Why is the Marvel universe still obsessed with aggressive hypermasculinity?

(From http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/captain-america-civil-war-our-fixation-with-hyper-masculine-films-damages-all-of-us-a6750366.html )


The trailer for Captain America: Civil War premiered this week and geeks all over the internet exploded with excitement. This is the 13th movie in the Marvel cinematic universe and there are at least 10 more on the way. Superheroes have gone mainstream in a big way. Comic book stories are no longer the exclusive domain of geek subcultures.

Part of that success lies in the appeal of an old-fashioned tale of good versus evil. The scenes of conflict and destruction in these films are viscerally exciting and certainly get the adrenaline pumping. But there is something else at work here, something that has drawn self-described geeks and nerds to comic books for nearly a century, and that is an idealisation of the aggressive hyper-masculine superhero archetype.

Returning to the trailer, it was the last 10 seconds – a protracted fight scene in which beloved superheroes Iron Man and Captain America are shown beating the crap out of each other – that drew a sense of palpable excitement among fans.

What exactly is so appealing about this particularly aggressive form of hyper masculinity that it’s become a worldwide movie obsession?

The particular brand of superhero masculinity represents a popular conception of what it means to be a “real man,” a conception that is not relegated solely to the realms of fantasy. Hypermasculinity manifests everywhere in our culture and can be seen reflected in politics, international conflict, municipal policing, domestic violence and interpersonal relationships.