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Martial Arts Are Creeping Into Marvel

Traditionally, we don't think of superhero films as having much connection to martial arts, or Eastern film in general. Superheroes, more or less by definition, have special powers that transcend those that can be learned or mastered by ordinary humans, and thus they don't ordinarily practice martial arts in the traditional sense. And yet, in the past couple of years, we've seen more emphasis on hand-to-hand combat, and in the process martial arts have become a part of Marvel Studios' sprawling cinematic empire.

The clearest exhibition of this development has been in Marvel's original series on Netflix, and in particular Daredevil. Blinded by an accident that also greatly enhanced his other senses, Daredevil is, in a way, "super." However, his combat style depends far more on ability and training than on any sort of super strength or weaponry, and that makes him more of an ultimate human fighter than a more typical "superhero." And the proof is in the stunt work! Variety's interview with the stunt man who's done work in Daredevil revealed that he has done martial arts since he was 4 years old. He claims to have grown up wanting to be "a Ninja Turtle or Jackie Chan," and he's won 13 various world titles! Needless to say, his talents wouldn't be necessary for the likes of Iron Man or Thor (though he has also been a stunt man for Captain America). But where Daredevil is concerned, marti
al arts proficiency is absolutely necessary. The character is said to use a range of different arts and techniques, and lead actor Charlie Cox has actually studied them as well.

Aside from Daredevil, there is also some exciting martial arts potential in Marvel projects that are on the way, as opposed to already out. Blade certainly comes to mind as a film that may be remade in the near future (lead actor Wesley Snipes has heavily indicated that there are ongoing talks), and it would likely be more of an Eastern martial arts project than any other superhero film. The Blade films originally fizzled out in the early-2000s, but have retained a cult following, even among Marvel fans. Gala's variety of casino games speaks to this fact, as the platform still includes a Blade slot despite a larger focus on more recent films. There, the old half-vampire swordsman is brought to life once more on a slot reel that remains popular despite there not being a recent Blade film. It's little things like this that make a reboot seem quite likely, actually, and such a film would embrace a lot of the themes and action styles of Eas
tern martial arts cinema.

And finally, the recently released trailer for Doctor Strange, another upcoming Marvel project, revealed a heavy Eastern influence. It may not be a martial arts film so much as a full fantasy, but there's a distinct flavour to the action that appears to be more mystic (almost religious) than superhero-esque. There is a fine line there, in that many martial arts projects—from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon to Street Fighter—involve a sort of magic. However, it's magic unlocked through training as opposed to inherently possessed (as with, say, Thor) or gained through technology and science (as with many Marvel heroes). Doctor Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) will embrace a magic that is more typical of Eastern-style storytelling, training to learn how to manipulate the world around him.

Now, it's not as if Marvel is exactly dedicating itself to a Kung Fu movie. But based on these films and concepts, they're actually not too far off from doing so. At the very least, it's pretty cool to see the martial arts sub-genre of action films influencing the biggest cinematic franchises on the planet.

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