1206 - Prosthetics and Prejudice: Evaluating Amputee Representation in a Major Film Franchise

Cinema reflects and shapes cultural perceptions, making it a critical site for examining disability. Media portrayals influence public attitudes toward people with disabilities. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)—the highest-grossing film franchise ($32.4 billion)—exerts enormous cultural influence. Amputees in cinema are often depicted through narratives of loss or technological enhancement, framing disability in relation to power. In the MCU, disability is frequently linked to heroism or villainy. This study analyzes amputee portrayals in the MCU, exploring how representation may shape perceptions of limb loss.

Design: A longitudinal content analysis of all 37 MCU films (Phases 1–5) was conducted. Five reviewers independently coded disabled characters by role, demographics, impairment type, visibility, mechanism of injury, casting accuracy, and representation. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Amputee characters were then further analyzed in depth to assess representation and portrayal.

Results:

The MCU has an estimated 420 credited roles across all 37 films, of which 51 characters had disabilities. Fifteen characters had impairments secondary to limb loss: one of unknown origin, and 14 traumatic. Over half were villains (53%), while only 20% were considered heroes, and 36% were bystanders. Only 40% of amputees had major roles, while most were minor or background characters. None were portrayed by disabled actors with limb loss.

Conclusions: This study found an overrepresentation of amputee characters in the MCU (3.6%) compared to the U.S. population (1.6–1.7%). Yet their portrayals often rely on ableist arcs, where limb loss is miraculously “fixed” or tied to the pursuit of power, rather than authentically represented. These narratives risk shaping negative societal attitudes toward limb loss, underscoring the need for future MCU films to foster more empowered and heroic amputee characters.