*Note: This post contains minor spoilers for the Marvel Cinematic Universe*
Thanos succeeded.
During the climax of Avengers: Infinity War, the madman of Titan fulfills his quest to acquire all six Infinity Stones that have been scattered across the universe.
The stones give Thanos the power to wipe out half of a planet’s population with the snap of his fingers, a genocide he believes is justified by overpopulation and a dearth of sustainable resources. Despite the best efforts of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the supervillain assembles the stones in his Infinity Gauntlet and completes the snap.
Half of the world’s population disintegrates into dust, including — as we learn later — members of New York’s National League baseball team.
The Mets in Avengers: Endgame
The followup to Infinity War, Marvel’s 2019 release Avengers: Endgame uses the Mets to symbolize a world bereft of basic diversions. In one of the film’s earliest moments, an eerie flyover shot reveals a barren Citi Field to indicate the unforeseen consequences of “the Snap.”
The movie then segues into a scene where Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) attends a group therapy session for people still grieving over the abrupt loss of their loved ones.
One member of the group, a middle-aged man, reveals that he recently went on a date for the first time in five years and talked about how much he missed the Mets. It’s a small character moment in a film with an epic scope, but it highlights the profound emotional impact that a Malthusian culling event would have on its survivors.
In our current political climate, sports offer a distraction from the prejudices and socioeconomic inequalities that plague our society. They also give us a chance to channel our daily frustrations into a more positive outlet, one that rewards us for our loyalty and passion.
Avengers: Endgame poses a provocative question: how would the world function without beloved cultural institutions like sports franchises, especially in the aftermath of widespread devastation?
As a Mets fan, this scene forced me to question how I would cope if the Amazin’s were simply snapped out of existence. Of course, this is not the first time that Marvel has incorporated the Mets into its comic book and cinematic universes.
Mets in Comic Books and Other Marvel Media
Like the Mets, Spider-Man made his debut in 1962. Peter Parker, the unassuming teenager who gains superpowers after being bitten by a radioactive spider, is depicted as a resident of Forest Hills, New York and a die-hard Mets fan throughout Marvel canon.
The thematic connection between Parker and the Mets is obvious: both are viewed as perpetual underdogs. Just as the Mets struggled to win games in their early years, Parker struggled to assume the role of a costumed crime fighter while balancing the responsibilities of school and family life.
Spider-Man and the Mets are forever linked, so much so that performers acted out the wedding between the wallcrawler and Mary Jane Watson at Shea Stadium in 1987.
A song from the Academy Award-winning film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (“What’s Up Danger”) was used in a 2019 Mets hype video, and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is shown to be in possession of a Mike Piazza Hall of Fame pennant in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home.
As closely associated as Spidey is with the Mets, he is not the only Avenger who has become synonymous with the team in recent years. Team captain David Wright was dubbed “Captain America” for his heroics in the World Baseball Classic, while pitcher Noah Syndergaard became known as “Thor” due to his resemblance to MCU actor Chris Hemsworth.
Before the coronavirus pandemic delayed the start of the MLB season, the Mets had planned to celebrate their Marvel connection with a custom Pete Alonso Marvel superhero bobblehead in June of 2020.
