How I Became a Marvel Superfan

Written by Guest Contributor, Kat Hammond

SPOILERS: The following contains references to the Avengers: Infinity War. If you haven’t watched this movie and don’t want to be spoiled, move along. 😊

I have always considered myself a person who is into epic cinematic sci-fi and fantasy movies. It’s one of those things about myself that I feel proud of. My disclaimer is that I like sci-fi and fantasy on an epic scale. Epic would be Star Wars, Lord of the rings, Harry Potter, Avatar etc. I tend to fall deeply in love with the movies that are usually made from books (even if I have not read them) and they have a mad genius director or producer on the set like James Cameron or J.J. Abrams.

My significant other called me out a couple of months ago and said that I could no longer call myself a sci-fi and fantasy movie enthusiast until I consumed the experience of the Marvel movies. This was the exact wording he used – “consumed”. I couldn’t just watch them to say I had done it. I needed to take them in and really understand the giant universe that Marvel has created with the characters that are in the Avengers.

It just so happened that the latest Marvel movie Captain Marvel was coming out that weekend and needless to say, a new obsession was born! That night when we arrived home, I would not let my boyfriend, who was worn out from all my questions (what are infinity stones, who’s that, now who’s that etc.) until he gave me a list of how I could watch the Marvel Movies in order before Avengers: Endgame came out.

Here is the list he gave me. It’s actually in the order of the characters’ stories and development, not necessarily by the release dates:

1. Captain America: The First Avenger
2. Iron Man
3. Iron Man 2
4. Thor
5. The Incredible Hulk
6. Avengers
7. Iron Man 3
8. Thor: The Dark World
9. Captain America: The winter Soldier
10. Guardians Of The Galaxy
11. Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol. 2
12. Avengers: Age of Ultron
13. Ant-Man
14. Captain America: Civil War
15. Black Panther
16. Spider-man: Home Coming
17. Ant-Man And The Wasp
18. Doctor Strange
19. Thor Ragnarok
20. Avengers: Infinity War

Now, when I decide to get into a television series or a movies series, I go hard! As I took in everything about these movies, I realized just how much I have missed on the big screen for the past ten years. I missed the energy you feel when you are in the theater with everyone and see how the stories of these characters unfold. I missed the cheering, the shock and the awe’s, and the astonishment of viewing an incredible movie on the big screen.

I’m thankful that the stars aligned in time for me to experience the final movie this coming weekend in the theater. I’ll be there opening night to see if the Avengers can put the universe back together after Thanos wiped out half of the characters we love​.