Event Details
Date & Time
Friday, Sep 29, 2023 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Event Link
Department
Gonzaga Faith & Reason Institute
Cost
FREE
Location
Globe Room, Cataldo
Contact/Registration
Gonzaga Faith & Reason Institute
faithandreason@gonzaga.edu
Event Type & Tags
About This Event
Steven D. Greydanus, film critic & founder of Decent Films, presents the talk "Crisis of Meaning on Infinite Earths: Humanism and Nihilism in Superhero Multiverse Movies," Friday, September 29, 7 pm, Globe Room, Cataldo.
Multiverse storytelling has been part of superhero lore for at least 70 years. Between the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ongoing “Multiverse Saga” arc and the wildly popular, critically acclaimed Spider-Verse animated movies, the multiverse concept currently has the biggest pop culture stage of our time. However, the multiverse theme has a long pedigree in superhero comics that goes back 70 years to the very beginnings of DC and Marvel superhero narratives.
What does continuing interest in multiverses in the superhero genre tell us? Is the multiverse ready for its closeup? What significance does the multiverse theme have for philosophical and theological questions? The search for signposts of meaning in narratives of infinitely branching possibilities may lead to unexpected destinations: some trailing off in nothingness; others fraught with significance. Join film critic Steven Greydanus for a wild ride across 70 plus years of superhero comics and films to investigate answers.