Marvel kinda predicted covid

In 2018 Avengers Infinity War came out, one of the most significant movies of the past 10 years. The pivotal moment of the movie being when the villain, Thanos, snaps his fingers and eliminates half of the universe’s population from existence. At the time that level of destruction was unheard of in such a movie. Marvel movies are known for being relatively lighthearted and comedic. I remember sitting there for minutes after the credits rolled in shock from what I witnessed on the screen. Of course a few years later, Endgame happened and the heroes saved the day, bringing back those that were erased from existence, but that wasn’t the end. The people may have been brought back, but you can’t erase the trauma that an event like that would have on the world. Imagine the pain of losing someone close to you without knowing the cause, the anxiety one must feel from the thought of it happening again at any moment. Imagine those that weren’t erased from existence but died as a result of someone that was. Imagine all the car crashes and plane crashes that happened because the pilot or driver of the vehicle was erased in the middle of a trip. I imagine in the Marvel universe there are tons of people that are afraid to even get in a car anymore because of the looming uncertainty hanging over their heads. It’s all very devastating to the psyche of every person involved in the most fundamental ways. The effects lingered, and “The Blip” as it came to be known went on to have an indirect impact in all of the ensuing films. 

So anyway, I work at a school, and during almost every meeting the pandemic gets brought up in some form or fashion, and it just made me think like…we basically just lived through the real world version of The Blip. The parallels are obvious. The pandemic took millions of lives and we’re still trying to deal with the aftermath of it. I still feel uncomfortable being around large gatherings of people because of the possibility of illness, I often wear a mask at work. I’m sure there are others that have modified their way of life in some minor or major way because of covid. The school system is still reeling from it, and I think there are aspects of our society that will be forever changed because of the pandemic, and it’s scary to think that we might not know how bad it really was until we’re several years removed and can really see the lasting damage. Marvel gave us a glimpse into the future, but unlike the MCU, we don’t have any superheroes here to save the day. Instead of Captain America and Black Panther, we’re stuck with the likes of Donald Trump and Joe Biden. I’m not feeling very optimistic.