Ten years is a long time for the same cinematic universe to consistently release films in theaters. Ten years is a long time for audiences to remain captivated by the same story. And yet, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, also known as the MCU, has done exactly that.

Marvel has been releasing films since 1986's "Howard the Duck", but the main Marvel movies which everyone knows and loves started with the 2008 film "Iron Man", starring Robert Downey, Jr. During the film's end credit scene (for which Marvel is now famous and/or infamous), Nick Fury looked at Tony Stark and said, "You've become part of a bigger universe, you just don't know it yet."

With those words, both Iron Man and the audience were taken on a whirlwind of a journey, which, though it was fictional, has played a huge role in the lives of so many people. The Marvel films have quickly become a staple of cinema and are beloved by audiences worldwide.

Marvel movies are the perfect mix of light humorous moments and gritty serious moments. A great example of this is the film "Spiderman: Homecoming". In many ways, this movie is exactly like a 1980's John Hughes teen comedy. It depicts many high school situations such as asking a girl to the big dance, quirky best friends, and being somewhat of an outcast, not really fitting in with the popular crowd.

These moments are light-hearted and very funny. However, there is also a side to the film which acknowledges just how dangerous the world of the Avengers is, the world which Peter Parker is just now beginning to fully discover. No fifteen-year-old boy can fully understand the dangers of this world and the repercussions which a person's actions in it can have. So, no matter how many people are trying to protect him, Peter consistently throws caution to the wind and heads immediately toward danger, not worried at all about the consequences.

In these moments, the filmmakers definitely take advantage of opportunities to show the audience that Peter's actions as Spiderman have very real consequences, some which put him in great danger. These moments perfectly juxtapose the comedic high school moments which Peter and his friends face and allow the film to have an element of excitement and add to the MCU as a whole. It shows the wider scope of the story and doesn't just limit it to specific tropes. The story is allowed to have greater emotional depth and provide more development and insight into the characters.

Another fantastic element of the MCU is how much the audience can learn from the characters. Granted, not too many people are able to create a fully-operational weaponized suit of armor, shrink to the size of an insect at a moment's notice, or jump from galaxy to galaxy within the blink of an eye. However, all these characters go through different arcs which many people can probably relate to.

For example, Scott Lang, better known as "Ant-Man", is a man who has had multiple run-ins with the law. This has caused him to lose his marriage and custody of his daughter. So, naturally, when he is presented with the opportunity to change his life and possibly start a new life with his daughter, he jumps at the opportunity.

Gamora from "Guardians of the Galaxy" faces a similar situation in her own story. She creates the opportunity for herself to escape her tyrannical father-Thanos, no less-and finds her own redemption by saving the galaxy twice.

She is brave and strong enough to rewrite her own story and does whatever it takes to redeem what she has broken. Many people have done things which they hope to redeem, so, in a lot of ways, it is very easy to relate to these characters.

They show the audience that it is possible to change their lives for the better and repair their past mistakes. It's a great lesson to learn and something which the audience can always keep with them. These characters may be fictional, but that certainly doesn't mean people can't learn from them.

Finally, the movies do not try very hard to be prestigious. The only thing the filmmakers are trying to give the audience is a good time at the movies. The movies may not be absolutely perfect, but that doesn't really matter in the fans' eyes, especially not in my own.

I have always looked back on seeing Marvel movies as some of the greatest experiences I have ever had in a movie theater.

Some movies, like "Winter Soldier" and "Black Panther", take the more serious route, and those movies hit all the right marks as well. They mix intrigue, drama, mystery, and nearly perfect action sequences flawlessly to engross the audience in a truly riveting story.

Then, there are movies like "Guardians of the Galaxy" (my personal favorite Marvel movie) and "The Avengers", which mix action and comedy perfectly. I personally was so relieved to see that a superhero movie could be serious and funny at the same time. The movie didn't need a great amount of angst or dark themes to tell a good story.

The Marvel movies are some of the most enjoyable movies to ever hit the big screen. Through awesome characters and a truly captivating and exciting story, it's only left audiences wanting more and has brought the entire world together with excitement and anticipation for each new film. Each movie is great in its own way, and each one provides an exciting, heart-pounding, and riotous time at the movies.