Of all the major movie franchises, The Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be the one that has the most installments set at Christmas. Part of this is due to the sheer number of entries in the franchise, as it now features over 30 films and seven television series along with specials. With that many entries, Christmas is bound to make an appearance at some point.
Yet some long-running franchises like The Fast and the Furious, Jurassic Park, and the James Bond series do not have Christmas-set installments. Even among superhero films, the X-Men franchise never touched Christmas. There were Christmastime superhero stories like 1992 Batman Returns and the DCU has one in Shazam! The MCU however has four different stories set near the Christmas holiday: Iron Man 3, Hawkeye, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the recently released The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Why does the MCU keep returning to Christmas, and what does it say about the wider franchise?
The MCU Is About Family
Disney
A large overarching thematic core of the MCU has been about bringing people together from various franchises. That was the creative idea both in the universe and behind the scenes for The Avengers. Over the course of the MCU, the various heroes have been defined by their relationships with others, forming a sense of family. This can be blood relations as heroes like Hawkeye and his wife and kids, or even a sense of found family as in The Guardians of the Galaxy.
Christmas is a holiday defined by family. It brings people together from all over to celebrate with one another and is a festive celebration. The Avengers was a celebration about bringing together various superheroes together, and in the aftermath, these characters now have stronger connections to one another. Even though Iron Man 3 and Hawkeye show the characters celebrating with their own supporting cast, it is easy to imagine they all stay in touch with one another and that nobody would have to spend Christmas alone.
Christmas Adds a Great Visual Pop
Disney
A common criticism of the MCU is how the films look. Many have commented on the franchise has a flat look to them and a bland visual palette. There have always been exceptions, and recent entries like Eternals and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, have tried to push back at the criticism yet the MCU can at times have a sense of sameness in its visuals.
The imagery of Christmas help add a new visual flavor to the MCU entries. Hawkeye is a series set in New York, as many superhero films and series are but the city is also known for its strong Christmas aesthetics. The festivities of the holiday season, from shining string lights and bright colors of green and red make, can take even the most mundane setting and give it a sense of importance. Christmas in New York is iconic and has been highlighted in a number of films and television series, so setting Hawkeye during the time period takes what could have been just another superhero adventure and allows for some creative set decoration that makes it stand apart.
Christmas Can Highlight a Hero's Loneliness
Sony Pictures
One overlooked element of the wintry Christmas season is that it is by its nature a cold, dark time of the year. The sun sets early, the weather can be freezing depending on where one lives, and it can be isolating. For some, the holiday season can be a lonely time of the year. The final scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home taps into that feeling of holiday isolation, as Peter Parker has found himself alone with everyone he cares for either dead or no longer able to remember him. He is stuck in a small apartment by himself close to Christmas.
Yet that cold, dark night of the year somehow has the paradoxical feeling of bringing people together. Iron Man 3, Hawkeye, and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special all begin with a character in a rough place during the holiday season. Tony Stark, Clint Barton, and Peter Quill are all battling some form of depression during the holiday season and despite being superheroes seem alone and cut off from everyone.
Yet it is through the generosity and kindness of their friends and loved ones they are able to find some semblance of happiness. Tony Stark does not get over his PTSD, because that isn't how it works, but with Pepper and Rhodey he can be happy for a moment. Hawkeye can't erase his past actions as the Ronin, but the holidays offer him a chance at forgiveness. Peter Quill may have lost Gamora, but he gained a sister. The holidays can be lonely, and in those moments of darkness, people are willing to open themselves to love and acceptance.
MCU Shows What Superheroes Do for the Holidays
The nature of a superhero is a character defined by selflessness. These are people who use their incredible abilities for the common good of everyone. They help others, with no real thought of reward. They do it because it is the right thing to do. Christmas is a season all about generosity, about giving to others. It is a season filled with big gestures and a time when many decide to help those that need it. It is a time of year when anyone can be a superhero.
That makes Christmas such a fascinating time period to explore for heroes, what do the people who are generous the whole year do on this holiday? What do they ask for? The MCU has explored this in a variety of ways, from set dressing in Spider-Man: No Way Home to The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special where the team takes a break from saving the galaxy to saving the night for one of their own. Christmas is a time of giving, and it is fun to see how the paragons of good spend the holidays. It makes them seem more human, which has always been Marvel's winning formula.