Gods of Metal

While piddling around on YouTube the other day, I came across a video titled Everything Great About Avengers: Age of Ultron which prompted me to rewatch the movie. As the video points out, there is lots to love about this movie—so many great moments both laugh-out-loud and stand-up-and-cheer. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the movie, though, is the titular villain—Ultron.

Since his first appearance in Avengers #54 (1968), Ultron has evolved into one of the greatest villains in the Marvel Universe. Originally created by Hank Pym (aka Ant-Man) as an artificial intelligence programmed to achieve peace and order in the world, Ultron concludes, “Humanity is inherently flawed. Observation and analysis suggest humanity is encoded with chaotic and violent tendencies that cannot be overcome” (Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes; Season 1, Episode 22). Thus, Ultron sets out to usher in peace and oder by ridding the world of humanity.

In the film version, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner team up to create Ultron for similar purposes. But, just as in previous incarnations, Ultron redefines his programming and seeks to remake the world in his image. Rarely have I seen a villain with such a penchant for biblical allusions.

When he comes face to face with the Avengers, Ultron greets only one of our heroes with sarcastic disdain: “Captain America-God’s righteous man.” Ultron means this as an insult, but he’s actually correct (remember Cap’s memorable line: “There’s only one God ma’am. And I’m pretty sure He doesn’t dress like that.”).

In another scene, when Ultron lays claim to a chunk of precious, indestructible vibranium, he quotes Jesus, saying, “Upon this rock, I will build my church.”

Later, Ultron assures Wanda and Pietro, “The human race will have every opportunity to improve.” Doubtful, Pietro questions, “And if they don’t?” Ultron answers, “Ask Noah… When the earth starts to settle God throws a stone at it. And believe me—he’s winding up.” Ultron sees humanity as wayward, self-destructive and in need of a good cleansing. The mechanical monster seems to frame himself as a wrathful deity—a creative being who wants to work with a blank slate.

To me, this latest incarnation of Ultron (and perhaps all previous ones as well) represents the dangers of making for ourselves “gods cast of metal” (Leviticus 19:4). Wittingly or not, Tony Stark created for himself a false god—a god in whom he placed his trust. Obviously, that trust was misplaced. All too often, we make the same mistake. False gods come in many forms—money, power, fame, possessions, sex, drugs, whiskey, even the god of self. Anything that takes the place of the One True God in our hearts and lives becomes a god of our own making. And it always ends badly.

Fortunately, we have a couple resources for dethroning these lesser gods.

The first is Scripture. In Avengers #68 (1969), Ultron experiences one of his greatest defeats. When Ultron tries to pry a pivotal piece of information from Ant-Man’s mind, the hero crashes Ultron’s positronic brain by focusing his thoughts on a single phrase, repeated over and over in his mind. Ultron cries, “My mind… filling with thoughts I cannot bear! No! I was prepared to receive any scientific formula… any arcane knowledge… but not this… not this!” When his fellow Avengers ask Ant-Man what phrase caused the mechanical menace to overload, Hank Pym replies, “A simple phrase, Avengers… and an ancient one… ‘thou shalt not kill.’” That’s right! The words of Scripture (the Ten Commandment to be exact) enabled Ant-Man to vanquish this “god cast of metal.” And, like Ant-Man, we always have the Word of God at our disposal. By focusing our thoughts on Scripture, we can avoid settling for lesser gods.

Furthermore, we have the church. Early in the film, Ultron visits a church. “This church is in the exact center of the city,” he explains. “The elders decreed it so that everyone could be equally close to God.” Fittingly, it’s in this same church where the Avengers battle Ultron’s minions in the movie’s climactic conclusion. But remember, the church isn’t a place… it’s people. When Ultron asks, “How do you hope to stop me?” Iron Man nods to Captain America and replies, “Like the old man said—together!” The same is true for us. The church is the center of it all. Together—working side by side, hand in hand—we can keep each other accountable and overthrow the gods of this world.

In the Old Testament, whenever Israel repented and returned to the Lord, they would destroy all of their carved statues and metal idols and tear down all of their altars. Maybe it’s time for us to do the same. What “gods cast of metal” do you need to tear down?

Ghost Rider's Adversary & Advocate

I’ve recently taken an interest in Marvel’s Ghost Rider. I’m in the planning stages for a Ghost Rider costume, I picked up a stack of Ghost Rider comic books at a local comic show yesterday, and I got super excited when I heard that Ghost Rider will be a major character in Agents of SHIELD season 4. I even re-watched the 2008 Ghost Rider movie the other night… it was still terrible. Nonetheless, Ghost Rider’s character has really piqued my interest.

For those unfamiliar with Ghost Rider, John Blaze was born into a world of motorcycle grease and cheering crowds. The adopted son of a motorcycle stuntman, Craig “Crash” Simpson, Johnny always dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps… or tread marks. This dream came to a fiery end when Crash revealed he was dying of cancer. Distraught and lacking any sort of spiritual foundation, Johnny turned to the occult in search of answers. His studies ultimately led to a spell that could summon Satan himself and Johnny literally made a deal with the devil. Satan promised to cure Crash’s cancer in return for Johnny's promise of servitude. Soon afterward, Crash died in a tragic motorcycle accident during a stunt show, but Satan held Johnny to their deal transforming him into a leather-clad skeleton with a flaming skull and fiery chopper. Of course, Johnny refuses to do Satan’s bidding and instead uses his power as Ghost Rider to punish evildoers and wage war against Satan’s demons.

I think what first attracted me to the character was my discovery that Jesus loves Ghost Rider. In Ghost Rider #9, a story written by Tony Isabella in 1973, the “hell-bound hero” rides into his first fearful showdown with Satan. As the battle reaches its climactic conclusion, Ghost Rider finds himself completely outmatched and at the mercy of Satan. But just before Satan can deliver a devastating blow, a mysterious stranger (who bears a striking resemblance to Jesus) comes to Ghost Rider’s defense. “Let me help you up, Johnny,” the stranger says extending a kind hand. “No! No!” Satan cries. Turning to Satan, the stranger declares, “Johnny Blaze’s soul is beyond you, Satan! He has earned his second chance!” Without throwing a single punch or energy blast, the stranger saves that day as the devil tucks his pointed tail between his legs and runs away.

While the stranger is nameless, the imagery is certainly biblical—Jesus helping a sinner to his feet and standing up to Satan on his behalf. Something else this “Jesus” says seems deeply true: “No man lives his life without contending with you several times, Satan.”

While he may not have red skin, horns and a cape, Satan is a very real enemy. This means, like Johnny Blaze, you are engaged in a spiritual battle whether you want to be or not. It’s a battle between good and evil, and you are the prize! Satan’s target is your spirit. Scripture describes Satan as an angelic being who fell from heaven due to pride and sin and is now completely opposed to God, doing all in his power to thwart God's purposes and tempt God’s people. The devil will do everything he can to undermine your relationship with God. He’ll attack your reputation in order to corrupt your witness. He’ll target your marriage. He’ll steal your peace, your passion, and your sense of purpose. He will do whatever it takes to destroy your faith and your future. The Bible warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).

Thankfully, as illustrated by Ghost Rider’s encounter with Christ, Satan may be our adversary but Jesus is our advocate. Any time Satan knocks us down, Jesus will be there to help us up. When we put our faith and future in the hands of Jesus, all Satan can do is tuck tail and run away (James 4:7).  

Guilt & Suicide

As I’m sure many of you did, my wife and I saw Suicide Squad in theaters last week. I haven’t been impressed with any of DC’s movies lately, so I went into this one with fairly low expectations. I’m also not a fan of villains. It seems to be a common trend these days to idolize the bad guys. People like villains—the misunderstood criminals, the anti-heroes, the rebels. In Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller’s team of hardened criminals—including Deadshot (a lethal assassin), Harley Quinn (the Joker’s psychotic girlfriend), and Killer Croc (a mutated murderer)—are portrayed as victims as much as they are villains. Even though I’m not a fan of villains, there's still some good to be found in many of these bad guys.

One character in particular piqued my interest—El Diablo. He's the most broken of the bunch. El Diablo is no less a killer than the rest of the squad, but he's filled with regrets over his past mistakes. He first used his ability to create and control fire to establish himself as a gang leader. But then, in a moment of anger, he lost control of his powers, tragically burning down his own home with his wife and children inside. From then on, he viewed his powers as a curse from Satan and refused to light up. In fact, when Amanda Waller first drafts the guy, he says, "I ain't no weapon. I’ll die in peace before I raise my hand." Even so, El Diablo seems to think that he is beyond redemption. Later in the film, he reminisces about his wife praying on his behalf. But then adds, “God didn’t give me these powers. Why should He take them away.” El Diablo feels swallowed up by guilt and regret.

I think El Diablo is the most relatable member of the team. We all make mistakes. The frustrating thing about life is that it always moves forward. There is no "R" on the stick-shift, no reverse in the gears. Time never moves backward, not an inch, not a step, never. Therefore a deed once done, can never be undone. A word once spoken, can never be unsaid. As a result, all of us live with certain regrets. We may even begin to think God could never forgive us. But the truth is—no one is beyond God’s grace.

David probably felt much like El Diablo. In a moment of weakness David commits adultery with Bathsheba. Afraid that his sin will be discovered, he then sends her husband on his own suicide mission and orders his fellow soldiers to abandon him on the battlefield. All this scheming takes its toll, however. David later describes this season of secret sin in graphic terms: “When I refused to admit my wrongs, I was miserable, moaning and complaining all day long so that even my bones felt brittle. Day and night, Your hand kept pressing on me. My strength dried up like water in the summer heat; You wore me down” (Psalm 32:3-4 TV).

Sleepless nights. Haunting guilt. David was a walking wreak, living in a swirl of misery. That’s what living with guilt does to you. Thankfully, David’s story doesn’t end there and neither should yours. David finally confessed his sins to God and sought forgiveness. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of repentance. He writes, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin” (Psalm 51:1-2 NLT). That’s just what God did. He washed away David’s sins and restored a sense of joy and purpose to David’s life. He can do the same for you!

No matter what you’ve done, no matter how dark or horrible the sins of your past may be, God can take away your guilt and give you a new purpose in life. Bad guys can become good guys after all. 

Missing the Mark

My daughter’s favorite superhero is Hawkeye. Although, admittedly, she thought his name was Hawkguy until she was seven. She likes his quick wit and skills with a bow. Unlike being bit by a radioactive spider or exposed to gamma radiation, becoming a skilled archer is something she can actually do. I think that’s why she likes him.

Hawkeye is Marvel’s version of Robin Hood or Green Arrow. He’s billed as “the world’s greatest archer” and he prides himself on his accuracy. In Avenging Spider-man #4, Hawkeye and Spidey team up to take down some bad guys. In a candid moment, Hawkeye confesses, “I mean, I can't miss... I'm on a team with super-humans and one god, in case you've forgotten… And if I miss, it means I'm just another dude with a bow. It means I've been fooling myself this whole time. And that's why I never miss.” Ironically, Hawkeye does miss. Later in the issue, in the midst of battle, Hawkeye fires a taser-like electrified arrow at a distant enemy and misses his target. When the battle dies down, Spidey spots the arrow lying on the ground and, out of compassion for Hawkeye, picks it up and tacks it into the already defeated villain. When Hawkeye rounds the corner he celebrates, “I got ‘em! Ha! Nailed it!”

This may come as a surprise, but the Bible talks about archery quite a bit. How, you ask?  Well, there are actual archers in some of the war stories (King Saul met his demise to an arrow in 1 Samuel 31). Ishmael, Abraham’s son with Hagar, was an archer (Genesis 21.20). Esau hunted with a bow and arrow (Genesis 27). And one story involves arrows that are purposely off target (1 Samuel 20). In all, there are over 50 references to archery, bows or arrows in the bible. But even more than that, one interpretation of both the Hebrew and Greek words for “sin” is to miss the mark or to be off target—an archery term.

Imagine a king preparing to go to war. He calls all the archers in front of him, wanting only the best of the best to defend of the kingdom. Thus he demands perfect accuracy. If they miss, they are dismissed—there are no second chances. Unfortunately, even expert archers like Hawkeye miss occasionally.

The same is true for us. All too often, we miss the mark, and thus fall short of God’s standard of perfection. No matter how “good” we try to be, our lives always end up off target. Thankfully, there is one person who never missed the mark—Jesus. He lived the perfect, sinless life that we never could. Just as Spidey gave Hawkeye credit for his victory, when we put our faith and trust in Jesus, God gives us credit for his perfect performance. Let’s be thankful and amazed that God through Jesus can forgive our sins, not just once, but every time that we miss the mark!

S.H.I.E.L.D. and Sacrifice!

My wife and I just finished binge-watching the third season of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, which turned out to be their best and most biblical season thus far. The whole season built toward the sacrificial death of one of SHIELD’s agents. Earlier in the season, Agent Daisy Johnson received a premonition thanks to an Inhuman with the ability to reveal the future. In her vision, Daisy sees a SHIELD agent die. Although she can’t see which agent it is, she can see a necklace with a gold cross in the agent’s hand.

As it turns out, the necklace and cross belong to Elena Rodriguez, a new recruit with super-speed who believes that her abilities are a gift from God and must be used in service of others. However, as the season progresses the cross repeatedly changes hands. Elena first gives the cross to Mack, the team’s musclebound engineer, reminding him, “This isn’t some lucky rabbit’s foot. It’s a symbol of faith.” Through a series of events the cross then passes to Agent Fitz, and then to Daisy herself. Finally, it ends up in the hands of Daisy’s love interest and fellow agent, Lincoln Campbell.

In the season finale, SHIELD faces an evil Inhuman named Hive bent on world domination and in possession of a nuclear warhead. In an act of self-sacrifice, Lincoln takes the cross from Daisy (aware of her earlier vision), then traps himself and Hive in a Quinjet carrying the nuclear warhead. With only moments before detonation, Lincoln rockets himself, Hive, and the warhead out into space.

Over the com-link, Daisy pleads with Lincoln, “What are you doing? This is crazy.” Lincoln replies, “This is my purpose, I know that now.” With tears streaming down her face, Daisy cries, “You can’t just die for me like this, it’s wrong.” Lincoln answers, “Saving the girl I love and the world at the same time… it feels pretty right to me.” When the communication signal fades, Daisy turns to Director Coulson, and cries, “He’s paying for my mistakes.” Coulson corrects her, “No. he’s paying for all our mistakes.” Aboard the Quinjet, Hive questions Lincoln, “[You’d] sacrifice for them with all their flaws?” Just before the warhead explodes in a blaze of light, Lincoln looks once more at the cross in his hand and replies, “They’re only human.”

Rarely will you see a better Christ-figure in television. What Lincoln did for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jesus did for you and me. The circumstances were different, but the result was the same. Your sin and mine have condemned us to eternal death. But despite all our flaws, Jesus willing sacrificed himself for our mistakes. Like Lincoln, Jesus chose the cross then carried it knowing full well where it would lead him.

We’ll have to wait until next season to find out how Daisy, Coulson and the rest of the team respond to Lincoln’s sacrifice. But the question now is—how will we respond to Christ’s sacrifice? 

Overlooked and Underrated!

While I can’t imagine Jesus actually challenging Aquaman to a fight, I couldn’t help but laugh at this image. I think it also highlights Aquaman’s role as the laughingstock of the superhero community. He seems to be the butt of every superhero joke. I still love the Cartoon Network commercial featuring Aquaman and Wonder Woman. As the two heroes dangerously dangle above a pool of boiling acid, Aquaman announces, “My ability to talk with fish is of no help, Wonder Woman.” The Amazon Princess just rolls her eyes and waits for the Power Puff Girls to come to their rescue. During Geoff Johns’ run as writer on Aquaman’s comic series, he chose to incorporate this lack of appreciation into the story. In issue #1, Aquaman leaps into action when a gang of thieves steals an armored truck full of cash. The criminals lead the cops on a high-speed chase through downtown Boston until Aquaman intervenes. When the thieves see the superhero standing in the street ahead of them, one of them asks, “Dude, is that… Aquaman!?” Suddenly the whole crew bursts into laughter. Even the cops don’t give Aquaman much credit. One officer blurts out, “What’s Aquaman doing here? We’re not in the ocean and I don’t see any fish around…” Despite having some pretty cool powers and abilities, it seems like the King of Atlantis is just doomed to be overlooked and underrated.

I think the one-time King of Israel could probably relate. In 1 Samuel 16, God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint a new king for God’s people. The Lord sent Samuel to Bethlehem and told him, “Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king” (1 Samuel 16:1 NLT). When Samuel arrived, Jesse presents seven of his sons. Samuel examines the boys one at a time like canines on a leash. Imagine the list of qualifications that must have run through Samuel’s mind for such a position: tall, smart, articulate, brave, groomed, well-mannered, a natural-born leader. Seven sons strut their stuff, but all seven fall short. Samuel passes on each of Jesse’s sons and then asks, “Are these all the sons you have?” I imagine Jesse with a quizzical expression replying, “There is still the youngest … He is tending the sheep” (1 Samuel 16:11, NIV). In time, young David will go on to slay giants and conquer kingdoms. The Son of God will be called the Son of David. The greatest psalms—many of which we still sing today—will flow from his pen. We’ll call him king, warrior, minstrel, and giant-killer. But on this day, he wasn’t even invited to dinner with the family. Like Aquaman, David was overlooked and underrated.

Maybe you can relate. Lucky for us, God doesn't judge people the way we do. God whispers a reminder to Samuel: “Do not consider his appearance or his height…The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV). It seems fans of Aquaman and our Father in Heaven have something in common—they both look beneath the surface. The next time you feel overlooked and underrated, take heart. You might be overlooked and underrated by others, but you are handpicked by God.

Eagerly Awaiting!

This Friday my family and I attended Planet Comic Con in Kansas City, MO. We didn’t do any cosplaying and we didn’t do any ministry. We arrived with one goal—to finally meet the legendary Stan Lee! The only way to guarantee an encounter with the creator of dozens of beloved Marvel superheroes was to buy a VIP pass, which cost more than I’m willing to admit. Even with the VIP pass, though, we still had to wait in line amongst over three hundred other VIPs who all anxiously awaited the opportunity to meet comic’s most prolific creator.  The kids and I were bursting with excitement. I’ve wanted to meet Stan Lee for ages and my kids have all grown up as Marvel fans and they’ve even read a children’s biography about Stan Lee, so all of us eagerly anticipated the moment. As we waited in line for what seemed like an eternity we discussed what we would say to him and debated which comic book to have him sign. When the moment finally came, though, it wasn’t all we hoped it would be.

In order to ensure every paying customer received an autograph and a photo with Stan Lee, the convention staff ushered each person through the line at break-neck speeds. After hours of waiting, we spent literally ten seconds in Stan Lee’s presence. He offered a warm smile and a “hello” in that unmistakable New York accent of his, but before we could blink we were ushered out of his presence so that others could have a turn. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll cherish our photo and my now-signed copy of Avengers #10, but the whole experience was over so quickly that it just didn’t live up to the hype and hope we’d built up around it.

As Christians, we all know what it’s like to eagerly await our opportunity to stand in the presence of the Creator. Not just the creator of Spider-man and the Fantastic Four, but the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Bible says, “Christ will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28 NLT). Are you eagerly waiting for Christ? The early Christians did. Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, saying, “you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven” (1 Thessalonians 1:10 NLT). The Thessalonians spent their lives with an eye on the clouds and ear for the trump. They waited anxiously for the day of Christ’s return.

Sadly, I think many of us have lost that sense of expectancy. After waiting for hours, I started to wonder if Stan Lee would ever arrive. I guess some of us have done the same thing with Christ. We’ve waited so long, we wonder if he’ll ever show up. He will. But he’ll arrive on his time, not ours. When Stan Lee finally made his appearance, the crowd began to cheer exuberantly. If you think seeing Stan Lee is amazing, just wait. The Bible tells us, “On the day when the Lord Jesus comes, all the people who have believed will be amazed at Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:10).

Amazed at Jesus! Not amazed at angels or mansions or new bodies or new creations. Paul doesn’t measure the joy of encountering the apostles or embracing our loved ones. If we will be amazed at those things, which certainly we will, he does not say. What he does say is that we will be amazed at Jesus. And, in case you’re worried, your time with Christ won’t be over and done in the blink of an eye like our meeting with Stan Lee. No one will usher you out of Christ’s presence. In fact, the Bible assures us that when Christ comes, “we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Forever. No end in sight. I can only imagine what it will be like when my family and I stand in the presence of Jesus. But until that day, I’ll choose to live forwardly, eagerly awaiting his arrival!

'nuff said!