Just before Christmas, Rich and I started watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. We were so disheartened that once again, we had to pivot our plans for the holidays. The Omicron variant was surging, so we had a very small Christmas and have been numbing to Marvel movies on most evenings.
I had never really been into these movies. However, I have seen a few of them with our kids who understand the stories. Watching them in chronological order has me fascinated with the themes of ordinary people becoming heroes, saving planets and galaxies with their superpowers.
There are so many themes running through the movies. Themes of redemption, how one uses power, heroism, sacrifice, magic, evil, transcendence, to name a few.
Two categories came to mind for me today. First, During Captain America Civil War, T’Challa had a moment of truth where he realized he had a choice. You see, everyone around him was taken over by getting revenge. Revenge when one is so broken, so hurt, so betrayed sounds sweet, it sounds right, but I have learned the best response is never to fight fire with fire.
Second, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ is a reflection on time. We are to cherish the moments we have with our loved ones. Tony Stark quoted his father, “No amount of money ever bought a second of time.” The two central Avengers—Cap and Iron Man send the same message—we have to use our time well. Through the ends of both characters, we hear the message loud and clear, aging and death will come; we cannot escape it, but what matters most is how we have lived.
We can live lives creating meaning by sharing lasting connections making memories with our loved ones, and cherishing the moments as Kodak moments! We live lives of goodness by working alongside the vulnerable, marginalized, and outsiders, using any power we might have to advocate, amplify, and help dismantle injustices around us.
Our lives are short, and right now, with all the personal and societal upheavals, the disruption all around us is the time to continue sowing seeds or, as in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, develop and control our superpowers. You may not see superheroes flying around with capes, shields, and superpowers. But I know there are heroes around us every day. I see people daily with superpowers of kindness, thinking best intentions about the other, walking through incredible pain and suffering graced with faith and hope. I see people every day who want the world to be made right and do whatever it takes to make it so.
To end, a couple of Marvel Cinematic Universe themes for me has been that everyone is invited to walk a path that brings redemption, and sometimes that path comes from people we never expected. Revenge is never a good idea, ever. And the key theme I try to live into daily; is embracing and cherishing the moments.
