I arrived quite late to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, otherwise known among fans as the MCU. A friend of mine had been trying to convince me to watch the movies for years. Finally, in 2016 -- eight years after the whole thing started -- I was bored enough that I decided to watch everything I'd missed up until that point.
Of course, because I am who I am, I had to do this as quickly as possible. I watched the movies. I watched the shows. All in release order, because who doesn't love a good color-coded spreadsheet? My friend warned me that some of it wasn't that good. The more I watched, the less I aligned with their opinions.
These days, you've probably heard a lot of MCU fans gripe about how it isn't as good as it used to be. Especially when it comes to the TV shows, which are all now released via streaming on Disney+. In a franchise this big and expansive, one that crosses genres and tackles subject matters at all ends of the emotional spectrum, not everything is going to match in terms of quality. It's true with Star Wars, and it's true with the MCU and plenty of other mega-franchises like them. It is a fact that some fans accept, and some simply do not.
I find myself, halfway through Ironheart, in somewhat of a different camp. Realistically, I'm quite aware that the MCU as we know it is most likely coming to an end. Disney is seemingly preparing to do a hard pivot away from streaming shows, with a few notable exceptions here and there, probably. At the very least, the days of getting three or more Marvel shows a year are most definitely behind us. And I'm a little sad about it.
For me, the MCU, both its movies and shows, have been a welcome opportunity to meet new characters and fall in love with new stories. I did not read comics before I started watching these stories alone on my laptop in the dark times that were the late 2010s. I met most of these characters on that screen for the very first time.
And that has meant that even the so-called "worst" of the MCU has been an overall enjoyable experience for me. Here's how I've come to look at it: If I like a character, but the movie or show they're in isn't considered "great" by critical standards, that's an opportunity for me to go to the comics or books and read more about them. All of these new viewing experiences are windows into new fictional lives for me. That's how it began, and how it has continued with Riri Williams, and with the Thunderbolts* crew.
I came to the MCU curious, and that has never changed. I generally know very little about many of these characters before their stories are told on screen. If I want to, I can freely explore their source material. I am, above all else, a lover of stories. Many of you will say they aren't good, that they're not worth watching -- cancel Disney+, it's not worth it! I simply cannot agree. These stories continue to mean a lot to me, professionally and personally. Quality matters so little when you're just here to have fun.