Corlaeja Davis

Corlaeja’s Story!

The idea of superheroes may seem childlike and unrealistic to some, but to those that understand the underlying factors, it is so much more. I found an interest in the MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe, at the young age of 8. I watched the Incredible Hulk and saw much of myself in him. Growing up with a lot of bottled-up emotions while dealing with my own childhood experiences looked much like Bruce Banner’s.  From that point on my fascination grew in learning more about the Hulk/Bruce Banner and along the way,  I discovered a whole universe. I’ve read the comics, have done my research, and have learned the backstories of so many characters. 

When it comes to the cinematic universe of these characters my interests are even more peaked because I can watch them in movies. The possibilities of what can happen in the next movies and phases seem endless. I sit and theorize about why certain events happened one way than another and how it could possibly tie into something canon, the material accepted as officially part of the story in the fictional universe of that story. Being able to theorize the possibilities of this fictional universe that is brought to life on a screen gives me hope for seemingly impossible things that could happen in my own life. Reading about Marvel characters in comic books and somewhat identifying and seeing yourself in them is not nearly as validating as it seems. When watching them on the screen, I see them as real people facing real life situations. Seeing Peter Parker deal with the loss of his uncle in Spiderman circa 2002 after losing my own uncle, validated the reasoning behind my fascination for MCU. I was able to connect with Peter Parker once again with the 2017  Spider-Man: Homecoming. Seeing a teenager struggling with high school, life, and even crushes, despite having such incredible powers was reassuring. Coincidently, the movie came out around the time I was entering high school.

 Along with the emotional connections I’ve created with the characters I also have a very vivid and creative imagination so it is very easy for me to get carried away thinking and talking about it. I wonder what could be next and how it may look, what certain easter eggs, hidden jokes, items or feature in movies, shows,etc, from previous movies allude to as it relates to events that happened in newer movies. When I want to learn more I turn into those stereotypical nerds from cartoons and I will research using every resource available to me. Anything that I find captivating urges me to want to learn as much as I can about it through any means necessary. I feel I am able to attribute this to my academics as well. When I am learning something new, especially something that sparks my interest, I use all resources available to learn as much as possible. Thankfully, college allows me to pick the major of my choice and take courses that interest me. I am looking forward to learning, researching, and becoming more knowledgeable of things I am not familiar with. I believe I will have encounters with fellow students, even some with the same interests in MCU as me, and be able to connect, relate, and learn from on a personal as well as academic level. 

Education

School: Ramsay High School

Expected Graduation: May 2021

GPA: 3.6