Get to know me #5: Marvel

Marvel movies are amazing. Since the new Avengers trailer came out last week, I wanted to write about my favorite franchise. I have seen every Marvel movie since Iron Man. Most of the time it is in theaters on opening weekend but sometimes I miss one. In that case, I rent it on DVD and watch it. It's been almost 10 years since Marvel got involved in the movie business and Phase 3 is coming to a close. The fate of some of the characters are in the balance and no one knows what is coming next. Every movie is connected in some way which makes you have to watch them in order. I don't mind especially since I have seen them all so many times I know the little hints to other movies and what each tie in is.

I remember a time when Marvel wasn't owned by Disney and the movies didn't make references to Disney movies or to things that don't really have much to do with the series (the jokes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 anyone?). I worry a little about where Marvel is headed after seeing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and some parts of both Thor Ragnarok and Spiderman Homecoming. Anyone who has seen these movies will most likely know exactly what I am talking about. To those who don't, you are kinda lucky. I mean I know some of that is in the comics but other stuff is just unnecessary.

My favorite thing about Marvel is the cameos of creator Stan Lee. It's like trying to play where's Waldo. He's been in every movie since Iron Man. 
 The only cameo missing from this is the one from Ragnarok where he cuts Thor's hair. That one is really funny. I love every one of his cameos. My favorite is in Amazing Spider-man when he is a librarian who has no clue Spider-man and Lizard are fighting behind him. I also like the one in Captain America Civil War. Because yes Tony Stank lives here.

I started watching Marvel movies because of Iron Man. Iron Man was my favorite hero and still is. Tony Stark is just hilarious and Robert Downey Jr. just plays him so well. Marvel Cinematic Universe is sometimes called "the house that Tony built" and it couldn't be more true. As of 2017, Marvel has made $12 billion off their movies. That's a lot of money. And they aren't done yet. I had originally planned on just watching the Iron Man movies but then Avengers happened. I watched each of the stand alone films before going to see it. I still loved Iron Man and didn't really like the other heroes. I mean the first time I watched it, I could barely understand what was happening in Thor. But I liked Loki and he quickly became my favorite villian. And of course he had to go try and take over the world. I didn't understand how this ragtag team of "heroes" could defend the earth.Thor was always looking for a fight and it seemed like Captain America would fight if he had to but would rather run from the fight given the chance. Black Widow seemed pretty cool and I could kind of relate to her since I knew martial arts. Hawkeye was cool because he could do archery. The Hulk wasn't really ever one of my favorites because Bruce Banner wanted to keep the Hulk buried away so he always ran from a fight. But they did and I made sure to see every movie since.

Since the first Avengers movie, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver (briefly), Vision, Spider-man, War Machine, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther have all been introduced into the MCU and I found other heroes I liked. Star-Lord is like a childish version of Tony Stark who figures out what he is supposed to do a lot sooner. Groot is just funny and so is Rocket. Doctor Strange is very very similar to Tony Stark and maybe that is why they are at the top of my list of favorites. I never really found another villain who was as good as Loki though. I'm starting to wonder if I ever will. Ok well if you switch over to the Marvel movies coming from 21st Century Fox yeah Magneto is pretty cool but I'm talking about the movies that Marvel/Disney owns. As in the comics Marvel still has the rights to. So Magneto doesn't really count here. Now if the deal between Disney and Fox goes through he will........just saying.

According to Marvel exec Kevin Feige, there are at least 20 more films to come out between now (Phase 3) and 2028. That includes sequels and new movies. That's a lot of movies. Personally, I can't wait. I know people I talk to are probably already annoyed with me because of the Infinity War trailer but I'm sorry! That trailer left so many unanswered questions (*cough* whose hand is Tony holding?*cough*) and some minor celebration moments (*cough* Loki put that thing back where it came from or so help me *cough*). I really can't wait until this movie comes out.

I've put so much time into this franchise and I've seen so much happen with it. It almost feels like part of the family in a way. All I can say is I hope Marvel continues to put out good movies and that Stan Lee continues to make his cameos because we all know that those are really the best part of those movies.