Thank You MCU

When Iron Man first appeared on the world’s cinema screens, I was only 8 years old. I don’t remember watching it straight away, and I can’t recall the first time I watched it, but I remember it becoming something everyone in my family was very interested in. We’ve watched every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie together ever since, and we have all laughed, cried, and celebrated along with each and every character.

By 2014, when the first movie of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise came about, my brother was only 9 years old and both of our bedrooms were covered in MCU posters, merch, and everything else Marvel that you could think of. Even though I’m nearly in my twenties now, I still own two pairs of Avenger themed pyjamas. Both my brother and I grew up watching our favourite Marvel characters develop, and it’s no secret that we became totally obsessed with the franchise; while right now I am 19 and he is 14 and we’ll send MCU related memes to each other nearly every day!

The Marvel Cinematic Universe and its characters have not only changed my life but they’ve also changed millions of lives around the world. For some people, the movies may have even saved their lives. It’s amazing to see how, after watching the first Avengers movie again on the plane (which inspired this article), how far the entire franchise has evolved. The first score for the Avengers theme tune sounds “just okay” in comparison to the new, spine-tingling, and goosebump-inducing score that we know and love from Infinity War and Endgame.

Not only has the score changed, the characters we know have changed as well. Spiderman—bless him—has changed a lot since I was a kid, but I think Tom Holland was the perfect choice to fit into the Avengers team. It’s safe to say all characters got to have a story-arc that allowed us to grow closer to them. The franchise did a marvellous job (no pun intended) in turning nearly every character in to one that the audience would love. Even villains such as Loki and Bucky have huge fan bases after Marvel developed their characters into more lovable, and more “stan”-able. To further this point, the Marvel Cinematic Universe did a fantastic job in linking up every film in a way other superhero franchises, such as DC, could not even compare to. The fact that Iron Man was released in 2008 and Captain Marvel was released only this year, it is amazing how the MCU have managed to leave no stone unturned and made sure 99% of fans questions were answered, for example: “what happened to Nick Fury’s eye?!”

The MCU has become such a powerful superhero franchise that I am glad to be a part of a generation in which grew up with the films and their characters. Thanos once said to Tony Stark, “I hope they remember you.” And they will. Everyone will remember Tony Stark and the Avengers; everyone will remember the MCU as the franchise that changed the superhero genre forever. Tony Stark, a human without superpowers but with a heart and a brain, managed to shape the modern-day superhero genre. Without the success of Iron Man, the MCU would not be what it is today. I think it’s safe to say that when Tony “fought [his] way out of that cave… became Iron Man” in “what seems like 1,000 years ago,” it sparked something magical. Something that would last 11 years to make, but last a lifetime in everyone else’s hearts.

Thank you to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.