Intense Mathematical Analysis of Social Networks and Systems within the Marvel Universe

[fate_child]

 I am confident I will know dorks who find this PDF interesting. I am happy to say I don't understand most of the math going on in there, but seeing this sort of study down with this sort of subject matter really does seem the height of dorkdom, and I can appreciate that.

Comments

You most CERTAINLY know the kind of dork that will find that interesting

[elengul]

So I read the paper. I think that it is a very well thought out analysis of the nature of the relationship networks in the Marvel Universe. I was a bit dismayed at the rules they spoke about being established by the various organizations (I don't remember their names of the top of my head, they're referenced on the final page prior to the reference listing). I think that we'd see a more natural network form if they removed the restrictions of things like "Good always has to win" and "Evil can't be shown to ever be glamourous" because, let's face it, those things just aren't true (in the sense that they're not always true, hence they're not true in a mathematical sense), so any network forming around them is going to be artificial in nature.

Email this link to Rudy, since he doesn't have an LJ.

Re: You most CERTAINLY know the kind of dork that will find that interesting

[fate_child]

Ironically, those rules would have been much closer to accuracy if this was situated in the DC universe. (Well... the DC universe a decade back, at least.) But even then, certainly, not something that is factual all the time.

Two interesting things I saw pointed out regarding these findings (which includes spoilers for the current Marvelverse: Captain America is connected to the most people - and they recently killed him off. The connection between Spiderman and Mary Jane is the strongest one, making their love story the most popular plot in Marvel - and now Marvel is heavily focused on finding some way of undoing their marriage. Food for thought.

Re: You most CERTAINLY know the kind of dork that will find that interesting

[elengul]

I knew about the first thing, though not about the second. While I don't really care about spoilers, I can respect why you hid them :)

That is kind of neat though ... maybe they're trying, at the bare minimum, so reshape the network structure. Who knows ... I'd be somewhat interested to see the network structure of the new MU as portrayed in the Ultimates story-lines. I wonder if that would be a more natural network ...