I sat myself down for 42 hours and did what I had dreaded to do for 11 years. I binge-watched all 21 MCU movies. Marvel Films have always felt like an exclusive place I couldn’t play in and I just wouldn’t understand because I jumped in a tad too late but (spoiler alert) I absolutely fell in love with the stories. This is what it’s like coming into a franchise almost a decade after the rest of the world.
Up until this marathon effort, I’d casually watched a couple of the Marvel movies, but never really enough to care or actually immerse myself in the whole MCU storyline, mostly because I was scared I had come in far too late.
You know like, when you used to play double-dutch and the ropes were spinning and if you come in too late, you’d totally ruin it for yourself? Like that, but without the ropes and with way more nerds yelling at me.
All of that totally changed once I seriously strapped myself in for this challenge, and I completely fell in love with the whole world.
Watching all of these movies later than everyone else, I’ve been hit with all the drama and intense emotions all in one go, and since everyone in the entire world has seen them already, nobody is around to freak out with me anymore.
I feel a sense of envy knowing that such a large portion of people my age grew up with these stories and had the chance to be involved in the ever-growing fandom of these films and characters.
When I get really into something, I want to draw references and quote it constantly. Doing this now for older Marvel movies makes me feel like I’m bandwagoning and just trying to be relevant because the Avengers movies are at peak popularity right now.
I felt almost guilty wanting to go see Avengers: Endgame after only getting into the franchise this year, because hardcore Marvel fans make it seem like if i didn’t watch Iron Man in the womb, I’m not welcome at the earlier screenings. This obviously isn’t the case and there’s no trivia quiz on the way into the cinema.
Entertainment is for everyone. No films should be made to feel exclusive or like you can’t be a part of the world. Marvel movies have stories and characters for everyone to relate to and care about, which is part of what makes it such a widely loved franchise. I guess what came from me watching all these movies 10 years on, just before the end, is that it’s never too late to come into such an intense fanbase.
Also I love Captain America.
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Emily Vescio 