21 Apr 2025 6 min read Pop Culture

I Know It's Fiction. Shut Up.

I know it’s fiction. I also know I’ve cried harder over fictional heroes than some real ones. Let’s discuss.

For the record, I didn't buy any of these. All treasured gifts, because apparently, my reputation precedes me.

Warning: Proceed only if you’re cool with superhero tangents written by someone who definitely does not work for Marvel except in her own head.

I haven’t been this wired about Marvel news since Endgame. My daughter was right there with me, along with the entire internet.

I actually found myself Googling how to get into San Diego Comic-Con 2026.

We missed out, but I am undeterred, primarily because getting into Hall H feels like the ultimate justification for how invested I am in fictional characters.

Last week, I wrote about what it feels like to fall in love with movies that stay with you, maybe even change you. I fear that kind of connection is rare now.

But every once in a while, something happens to remind you why you gave a damn in the first place.

For me, that moment came somewhere between the moment RDJ walked back on stage and that infamous Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement; it was made very clear to us all that the stakes were back.

I’m not a screenwriter, and I don’t run a billion-dollar franchise. I’m sure my loved ones were hoping that by this point in my life, I’d be writing think pieces on The Seventh Seal or pontificating on The Double Life of Veronique.

Instead, here I am. Obsessing over the MCU like they pay me.

[1] I could dissect Bergman’s existential dread or Kieslowski’s metaphysical symbolism. But I’d rather unpack RDJ's new villain era. Priorities.

Prior to all that, when the multiverse rules were changing every fifteen minutes, I had tapped out. Even the Russos acknowledged the post-Endgame slump was...inevitable (ba dum tish!), but to be fair, Endgame was lightning in a bottle, so good it ruined everything that followed it.

We nerds crave that type of theatre experience again, and chasing that high ever since has been frustrating to say the least.

I never got into the Disney+ lineup. I did see part of Loki Season 1, partially because Hiddleston and Wilson are magic together.

In my timeline, these two are still out there chasing variants and talking about jet skis.

But even then, I still couldn’t finish it. The ending got spoiled for me, and in my head canon, if I didn't see something, it never happened. (Me Before You taught me that lesson the hard way.)

In the meantime, I told myself I'd spent enough time immersed in the "Marvel Universe"; other things needed my attention.

[2] Believe it or not, I’m an actual grown-ass woman with mortgages, deadlines, and problems.

And then…Thor: Love and Thunder. Oof.

I hadn’t squirmed that much since The Incredible Hulk, a movie that even Edward Norton won't talk about, and he starred in it. Which, in fact, makes sense, since all its major issues seemed to have one thing in common: him.

Love and Thunder somehow managed to be worse than that.

[3] I’m so sorry, Mr. Hemsworth. Still a big fan, though. Just… not of whatever that was.

Being a Marvel fan began to feel complicated; you had to specify the era, like, “Yes, I love Marvel…but not that Marvel.” So I did what any emotionally mature person does: I pretended I’d moved on. But I hadn’t, not really.

Because I didn’t just watch that first saga, I lived it with my little girl, one movie at a time (a tad dramatic, I know, but stay with me here).

As a child, her first superhero film was Iron Man. By the time she was 19, we were watching Stark die as the hero in Endgame.

So when RDJ was announced to return as the star in Doomsday, it hit us both, like the first time, all over again. (Also sounds dramatic, I know. But I'm sure a lot of us felt that.)

The Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal shattered records: 275 million digital views, 3.1 million social interactions, and the biggest Marvel Studios livestream ever.

Some say that proves that Marvel fandoms never left.
I say it proves we were waiting for a reason to care again.
Now, with all this, I have some thoughts.

That cast reveal was Marvel lighting the beacons because this lineup is absolutely stacked (with rumors that more are still under wraps. Squee!).

Hemsworth. Hiddleston. Stewart. McKellen. Pascal. X-Men. Fantastic Four. Doom.
And I’m betting the budget’s probably larger than some countries’ GDP.

I think the sun will shine on those yet-to-be-named characters again. Especially (please, Kevin!) on the brothers who never got their goodbye.

If Marvel believes in emotional symmetry, Thor and Loki, older and changed, will stand together again, but bound by more than fate. Maybe a therapeutic reunion within a fantastical CGI-generated performance.

[4] Not unlike most of my family gatherings, but with better outfits.

We’re heading to Secret Wars, and we all know Marvel is playing the long game again.

So here's my completely predictable, mostly regurgitated take. (Yes, I've read the same half-dozen theories you have.) I know I sound like someone who should probably go outside more, but hear me out:

Stark without the cave: strip away his traumatic backstory, and you've got a genius with a god complex and zero Fs about accountability or forethought. Both of them still think they can invent the perfect mechanics to avoid their fate. Go back and watch Age of Ultron if you need a refresher.
The crisis of perception: Doom arrives looking exactly like the ghost of someone Peter Parker loved, and for a heart-mealting moment, he sees the man who taught him everything. But (if/when) they meet, there’s nothing but a cold stare and a flat “Who’s Mr. Stark?”. Uggghhhh…..
Earth-616 Tony Stark: He’ll show up just long enough to see what he could've become if only. And then they’ll take him away again.

Because Marvel lives for inflicting that kind of emotional trauma.

[5] I exaggerate, but not by frickin' much.

I Still Wait for the Post-Credits

I think we’re heading into Infinity War: Part Deux. It’s giving that same slow-burn, tension-building setup, and we’re doing what we always do: overanalyzing spoilers and constantly refreshing TikTok for leaks.

[6] In my defense, they started it. It’s fine. I’m fine.

I’ll say this: something about this moment, the cast, the tone, the reaction, feels different.

Maybe this is Marvel’s redemption arc, or just elite-level marketing, but if it leads to another epic theater moment with my kid, then it’ll be well worth it.

[7] Ideally, from a premier seat. Preferably not next to anyone who defends Love and Thunder.

Two nerds. One franchise. 100% self-awareness.

I know none of these thoughts are exactly new, but still, if one lands, I’d like a little credit. And maybe a premiere invite in exchange for never posting about it again.

[8] Just kidding. I live for this nonsense.

So, if this really is the comeback, we’re more than ready.
And Kevin? I’m always available for notes.

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