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JARVIS Research System
Mapping the Marvel Cinematic Universe · v4.7.1
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JARVIS RESEARCH SYSTEM  ·  INITIALISED

Mapping the
Marvel Cinematic
Universe

A critical examination of equality, diversity, and inclusion across the MCU — in front of and behind the camera. Spanning 18 years and 40 films.

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Mission Briefing

About the Project

RESEARCH OVERVIEW — ACTIVE
"Who gets to tell the story — and whose story gets told?"

This research project takes a critical look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe — one of the most commercially successful and culturally influential film franchises in history.

We ask how representation of diverse identities has evolved across more than a decade of storytelling, examining both the characters on screen and the creative teams who bring them to life.

Situated within cultural and media studies, this project contributes to the growing academic and industry conversation about who is represented in popular culture — and how that shapes our world.

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Personnel Files

Meet the Team

SJ-001 · PROJECT LEAD
SJ
// PROJECT LEAD
Dr Stuart Joy
Film & Media Studies

A scholar of contemporary cinema and screen media, with particular expertise in Hollywood genre filmmaking, identity politics, and the ideological dimensions of popular culture.

AV-002 · PROJECT LEAD
AV
// PROJECT LEAD
Dr Adam Vaughan
Screen Industries & EDI

Research expertise in screen industries, representation, and equality, diversity & inclusion in media production contexts. Leads the project's EDI framework and industry analysis.

TM-003 · PROJECT LEAD
TM
// PROJECT LEAD
Dr Terence McSweeney
American Cinema & Culture

Internationally recognised scholar of American cinema and culture. Brings expertise in superhero films, ideology, and cultural representation to the project's analytical framework.

AA-004 / NM-005 · RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
AA·NM
// RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Alice Ainsworth & Natalie Madziyire
Systematic Coding, Data Management & Qualitative Analysis

Support systematic coding and data management, contributing to qualitative analysis, dataset verification, and public engagement outputs.

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Mission Parameters

Objectives

OBJECTIVE — 01 · ON-SCREEN
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On-Screen Representation

Map how characters across the MCU reflect — or fail to reflect — the diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability across every phase.

OBJECTIVE — 02 · BEHIND CAMERA
02

Behind the Camera

Examine the diversity of directors, writers, producers, and key crew — the people whose decisions shape every story we see on screen.

OBJECTIVE — 03 · ANALYSIS
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Does It Make a Difference?

Explore how diversity — or lack of it — among creative teams shapes the characters and narratives that reach global audiences.

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Methodology

Our Approach

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Systematic Film Analysis
Coding character demographics across all MCU films to build a rigorous quantitative picture of on-screen representation — who appears, how often, and in what roles.
02
Qualitative Analysis
Going deeper into dialogue, themes, and narrative subtext to understand how diversity is portrayed — examining quality and depth of representation, not just count.
03
Comparative Analysis
Placing the MCU's record within the wider film industry to assess what is typical, what is exceptional, and where progress still needs to be made.
Research Scope

Scope

PHASE_01
Phase One
2008 — 2012
6 films
Iron Man · The Incredible Hulk · Iron Man 2 · Thor · Captain America: The First Avenger · The Avengers
PHASE_02
Phase Two
2013 — 2015
6 films
Iron Man 3 · Thor: The Dark World · The Winter Soldier · Guardians of the Galaxy · Age of Ultron · Ant-Man
PHASE_03
Phase Three
2016 — 2019
11 films
Civil War · Doctor Strange · Guardians Vol.2 · Spider-Man: Homecoming · Thor: Ragnarok · Black Panther · Infinity War · Ant-Man and the Wasp · Captain Marvel · Endgame · Spider-Man: Far From Home
PHASE_04
Phase Four
2021 — 2022
10 films
Black Widow · Shang-Chi · Eternals · Spider-Man: No Way Home · Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness · Thor: Love and Thunder · Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
PHASE_05
Phase Five
2023 — 2024
7 films
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania · Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 · The Marvels · Deadpool & Wolverine · Captain America: Brave New World · Thunderbolts* · Fantastic Four: First Steps
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Research Findings

Preliminary Findings

Findings from systematic analysis of 33 MCU films, Phases I–IV (2008–2022). 982 character appearances coded across five production dimensions.

PRODUCTION ROLES BY GENDER — SELECT PHASE
Male
Female
KEY FINDINGS — BEHIND THE CAMERA
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Methodology

Pilot Study

Prior to full-scale deployment, the research team conducted a structured pilot study to validate our coding framework. 18 undergraduate participants were recruited to code representation across two MCU films selected for their contrasting phases and ensemble scale: The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Participants analysed 10-minute segments, identifying and recording character attributes across five dimensions: gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability status. Participants coded instances of representation in real time, generating a dataset used to refine our coding manual before full-scale data collection began.

Participants coding MCU film segments in the computer lab
Undergraduate participants coding representation data in the Southampton Solent computer lab, November 2024
Participant watching Avengers: Endgame and coding representation
Lead researcher Dr Adam Vaughan guiding a participant through the coding process
◆ OUTCOME

The pilot confirmed the viability of our framework and produced the refined protocol now applied across all 33 MCU films in the full study.

Project Development

Next Steps

Following the pilot, two research assistants joined the project to support data management and preliminary analysis, applying the refined coding protocol to an expanded dataset — extending coverage to Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Captain America: Civil War (2016).

Interactive Visualisation

Explore the Data

◆ INTERACTIVE DATA — EXPLORE NOW
Who gets the screen time? →
See exactly how screen time is distributed across every character in 3 key MCU films — broken down by gender, phase, and prominence. Film-by-film · Phases I–V
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Dispatches

Reports & Publications

FEATURED OUTPUT — FORTHCOMING
Forthcoming
Avengers Disassembled: The Marvel Cinematic Universe Post-Avengers: Endgame

A scholarly yet accessible edited collection exploring the films and television shows of the MCU after Avengers: Endgame (2019). Over 14 vibrant and original chapters written by a diverse range of scholars from across the globe interrogate the shifting coordinates of the world's most financially and culturally impactful franchise from a wide range of critical perspectives.

Edited CollectionForthcoming
OUTPUT 02 — IN PREPARATION
Forthcoming
Mapping the Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Analysis of Representation, 2008–2024

The flagship peer-reviewed journal article presenting full quantitative and qualitative findings across all four MCU phases — on-screen demographics, behind-camera diversity, and the relationship between the two.

Peer-Reviewed ArticleForthcoming
OUTPUT 03 — PRESENTATIONS
Confirmed
Conference Presentations
Solent Learning, Teaching and Research (SLTR) Conference
East Park Terrace, Southampton
2025
British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies
15–17 April · Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel
2026
Presentations2025–2026
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Why It Matters

Impact

ACADEMIC IMPACT

Researchers & Educators

This project enriches representation studies and media literacy education — equipping students and researchers with evidence and frameworks for critically understanding how blockbuster cinema shapes public perceptions of marginalised groups. Findings will be shared openly through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, and open academic resources.

INDUSTRY & SOCIETAL IMPACT

Industry & Society

For filmmakers, studios, and policymakers, this research provides an evidence base for diversity discussions in mainstream cinema. Understanding patterns of representation in the world's most successful film franchise has direct relevance to inclusion policy and commissioning practice across the screen industries.

PUBLIC IMPACT

General Audiences

The MCU is a shared cultural experience for billions of people worldwide. By making research findings accessible — through public-facing outputs, media engagement, and this website — we aim to spark broader conversations about diversity, storytelling, and the films we love.

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Establish Contact

Get in Touch

COMMS — SECURE CHANNEL
@
Research Lead
[email protected]
@
Research Lead
[email protected]
@
Research Lead
[email protected]
Supported by
Southampton Solent University