Confession: I was a comic book nerd in high school.
I know it's not that hard to picture. Anyone I know personally can vouch for my obsessive fangirl ways.
I spent the better half of my childhood dedicated to Marvel and DC Comics. From middle to high school, I was sat for every major Marvel project in theaters. I still vividly remember the night I went to see "Avengers: Endgame." I was with my family, we went out to get some food before my mom dropped me and my dad off at a Harkins theater.
For the next three hours I was transported to another world, like everyone in that theater was. Everyone there shared a collective experience: laughing at the same scenes, crying together over the same deaths and experiencing the conclusion of decades-long storytelling.
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I think the last time I felt this emotional high with Marvel was "Spider-Man: No Way Home." Say what you want about the rules of the Multiverse and complain about fan service. The feeling of watching Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire appear each as their own Spider-Man and come together with MCU Peter Parker to face off Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin was unmatched.
"No Way Home" was one of the last times I went to the theaters for Marvel. I tried to keep up with all the new TV shows, but I lost interest after a while with how much content was being produced.
I still continued to read comics though, and up until college I was really into the Bat-Family and Gotham City. I was also in tune with Ms. Marvel, who was the first comic character I ever read, and Daredevil.
Though I'm not currently into superhero media the way I used to be, I definitely have characters I'll come back to. Trust, I'm watching the new "Daredevil: Born Again" series, and I will definitely be in theaters for the next Spider-Man movie.
Despite my lack of activity with Marvel and DC, I will always defend it — or rather its presence in pop culture.
I've felt firsthand how inspirational superheroes can be, as I was a pretty lonely kid in high school. I moved schools a lot and always took a little too long to find my footing in friend groups. But no matter what, I could always find a comic to get lost in and make time pass by a little faster.
Superheroes date back to a story archetype that's been around for centuries. We all want a protagonist to root for — someone to stand for justice and all that is good. Think of the hero icons, Spider-Man and Superman, the ones who transcend barriers.
Not every 10-year-old kid is going to know who Daredevil is, but they do know Spider-Man. They know he's from New York and they know he's a force of good. He’s your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, after all.
And not everyone can pin the name Clark Kent off the top of their head, but show them Superman's famous logo and you'll get some understanding.
I’m not here to sit and claim that Marvel films are peak cinema and storytelling. I also don't think anyone is – even your average Marvel fan can admit the flaws in their favorite project.
But the characters are the heart of a franchise like Marvel. Characters that have withstood the test of time and will continue to do so. I'm sure the grandkids of college students now will know who Spider-Man is in their childhood too.
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Abigail Beck and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at jagon128@asu.edu .
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Jazlyn is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication. This is her second semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Blaze Radio.
