My Love for Marvel
When will I know I'm ready? - Miles Morales. You won't. It's a leap of faith. That's all it is, Miles. A leap of faith. - Peter B. Parker
I know I’ve been going on about Marvel shows, previews of movies or series, and Marvel Comics. But I don’t think I ever dived into why I love the Marvel world, so I thought I would do that today. Nowadays, I have an appreciation for most of the comic book media. Marvel is the only one that gets me hype and gives me happiness like I’m a young kid again, though. Here’s my history with Marvel.
The Beginning
My all-time favorite comic book hero is no other than Spider-Man. I’m sure if you read some of my previous posts then you would have already known that. But why is he my favorite? So, I was a little kid when I first watched the Sam Raimi trilogy. My first Spider-Man movie in theaters was Spider-Man 3, and I was around 7 when it was released. I may have not understood the real themes behind it at the time, but the way everything was handled made me love the character so much. I wanted to be Spider-Man so bad when I was young. I would go around the house shooting fake webs and trying to stick to the walls. It was that much of an obsession. I watched the trilogy countless times, and each time, I would appreciate them even more. Then came along the animated shows. Spider-Man: The Animated Series and Spectacular Spider-Man. This is when Spider-Man became more related to me because, at the time, I saw him as a person who was close to my age being a hero. All the bad luck that Peter had made it more relatable to me. I felt like I never could catch a break. When I did, it wouldn’t last very long. As I got older, it was more and more relatable. One of the things I love about The Amazing Spider-Man movies is how realistic they look. I felt like I could make my own suit, web fluid, web-shooters, and web-sling like Andrew’s Spider-Man. It was so dope. The words and wisdom from each Ben Parkers and Aunt Mays in each media went straight to my heart. I always felt like they were talking to me. I thank Stan Lee and Steve Ditko almost every day because if they didn’t create Spider-Man, I don’t think I would have fallen in love with the Marvel world.
Marvel Comics
I didn’t read comics when I was little. It was around late 2018 or early 2019 when I bought my first issue. After watching Avengers: Infinity War, I wanted to see how it all played out. I didn’t know where to start, so I just bought the graphic novel of the Infinity Gauntlet/War run. I couldn’t believe how different it was from the movies. It was so intriguing. The writing and art style was captivating to me. It was mindblowing how most of these were made from people’s imaginations. The second I started reading, the more I wanted to read other issues. Adam Warlock became an instant favorite of mine. I can’t wait for his MCU debut. From then on, I started going to a store that sold comics. I then found an awesome comic book shop named Dragon’s Lair Comics. I usually go every other week to buy comics. Now the comic books that I buy are usually from the Bronze and Silver Age, which are from 1970 to the modern-day. I used to just get random comics and read them. Mostly Spider-Man, The Avengers, or Doctor Strange. What I’m doing now is trying to find close issues so I can read more chronologically. My collection has grown so much since the Infinity Gauntlet. I have issues with many standalone or team-ups. It is where most of my money goes, and I am pretty happy about it. My favorite writer is Jim Starlin as of now. I got to meet him about two years ago. It was nerve-racking, but not because of him. I am a shy person with anxiety. I didn’t know what to say to him, and I was nervous he wouldn’t want to talk about some stuff with me. Once we shook hands, all my fears went away. In the end, it was a pleasure. My only regret is not meeting Stan or Steve. They created my favorite superhero, and I wanted to thank them for giving me joy for all those years. Some of my favorite comic book runs are The Amazing Spider-Man, Infinity Gauntlet/War, Civil War, Secret Wars, Thor, Warlock, and Captain Marvel (Mar-vell).
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Just like the comics, I didn’t watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it first started back in 2008 with Iron Man. My first movie was Captain America: Civil War, and I watched it in theaters with my friends and brothers. If you start your journey with Civil War, you know you don’t know half of what is going on. The only reason I watched it was because of one person, yeah, Spider-Man. This was going to be his introduction to the MCU. At the time, I thought Andrew Garfield was going to be Spider-Man, so I was surprised that it was Tom Holland. Even then, I still was happy to see Spider-Man back in action. He was really great, but I wasn’t so sure about watching the rest of the MCU just yet. It took me until Avengers: Infinity War to watch all 17 films that I didn’t watch at that point. And just like that, I fell in love. The way the universe connected with different storylines at once made it so great. The lead-up to the conclusion was deserving. I enjoyed each movie. There are some flaws that I can admit to, but they are still awesome in my eyes. I’ve laughed, smiled, cried, and more possible emotions. At the time, it was something I needed, which I’ll get to in a second. I appreciate how Kevin Feige was able to run this whole operation. The directors, writers, producers, and everyone involved with each film gave their work meaning. I like characters that I didn’t think I would like Loki, Bucky, Hela, Thanos, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and so on. Just like comics, the creativity that goes behind each project is outstanding. I’m always like how did they think of this? This is awesome! I should rewatch all the movies and series, so I can do a tier list. My favorite characters are Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Thor, though. It is difficult to say what my favorite movie is, but here goes. Avengers: Endgame is my favorite team-up movie. Spider-Man: Far From Home is my favorite solo movie. Outside the MCU, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is my favorite Marvel movie. They may be different franchises, but the whole MCU is a comic book run that will continue to expand. I can’t wait for more.
Personal Reasons
When I first started watching movies from the MCU, I really needed it. It was a way to escape from the real world for hours. I was going through a difficult time. On the inside, I felt like I was dying. Every day was a challenge to put on a smile and tell everyone that I am okay. I felt like I was alone even though I wasn’t. I had many friends and family that I could talk to, but I didn’t have the strength to do so. The movies and comic books took me away to a place that I needed to be. I felt more relax and calm rather than sad and destroyed. It is hard to admit that, but I knew that I could count on these movies to make me happy, especially the Spider-Man movies. I’m 22 years old now, and these Spidey movies still make me feel like I’m a kid again trying to shoot webs or climb walls. Back when I would have countless dreams about being the ole webhead. They just make me happy when I have personal problems. They make all the noise go away. It doesn’t just end there. This is a passion for me like collecting comics. You know that feeling when you finally find something that will keep you going? Yeah, that’s me with comic books. Anytime I find an old issue or get my hands on a new issue, it makes me feel excited each time. Not to mention the conventions I go to now and seeing all these other people who share the same feeling as I is wonderful. Another amazing feeling is finding someone who loves or shares the same appreciation for comic books or movies. It was pretty hard to find someone that cares about comic books just a little bit. There is this one girl who shall remain nameless, but this happen a few months ago. We share a love for the MCU movies and shows, but what made me so over the moon is how she reacted to my collection of comic books. She took the time to look over my collection, read over some, and asked questions. It just made my heart warm. At that moment, I felt whole again. It is hard to explain or understand, but it’s a feeling that I never felt before then. I am forever grateful for the 25 movies and 4 series so far that the MCU has released. I’m forever grateful to the people who wrote and drew every comic book that I bought or will buy in the future. I have something to look forward to every day or year.
Thank you, Marvel, for giving a young man like me hope.