Ant-Man And The Wasp is not only the first MCU movie post Avengers: Infinity War, it’s also the first movie to directly deal with the ramifications of that movie’s ending.
Without giving the plot away: the movie happens in tandem with the events in Infinity War, with only a mid-credits scene bringing together both timelines in a way that helps set up the fourth, as-yet-untitled Avengers film.
But a more troubling development in the MCU has occurred in the second season of Luke Cage: specifically, there are some not-so-subtle references to the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Luke announces that he plans to “Make Harlem Great Again” to which his friend D.W. responds by calling him “Luke Trump”. There are also references to November 9th, the day Trump won the US election in 2016.
Previously, the US President in the MCU was Matthew Ross, played by character actor William Sadler. Most notably, he was the target of antagonist Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3. He also appeared briefly in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s worth noting that the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the revelation that it was controlled by Hydra (in Captain America: Winter Soldier) presumably happened under Ross’ watch.
If we take Luke Cage by their word, it appears that Ross either exhausted his two terms in the Oval Office or lost the election to Trump.
Frankly, running a government agency that was literally a front for Marvel’s Super-Nazis seems like the type of thing that would lose you votes.
However, we also know that while the various Defenders Netflix series and shows like Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Cloak & Dagger and Runaways are all supposedly part of the MCU continuity, the Marvel Television/Streaming Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are much less intertwined than originally promised.
Showrunners for the various projects have discussed how it’d be difficult to bring elements of the films and TV plots together – with Jessica Jones showrunner Melissa Rosenberg outright saying that the movies don’t factor into her team’s creative decisions – and the latest season of Luke Cage and newcomer Cloak & Dagger not tying into the events of Infinity War at all, six episodes into its first season.
All that said, if Trump is The President of the MCU’s USA, it’d have some definite ramifications for one of the biggest plot devices in the MCU: The Sokovia Accords, the very agreement that caused the titular civil war in Captain America: Civil War.
Specifically, it’s hard to believe that Trump would have agreed to a plan that was created by the UN and greatly impedes individual rights, including the rights of a man that’s literally a walking, talking American flag. I mean, Cap would’ve been in hiding by the time the 2016 US election came around as well, so it’s not like we would have a say in the matter.
Trump would also, presumably, have a lot to say about all the foreign superheroes walking about: Scarlet Witch and Black Widow are both migrants, Doctor Strange mans an unregistered border crossing, and Black Panther is an African head of state with super-advanced tech, while Thor is literally an alien. How would Trump work against the influence of foreign (super)powers?
All in all, it’s unfortunate that Marvel haven’t fixed their continuity to actually address the socio-political climate that we exist in today. Any references seem to be either exist in isolation, like the cameo by conservative personality Bill O’Reilly in Iron Man 2, or are in a world developed outside of the existing framework of our world, like the fictional Wakanda in Black Panther.
Marvel’s strength as a publisher has always been their ability to discuss socio-political issues with a surprising level of nuance while still dealing with the fantastical. The work of the X-Men and Black Panther, as well as their fight against the comics code, are all testament to this. It’s a shame that, in an age when political commentary is more necessary than ever, all we have are the slightest tidbits and clues.
There’s only one thing we can truly hope for: that if Trump exists in current MCU continuity, he was also turned to dust by the Snappening.