Avengers: Age of Ultron Is For Me!

Yesterday, I was checking out the Avengers Experience at SM North EDSA when an evil thought occured to me: These plebians taking selfies with the life-size displays shouldn't be here. I literally heard someone exclaim "Pa-picture tayo dito. Sino ba yan?" (Translation: "Let's take a photo with this guy even if we don't know who it is") Then rushed over to the gigantic statue of Ultron!

In that instant, I got mad.
You pedestrians don't deserve this.

Behind the Ultron statue was the banner featuring the characters. I didn't expect it but I got emotional the moment I saw it. I've seen the images online more than once but seeing them printed and displayed is something else. Here in front of me were the characters I've been a fanboy of for 15 years. It's ridiculous really but in that instant I was happy again.

If you don't know this guy, you are not worthy!

Then the muggles started taking selfies in front of the banner. Not only did these inconsiderate pricks see me trying to snap a photo of the banner but proceeded to do their thing anyway, these people also didn't know these characters like I do.

I guess that's my problem. There is a part of me that was happy that the Avengers is getting the kind of attention it never would've received ten years ago but at the same time, I feel like none of it was for big fans like me who stuck with the team back in the days when X-men and Spider-man were all the rage.

Man tears for this.

And I'm not just talking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I've blogged about how I feel like the current comics isn't for me anymore. Even Avengers Assemble the TV show doesn't feel like it was made for me.

It sucks. I felt like my fandom has betrayed me and neglected to reward me for all my years supporting the franchise.

And then Age of Ultron happened.

For the first time in a long while, I finally feel like something with an "Avengers" branding was trying to appeal to me. And it succeeded in every possible it can. Here were nine Avengers and their most lethal arch-nemesis yet. Here were the Avengers doing exactly what I want to see them do: Be super heroes. None of that real world allegorical drama bullshit that so often permeates modern super hero movies to give them added "depth".

Of course, there were several creative liberties that had to be taken for the transfer from panel to celluloid but that's to be expected and they were necessary. Everything worked so all is forgiven on that front.

I should also point out that since seeing the movie last night, I've read several reviews already, most of them negative. They derided the movie for not making sense in the bigger narrative of the MCU. They also questioned the necessity of the new characters. Screw that! As far as I'm concerned, I saw MY AVENGERS kicking ass on screen and that's all that matters. Besides, only two movies really matter to me anyway: This one and the first, nothing before or in between. Taken in that context, then the movie makes narrative sense.

Honestly, there is no way I can convince anyone else that Age of Ultron is the best thing ever. And I don't intend to. You had to see the movie with my tear-filled eye. Watching the movie evoked in me the same feeling of happiness I associate with watching Earth's Mightiest Heroes. It felt to me like the first time I saw Ultimate Avengers. It felt like the first time I read Operation: Galactic Storm and Kang Dynasty, which are my favorite Avengers epics of all time. Heck, watching the movie felt again like reading the very issue that got me hooked into earth's mightiest to begin with.

In short: Age of Ultron may not have been a great MCU movie but it's a great Avengers movie! What's more is that it's an Avengers movie that felt like it was made FOR ME! There's no way I can be objective about it and I don't want to be. The Avengers is mine again!

Thank you, Joss Whedon, for this gift!