I really like reading comics and I really do know far too much than I ought to about these fictional individuals that wear spandex for a living. Regardless of the time I've put into my hobby and the fondness I have for the characters I really don't consider this a competition. Why would I? There's an uncomfortable feeling within communities surrounding media with a lot of history and lore that knowledge is power - and lack of knowledge makes someone undeserving of that media. This bugs the ever-loving shit out of me as a fan of comics.
My enthusiasm for Marvel superheroes and the comics they reside within makes me want to talk about them. Its one of the few subjects I can talk about constantly without pause. Conversations about things I enjoy are fluid and in-depth and fun to have. So why would I want to freeze people out? There's something real weird about making another person feel bad for not knowing something about a fictional character. And that's why gatekeeper fans are the worst brand of fans. Passion about something should be born of love and not be turned on its head to make others feel inadequate.
"What in the blue hell is a Gatekeeper Fan, Gary?" You may ask.
A gatekeeper fan is someone who will self-appoint themselves the authority on a subject of media and deem those with less knowledge on that media as inferior to themselves. For example if someone didn't know that Peter Parker's Aunt's name was May a gatekeeper fan would say something along the lines of:
"Oh my god you didn't even know that? I'm a huge penis-person. With dicks for limbs! You're not a true fan if you didn't even know that!"
However this person may not have known this because they jumped into reading Spider-man on a Miles Morales title or they've read other titles and never once come across her somehow. And that's fine. There's no quota for what you need to know before you can appreciate a comic. You might read one issue of All-New All-Different Avengers and love it but you have no desire to go back and read into Avengers' history or keep reading the series. You were a fan of that issue, you enjoyed it, you consumed the media and you re a fan of what you consumed. Its that simple.
Do I know more than most people I encounter on the subject of Marvel comics? Yes. Does it really mean anything? No, they're fictional people in spandex. If someone doesn't know something you can always let them know in an enthusiastic and welcoming way. You might even turn someone on to reading comics if you give them a positive experience using your knowledge. What pulled me into reading more X-men comics when I was younger was plain curiosity. People who don't know much about a subject may be curious to know more. More people reading comics means more people to talk to about what you like.
So what I'm getting at is anyone can be a true fan - there's no invisible quota. Superheroes in media are so widespread now that you cannot keep these things to yourself. More and more people are dipping their toes in every day. Why scare them off with your bad attitude?
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