Abstract
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic films and television series extend beyond entertainment to function as cultural reflections of societal fears, morality, and identity. Despite existing research on gender representation and narrative structure within these genres, limited attention has been given to how audiences interpret and internalise these portrayals in relation to self-identity. This focus is necessary to understand how the symbolic and gendered narratives within these texts influence viewers’ perceptions of self, power, and belonging. This study addresses this gap by exploring how fans negotiate meaning, gendered perception, and identity through engagement with apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic media, using Laura Mulvey’s (1975) Male Gaze Theory as a theoretical lens. A qualitative, interpretivist approach was employed, using in-depth interviews with fans and Critical Thematic Analysis (CTA) to interpret how participants construct self-understanding through acts of spectatorship. Nine participants were interviewed, all self-identified fans of Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic films and series, such as The Walking Dead (2010 - 2022), Resident Evil (2002 - 2021), I am Legend (2007), etc. The findings reveal that participants perceive these narratives as spaces for reflection on morality, power, and survival, where gendered hierarchies and authority are reconstructed yet actively questioned. The study concludes that apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fandoms serve as spaces of identity formation and critical engagement, where audiences resist or reinterpret the male gaze, reflecting broader cultural negotiations of power, belonging, and the self. This being significant as it demonstrates the dynamic relationship between media, ideology, and self-perception, revealing how spectatorship can both reproduce and disrupt existing social structures.