Finding My Way Back to Marvel

I have always had a very special kind of love for Marvel. It is one of those things that became a part of my growing - up years, even though I discovered it a little later than most people around me. I remember being in school, probably around 10th or 11th grade, and knowing Marvel only in bits and pieces. THEN, during my school examinations in February, I somehow decided that I needed to understand this entire Marvel universe. So in one week, I watched almost 14 movies , following the chronology and slowly becoming attached to these characters I had only vaguely known before . By the time I reached Infinity War and The Endgame, I was completely invested.
I remember booking tickets to watch Endgame with my family when I was in 12th , and honestly, I don’t think I was prepared for how emotional it would make me. I have always had a soft spot for Captain America, but growing up has somehow made me appreciate Iron Man in a completely different way. Maybe because I am also missing that younger version of myself who first discovered these movies with so much excitement. And everytime I watch Tony Starks death in Endgame , it still hurts a little. The original Avengers- Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye- will always be The Avengers for me.
I haven’t really kept up with the Marvel movies after Endgame, except for Tom Holland’s Spider- Man, because somewhere I felt that the era I had grown attached to had ended. But recently, I came across Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings, and maybe I watched it at exactly the right time. It felt like giving Marvel another chance. What surprised me was how much I enjoyed the story beyond the superhero element. Shang- Chi’s childhood particularly stayed with me. Every time I saw that little boy training so intensely , knowing the circumstances he was being raise in, there was something heartbreaking about it.
His relationship with his father is complicated in a way I appreciated. I don’t want to justify everything his father did, because there is a lot that cannot be justified, but underneath all that violence and obsession was also a man who had loved his wife deeply and was unable to accept losing her. That doesn’t excuse his actions, but it makes the character more human. I also loved the relationship between Shang Chi and Xialing. Their bond carries years of hurt, resentment, love and the feeling of two siblings who grew up differently but still somehow understand each other.
And then there is Ta lo, the magical village connected to his mothers side, which brought such a beautiful contrast to the darker parts of his story. Even Trevor Slattery’s presence made me smile because it felt like a small thread connecting this newer story to the Marvel Universe I already knew and loved.
Growing up means allowing yourself to discover new stories without expecting them to recreate the feelings of the old ones. So this is me, cautiously giving marvel another chance.