I still remember watching The Avengers for the first time back when it was originally released on DVD. It was one of my first superhero films, and I had very mixed feelings about it. The Avengers marked my first exposure to the popular character known as Tony Stark (aka Iron Man). At first, I couldn’t stand him. To me, this “superhero” didn’t deserve to be called a hero at all. Since my first viewing of The Avengers, my enjoyment of Marvel films has increased exponentially.
When I first took an interest in film and Christian media-discernment, I had practically promised myself that I’d loathe Iron Man for eternity. To me, he didn’t seem deserving of the enormous fandom he had acquired. He was a womanizing, fowl-mouthed, arrogant man that honestly really annoyed me. But the more I watched the Iron Man films, and the more I understood the character of Tony Stark, I began to warm up to the character really quickly. Why was this? I finally came to this conclusion: Tony Stark is real. Not in the context of being an actual living, breathing person on the planet, but Tony Stark seems to provide a picture of an incredibly flawed individual trying to make the world a better place one step (or explosion) at a time. As I watched the films, I was surprised by how much Tony Stark reminded me of King Solomon in the Bible. King Solomon had it all-- riches, glory, a kingdom, women, soldiers, horses, chariots, and anything else that money and power could help him obtain; he even had Jehovah God on his side! Unfortunately for Solomon, he was an imperfect, sinful, and wretched human being. He had a God-shaped void in his heart that he attempted to fill with every pleasure he could ask for. After all, if he could have it, why shouldn't he? As he grew older, he continued to push God aside and tried to replace Him with worldly pleasures. Scholars believe that it was towards the end of his life when he began to look back and think, "What a waste." That's when he wrote Ecclesiastes. For those of you who haven't read Ecclesiastes recently, let me sum it up for you in three words: everything is meaningless. Solomon looked back on his life and realized that only God could have given him the contentment that he had searched for his entire life. And that brings us to a fictional man named Tony Stark. Like Solomon, Tony seems to have it all. He's practically the richest man on Earth, he’s a living genius, and he could basically give himself anything money and fame could buy: cars, mansions, women...the list goes on and on. But for some reason, Tony doesn't find it fulfilling. Like Solomon, Tony has regrets. When his friend gets ruthlessly gunned down by an enemy in the first movie, he is able to share one last piece of advice with Tony before he dies: “Don’t waste your life.” Those words have a profound affect on Tony Stark, and we watch as Tony struggles to discover the meaning of life. When he looks at how the mistakes in his past have hurt countless others, he resolves to change. He resolves to do good. Solomon had one advantage over Tony Stark…Solomon knew God and had a personal relationship with Him. Even so, I found it immensely encouraging that the creative minds behind the Iron Man movies realized (even if it was just a little bit) that pursuing oneself does not bring fulfillment. Both Solomon and Tony Stark had to face this realization over the course of their lives. I truly hope that we as an audience can learn as well that there is so much more to life than filling it with stuff that can only bring temporary happiness. So, is Tony Stark a character who doesn’t deserve the fandom that he has acquired? Well, he is a sinful, reckless individual, but his desire to fix his mistakes and make the world a better place is something I can definitely cheer for.
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Welcome!This blog is devoted to analyzing the content and themes in movies, television, video games, and other forms of media from a Christian perspective. Thanks for stopping by!
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