As is now standard practice with just about any ongoing franchise with at least a couple of movies under its belt, Marvel Studios is hosting a marathon of Captain America films (and a couple of Avengers films) this Thursday. /Film reports the superhero series will play in selected theaters around the country, usually beginning around 7 or 8 a.m. (though times vary), and run through all the movies featuring Chris Evans’ square-jawed protagonist. Captain America: The First Avenger kicks things off, followed by The Avengers, The Winter Soldier, and Age Of Ultron, concluding with the debut of Captain America: Civil War. This would be the part where we push up our glasses and point out that Chris Evans technically appears in costume in Thor: The Dark World as well, but that’s actually Loki in disguise (plus, it lasts all of 10 seconds), so we’ll excuse the exclusion.
Our biggest point of contention is with the “marathon” term that gets thrown around so loosely these days. Some of us sat through the 28-hour Marvel marathon last year—an event that truly earns the label, like the Iditarod, or watching Ted Cruz speak for more than 30 seconds—and so the idea of the five films where Cap plays a starring role feels more like a relaxing afternoon than an ordeal. (Also, let’s be honest: The Captain America movies are the best ones, with nary a Dark Elf in sight.) Sitting through 11 hours and change is no tougher than accepting the vise-like grip your childhood obsessions still maintain over your soul. The whole experience will run you $47.99, which is about 10 bucks a film, or the cost of explaining to your boss why you need to take a day off to watch dudes in spandex and leather save an imaginary world.