By Amber Wiles
It’s April 25th 2019, you’ve waited in line for your tickets, you finally sit down and the title intro begins. 10 years’ worth of film concluded in a 3-hour movie, that would go on to become the biggest films of all-time. I am, of course, talking about Avengers: Endgame. When I think back to the anticipation which surrounded Endgame, I’m reminded of the amazing universe Marvel has created. I don’t know if I will ever be as excited for a film as I was for Endgame, but I know I will always remember sitting down to watch it for the first time and the excitement it brought.
Lockdown three has left me with time to spare, and so I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to re-watch the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies for what feels like the millionth time. Now, when re-watching the movies I like to go ‘old school’ and watch them on DVD. There is something very nostalgic about watching the DVD’s that I religiously bought after each movie came out. Not only are these movies that I love, but they are movies that were important to my teenage years. I remember going to my local Sainsbury’s the day The Avengers came out on DVD, buying it with my pocket money, coming home and watching it about three times in one night. These movies weren’t just movies for me, they were important and something that I’ve continued to re-watch through both the highs and lows of my life. My experience is one that many fans, both old and young alike, can relate to. For older fans who grew up reading the comics, they were getting the opportunity to see characters they grew up reading in comics, up on the big screen,. For younger fans, like me, it presented the opportunity to fall in love with the superhero genre, both in movie and comic book form. The MCU did something that all big franchises hope to do: it defined an era. It saw the merge of pop culture and media, almost unlike anything seen before. Obviously, there has been the Batman and Superman films, but the MCU went beyond this, it managed to create a universe which up until this point has spanned, 23 films and numerous TV shows, and it just keeps expanding.
From now until the end of 2021, there is a new Marvel show or movie coming out every week. Yes, you read that correctly, every week. The MCU is only going to get bigger this year. Movies such as Black Widow, Shang- Chi, The Eternals and Spiderman 3 are all coming out in the next 10 months, but not only are we getting movies, we’re also getting a whole host of new shows. Next month will see the release of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, followed by Loki, Ms Marvel, What If? and Hawkeye. Most recently however has been the global success WandaVision, a show which feels new and fresh but also nostalgic, with it roots being in the heart of the MCU. The weekly episode format has left fans anticipating what each new episode will bring, allowing for downright crazy fan theories to emerge – I really don’t know how people come up with some of their ideas. What I do know however, is that the show has had me hooked. I have no idea how it will end but I’m looking forward to seeing the payoff. Disney+ and Marvel could have easily released all the episodes at once, but I’m glad they didn’t because each week I get that familiar excitement any new Marvel show/movie brings.
When Marvel decided to make Iron Man back in the early 2000’s it would have been difficult to predict the cultural phenomenon that is the MCU. Whilst Iron Man is now a household name when Marvel originally decided to make the film he was considered a lesser character compared to the likes of Spiderman and The Hulk. They thankfully managed to make it successful, and here we are 14 years after its initial release, and it feels like the MCU will go on forever.
This article has basically been me majorly fangirling about the MCU, but it’s just a testament to the impact that Marvel has had. These characters are important to me, I grew up with these films and will continue to as the universe expands. I’ll always remember going to see The Avengers with my best friend when I was 12, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier will always be one of my favourite films. I can’t wait to see what the new shows and films bring, and see how Marvel will keep on expanding their universe!
Cover Image Credit: https://www.moviestillsdb.com/movies/avengers-endgame-i4154796
