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Borders of  Masculinity: The Hero’s Journey in the 
Marvel Cinematic Universe

Cara Walsh, Ball State University

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown 
into one of the most popular entertainment into one of the most popular entertainment 
franchises since its debut film in 2008. Even franchises since its debut film in 2008. Even 
with competition rising in the superhero film with competition rising in the superhero film 
industry, the MCU continues to stand out due industry, the MCU continues to stand out due 
to its unique and intricate depiction of the hero’s to its unique and intricate depiction of the hero’s 
journey. The three foundational heroes of the journey. The three foundational heroes of the 
MCU (Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor) MCU (Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor) 
illustrate how toxic expressions of masculinity illustrate how toxic expressions of masculinity 
create borders to their emotional development create borders to their emotional development 
and character growth, borders that they must and character growth, borders that they must 
overcome along the hero’s journey. In his first overcome along the hero’s journey. In his first 
film, film, Iron Man,Iron Man, Tony Stark begins to reevaluate  Tony Stark begins to reevaluate 
the path that his father laid out for him when the path that his father laid out for him when 
he undergoes a major moral transformation he undergoes a major moral transformation 
that makes him realize the violent impact of that makes him realize the violent impact of 
weapons manufacturing at Stark Industries. weapons manufacturing at Stark Industries. 
By becoming Iron Man, Tony makes a By becoming Iron Man, Tony makes a 
commitment to bettering himself and serving commitment to bettering himself and serving 
as a protector, but his insecurities continue to as a protector, but his insecurities continue to 
manifest into his public image as hero until manifest into his public image as hero until 
his final appearance in his final appearance in Avengers: EndgameAvengers: Endgame. . 
Captain America, though not the most obvious Captain America, though not the most obvious 
depiction of toxic masculinity, struggles with depiction of toxic masculinity, struggles with 

the same identity issuesas Tony Stark. From the same identity issuesas Tony Stark. From 
his first film, his first film, Captain America: The First AvengerCaptain America: The First Avenger, , 
Steve Rogers battles with insecurities that stem Steve Rogers battles with insecurities that stem 
from always having been the “little guy.” Steve from always having been the “little guy.” Steve 
constantly starts fights that he cannot win to constantly starts fights that he cannot win to 
stand up for others, and repeatedly enlists to stand up for others, and repeatedly enlists to 
the WWII draft despite being rejected due to the WWII draft despite being rejected due to 
poor health every time. His desperation to fulfill poor health every time. His desperation to fulfill 
the hero role separates him from his only love, the hero role separates him from his only love, 
Peggy Carter, by an uncrossable border, time, Peggy Carter, by an uncrossable border, time, 
until he gives these toxic traits up to return to until he gives these toxic traits up to return to 
her in her in Avengers: Endgame. Avengers: Endgame. Thor also struggles to Thor also struggles to 
fill his father’s shoes as the king and protector fill his father’s shoes as the king and protector 
of his home world, Asgard. His need to be seen of his home world, Asgard. His need to be seen 
as a hero and fierce warrior make him impulsive as a hero and fierce warrior make him impulsive 
and quick to violence, which puts his kingdom and quick to violence, which puts his kingdom 
at risk and bases his self-esteem on this image at risk and bases his self-esteem on this image 
of himself. Though Thor’s arc isn’t finished of himself. Though Thor’s arc isn’t finished 
yet, yet, Avengers: EndgameAvengers: Endgame illustrates his coping with  illustrates his coping with 
his failure to fulfill this image as he rebuilds his his failure to fulfill this image as he rebuilds his 
self-esteem into his own identity. These three self-esteem into his own identity. These three 
heroes demonstrate how toxic masculinity heroes demonstrate how toxic masculinity 
creates borders to their personal growth and creates borders to their personal growth and 
progression along the hero’s journey.progression along the hero’s journey.



 Superhero films in recent years have grown in popularity since the Marvel Cinematic 
Universe’s, or MCU’s, first movie debut in 2008. The MCU continues to stand out despite 
the now oversaturated market because of  its unique illustration of  the hero’s journey. 
While all superheroes face obstacles and fight villains, Marvel’s protagonists must overcome 
their own toxic perceptions of  masculinity in order to truly step into the hero role. Even 
after many of  them seem to become recognized heroes by their community, they continue 
to struggle with living up to their own perceptions of  masculinity. The MCU depicts 
superheroes’ emotional growth from boy to man alongside the traditional hero’s journey, 
wherein hypermasculinity creates a border between them and their ability to reach true 
heroism by imposing hegemonic values onto their gender identity. As the heroes mature 
throughout their prospective films, they have to overcome hypermasculine tendencies 
within themselves–such as needing to assert dominance, impulsive violence, and the desire 
to be perceived as a hero–to undergo emotional growth and discern their identity. This 
illustration recognizes how the pressures of  cultural expectations and gender performance 
create unattainable and aspirational models of  masculinity that coerce men to conform 
within the social hierarchy. The three foundational heroes in the MCU–Iron Man, Thor, and 
Captain America–depict how hypermasculinity creates a border in their lives that blocks their 
character development by stunting their emotional growth and development of  personal 
identity.
 To understand masculinity’s significant role within the male heroes of  the Marvel 
Cinematic Universe, it is important to explain how it functions within sociocultural 
contexts to alter notions of  male identity. In their research on diverse masculinities, scholars 
Douglas Schrock and Michael Schwalbe outline how hegemonic masculinity necessitates 
the performance of  manhood, stating that this “requires mastering a set of  conventional 
signifying practices through which the identity man is established” (279). These practices 
are absorbed into the understanding of  their self-identity, making the aspiration to this 
masculine “ideal” indistinguishable from the individual. The traits associated with hegemonic 
masculinity may change depending on cultural and social contexts, but it follows the same 
schema regardless. Medical research on how social expectations of  gender influence men’s 
behaviors defines hegemonic masculinity as principles that establish a gendered social 
order through a combination of  the “hierarchy of  masculinities, differential access among 
men to power (over women and other men), and the interplay between men’s identity, 
men’s ideals, interactions, power, and patriarchy” (Jewkes, et al. S113). Internalization of  
culturally established gender roles imposes these values onto the formation of  self-identity, 
constructing masculinity upon a foundation of  power dynamics. Schrock and Schwalbe 
state that in the pursuit projecting this hegemonic ideal, “this means signifying a capacity 

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to exert control over oneself, the environment, and others” (286). Their research examines 
hypermasculine displays of  these traitsin men, such as failure to seek help, poor social 
support networks, and proximity to violence, that mirror the behaviors of  the MCU heroes 
discussed further in this essay. These customs attempt to signal a “[capacity] to control one’s 
own life, to be invulnerable and needless of  help, and to be fearless and hence not easily 
intimidated by others” (Schrock and Schwalbe 289). This understanding of  hegemonic 
masculinity’s overarching influence on male identity and gender performance reveals the 
prominence of  the masculine identity within the MCU hero’s journey. 

Iron Man/Tony Stark
 In Marvel Studios’s first film, Iron Man, Tony Stark’s struggle with hypermasculinity 
originates from his patchy relationship with his father as the effects of  this trauma become 
distinguishable through his transformation into Iron Man. Tony grew up a boy genius turned 
playboy and, after his parents tragic death, inherited Stark Industries, his father’s tech and 
weapons development company. When Tony undergoes a major moral transformation, 
he is forced to confront the violence he has caused. In response to his introspection, 
Tony wrestles with his emotions as he considers leaving Stark Industries and the weapons 
business, wrestling with the idea aloud:

I never got to say goodbye to my father. There’s questions that I would have asked 
him. I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did. If  he was 
conflicted, if  he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we remember 
from the newsreels. I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to 
defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become a part of  a system that 
is comfortable with zero accountability. (Favreau)

Tony’s perspective begins to shift and his guard comes down for the first time, revealing 
an internal struggle between ending his participation in further violence or upholding his 
father’s legacy. As the most prominent male role model in his life, Tony cannot help but 
wonder if  his father had ever questioned the integrity of  their business in the same way. 
As one of  the most technologically advanced weapons manufacturers, Stark Industries 
represents hypermasculinity and the ultimate ability to assert control and dominance. 
Although Tony desperately wants to live up to his father’s image, he must let go of  this 
symbol of  violent masculinity to cross into his new frame of  morality. By overcoming this 
border, Tony is able to find a new purpose in becoming Iron Man rather than continue the 
cycle of  violence.

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 Tony Stark continues to struggle with how he fit into a masculine identity but as he 
begins tofocus on genuinely living up to the hero role, his hypermasculinity only shifts into 
other areas of  his life. He still yearns to be loved and wants to make up for his past, and 
Tony’s suit quickly becomes a crutch for him to obtain these things. Stepping into his Iron 
Man suit creates a barrier that hides his past mistakes, only showing his hero persona to 
the rest of  the world. This is where we see how his suit becomes a safe space that enables 
his need for validation, turning it into “a form of  self-medication” that “strengthens his 
ingrained belief  that the Iron Man suit is the only means of  attaining his desired goal: 
to be a hero” (Wincherauk 45). The suit creates a physical and metaphorical border that 
shields the public from seeing Tony Stark. Instead, they only see the masculine figure he is 
projecting to the world. Although he believes his new identity as Iron Man is the key to his 
redemption, this plays into his hypermasculine tendencies explains how food studies can be 
used to identify systems within media: “Through identifying and studying food categories, it 
is possible to decode the religious, politi-cal, economic, social, and cultural systems in which 
food and food-centered practices are embedded” (5). 
 In Captain America: Civil War, a moral disagreement with Steve Rogers forces Tony to 
reevaluate his disposition to violence. After several years of  working together, the Avengers 
team has become a family, but in this film, the “Sokovia Accords” drawn up by world 
governments divides them. The Sokovia Accords are meant to de-privatize the Avengers, 
allowing them only to work under the supervision of  the United Nations. As the Avengers 
discuss whether or not to sign the accords, Stark pulls up a picture of  a young college 
graduate who died during the gruesome battle in question. He explains, “He decided to 

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Tony Stark suits up to protect refugees from foreign militia in Afghanistan.



spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia. He 
wanted to make a difference, I suppose. We won’t know because we dropped a building 
on him while we were kicking ass. There’s no decision making process here. We need to 
be put in check!” (Anthony and Joseph Russo, Civil War). Until this moment, Tony had 
beensure about his actions as Iron Man, but he starts to question the good he has done as 
a herosimilarly to the way he did with Stark Industries. Tony has seen the civilian lives lost 
as collat-eral damage, but he begins to recognize that his pursuit of  heroism only shifted 
his need for power and control into a new outlet. explains how food studies can be used 
to identify systems within media: “Through identifying and studying food categories, it is 
possible to decode the religious, politi-cal, economic, social, and cultural systems in which 
food and food-centered practices are embedded” (5). 
 A division forms among the Avengers as they discuss the Sokovia Accords with Steve 
and Tony leading the opposing sides. Although Tony had previously thought the Avengers 
were protecting humanity, he now relates the Sokovia Accords to Stark Industries before he 
decided to end weapons manufacturing. Steve responds: “Tony, you chose to do that. If  we 
sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if  this panel sends us somewhere we don’t 
think we should go? What if  there’s somewhere we need to go and they don’t let us? We may 
not be perfect but the safest hands are still our own” (Anthony and Joseph Russo, Civil War). 

Steve and Tony in this scene are at odds over how to handle conflict going forward, both 
having different opinions over what course of  action would breed less violence. Steve 
Rogers is often hailed for his “uncompromising purity and resolve” as a hero that prefers to 

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The Avengers face off, divided by Tony Stark’s and Steve Rogers’s moral differences.



use non-lethal force (Roblou 174). He is morally sound and confident in his role as a hero, 
but when Tony is forced to confront the victims of  his actions, he reevaluates the choice 
he made to end the cycle of  violence by becoming Iron Man. Tony’s initial struggle with a 
violent and control-oriented concept of  masculinity makes him unsure of  his own judgment 
and overly concerned with his public image as a hero. The ghost of  his hypermasculinity 
makes him insecure and favor supervision over the Avengers operating privately, but this 
forms a border that tears the Avengers apart. 
 In Iron Man’s final appearance in the MCU, Avengers: Endgame, Tony finally 
transgresses hypermasculinity and makes peace with himself  as he becomes a true hero. 
Initially, he refus-es to help the Avengers with this final mission in order to protect the 
normal life and family he had built. He eventually confides in his wife, Pepper, that he 
cannot escape his conscience: “Something tells me I should put it in a lock box and drop it 
to the bottom of  the lake, and go to bed,” to which she responds, “But would you be able 
to rest?” (Anthony and Joseph Russo, Endgame). Tony’s moral transformation in Iron Man 
leaves him unable to ignore his role as a hero, “he must live with his commitment to better 
himself ” (Wincherauk 47). At the end of  the film, he declares “I am Iron Man” just before 
sacrificing his life, signifying his acceptance of  his past mistakes and final transformation 
into a hero. He gives up the peaceful life he had with his family to save innumerable lives, 
and in his absence he passes on his responsibilities as a hero to the remaining Avengers. 
Although Tony Stark began his journey as a reckless playboy with questionable morals and a 
distorted sense of  masculinity, he was able to achieve true heroism in his final moments by 
breaking down the barrier of  hypermasculinity that blocked his emotional growth.

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Tony declares “I am Iron Man” as he reverses the final battle against Thanos.



Captain America/Steve Rogers
 Out of  all of  the Avengers, Captain America is generally not the first hero whose 
masculinity would be called into question, but his character is built on his feelings of  
inadequacy. Before Steve Rogers became Captain America, he was just a short, scrawny boy 
that struggled to get a date. This gave Steve a fragile sense of  masculinity that made him 
feel the need to prove himself  as a man. When World War II began, he repeatedly tried to 
enlist in the military despite being denied countless times for his small stature. When the 
military notices his falsified enlistment forms, they question him, uncovering his motives. 
He says, “I don’t want to kill anyone. I don’t like bullies. I don’t care where they’re from” 
(Johnston). Steve feels an overwhelming desire to defend others because he has been the 
“little guy” his whole life, but this does not mean he was already the perfect hero. Because 
of  Captain America’s symbolism for American perseverance and morality, he is often seen as 
“a champion of  the American dream and its ideals, though his posture has not always been 
as clear-cut as one would expect” (Roblou 174). Despite his size and lack of  muscle, Steve 
is shown in the first few scenes constantly getting himself  into fights that his friend, Bucky, 
has to end. Although he knows he will not win, Steve feels an overwhelming desire to defend 
others to compensate for his fragile masculinity. Like Iron Man with wealth and control, 
Steve’s insecurities manifest hypermasculinity by leading him to seek validation and assert his 
physical strength.

 This creates one of  the most important aspects of  Steve’s character arc by separating 
him from his first and only love, Peggy Carter. At the end of  Captain America: The First 

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Steve gazes at Peggy through a glass window during the time travel mission.



Avenger, Steve must crash an airplane into the Arctic Ocean to avoid hitting New York 
City with a stockpile of  nuclear bombs. He remains frozen in the ice for almost 70 years, 
but when he wakes up he enters a new world in which he has, and always will be, a symbol 
of  heroism and uncompromising morality for his actions in World War II. Although he 
obtains the identity he has always wanted before undergoing his transformation into Captain 
America, he spends the rest of  his time in the MCU longing to go back in time and live out 
a peaceful life with Peggy. Because he chose the role of  a hero, he was separated from Peggy 
by a seemingly uncrossable border: time. Near the end of  Avengers: Endgame, Steve must use 
the Avengers’s new time travel technology to return the Infinity Stones back to their proper 
timelines, one of  which brings him back to the 1940s. He returns seemingly seconds later 
but shocks the Avengers by coming back as an elderly man. Steve explains, “Well, after I put 
the stones back, I thought maybe I’ll try some of  that life Tony was telling me to get…It was 
beautiful” (Anthony and Joseph Russo, Avengers: Endgame). In the decade that Steve spent 
living in the future, he realized that his fragile masculinity and desire to fulfill the hero role 
had overshadowed the only thing that could truly make him happy. Rather than returning 
immediately to continue his role as Captain America, he let go of  this part of  his identity to 
cross back over the time border and live the remainder of  his life with Peggy.

Thor
 Arguably the most obvious depiction of  hypermasculinity in the Marvel Cinematic 
Universe is Thor’s origin film. Thor’s desire to fulfill the hero role stems from his upbringing 
as the future king of  his home world, Asgard, but this desire to conform to the values of  
hegemonic masculinity makes him overzealous and quick to violence. Like Iron Man, he 
wants to prove that he can “make things happen,” “resist being dominated by others,” and 
live up to his father’s great legacy (Schrock 280).

THOR: The Jotuns must learn to fear me, just as they once feared you
ODIN: That’s pride and vanity talking, not leadership. You’ve forgotten everything I 
taught you about a warrior’s patience.
THOR: While you wait and be patient, the Nine Realms laugh at us! (Branagh)

Thor desperately wants to fill his father’s shoes, but this makes him prideful and quick to 
violence. Odin conquered all of  the enemies that threatened his kingdom and Thor longs 
for his own opportunity for glory. This had already put his friends and kingdom in danger, 
making Odin realize his son’s immaturity: “I was a fool to think you were ready” (Branagh). 
Thor is stripped of  his title, powers, and sent across space to live on Earth as punishment. 
The pressure to perform within this model makes him violent and prideful; overcoming the 
border that hypermasculinity creates within his identity allows him to become a true hero 

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and noble king. 
 In Avengers: Endgame, Thor struggles to cope with his failures as a hero; his pride and 
heroic image of  himself  collapses, and he loses his sense of  self-worth. Although all of  the 
remaining Avengers are struggling with loss and survivor’s guilt at this point, Thor’s decline 
is the hardest to ignore, mostly because of  the beer-belly he’s grown. Instead of  the chiseled 
god of  thunder shown in past films, Thor has become a deadbeat drunk that spends most 
of  his time playing video games. Though his appearance is used as comic relief  in this film, 
his physical decline reflects his emotional journey from an overly confident god to a broken 
man. In his article on “Fat Thor,” Gregory Wakeman writes “There’s no doubt that the new 
Thor embodies a more complex and vulnerable version of  masculinity, and Endgame shows 
that even a god like him, who has the ‘picture perfect’ looks, can be affected by trauma, can 
be mentally fragile.” Thor puts up walls to avoid his pain, cutting him off  from his friends 
and dissolving the overly confident person he used to be. Because he tries to avoid the pain 
and grief  he feels, “[he] goes from being a perfectly chiseled, confident, and arrogant god to 
a decrepit alcoholic who suffers from a panic attack during a mission” (Wakeman). Thor’s 
character takes a complete turn from who he previously was, and the once mighty god of  
thunder now spends his days in hiding, closed off  even from those closest to him. Thor has 
built much of  his self-image on his role as a hero and cannot cope with his shortcomings. 

He struggles to accept his failure to prevent the death of  his entire family, the destruction 
of  his home planet, and now half  of  all living things in the universe. Thor’s emotions send 
him into a downward spiral and the state of  his mental health makes it difficult for him to 

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Thor passed out while the Avengers plan their final mission.



regain his confidence, making him surprised when he is still worthy enough to wield his 
hammer. His pride and desire to fill the hero role are expressions of  hypermasculinity that 
create a border keeping him from confronting his emotions and learning to accept himself. 
He cannot live up to the unattainable image he has of  masculinity, and though his arc is not 
finished he’s within the MCU, he begins to let go of  these expectations of  himself  by the 
end of  the film.

Conclusion
 The Marvel Cinematic Universe uncovers the connection between heroism and 
hypermasculinity through its protagonists’ character arcs. In all of  their personal struggles, 
masculinity and the pressure to perform are at the root, making them assert dominance, 
act with violence, and question their self-worth. Although many of  these men had already 
become recognized heroes across the universe, they continued to struggle with their sense 
of  self  until they let go of  their hypermasculine tendencies. Whenever these heroes try 
to live up to theexplains how food studies can be used to identify systems within media: 
“Through identifying and studying food categories, it is possible to decode the religious, 
politi-cal, economic, social, and cultural systems in which food and food-centered practices 
are embedded” (5). standards they set for themselves, they are submitting to their insecurities 
and fulfilling their need for validation. The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to stand 
out from other superhero film creators because of  the emotional growth that its characters 
undergo by struggling with the idea of  heroism itself. Throughout their films, they grapple 
with overcoming the border that hypermasculinity creates in their own lives until they 
gain self-acceptance. The MCU recognizes the connection between the hero’s journey and 
masculinity by reinventing this iconic characterization to uncover the consequences it has on 
men’s lives.

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Works Cited

Branagh, Kenneth, director. Thor. Paramount Pictures, 2011.

Favreau, Jon, director. Iron Man. Paramount Pictures, 2008. 

Jewkes, Rachel, et al. “Hegemonic Masculinity: Combining Theory and Practice in Gen-
der Interventions.” Culture, Health & Sexuality, vol. 17, no. S2, 2015, pp. S112-S127. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2015.1085094.

Johnston, Joe, director. Captain America: The First Avenger. Paramount Pictures, 2011.

Roblou, Yann. “Review of Captain America, Masculinity, and Violence: The Evolution of  a 
National Icon, by J. Richard Stevens.” Journal of  Cold War Studies, vol. 22 no. 2, 2020, 
pp. 173-175. Project MUSE, muse.jhu.edu/article/756832.

Russo, Anthony, and Joseph Russo, directors. Avengers: Endgame. Walt Disney Studios Motion 
Pictures, 2019.

Russo, Anthony, and Joseph Russo, directors. Captain America: Civil War. Walt Disney Studios 
Motion Pictures, 2016.

Schrock, Douglas, and Michael Schwalbe. “Men, Masculinity, and Manhood Acts.” Annual-
Review of  Sociology, vol. 35, 2009, pp. 277–95. JSTOR,  http://www.jstor.org/sta-
ble/27800079.

Wakeman, Gregory. “Avengers: Endgame’s Treatment of  ‘Fat Thor’ Reduces Trauma for 
Laughs.” The Federal, 31 May 2019, https://thefederal.com/features/yes-fat-thor-is-
very-problematic-in-avengers-endgame/.

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