I’ve recently noticed something about the way that other people talk about certain movies and TV shows and the way that I talk about those same movies and TV shows that makes me think I consume media very differently from most people. I have a theory about why this is, and it has to do with why I am one of the few people who continues to still love all things Star Wars and Marvel even after most people drifted away from those franchises due to Disney oversaturating the market with streaming shows, it has to do with why I am one of the few people who continued enthusiastically watching TV series like Lost and The Walking Dead long after other viewers got disappointed by them or bailed on them, and it has to do with why I generally seem to be much more faithful as a viewer towards these series than so many other people.

The first time I began noticing any of this was when the 2020s started and I began to hear Marvel fans say the Multiverse Saga is not as good as the Infinity Saga. Although I don’t want to go too deep into a discussion about Marvel specifically, because I already wrote an article where I went on an angry rant about how the Multiverse Saga is actually good and how everyone who dislikes it is wrong and stupid. But beyond the Hulk-like rage I feel as an MCU fan whenever I hear anyone criticize the MCU, hearing these things also made me feel like I was some kind of outcast in the Twilight Zone, because it seemed like everyone was watching different movies and shows than me.

But the reason why I felt compelled to blog about this topic right now may have been triggered by the recent release of the final season of Andor on Disney+. Ever since its first season that show has been receiving well-deserved acclaim for its brilliant writing and captivating story of rebels fighting fascists, but almost like clockwork, along with the praise comes a dose of overpraise from people who say “Andor is the only good Star Wars show on Disney+.” Look, I know I have a short temper and I tend to overreact about stuff like this, but before anyone accuses me of being in the thought police, I am fully aware that if you are a person who genuinely likes Andor but does not like The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, The Acolyte or Skeleton Crew, there is nothing wrong with you and that’s a totally acceptable opinion to have (even if I STRONGLY DISAGREE!!) but I’m not going to go on an angry rant about that because this article isn’t about differing opinions. This article is about my relationship with fictional worlds.

Once I realized that I enjoyed every Star Wars TV show Lucasfilm ever made under Disney (and that includes The Book of Boba Fett), and that I love the Multiverse Saga and to this day continue to remain an enthusiastic follower of the MCU post-Avengers: Endgame (I even enjoy things a lot of other people do not enjoy, like Secret Invasion and The Marvels), and I combined those realizations with the realization that I was one of the few people who enjoyed the series finale of the ABC drama Lost, and that I was also one of the few people who enjoyed the widely despised series finale of Dexter, and that I was one of the few people who enjoyed every film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and that I was one of the few people who loved all four Toy Story films, and that I never get tired of watching Batman movies, and that I loved every single episode of The Walking Dead … I really started doing math equations in my brain. What is it that Star Wars, Marvel, Lost and Dexter have in common? How do these big popular things that so many people start out loving end up angering so many people? Quentin Tarantino and I both loved the way Toy Story 3 ended, yet he refused to watch Toy Story 4 because of it, and I came back for more. How come I remain faithful to all of these things despite the radical story directions they take that end up alienating so many other fans?

Like I said, this is just a theory. But here’s what I think is going on: Once you hook me, it is very hard to lose me.

I’ve written multiple times in past articles that the original Star Wars from 1977 was a life-changing and world-altering experience for me and to this day it is still my favorite movie of all time. I’ve also said before that Lost is my favorite TV series of all time. Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were two of the most impressive achievements in cinematic history because they combined a decade of superhero movies into a spectacular and very novel crossover epic, and they hooked me with an emotional story. Because that’s the thing that every franchise I mentioned in this article has in common: they hooked me. And yes, a lot of movies and TV shows can hook me if they are well written, but these ones did such a good job bringing their stories to life that they hooked me to the point that I want to follow every single thing that happens to these characters forever. Because now I’m emotionally invested in these characters and this world. It’s honestly the same feeling I got as a kid when I was excited about the releases of The Phantom Menace and The Clone Wars. It wasn’t just “Oh boy, new Star Wars content.” It was also “I get to revisit this universe that I’m in love with.” And that’s exactly how I feel as an adult today whenever Marvel announces a new TV show or movie. No matter what they have on the horizon, whether it’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Blade, Wonder Man or Armor Wars, I’m going to be excited to watch it no matter what.

And while that doesn’t mean I’m automatically going to give everything I watch a positive review (I hated Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as much as everyone else did), it does mean that there’s a higher chance I will feel immersed in that fictional world, which means there’s also a higher chance I won’t be bored watching it, I’ll take the narrative seriously, and I’ll be invested in the characters (all of which are essential ingredients for giving a film a positive review).

Other viewers who don’t like Star Wars or Marvel as much as I do (which feels like most viewers at this point) may be less emotionally invested and therefore more likely to review those things negatively. Although I also think that many of the people who start out as fans of things like Star Wars, Marvel, Dexter and The Walking Dead but drift away from them the minute the narrative does something unexpected and challenging are often way too rigid and closed-minded about what they think the series should be allowed to do (don’t get me started on all the hate The Last Jedi got). For example, I never understood why people got mad about the Dexter finale because I wasn’t thinking “they wrote a bad ending and now I’m mad.” I just thought “I didn’t expect that to happen.” And that’s true. Because I wasn’t expecting anything! I just went where the writers took me and accepted it as reality. Because just like with the Star Wars galaxy and the Marvel universe, they did such a good job suspending my disbelief and immersing me in the world of that show that the characters feel real. Hell, the characters don’t know they are fictional. Everything that happens to them in that show is real to them! I’m basically a fly on the wall watching Dexter’s life unfold. Which means I accept everything that happens to him the same way I accept everything that happens to people in the real world who I view outside my window. I thought that’s what viewers were supposed to do! Why are people so obsessed with saying storytellers and filmmakers are “wrong” rather than accepting and engaging with their artistic (and canonical) vision?

I mean, to be fair, I don’t think anyone enjoys hating these things. I’m sure a lot of people wish they liked the Dexter finale. I didn’t like the final season of Game of Thrones and I criticized the hell out of that. But even though I loved Game of Thrones, it never immersed me on the level of something like Star Wars. That’s why I never felt compelled to watch House of the Dragons. So it’s much easier for me to accept the criticism aimed at that franchise. When it’s a series like Star Wars or Dexter that I have a deeper love for, I get way more defensive and irrationally mad.

I often criticize the people who used to be Star Wars and MCU fans but who eventually stopped caring about them and moved on. Because I view them as fake fans. Your love was conditional! My love is real damn it! And it’s not only love to me! It’s marriage! And marriage is full of ups and downs! You know what they say – if you can’t accept me at my Quantumania, you don’t deserve me at my Winter Soldier.