It can only be compared to the lifetime achievements of certain cinematic superstars, such as Humphrey Bogart.

Why is this true? Clearly, it is mythic; and not merely in form. but in substance.

When I was a kid, 50 years ago, I fell in love with Spider-Man. As with many Marvel heroes, it wasn’t because of his strengths alone; it was because of his weaknesses. That’s the secret Marvel discovered early.

I don’t know about others, but I find that I feel most connected to those Marvel heroes with the greatest weaknesses. Spider-Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye … even Tony Stark.

What I find ironic is that comic books have been pooh-poohed for generations as tripe; and, it’s true, they are not “great literature.” They are not Solzhenitsyn or Shakespeare. In the hands of Marvel, literature has been dumbed down for the masses; but what is brilliant about it is that the core of meaning is still there — and it is the meaning that’s what’s important, not the elegance of the style. Style is, of course, of value; but if the choice is between style without meaning and meaning without style … well, it’s kind of obvious which is more to be desired.

I don’t think cinephiles in general appreciate what the MCU has achieved. I think they’re still too enraptured, by and large, with by their own erudition. But I think future generations will know.

One of the greatest exchanges in the MCU took place in “Doctor Strange”; it holds the secret of life itself, for those who can hear it. Grasp this, and you’ve grasped just about everything:

>The Ancient One : Arrogance and fear still keep you from learning the simplest and most significant lesson of all.
Dr. Stephen Strange : Which is?
The Ancient One : It’s not about you.

Understand this, and you understand everything.