Summary
The Avengers' nuclear bomb explosion receives a 1/10 rating for realism from a nuclear weapons expert due to its inaccuracies.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) retains a level of realism, although it necessitates the suspension of disbelief because of its extraordinary characters and narratives. The inclusion of unrealistic explosions within the sci-fi category, such as in The Avengers, serves the purpose of providing visual cues and ensuring a harmonious combination of grand drama and suspension of disbelief.
The nuclear bomb explosion in The Avengers receives a low 1/10 rating for realism from nuclear weapons expert Greg Spriggs. Despite the franchise's attempt at maintaining a certain level of realism, the larger-than-life characters and stories still require a significant suspension of disbelief from the audience. Not all unrealistic details are immediately apparent, as scientists can identify scenes that could theoretically happen in real life, but with key differences. Physicist Greg Spriggs analyzes nuclear bomb scenes from various movies, including The Avengers, in an episode of Insider's How Real Is It? YouTube series. He explains that a nuclear bomb detonated in outer space would instantly vaporize due to the lack of a medium for energy transmission, without producing a shockwave. Spriggs suggests that The Avengers' explosion likely lasts longer than 10 microseconds due to the fuel provided by the Chitauri spaceship. Nonetheless, Spriggs rates The Avengers' scene as 1/10 and considers it his least favorite among the seven scenes he reviewed. The video can be watched below.
The Avengers' Nuke Mistake Makes Sense For The Audience
While it would have been more accurate for The Avengers' nuclear bomb to detonate without a visible explosion, Iron Man's act of bravery would have lacked satisfaction without it. The audience's collective perception equates a nuclear bomb detonation with a massive, fiery explosion. Without the climactic burst of light, loud noise, and shockwave that traditionally accompanies it, it would have been challenging to determine when the bomb exploded and whether it successfully destroyed the Chitauri mothership. Moreover, the Battle of New York would have missed its thrilling conclusion, where Tony Stark narrowly survives by being sucked into a portal during the bomb's shockwave.
The sci-fi genre has long relied on unrealistic explosions in outer space. Popular franchises such as Star Wars and Star Trek have incorporated them to varying degrees, ranging from huge fireballs to subtler shockwaves and flashes. These visual cues, reminiscent of earthbound explosions, are crucial for conveying the immense destruction caused by these catastrophic events. Similarly, the MCU utilizes unrealistic elements, like the lack of global repercussions from Tiamut's unaddressed Celestial birth and the inconsistent behavior of Pym Particles, to strike a delicate balance between epic drama and suspension of disbelief.
Phase 1 played a crucial role in shaping the current state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It not only ensured a coherent storyline but also set the overall tone and breadth of the franchise. By successfully mixing realistic and fantastical elements from the source material, Marvel was able to gradually introduce more daring science fiction concepts such as magic, nanotechnology, and time travel. In retrospect, even a scientifically implausible occurrence like a nuclear explosion in outer space poses minimal hindrance to the Avengers.
