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What just happened at the box office?! Black Panther came out of nowhere to earn over $200 million on its debut weekend, becoming the fifth largest opening of all time (unadjusted for inflation). In four days, it earned more than DC’s Justice League earned in total. In one holiday weekend, it earned more than every other black superhero ever. Oh, wait, sorry… I meant every other superhero of every color ever. Iron Man, the prodigal son of the Avengers, launched his trilogy with a surprise $100 million debut. A few years later and right after the high that was the first Avengers movie, Iron Man’s third movie opened with around $175 million. That made sense. The biggest hero of the bunch had the biggest opening weekend debut of a non-Avenger movie within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and that super-powered opening still came in just below the two Avenger team-up movies. All was right in the world.

Everyone expected a Wonder Woman style situation: a “token minority” that made their cinematic debut on a superhero team-up of white dudes (Woman in Batman vs Superman, Black in Captain America: Civil War), who then becomes the “not white guy” to earn a surprise $100 million debut, followed by long legs to a shocking $400 million total, all thanks to well deserved critical acclaim. That, in and of itself, would have made for a great story. A $400 million total would have still had Black Panther eclipsing all other white Marvel men debut films. Instead, we’ll be seeing that total just after its second weekend. This isn’t a news story but, rather, a cultural phenomenon. This is history. This is the #TimesUp movement of the black community within Hollywood and reinforces just how wonderful it is to be a Marvel fan.

And it is Marvel that we must thank for these blessings. Marvel made these characters, they made the comics, the cartoons, are KILLING IT with their movies, and now are leading a cultural revolution. It’s about time a film studio was willing to spend the same $200 million on an all-black cast since they throw that money around whenever a washed-up white schmuck asks for it. To put this into perspective, no DC film cost less than $200 million to make except Wonder Woman ($150 million). Marvel didn’t just step-up by showcasing a black superhero, they did him justice by supporting him with as much money as any white film. Major props go to Marvel. There is no longer a “DC vs Marvel” debate. You see, Marvel isn’t just a comic book creator turned film studio. They are the brave leaders in the evolution towards equality. They are a company of heroes and it’s about time we thanked them. For now, here is my small part as I offer you 5 Ways to Marvel: The Ultimate Guide to Being a Marvel Super Fan.

#1) MOVIES

This is the most obvious because it is currently where Marvel is destroying the galaxy. Actually, they’re probably saving it. “Saving it? How could Marvel be saving the film industry?” If you said that, I’d kindly remind you that Spider-Man was the first movie to earn over $100 million on opening weekend. When you said that was no longer an impressive feat, I’d remind you that Spider-Man 3 was the first film to have a $150+ million debut. I guess even that is fairly commonplace these days. Well, how about Avengers being the first movie to earn over $200 million in one weekend? And now, with Black Panther, Marvel has two $200+ million debuts.

Once upon a time, there was mention of something called “superhero fatigue.” I’m not sure who said it first but they were clearly a sports fan. I have never tired of my love of superhero movies, even the bad ones. The MCU delivers us about three features a year, so when I say, “The #1 way to support Marvel is by purchasing tickets,” then I’m really not asking that much of you. With three MCU films a year, it’s typically only a matter of four months between films. That’s not counting Fox’s X-Men/Deadpool films, which bumps that up to 4-5 Marvel movies a year. Now that Disney purchased Fox, I imagine four will be the expected number of Marvel movies with one popping up each season. Because of this, there is ALWAYS a Marvel movie to go see.

And just when you got good and bored with the MCU, our very next movie is Avengers: Infinity War. This is the first of two parts that will conclude three phases worth of movies. Twenty films later and we will get the answers (and deaths) we’ve been waiting for. There has never been a more exciting time to be a Marvel fan. They just crushed it with Black Panther, Infinity War is going to be BANANAS, and then… WHO KNOWS?! With X-Men in the loop and a long line of Marvel hero switch ups possible thanks to recent comic book upgrades (black Captain America, girl Thor, Spider-Gwen, and so on) there are plenty of ways to reboot these classic characters.

As for my own predictions, this is what I’m hoping for: with 2019’s Captain Marvel launching the MCU’s first female movie and Disney being a few years off from being able to make X-Men movies, I expect Captain Marvel 3 (or Avengers 7) to bring us the Rogue we’ve been waiting for. That’s right, it is now possible to see the X-Men’s Rogue use her power to absorb Captain Marvel’s powers so she can become the strong, flying Southern belle we love best! The more we spend on these movies, the more they can afford to make and the more money they have for massive budgets. No studio deserves our support more than Marvel so go see a movie!

#2) STALKING THEIR STARS… I MEAN, COMIC CON!

More often than not, studios are able to afford the budgets for blockbuster superheroes when they hire talent that is lesser known. Before these Marvel movies, who had ever of Chris Hemsworth? Chadwick Boseman? Sebastian Stan? Yeah, I hadn’t either. I’m not sure how their pay scale works, but I imagine they get decent up-front pay and (hopefully) a portion of the back-end if their character hits the box office jackpot. However, there are other ways cash in.

As superhero movies have exploded into multiplexes, so have their convention-related counterparts. Comic Cons are now all the rage and the best way to meet your favorite celebrity. By paying an unreasonable amount of money for a simple signature, you get to meet your favorite stars and help them earn the money they deserve for being at the mercy of a bunch of crazy fans. Geeks and nerds, while traditionally a tame group of people, become unstable akin to an athlete on steroids when they are in the presence of superhero stars. I, myself, have been known to go completely nuts when faced with a celebrity encounter. Comic Cons are the best place to meet the people you love while surrounded by fans just like you. The more of these conventions we go to and the more autographs we buy, the more likely we are to get great stars working on these films on a long-term basis. Isn’t that the goal?

#3) STAGE SHOWS

Remember when it seemed crazy to think we’d ever get a mega-blockbuster Spider-Man movie and then he was the first to earn over $100 million at the box office? It would be just as crazy to ever assume he would become a Broadway star. Well, in true Spider-Man fashion, he was the first to do that as well. Yes, Spider-Man was in New York but he was not saving the civilians. Instead, he sang and danced his way through Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Ultimately, it turned out pretty awful and someone even died during rehearsals, but I still went to see it. Oh yes, I did my duty as a fan and went to see Spider-Man on Broadway and it is that same devotion that took me to go see Marvel Universe Live last weekend.

Ok, so Marvel Live is definitely for kids but it is still entertaining enough for adults. Don’t think of it as a stage show so much as a stunt show. Though the kids in the audience go see these shows because they think the characters are real, it still fun for adults to see the motorcycle stunts, pyrotechnic displays and how productions pulls off the superpowers. Nobody going should ever expect a critical darling from a dancing hero but there is still fun to be had. Though the music was terrible, it was still interesting to see how Broadway pulled off the web crawler scaling a building and battling his foes. Marvel Live had a mediocre Avengers plot to bring all the heroes together in one show, but I didn’t go for the story. What impressed me was how they used a laser light show to bring the heroes’ powers to life. Regardless of quality, my intention is to go and support the ones I love. And when your love is true, then you will always be able to find something to bring a smile to your face at the show.

#4) HOME ENTERTAINMENT

You can see them on the screen, you can see them on stage and you can stalk out the real stars in real life. But home is where the heart is, isn’t it? With a movie coming out in theaters every few months, that also means that a new DVD/Blu-Ray/4K disc is also available every season. Right now from 2017 you have Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming available, with early March bringing the release of Thor: Ragnarok. Not far behind will be the release of Black Panther, probably just around the time Avengers: Infinity War is overflowing theaters. Just when you thought home was a safe place to take a break, the Marvel movies have invaded your personal space for the foreseeable future.

Let’s be honest though, only the diehard fans spend money on a disc. Most people just rent OnDemand or wait for the movie to be free on TV. That’s ok because there’s soooo much Marvel TV to catch up on. There’s the Disney Channel cartoons, there’s Agents of Shield on ABC, the handful of Defenders characters on Netflix, the brilliant Legion on FX, and a bunch of others on their way. Just when you thought we hit the point of “too much” we have the recently announced Disney digital service on the horizon. There’s something for everyone and there’s no reason you shouldn’t be supporting Marvel at home. It’s the cheapest option so no excuses!

#5) MERCHANDISE… DUH!

I don’t imagine many children are reading this article, which would make the majority of you adults. Adults don’t often buy things like toys, so what does that leave them to buy? SO MUCH! I know plenty of adults that play video games and that’s the closest most of us will get to wearing a super suit ourselves. You want to be Spider-Man? Well, you’re just in time for the upcoming PS4 exclusive Spider-Man game. Oh, you can’t commit to just one person? That’s ok, there’s a few LEGO Marvel Superhero games out that allow you to be dozens of your favorite characters with all their powers at your fingertips. Not a gamer? That’s ok too.

There’s Marvel Monopoly, Marvel cards, books, comics, phone apps (Puzzle Quest is my favorite)... there’s so many ways you can purchase merchandise so that you can experience a fraction of the thrill of being the hero yourself. And if it’s not the suit you were looking to try on, maybe it’s just a shirt. Shirts are my favorite to collect and there is definitely an end-goal in mind. I buy at least one for each movie that comes out so I can be among the most die-hard super fans in the audience. There isn’t enough time in my year to wear them all so what’s the point? A quilt. Oh yes, once I collect enough shirts and they are either torn, stained or somehow ruined, I will salvage the front of the shirt to eventually build the ultimate Marvel quilt.

It won’t be long before I am just another old, miserable fart walking slowly through the grocery story and mumbling nasty thoughts to myself as I feed pigeons in a park. We are all headed there someday. But on that day, I will be miserable and warm. I will look down at my Marvel quilt and I will remember the history that was their multi-phase movie extravaganza. I will remember how I was a lonely loser as a kid and that superheroes gave me hope. I will remember the history of the characters and the movies, and I will remember how Marvel changed that history forever with is groundbreaking cinematic universe and unparalleled level of consistent high quality products. In that moment, I won’t need to thank Marvel for everything they’ve done. I’ll proudly be wearing that gratitude like a big quilted badge of honor.