MCU

This is LONG overdue. There are so many films, so many characters, and so many thoughts, so I’ll just focus on my favorites for now. It is fascinating to think that Iron Man (and its success) led to this massive franchise, though I’m glad it did. For some reason though, the franchise never really spoke to me or caught my attention. It may have been because I was aware of the X-Men, I was aware of Daredevil and Elektra, I was aware of the Fantastic Four… but other than that, I didn’t know much about Marvel comic characters. I also have a habit of being contrary, so part of me maybe didn’t watch the franchise because it was so popular.

I remember watching Iron Man and Iron Man 2 back in the day. I also remember watching Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron because of my writing idol at the time, he-who-shall-not-be-named. I loved the films. I LOVED Black Widow. I LOVED Scarlet Witch, but it didn’t get me into the theaters, let alone the franchise. It doesn’t make sense why it didn’t though. I love action films and I love superhero films. It literally had everything I needed to be a fan.

Fast forward to 2019, I see a trailer for Marvel’s Avengers, and I’m hooked. You mean to tell me I get to play AS the Avengers? Also, I saw this as a spiritual successor to the likes of Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Marvel Heroes Omega (more on Marvel’s Avengers in another post). The game made me think that maybe it is time to watch these damn movies… So, I made a list, release order, not chronological… I got Disney+ and I started my MCU journey. If I remember correctly, I got through the first Captain America film (I didn’t start my journey until the spring of 2020 when the world was in lockdown.) The game came out and my focus went to playing that rather than watching the films.

Fast forward to Feb 14th, 2022, a friend and I have a ritual of having dinner on Valentine’s Day. He orders a heart-shaped pizza, I come over, we drink wine, eat and watch a movie. This year, he picked Iron Man 2. I was not opposed because I got to see the iconic introduction of Black Widow again. Watching the film reminded me that I should get back into the MCU… so I did. As of today, I have Loki, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Eternals, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to watch. I also got to watch my FIRST MCU film in theaters, which was Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. I watched it mother’s day weekend (another story for another time.) It is the second film I’ve watched in theaters this year, the first being Scream back in January.

When I got to films like Infinity War and Endgame, I was a bit upset with myself for not getting into the franchise sooner so I could have experienced them in theaters with the other fans. Though some critics say the films are mindless action, I beg to differ. I felt a gambit of emotions going through these films, especially ones like Black Widow, Infinity War, Black Panther, and Captain America: Civil War. Don’t even get me started on my favorite characters, which are (in order) Scarlet Witch, Yelena, and Back Widow. I’ll have to devote a post to Scarlet Witch (and I hope she comes to Marvel’s Avengers.)

I feel like I’m meant to write for comics or the MCU, not to inflate my writing abilities, I just mean, these are the types of stories I want to tell. The stories I write are about people with extraordinary abilities, probably because I always wished I was special. I can still remember hitting puberty and being devastated because I didn’t develop a mutant ability (though I was thankful when I had to do a research paper and studied that most mutations aren’t like the ones in the comics, they tend to be harmful, if not deadly.)

Now, despite being many years behind, I can proudly say I’m a fan of the MCU. I don’t plan to watch the new Thor film in theaters (Thor has never done much for me as a character and neither have the films), but I’ll watch it on Disney+ eventually… besides, it gives me time to catch up on the Disney+ shows.

What are your thoughts on the MCU? Who are your favorite characters? Which films are your favorite? I’m curious to know.