DEARBORN, Mich. — It may have been rainy Monday, but it was definitely Marvel Monday with a visit to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation to explore the phase and the universe of Marvel with an exhibit of each assembly that includes Iron Man, The Avengers, Wolverine, the X-Men, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Black Panther, Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and so forth.
And speaking of rainy Monday, it just so happens that I brought my umbrella when I was kicking back with Ben Grimm/The Thing, who was reading on his couch. As we all know, Ben Grimm is part of the Fantastic Four, the first family of Marvel alongside Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, his wife Sue/Invisible Woman and her brother Johnny/Human Torch.
Though the films received mixed reception from critics and moviegoers, it was the launching pad for Chris Evans (Johnny), who went on to suit up and salute as the first Avenger known as Captain America. Michael Jordan, who played Johnny in the 2015 reboot, rose to the challenge as Killmonger in 2018’s Black Panther with the late Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the king of the fictional Wakanda nation. What Captain America and Black Panther have in common is vibranium, the metal that was used from Wakanda to make Cap’s shield.
And on the subject of black power, Luke Cage was the subject of an experiment that gave him super-human strength and unbreakable skin. Unjust and wrongly convicted, Luke escaped, changed his identity, was reborn as a hero-for-hire: offering his services to those who can afford his fee. Nicknamed Power Man, Luke became the defender for Harlem, and isn’t his brother’s keeper.
You can say that Daredevil is both the definition of justice that may have been blind, but can see in the dark. Debuted in 1964, the Man Without Fear is the alter-ego of Matt Murdock, the lawyer by day and masked vigilante by night. Lost his sight as a child due to radiation, Murdock uses his extraordinary senses to defend the downtrodden and serve justice against men like Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime. Daredevil came onto the big screen in February 2003 with Ben Affleck, but it was the Netflix series (2015-18) with Charlie Cox that fans had faith in the Man Without Fear and believed that one man can make a difference.
Marvel: Universe of Super-Heroes will help you pass the time until next summer’s release of Black Widow with Scarlett Johansson as the super-spy Avenger who finally wiped out the red in her ledger when she made her endgame in last summer’s “Endgame”.
The special exhibit is now open and continues through Jan. 31, 2021. Tickets are $10 for members, $35 for non-member adults, $32.50 for non-member seniors and $28.75 for non-member youth. Social distancing and face masks are required.
The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation is located at 20900 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, MI 48124. For more information, visit https://www.thehenryford.org/current-events/calendar/marvel-universe-of-super-heroes
