{"id":32458,"date":"2022-09-10T16:10:22","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/avengers-infinity-war-packs-a-punch-hits-on-spiritual-themes\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:10:22","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:10:22","slug":"avengers-infinity-war-packs-a-punch-hits-on-spiritual-themes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/avengers-infinity-war-packs-a-punch-hits-on-spiritual-themes\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Avengers: Infinity War\u2019 Packs a Punch, Hits on Spiritual Themes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Aaron Wilson<\/em><\/p>\n

When Marvel Studios first launched their cinematic universe in 2008 with the release of Ironman<\/em>, George W. Bush was president, the U.S. was in the middle of a recession, and Jay Leno was still hosting The Tonight Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n

A lot has changed in America over the course of a decade, but one thing has remained the same.<\/p>\n

The Avengers are still saving the world.<\/p>\n

Never have the stakes felt higher in the realm of superheroes than with Avengers: Infinity War<\/em>, the latest blockbuster and cinematic capstone of Marvel Studios\u2019 18 preceding films.<\/p>\n

Fans aren\u2019t sweating that Infinity War<\/em> will be a financial success as it opens this weekend. It\u2019s already poised to become one of the most lucrative movies of all time\u2014with Deadline Hollywood estimating earnings of $39 million on Thursday night alone.<\/p>\n

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No, the real peril rests in the fact that many fans expect this to be the film where some of their favorite heroes meet their end.<\/p>\n

I caught a Thursday night showing of the movie and can tell you these aren\u2019t the same Avengers you started watching a decade ago. Infinity War<\/em> takes some bold thematic turns bound to evoke deep reactions from fans of the series and newcomers alike.<\/p>\n

With these emotions come opportunities for Christians to use the world\u2019s fascination with superheroes as a way to talk about spiritual realities\u2014in the same way Paul appealed to cultural realities of his day to present the gospel to the Athenians.<\/p>\n

Without giving away too much about the film, here are some of Infinity War<\/em>\u2019s prominent themes that echo spiritual truths worth discussing around the water cooler.<\/p>\n

Warning: minor spoilers follow for Avengers: Infinity War<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Death is a real enemy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The threat of death is woven throughout Infinity War<\/em> as Thanos seeks to \u201cbalance\u201d the world by eliminating half the population. We\u2019re told he can do this with a snap of his fingers if he accumulates six Infinity Stones scattered across the universe.<\/p>\n

In the comics, Thanos is in love with a personification of death and attempts to court her through this act of mass murder. While Infinity War<\/em> tones down the plot from the comics, it still tackles the subject of death head-on.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t give away which characters bite the dust in the movie, but the directors didn\u2019t shy away from insisting there be real repercussions to fighting a villain obsessed with genocide.<\/p>\n

This hit especially close to home for me when I had to comfort my elementary-aged daughter who was visibly upset at the death of her favorite character. For a superhero movie\u2014the kind that often presents heroes as bulletproof\u2014this one helps audiences take death to heart.<\/p>\n

This can be a good thing, according to Scripture. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, \u201cIt is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Infinity War<\/em> is packed with humor, it still involves mourning. The theater audience I sat with was noticeably choked up as the credits rolled.<\/p>\n

In a world where video game characters regenerate at the push of a button, Infinity War<\/em> portrays death as a real problem. In this sense, the film can be helpful in raising discussions about the inevitability of death and the need for a Hero who can actually defeat this haunting aspect of the curse.<\/p>\n

Waiting for resolution<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Infinity War<\/em> doesn\u2019t follow the plot structure of other superhero movies that neatly tie up story angles and put the world back in order by the time the theater lights come on. It ends with the audience unsure of what will happen in the next installment (think The Empire Strikes Back<\/em> from the original Star Wars<\/em> trilogy).<\/p>\n

At the same time, Marvel fans know there will<\/em> be a next installment, with studios having already announced upcoming films such as Ant-Man and the Wasp<\/em>, Captain Marvel<\/em>, another Spiderman film, and an untitled Avengers 4.<\/p>\n

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This puts Marvel fans who are used to following superhero franchises in an odd place\u2014accepting the current state of disorder in their beloved world of superheroes but holding onto the promise all will be made right in the future.<\/p>\n

This is similar to the current state of the world as recognized by Christians who live in the already-and-not-yet promises of the gospel\u2014a world where it often seems<\/em> like Satan is winning and where Christians are instructed to suffer faithfully, knowing a time is coming when wrongs will be properly avenged and the world made right.<\/p>\n

Scripture says the world groans as it waits for a deliverance that will be fully manifested when Christ returns. Echoes of this tension can be felt in stories like Infinity War<\/em> that leave the audience walking out of the theater hungry for future resolution.<\/p>\n

Thanos\u2014an inverted savior<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Almost all Marvel movies to date have dealt with the theme of personal sacrifice. Whether it\u2019s Captain America surrendering his body to drive a plane into ice or Ironman risking his life to divert a nuclear missile, audiences expect superheroes to demonstrate a willingness to trade their safety for the benefit of others.<\/p>\n

Infinity War<\/em> certainly continues these storylines with its heroes; however, it also explores the idea of sacrifice through the eyes of a villain\u2014one with a disturbing view of martyrdom.<\/p>\n

For a big purple monster, Thanos is a very complex character driven more by a sense of mission than a raw lust for power. He believes his intentions are noble and that his mass killings\u2014which he describes as random and unbiased\u2014are inspired by mercy.<\/p>\n

Nowhere does this warped idea of sacrifice play out more strongly in the movie than when Thanos seeks to gain possession of the soul stone and learns that the price of a soul is a soul itself.<\/p>\n

Through all this, Thanos is an inverted version of Christ\u2014a villain willing to save the world, but only through the sacrifice of others.<\/p>\n

Like Jesus in Gethsemane, Thanos sheds tears in the face of sacrifice. He even has his own \u201cit is finished\u201d moment in the movie when he thinks his mission is finally complete.<\/p>\n

Thanos tells another character it cost him everything to save the world. However, unlike Christ who emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, Thanos\u2019 \u201csacrifice\u201d has him seeking ultimate power by assuming the form of a god.<\/p>\n

Todd Miles touches on such comparisons between comic characters and Christ in his new book, Superheroes Can\u2019t Save You<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuperhero creators and writers did not and do not set out to create false saviors who will lead the world astray,\u201d Miles says. \u201cThey are writers of fiction whose goal is both to entertain and to teach by making up characters with incredible powers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t it interesting,\u201d he continues, \u201cthat the best they can do is make up a character that looks suspiciously like a deficient view of Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comic book movies can be conversation bridges<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For the next several weeks, audiences will be assembling around the Avengers.<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s no need for churches to theme sermon series after superheroes, it can be helpful for Christians to recognize underlying biblical themes in popular movies to help build bridges when seeking to share the gospel with friends, coworkers, and neighbors.<\/p>\n

The ability to winsomely weave gospel truths into everyday topics of conversation may not be a superpower, but God can use this talent to reach those who really do need saving.<\/p>\n

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Aaron Wilson<\/h2>\n

@AaronBWilson26<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Aaron is associate editor of LifewayResearch.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n