Comics and History: The Cold War

The creation of the Marvel Comics Universe of the 1960s initially relied heavily on the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union. The Space Race, for instance, served as the backdrop for the creation of the Fantastic Four, while Tony Starks’ suit of iron was crafted in the jungles of Vietnam. Stark also represented the Military-Industrial Complex that President Dwight Eisenhower warned about, and even Mao Zedong and Nikita Khrushchev made appearances in Marvel comics, ranting about such nemeses as the Mighty Thor and Iron Man.

The Mighty Thor and Hiroshima USA

The Cold War and threat of nuclear Armageddon made their way into Marvel Comics during the 1960s, as well as Collier’s magazine and its reporting of a fictitious nuclear attack on New York.

The Avengers: The Rise and Fall of McCarthyism

In 1971, the Avengers are called to testify before the Aliens Activities Committee, which shared similarities with U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy’s “red scare” investigations during the 1950s.

The Hulk, Bruce Banner, and Robert Oppenheimer

Both Bruce Banner of the fictional Marvel Comics Universe and real-world physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer were suspected and investigated of being Soviet spies during the 1950s and 1960s.

Nikita Khrushchev: I Will Bury Iron-Man!

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev made occasional appearances within the pages of Marvel Comics during the 1960s, and even lobbed his famous “I will bury you” phrase against Iron Man.

Marvel and the Military-Industrial Complex

The military-industrial complex that President Dwight Eisenhower warned against played a pivotal role in the Marvel Comics Universe, including the creation of the Hulk and Iron Man.

The Avengers and the Bay of Pigs

A CIA-trained group of Cuban exiles launch an invasion of their native island while the Avengers assemble to keep the Living Laser from turning the fictional Costa Verde into a dictatorship.

The X-Men and the Cuban Missile Crisis

Magneto of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants threatens to detonate an atomic bomb in Santo Marco while Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev attempts to build a nuclear missile base in Cuba.

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