The Importance of Male Sensitivity in 'Avengers: Infinity War'

This post contains major spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War.

Last night I gave in and re-watched Avengers: Infinity War. In the few days the film has been out it has garnered over half a billion dollars and secured the biggest world-wide opening weekend of all time. During my second viewing, though, I noticed something that I didn’t the first time round: the huge amount of male sensitivity featured within the movie.

I’m aware Marvel have highlighted male sensitivity before in their films. Star Lord and Iron Man in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Captain America: Civil War respectively both had dramatic, grief-stricken and tearful explosions. The thing is, though, these moments of male sensitivity were quickly followed by violent outbursts. Sure, the heroes cried, but these tender moments were undercut with bombastic and ferocious fight sequences that reinforce the notion that – for men – anger is a valid answer to grief.

Cut to Avengers: Infinity War, then, and this trope is immediately subverted. At the very beginning of the movie we see Loki (Tom Hiddleston) brutally murdered by Thanos, our villain. As his lifeless body crumples to the ground Chris Hemsworth’s Thor – a quintessential jock – explodes with emotion, just not the violence you’d expect. The God of Thunder bursts into tears, blood trickling from his mouth, as he looks up at Thanos and whispers “you’re going to die for that.” The fact that the film decided to have Thor remain restrained within this scene (and later crawl towards his brothers corpse only to embrace it and sob) is an immediate breaking of the rules we expect these masculine, muscular heroes to follow.

Thor displays a similarly pitiful set of emotions in a scene half-way through the film. When Bradley Cooper’s Rocket tries to cheer the Norse God up Thor realises that everyone he ever loved is now permanently dead; “What more do I have to lose?” The question is delivered with Hemsworth’s trademark smile, it would almost be convincing if it weren’t for the tears slowly streaming down his cheeks. The moment isn’t played for laughs and Thor is validated in his emotions by Rocket, the furry Guardian reaching up and offering the Avenger a hug.

As male suicide remains the leading cause of death in men under 30 it’s more important than ever that we end the stigma against male sensitivity and emotion. While women are encouraged to be vulnerable and emotional, men are told to ‘man-up’, to ‘get over it’ or not to be a ‘pussy’. This so-called ‘toxic masculinity’ is literally killing young men who feel isolated because of the human emotions they’ve been taught to repress, a repression that almost always leads to violence either outwardly or self-inflicting.

Considering the huge yet subtle influence that pop culture has on our society, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that ‘toxic masculinity’ and the stigma of male sensitivity is prominent in our movies. The male heroes in the DC Universe, for example, seem to have the emotional capacity of a teaspoon – to quote Hermione Granger – and the hugely popular Fast and Furious franchise focuses almost purely on the spectacle of masculine aggression. 

Even in that series, though, the tides are beginning to change; an emphasis on ‘family’ and the tragic departure of Paul Walker forced the franchise into briefly highlighting male emotion. Its not all fun and games though. Major characters in cinematic history like Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren have had their emotions mocked online, google ‘Luke Skywalker crying’ for a nice array of memes. While just a bit of fun, the stigma of men’s emotions is reinforcing ‘toxic masculinity’ and male expression is so often mocked and reduced to just a joke.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has very slowly, though, been embracing male sensitivity. In Infinity War alone we see multiple male superheroes openly cry on screen. When the film begins to end and half the universe begins to disintegrate the movie’s most heart-breaking moment initiates. As Tom Holland’s Spider-Man begins to die he openly breaks down into tears and runs into Tony Stark’s arms. His cries of “please don’t let me go, I don’t want to go” are muffled against Downey Jr.’s shoulder, and when Peter Parker falls to the floor it’s not just Spidey weeping. When he turns to ash the camera pans to Stark, the hero that started this entire cinematic universe. The man is shaken and literally on his knees. He’s sobbing and rocking back and forth and covered in the ash of the boy he viewed as a son. It’s heart-breaking, but unlike in Civil War no violent outburst follows. The character is allowed to mourn, and he’s not the only one.

As well as Thor, Rocket, Spider-Man and Iron Man, almost every other male character is seen crying in various points throughout the film. The Vision, Star Lord, Captain America, Groot, Bruce Banner, Heimdall and even the super-villain Thanos all have their emotions validated by the film in a tidal wave of male sensitivity impossible to ignore. This generation’s most popular male superheroes, characters that tend to define what it is to be a man, are teaching boys that it’s okay to cry. These films are teaching boys that violence isn’t the only way to solve an emotional issue and Marvel’s embracing of male sensitivity is opening the door for men to discuss how they feel without the fear that they’re not living up to the heavy expectations of masculinity. 

Avengers: Infinity War has been critiqued by people looking for its message, and sure it’s a massive Disney blockbuster, but it also has heart. Just as Captain America states “we don’t trade lives” in the climax of the film, Infinity War tells young men that it’s okay to need time out to address your emotions and that doing so doesn’t make you any less bad-ass when you’re ready to return to the battle-field.

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Written by James Green