Well, it’s almost here. “Avengers: Endgame” is upon us and I’m sure many of us are looking back at these last 10 years thinking about what these movies mean to us. It’s honestly hard for me to put any of it into words. But I guess I’ll try.
I was late to the MCU Party. The first movie I saw in theaters was “Captain America: The First Avenger” and it was during San Diego Comic-Con. I don’t think you can ask for a better introduction than that. Especially when Chris Evans is there to personally welcome you to the screening. I remember crying during the ending of that movie. That’s when I became hooked. It was such a fun and amazing experience and I wanted to always be a part of that. And that’s what these movies are to me. They’re experiences. I’ve seen and done things I never thought I would thanks to the MCU. Some of them were weird, like camping outside in the Hall H line while I had a perfectly comfortable bed to sleep in. But I got to see Tom Hiddelston portray Loki on the Hall H stage because of it. I traveled to London to visit Katy. Katy, a friend that I met because of these films. A friend that I know I have for life. A friend who put together an amazing filming location tour. Plus we were able to attend the “Avengers: Age of Ultron” Press Conference and Red Carpet. I mean, if you had asked me 10 years ago if I ever thought I’d attend something like that, I’d laugh in your face. It just didn’t seem like something that was possible. I now have multiple Marvel tattoos, with another one planned for May! Young Barb would have expected Adult Barb to be covered in Nsync tattoos (I do have one, to be fair), not comic book related tattoos. I started to actually read comics thanks to falling in love with Hawkeye after seeing “Avengers.” That evolved into checking out different characters, and even non-super hero related books. Seriously, there’s a comic out there for everyone. If you need suggestions, just ask online! Fashion? There’s a comic. Murder? There’s a comic. Space? Yup, there’s a book for that.
These movies have just become gateways to doing more exciting things. I started to cosplay! Something I never would have dreamed of doing before. Hell, I even had photos featured on the Marvel Tumblr! I started to attend more conventions. I got into collecting artwork and collectible figures. I started taking my nephews to see these movies. I love that they’re both into as much as I am. The oldest just loves Iron Man. He’ll always be number one to him. My parents enjoy these movies now as well. I think my mom is more into them than she’ll admit but it’s fun to be able to take them to the movies and then answer questions later. It’s become this shared family experience. My sister is already worried about how “Endgame” is going to go. I can’t say that I blame her! That movie is going to hurt.
Ya know what else Marvel has convinced me to do? I signed up for three 5K’s this summer. Yes, that says three. All because RunDisney is celebrating the 80th Anniversary of Marvel and just had to throw some amazing, and shiny medals at me. Luckily they’re all virtual 5K’s and I can do them at home whenever I feel like it. I mean, I don’t love running yet here I am. I told you guys this post would be all over the place. I’m just going with the flow and throwing words out there as they come to me. Again, it’s hard to put into words what the MCU means to me and the ways these films have improved or affected my life. Let’s be real. The world can suck sometimes. It’s nice to have something to escape to for a few hours when things get tough. Sometimes you just need to mentally check out of the hellfire that is the world at times. I just need to watch Baby Groot dance around, or watch Thor get all awkward around Valkyrie. There’s nothing like watching Captain Marvel beat the shit out some Skrulls to turn a mood around!
So, I just want to thank everyone involved with the MCU. The actors. Writers. Directors. Casting. Stunt Teams. Producers. SFX. Composers. Camera Men/Women. Extras. Props Department. And all the thousands of other people it takes to actually turn these movies into the final product we see on screen. All of you have helped create something that has really meant a lot of things to a lot of people. I’m sure at times it wasn’t easy. Nothing ever is, but Thank You. Millions of people around the world appreciate you and your skills, effort, and ideas. I can’t wait to see what the next phase brings and see how the current story wraps up