Not the End, Just the Endgame: A Thank You to the MCU

Written by Zeke Perez Jr. 

Well...here we go. 11 years and 21 movies later, we’ve made it. This is it, folks. We’re entering the Endgame.
 
It’s hard to imagine a world without the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sure, we’ll get Spider-Man: Far From Home in July (which should help a lot) and sure, Phase Four is beginning to take shape. But the MCU as we know it won’t be the same. We’ve gone on a decade-long journey with these franchises and their core characters. It’s going to be a bittersweet goodbye. But rather than feeling sad (Infinity War already made us do enough of that), I wanted to emphasize the ‘sweet’ parts and reflect on my gratitude for the Marvel movie experience.
 
First and foremost, the MCU was important because of the people we got to share it with. For me, it started back with one of my closest high school friends, Akeem, back in 2008. I can’t really remember much of the buildup or excitement on our end surrounding the first Iron Man. I don’t think we realized what it would turn into. We thought it was just a cool movie to see in a summer of superhero movies, along with The Dark Knight. But as we left the theater, we knew we were hooked. We had started college by the time Iron Man 2 rolled around, but - even in the midst of finals - Akeem and I met up to see the next installment. We went to the opening showing, then grabbed a Slurpee in an Iron Man cup on the way back to the dorms and stayed up all night excitedly chatting about it. We’d continue to see many more Marvel films together.
 
Phase Two of the MCU coincided with another very important phase of my life. In April 2014, I went on a blind date with a marvelous woman, Natalee. We connected over many things, but one of our favorite topics we bonded over on that day were the Marvel movies. We shared our favorite moments and characters, and found joy in the fact that we could nerd out together unabashedly. She chided me for skipping Thor: The Dark World (a strange concept, considering missing any movie now is unthinkable) and we made plans to watch it. One of our earliest dates was a trip to the theater for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. By August, we were dating, and we geared up for Guardians of the Galaxy by making matching t-shirts to wear to the premiere. We kept going on those adventures together and she’s now my fiancée. We’re set to get married this summer. I think we make a pretty fantastic team.

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I’ve been fortunate to have so many people to share in the excitement with. Natalee and Akeem are just some of many. I’ve gotten to delve into the MCU with high school and college friends, family, coworkers, my peers here at Nerds That Geek, and even strangers. There are too many individuals to name, but if you and I have ever had a conversation about the MCU or seen a movie together, know that I appreciate those moments with you. 
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Another thing I’ve loved about the MCU is how it has reconnected us with our childhoods. In elementary school, I was a Hulk and Daredevil guy. One of my friends loved Captain America. Other kids had other favorites. We’d join together to play HeroClix or share our comics or just pretend we were the heroes we admired. When the MCU came along, it blanketed us with nostalgia and gave us the opportunity to see our favorite characters on the big screen. It introduced us to new favorites as well. I remember when Guardians came out, I knew next to nothing about the team. I was a little nervous about it, but I hoped for the best. Now, I’d do anything to protect Groot.
 
On that note, the MCU helped rekindle my interest in comics. It’s not uncommon now to find my friend Joel and I digging through the stacks at a local shop and discussing all things superhero. But growing up, I owned only a small collection of Hulk and Daredevil comics I had plucked from a dollar bin when I was a kid, and I never ventured much beyond those. The Marvel movies changed things there. When a character or a team I knew little about was set to get a movie, I was eager to learn more. Natalee and I prepped for our Guardians t-shirts by digging into trade paperbacks. I read some Captain Marvel stories leading up to her movie and I wanted to read so many more on the way out. Hopefully the MCU has launched a new generation of dreamers and readers.
 
For the last eleven years the next movie up was always eagerly anticipated, circled on our calendars months in advance. Though this is not the end, just the Endgame, it’s going to be strange to take the temporary hiatus. For many of us, the MCU is a big part of our lives, and for that it deserves thanks. So, thank you for all of the stories and fantasy worlds. Thank you to all of the legendary actresses and actors, writers and directors, contributors and crew who have lent their talents to this universe. Thank you for all the Stan Lee cameos and for bringing his, Jack Kirby’s, and Steve Ditko’s ideas to new life. Thank you for the laughs and for the tears. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for showing kids around the world - and the kid inside of all of us - that anyone can be a hero. Until we start again…Avengers assemble!

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