Over the next 5 years, a staggering 30 superhero movies are expected to be released by Disney, Warner Bros., Fox, and Sony Pictures in an epic battle for hearts and minds. But the Marvel movies, more so than any other superhero franchise, have become a dominant force in our popular culture. So much so that they have become a universe in themselves: The Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s an apt description given that the last 7 years has seen 11 movies and over 7.5 billion box office dollars worldwide.

But what does this all mean for cinema? What impact does it have on our modern media landscape? To find out, Umapagan Ampikaipakan speaks to Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg. He is a publisher, author, and pop culture historian. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Baltimore’s Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences where he teaches a course called "Media Genres: Media Marvels," which examines how Marvel's series of interconnected films, television shows, and comic books offer important insights into our modern culture.