Back in 2014, in the lead-up to the release of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” there was a lot of talk about how the Russo Brothers were mixing the political espionage film with a typical superhero feature. Since then, the Russos and other Marvel filmmakers have talked about the real-world and cultural influences on the features, mixing genres and making kinda-sorta (never really overt) political statements. And according to the Russo Brothers, that’s exactly how they view their ‘Avengers’ work.
Speaking to The Guardian, Joe and Anthony Russo talked about their newest feature, “Cherry,” marking their first feature work behind the camera since they finished “Avengers: Endgame.” And in the discussion, they talked about their time at Marvel Studios and how the Trump Era of politics influenced their ‘Avengers’ films.
“Those movies are very much about what went on in this country over the past four years,” Joe Russo explained. “They were about standing up for what you believe in, irrespective of the cost, and I think we’re losing sight of that. For some reason, in the UK and in the US, some of the worst people were being attracted to politics and were representing us collectively. It was affecting our collective mental health, and it was reflecting poorly on our character.”
He added, “We believed strongly that the reach in those movies was so significant that they could be influential in helping people make potentially make better decisions. We thought that they were a really powerful tool, at exactly the right time.”
Of course, for many, “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” are really only about good and evil fighting it out in large CGI battles with a man with a shield teaming up with the God of Thunder and a billionaire in a suit of armor to fight against a 9-foot purple alien with universal genocide on his mind. The idea that these films have a political undercurrent that reflects the era of politics led by Donald Trump might confuse others. However, these films definitely can be both, right? How much of a political statement exists within ‘Endgame,’ for example, is open for debate, but if the Russos say it’s there, then it’s there.
When it comes to “Cherry,” there’s no denying the political statements being made, as that film tackles the very real, incredibly distressing, deadly opioid crisis that has been affecting the US. That film is set to debut on Apple TV+ on March 12.
