/superhero realm that helps you to explore your place in the world, your identity, and your ideals. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is that realm for this generation.”



Blumberg said the course would examine how the Marvel films borrowed from Joseph Campbell’s monomyth of the “hero’s journey” and offered important insights into modern culture. He will be including the new blockbuster Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy in the syllabus, with the course due to welcome its first students in spring 2015.



“One thing we’ll do is dive into the impact of the Guardians of the Galaxy film, which proved two things: mainstream movie audiences are not remotely tired of superhero movies; and Marvel Studios can now release a sci-fi adventure that actually features talking trees and raccoons,” said Blumberg. “It’s not that they’re getting away with it – they’ve created a universe in which fans completely accept these developments, and they’re ready for even more.”

Marvel Studios has now released 10 films, since 2008’s Iron Man, all based on the comic books published by its sister company Marvel Comics. 2012’s The Avengers, which brought Tony Stark together with Thor, the Hulk and Captain America for the first time on the big screen, stands as the third highest-grossing film of all time with more than $1.5bn at the global box office. The series as a whole has taken more than $7bn.

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