So... the Doomsday trailer just came out.
As a Gen Z Marvel fan, for my entire conscious life there have been different iterations of these characters and stories on the big screen. From pretending to be older than I was so I could go and watch Iron Man in the cinema, to binge-watching the Disney+ shows with my brothers after being sent home from university during COVID, these films have been by my side for as long as I can remember.
I have been the annoying friend who convinced everyone to go and watch some of the less well-received recent releases, and the person waiting every Wednesday for the newest episode to drop.
So, it is safe to say I am excited about this new wave of buzz around the MCU.
But what is really interesting to me is not just the spectacle. It is what these stories teach us about who we are as people. How these characters, worlds and conflicts have developed over time to reflect our changing thoughts and feelings about war, violence, power, identity and belonging.
Captain America asks what happens when morality conflicts with authority. Spider-Man explores the weight of responsibility and the painful process of growing up. The X-Men reveal how fear can create the very monsters we claim to oppose. The Avengers ask whether individuals can overcome their differences to build something greater together. WandaVision examines grief and the temptation to escape reality. Loki questions whether we are defined by our past or capable of creating a new identity.
Across these stories, the same themes emerge again and again: power and responsibility, identity and belonging, justice and inequality, technology and humanity, grief and hope.
These questions matter because superheroes have become one of the defining mythologies of the modern age.
Ancient societies told stories about gods, heroes and monsters to understand themselves. Today, we tell stories about people who can fly, bend time, travel between universes and save worlds. Yet underneath the spectacle, the questions remain the same.
What is a hero?
Like Odysseus, Achilles and the countless stories of lives told long ago, our idea of a hero has shifted and transformed to reveal very real things about ourselves.
Who do we choose to idolise?
Who do we want to become?
What kind of world do we want to create?
What is worth saving?
Perhaps the reason Marvel has endured for so long is not because we believe superheroes exist. It is because we recognise ourselves in them. So, alongside the ever-growing list of PhD work I have to tackle, I want to set myself a challenge: to watch all 102 stories I have compiled as potentially relevant to the multiverse that will be on show in Avengers: Doomsday.
102 stories.
102 essays.
One question:
What does Marvel teach us about being human?
Welcome to the countdown.
If this interests you, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of the releases!
Here I will keep an updated list of every story in the challenge. I will add links as each essay is published, alongside quick notes about why I think each entry is relevant and what themes it explores.
If you want to join the challenge, rewatch the MCU, or fill in any Marvel knowledge gaps before Avengers: Doomsday, hopefully, this glossary becomes a useful guide.
UPDATE - I have had to shuffle things around because I missed some pretty big releases so some will be bonus essays if I can fit them around my PhD research. I used this article to reorder the MCU Chronological Order of the MCU and took a stab in the dark with the others… dont worry if some bits are missing, they might get their own series but let me know if there is one I missed! so… here is my chronological order:
Eyes of Wakanda
BONUS: Spider-noir
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and what makes a hero?
Agent Carter (season 1) and the Value of Women’s Labour
Agent Carter (season 2) and ‘The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life’
X-Men: First Class
Fantastic Four: First Steps
X-Men: Days of Future Past
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men: Apocalypse
Dark Phoenix
Captain Marvel
X-Men ‘97
Spider-Man
X-Men
X2
Madame Web
Spider-Man 2
X-Men: The Last Stand
Spider-Man 3
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
Thor
The Incredible Hulk
The Avengers
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Wolverine
Thor: The Dark World
Iron Man 3
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Daredevil – Season 1
I Am Groot – Season 1 + 2
Jessica Jones – Season 1
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ant-Man
Luke Cage – Season 1
Daredevil – Season 2
Iron Fist – Season 1
The Defenders
Captain America: Civil War
Black Panther
Black Widow
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Deadpool
The Punisher – Season 1
Doctor Strange
Jessica Jones – Season 2
Iron Fist – Season 2
Kraven the Hunter
Luke Cage – Season 2
Daredevil – Season 3
Thor: Ragnarok
Punisher (2)
Jessica Jones (3)
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Avengers: Infinity War
Venom
Logan
Deadpool 2
Avengers: Endgame
Loki – Season 1
Loki – Season 2
Marvel Zombies
What If...? – Season 1
What If...? – Season 2
WandaVision
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Deadpool & Wolverine
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Eternals
Venom: Last Dance
Morbius
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Hawkeye
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Echo
Moon Knight
Ironheart
Ms. Marvel
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Thor: Love and Thunder
Werewolf by Night
Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Agatha All Along
Secret Invasion
The Marvels
What If...? – Season 3
Daredevil: Born Again – Season 1
Captain America: Brave New World
Thunderbolts*
Daredevil: Born Again – Season 2
Punisher: one last kill
Wonder Man
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Vision Quest
Then… of course DOOMSDAY
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