@ 1,

The explosion of interest in superheroes in the 21st century--and especially in the wake of the Great Recession--is directly related to most people's sense of impotence and helplessness in the face of the billionaire oligarchs/supervillians that've plundered our nation and decimated our society in service of their own insatiable greed.

People are figuratively searching for gods to save us, when the ominous reality is that we have to save ourselves. In ancient times we would've prayed to a pantheon of supernatural beings for relief from economic collapse, disease, droughts, famines, and wars. Now Marvel has developed a money-making machine that capitalizes on our national despair without having to provide anything tangible in return.

@1 Prof, I love your posts re: politics and all that - I really do. And I also get how Marvel/superhero stuff isn't everyone's cup of tea. However, your summary of "jingoistic garbage" doesn't do most of these films justice. They're popcorn movies indeed, but not just popcorn movies most of the time.
I'd say there's less criticism from the "jingoistic" angle versus the corporate overlord concerns of Disney and Warner Brothers and other large groups acquiring more and more intellectual properties on the entertainment front.
But I'm essentially in love with Captain America now that the MCU has presented him in such a way. He smashes corrupt US political/military operatives, smashes alien demi-gods, AND runs counseling sessions for trauma survivors. He's got emotions. He's got some (minor) flaws but overall is a fantastic modern idol. Don't let the name thrown you off like it did for me back in the day.

But these movies still may not be your cup of tea, of course. Just sayin'.