Michael D. Nichols is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

“This book contributes to a fuller understanding of what the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, both as a whole and with its individual films, has accomplished”—Vince Tomasso, assistant professor of classical studies, Trinity College

• Table of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: A Myth in the Making and Making the Case for a MythOne. The Ritual Birth—and Death—of a Superhero: Rites of Passage and Initiation in the MCU Origin StoriesTwo. A Shadow Follows: The MCU Superheroes versus Their Darker SelvesThree. Impurity and Pollution in the MCU’s Phase TwoFour. Families Divided: Internecine and Intergenerational War in the MCUFive. Death Stalks the MCU: Thanos Among the Monsters of the MCU and World MythologySix. The Superhero’s Quest: Journeys to the Underworld and the Final Battle Against DeathConclusion: A Myth for This (and Every) AgeChapter NotesFilmographyBibliographyIndex

Michael D. Nichols is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

“This book contributes to a fuller understanding of what the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, both as a whole and with its individual films, has accomplished”—Vince Tomasso, assistant professor of classical studies, Trinity College

• Table of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: A Myth in the Making and Making the Case for a MythOne. The Ritual Birth—and Death—of a Superhero: Rites of Passage and Initiation in the MCU Origin StoriesTwo. A Shadow Follows: The MCU Superheroes versus Their Darker SelvesThree. Impurity and Pollution in the MCU’s Phase TwoFour. Families Divided: Internecine and Intergenerational War in the MCUFive. Death Stalks the MCU: Thanos Among the Monsters of the MCU and World MythologySix. The Superhero’s Quest: Journeys to the Underworld and the Final Battle Against DeathConclusion: A Myth for This (and Every) AgeChapter NotesFilmographyBibliographyIndex

Michael D. Nichols is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

“This book contributes to a fuller understanding of what the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, both as a whole and with its individual films, has accomplished”—Vince Tomasso, assistant professor of classical studies, Trinity College

• Table of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: A Myth in the Making and Making the Case for a MythOne. The Ritual Birth—and Death—of a Superhero: Rites of Passage and Initiation in the MCU Origin StoriesTwo. A Shadow Follows: The MCU Superheroes versus Their Darker SelvesThree. Impurity and Pollution in the MCU’s Phase TwoFour. Families Divided: Internecine and Intergenerational War in the MCUFive. Death Stalks the MCU: Thanos Among the Monsters of the MCU and World MythologySix. The Superhero’s Quest: Journeys to the Underworld and the Final Battle Against DeathConclusion: A Myth for This (and Every) AgeChapter NotesFilmographyBibliographyIndex