Abstract
Bryan describes the process wherein the fan consumer constructs meaning for the larger public. Marvel’s success is predicated on its deep relationship with the fan community, both as a publisher and as a film studio. Bryan examines the interplay within modern superhero blockbusters, which grants the geek a degree of social power: Marvel’s use of the post-credits scene is indicative of the larger process, creating a ritual enacted by fans, who interpret the scene for the uninitiated. The fan is a producer and performer, an active participant within a larger media experience. The media is constructed, but the fan response is organic.
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Bryan, P.C. (2018). Geeking Out and Hulking Out: Toward an Understanding of Marvel Fan Communities. In: Lane, K. (eds) Age of the Geek. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65744-8_8
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