endgame christian movie review

Avengers: Endgame

Reviewed by: Blake Wilson CONTRIBUTOR

Importance of family and fatherhood—and of being a truly good and righteous parent

Importance of strong friendships

Caring for others

Self-sacrifice to save others

For a follower of Christ, what is LOVE —a feeling, an emotion, or an action? Answer

Science fiction’s depiction of the fantasy of TIME TRAVEL and how often it is used in movies—although the idea of changing the past is impossible and logically contradictory

Mass disasters and tragedies—and their after-effects

Note: While I do my best to avoid potential spoilers for “Endgame,” some major spoilers for the previous film “ Infinity War ” are in this review.

H onestly, when was the last time a bad guy actually GOT AWAY with his or her evil plan?

That’s exactly what happened in last year’s “ Infinity War .” Despite all of our heroes’ best efforts, Thanos still got all six Infinity Stones. And, with a snap of his fingers, half of all existence vanished into dust. This included a lot of The Avengers, such as Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, most of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and others.

This leaves those that remain in a post-rapture-like Earth to try and continue on with their lives. But, can anyone actually move on? Can Tony Stark and Nebula find their way back to Earth? Can The Avengers find a way to take down Thanos? And, is there any chance for those that were victims of the snap to even come back? You can bet that these heroes will do whatever it takes to avenge Earth and its fallen.

Entertainment Quality

With a 3-hour runtime, the first thing you might be worried about is pacing (just look at the “Hobbit” movies, for example). However, Joe and Anthony Russo truly made this a (mostly) well-paced movie. Occasionally, a plot point will go on a little long, but it’s still entertaining. The focus is mostly on the original six Avengers, and unlike last time, they are all given plenty to do. In the meantime, the more secondary or newer characters don’t have as much to do—mostly for understandable reasons, given the circumstances.

The actors give some of their finest performances here. Robert Downey Jr. has come a long way since “ Iron Man ,” as he believably has shown his character’s humbling of himself, as well as his maturity over the years. He has at least two of the film’s best scenes. Meanwhile, Chris Evans once again brings Cap’s old-fashioned heroism front-and-center. Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) are all given somewhat outrageous character arcs, while Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) gives her best performance to date in the MCU. The hero with the biggest upgrade in screentime is Ant-Man ( Paul Rudd ), who’s given some of the best one-liners in the movie.

The overall scope of “Endgame” is toned down quite a bit from “ Infinity War ,” but there’s still an impressive action scene late in the game that will definitely stand out as a favorite moment for fans. There’s several well-placed pop culture references, and plenty of callbacks to previous Marvel films that will prove very entertaining to fans. Hans Zimmer’s music score once again nicely accompanies each act of the film.

“Endgame” has its share of ridiculous moments, and a few plot holes do emerge by the time the dust settles. There are some very solid cameos as well, including a few favorites from previous movies.

Positive Messages

Aside from the heroism and sacrifice on display once again, “Endgame” carries a few other strong messages here, too. Most prominent is the importance of family and fatherhood. We see multiple examples of fathers in the story (both good and bad), and throughout the film we are reminded of how influential they are on their children. This theme is even seen in Thanos, and how his shaky influence played a part in causing his adopted family to become very dysfunctional.

We are also reminded how family isn’t just based on blood, it’s based on who cares about you. For example, Black Widow notes, “I used to have nothing. And then I got this… this family.” She reveals that ever since Hawkeye spared her life, her fellow Avengers have cared for her and inspired her to live a better life. That’s the kind of love that the Apostle Paul encourages us to show:

“ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud . It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered , it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth . It always protects, always trusts, always hopes , always perseveres .” -1 Corinthians 13:4-7

There’s a nice moment where Thor is given encouragement. When he admits his faults and mistakes, he’s told, “You’re just like everyone else. Your measure of success is based on being who you truly are.” Another moment reveals the importance of spending our time wisely. Someone admits, “No amount of money ever bought a second of time.” It’s a reminder that the relationships that we develop and cherish with others are worth far more than any physical possession ever could.

Negative Content

Violence: As usual, there’s a handful of scenes that depict heroes battling against Thanos and his forces. Explosions, hand-to-hand combat and gunplay all play a part here. Various characters are slashed and killed (mostly bloodlessly). One character is accosted and murdered in an alley mercilessly (we see a little bit of blood on his neck). There’s an intense scene where a spaceship opens fire on a building, decimating it to the ground and nearly killing everyone inside. Nebula has some of her robotic flesh burned off her hand briefly, while trying to retrieve something important. A head is chopped off. An IV is yanked out. One character falls to their death. The sometimes violent video game “Fortnite” makes an appearance in one scene.

Adult Content: In a few separate moments, characters comment on Captain America’s rear end, calling it, “That’s America’s a**!” There are form-fitting outfits, and females with low-cut outfits, and shirtless men.

Towards the beginning of the film, Captain America’s support group features a man who is implied to be Gay . He briefly discusses taking “baby steps” to start seeing another guy.

Drugs/Alcohol: Thor is shown to have become an alcoholic . He discusses various beverages he’d like to intake, and carries around beer bottles fairly often. As a result, he acts fairly inebriated in a handful of scenes. His habits aren’t exactly praised, however.

Language: This is more problematic than usual for the genre. The most common interjection here is the s-word, which is heard a dozen times altogether (4 of which come from a young child). Someone is crudely called a “d**khead”. We also hear h*** (7 times), a** (4), “oh my g**” (8), “g**d***” (2), “p*** off” (2), “d***it!” (3), “son of a b**ch” (1), and one misuse of Jesus’ name.

Other: There’s a joke about someone “peeing their pants”. Some characters lie and deceive. A few characters create magical shields, portals, and conjure other mysterious spells. Someone apparently says they can see into the future.

No current film franchise has seen the type of momentum that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has. Since the original “Iron Man,” popularity and curiosity for these films has continued to grow and grow over the past 11 years. What has it been about these movies that has kept audiences coming back for more and telling their friends? Yes, there’s great characters and action. But, what has kept audiences interested is that each film has played a small part in a large, overarching storyline. Yes, each character had a story, but there was usually something there that made each film feel like a puzzle piece to something bigger. Usually this was present through a post-credits scene or a hidden Easter-egg or two.

With “Endgame,” that puzzle is now complete, as it brings a sense of finality to what has been 11 years and 22 movies of storytelling. Now, Marvel is certainly not done with making films. However, the MCU does seem to be saying goodbye to at least a few characters here. This makes “Endgame” (like “ Infinity War ”) sometimes difficult watch. But, I didn’t find it relied too heavily on shock factors, like its predecessor did.

Those that have been with the MCU for years (like me) will find “Endgame” very satisfying. Maybe it’s a bit too complex, crowded, and nonsensical in places to rank among the best superhero movies of all-time. But, it’s still got enough depth, heart, genuine surprises, great action, and memorable moments to make it one of the MCU’s most enjoyable and interesting films. Joe and Anthony Russo, who have directed some of the best Marvel films, continue to impress in spearheading this franchise.

What nearly soils “Endgame,” however, are content issues. The violence isn’t quite as intense or visceral as “ Infinity War ” or even “ Captain America: Civil War ,” but it still contains a few scenes worthy of the PG-13 rating. There’s a few moments of inappropriate humor, and drunkenness/alcohol are both treated in a humorous light (if not exactly glorified). Occasionally we hear about magic and sorcery (courtesy of the world of Doctor Strange), but it’s not a consistent theme.

The biggest issue, for me, however, is in how much language was put into this script. Not to mention a good chunk of it comes from a 4 or 5-year old girl (as a punchline to a joke), and a harsh one is aimed at a few other young kids. Honestly, does no responsible adult care about what children hear or say anymore?

Then again, these movies aren’t meant for very young kids. Beyond those problems, “Endgame” honestly does feel like a family movie at times (perhaps even more so than other entries in this franchise)—with some really touching messages to boot. Yet, it is really hard for me to recommend it, because of these problems. In the end, I would say parents of kids under the age of 6th grade (especially those who haven’t watched previous Marvel movies) should definitely take serious caution here.

However, for teens, adults, and MCU fans that can put aside the content issues, I can say “Endgame” does live up to its hype.

• Violence: Heavy to Very Heavy
• Profane language: Heavy
• Vulgar/Crude language: Moderately Heavy
• Nudity: Minor
• Occult: Minor

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers .

• Young people
• Non-viewer comments

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” —Isaiah 40:31

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” —Isaiah 43:18-19

• The rapture.
• Thanos sacrificing his daughter to obtain the soul stone (not sure if that is correct name of the stone).
• Thanos coming back in the final battle (like Armagedon).
• Thanos saying that he will vanish everything and start fresh.
• Other creatures (aliens) fighting side-by-side with men against Thanos and his armies.

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

'Avengers: Endgame' Review: An Ending of Truly Biblical Proportions

ET's spoiler-free reaction to the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it.

"We're in the endgame now," the master of the mythic arts, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), announced following one of the climactic battles in Avengers: Infinity War , after he'd turned the Time Stone over to Thanos (Josh Brolin) and thus, allowed the Mad Titan to complete his gauntlet, snap his purple fingers and disappear half of all life in the universe.

Before that prescient line, the good doctor looked into the future to 14,000,605 possible outcomes, only one of which the good guys would win. With Strange turned to dust, along with half of the Earth and galaxy at large's mightiest heroes, it's up to the surviving Avengers to, well, avenge.

If any of the above is fuzzy for you, then Avengers: Endgame might not be the movie for you. Most installments in Marvel's sprawling cinematic universe can be enjoyed on three levels: as a standalone experience, as a piece within the ongoing MCU puzzle, and as an adaptation with roots into the comic book mythology from which it came. Still, it's hard to imagine Endgame appealing to the more casual fans.

That's because as the original Avengers -- Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) -- set out with allies old and new ( Brie Larson's Captain Marvel ) to undo what's been done, Endgame both leans into and expands upon the 21 films that came before it, paying off threads from any number of franchises over the last 11 years.

"Epic" is a word that gets bandied about a lot when reviewing Marvel movies -- I'm no exception -- but this is an epic in the truest sense: The scope is of biblical proportions, bigger than Civil War or Infinity War or any of the films without war in the title. Every scene feels important, with a heft of gravitas that never weighs the film down but instead rewards an investment made back in 2008, as fans sat down in Iron Man for the first time. (It can't be understated how big an accomplishment it is that Endgame was made at all.)

I'm being vague, and purposely so, because I hope your first viewing remains as unspoiled as mine , full of moments that are unexpected in big and small ways and fan-service as gob-smacking as it is earned. Finally watching Avengers: Endgame is overwhelming, more than anything -- I was practically levitating out of my seat and many of the noises I made can only be described as "indescribable" -- but three hours and one minute later, I'm ready to experience it again and truly let this ending sink in.

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Avengers: endgame - the value of sacrifice.

• Superhero , Film Review
• 5/3/2019 12:40:00 PM
• View Count 5445

I’m sure the filmmakers of this last outing of the “Infinity Saga” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe didn’t realize that releasing the film so soon after the celebration of the Easter Triduum would render it even more meaningful for it’s audience members of Christian persuasion. Yet Avengers: Endgame does indeed recall the cycle of Paschal Mystery – suffering, death, and resurrection – that is part and parcel of our human life, made holy by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As the companion film to last year’s Avengers: Infinity War , Endgame begins with Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) mourning those of their superhero friends turned to dust and ash by the snap of villain Thanos’s (Josh Brolin) fingers. With Ant Man/Scott Lang’s (Paul Rudd) return from the Quantum Realm (not a spoiler, he’s in the trailer, after all) he comes up with a harebrained scheme to go back in time to collect the infinity stones before Thanos has a chance to vamoose half of all living things in the universe. All their friends would be back and it would undo the chaos and suffering of everyone who survived. Some really great and humorous references to Marty McFly and Back to the Future give some much-needed levity to act one.

Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant Man (Marvel Studios/Disney)

Now it’s five years after the events of Infinity War and Steve and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) go about collecting the gang, some of whom have moved onward into the lives they had always imagined for themselves and others who have gone to seed, wallowing in what was lost.

As the leftover Avengers go off in pairs to retrieve the Infinity Stones, the audience is gifted with the action (including a humongous battle) and stunning effects we’ve come to expect from the MCU. Working off the script from Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, sibling directors Anthony and Joe Russo, manage to hold in a comfortable tension (that makes the three-hour run time fly by) the many bits and pieces of story lines nurtured over the course of 22 previous films.

What sets Endgame apart from the other films is its emotional core. The Avengers are not superheroes that have it all together. We've seen that before. They are like us in that we suffer and mourn the losses we experience when those we love leave us, either through death, betrayal, or simply growing apart. Robert Downey, Jr. shines as he displays the range of emotion Tony experiences, from his zinging one-liners to letting the tears fall when he tells Natasha that he “lost the kid,” referring to Peter Parker/Spider Man (Tom Holland). Just like each of us experiences grief differently, so does each Avenger.

Chris Evans and Steve Rogers/Captain America (Marvel Studios/Disney)

The cycle of Paschal Mystery does not end in death, however, and resurrection also finds its way into Avengers: Endgame . St. Paul tells us that if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, our faith would be in vain. We may not have time travel available to us, to help us deal with the things that cause us suffering and pain, but we do have our faith and the hope that God can and does bring good even out of pain and sorrow.

Here’s the other really neat thing about Endgame : it made me think of priorities in life and what or who is worth sacrificing for, especially loved ones. The Avengers are not heroes only because they have cool powers or suits that enable them to do superhuman things. They are heroes because they have what it takes in their humanness (or 'demigodness' in Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) case) to make sacrifices, sometimes the ultimate sacrifice, for the greater good of all people, not just themselves. We see this especially in Tony’s decisions, Hawkeye/Clint Barton’s (Jeremy Renner) dedication, and in Captain America’s action, as well as in the stories of the other Avengers.

Other than the powers and the suits, are we so different?

About the Author

Sister Hosea Rupprecht is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, a religious community dedicated to evangelization with the media. She holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto and an MA in Media Literacy from Webster University in St. Louis. 

Sr. Hosea is director of the East Coast office of the Pauline Center for Media Studies, based in Staten Island, NY, and speaks on media literacy and faith to catechists, parents, youth, and young adults. Together with Father Chip Hines, she is the co-host of Searchlight, a Catholic movie review show on Catholic TV. Sr. Hosea is the author of  How to Watch Movies with Kids: A Values-Based Strategy,  released by Pauline Books & Media. 

For the past 15 years, she has facilitated various film dialogues for both children and adults, as well as given presentations on integrating culture, faith and media.

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Avengers: Endgame & Christianity

BEWARE THE SPOILERS!

It’s safe to say that box-office-busting, tear-jerking, goose-bump-inducing Avengers: Endgame struck a chord in people across the world. And like other art forms, it provides an inside look into today’s Western culture, especially when we consider the movie from a Christian perspective.

Life in a Broken World

The plot and character development of superhero movies, some would say, have been the genre’s longstanding kryptonite. The films can be little more than a string of punches being thrown, buildings blowing up, and characters showing off their “little party trick” (#MarkRuffaloReference) with sparse exposition connecting them together.

But Endgame goes out of its way to hulk smash this mold. Early on in the film, the Avengers suit up to destroy the bad guy and save the day, as always, only to be confronted by something they’ve never experienced before: failure (of Thanos’s jelly-leg-shaking variety). Thanos, the film franchise’s ultimate supervillain, dies, no muss, no fuss. But his legacy—half the universe being reduced to ash—remains. And there’s nothing the Avengers can do about it (at least for the first hour).

For arguably the first time, these superheroes truly discover what it means to live in a fallen world, one with bigger problems than they can ever hope to solve. Like Adam and Eve after the Fall, they’re left with a bunch of broken pieces and a fading vision of what life used to be. The ways the Avengers react—vainly policing what remains of the universe, withdrawing from society in favor of video games and beer binges, and pursuing Batfleck-esque personal vendettas that toe the line between right and wrong—mirrors how humanity reacts to brokenness in real life. The despair and the depression these heroes face has real weight. There’s a sickening sense of mourning as Scott Lang discovers the memorial to the millions of people who have simply ceased to exist.

These moments go beyond fictional characters and get at the heart of humanity’s biggest problem. We need a savior, a true superhero who is far greater and more powerful than we can ever hope to be. In the wake of Thanos’s plot, the Avengers, like all of us, need Jesus.

Reversing the “Snapture”

For a refresher on Endgame ’s predecessor, Infinity War , Thanos is scheming to eliminate 50 percent of all life. He finally succeeds by collecting six incredibly powerful Infinity Stones, and with a snap of the fingers, half of the universe’s population simply melts into ash—what’s now been coined the “Snapture” (if “Pokémon” made it into the dictionary, this will too . . . just a matter of time).

Regardless of where you fall in your theology of the rapture, it’s hard not to be intrigued that a comic book movie spawned such a biblical allusion. It testifies that the concept of a final judgment day is still on our culture’s mind, even 30ish years after Terminator 2 .

Like I mentioned, the film’s imagery of life after the “Snapture” is genuinely gripping. It stirs our imaginations and raises tough questions: If losing half of all life could be so traumatic, how much more terrible will it be on God’s final day of judgment as it’s described in Revelation?

As the movie continues, its sense of mourning and loss shifts to desperation. The Avengers have to act. There has to be a way to reverse this cataclysm. That’s our natural instinct too. If we really, really try hard enough, if we’re willing to make large enough sacrifices (#whateverittakes), we can bounce back from this. The way the Avengers eventually respond in Endgame with their convoluted, time-traveling scheme (no DeLoreans required) ultimately embodies humanism’s unshakeable resolve that we really do have what it takes to pull ourselves up out of the world’s brokenness.

But as Christians, we know that no amount of hard work can save us from our sin. Endgame emphasizes just how critical Christ’s death on the cross was. And without God’s grace, the Avengers have no chance of reversing the “Snapture.”

Thanos—Depraved or Deceived?

One of the most refreshing things about Thanos, both in Infinity War and Endgame , is that he’s not just the typical world-domination-craving bad guy. He doesn’t just want to watch the world burn. He thinks he’s the hero. The Mad Titan truly believes he’s doing the right thing, making the hard choices nobody else is willing to make to end the universe’s senseless suffering.

Even though he’s the MCU’s ultimate bad guy so far, Thanos isn’t so much innately evil—or “pure evil” as Ben Mendelsohn’s John Daggett might say—as he is deceived. This hearkens back to Ephesians 6:12 where Paul writes, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” When people oppose Christianity or persecute us, we shouldn’t think of them as the villain we have to overcome. Like Thanos, they’re deceived, victims of the “powers of this dark world” and “spiritual forces of evil.”

Another key thing that Thanos’s actions reinforces is the existence of absolute truth. Postmodernism argues that truth is just another word. But good luck trying to find many moviegoers watching Endgame who don’t think that there’s something innately wrong in Thanos’s full-on obsession to save life by destroying it. The Avengers’ desperation to stop him testifies to this too. Deep down, we all know that what Thanos intends to do is wrong and should be unequivocally opposed.

Ultimately, Avengers: Endgame testifies to God’s general revelation of himself. Despite whatever personal agendas may have factored into the making of the film, the end product offers up moments that clearly highlight our need for a savior and our tenuous grip on life when we try solving things ourselves, especially with a limited supply of Pym Particles.

*Not to mention, this affords the perfect opportunity to make 15 nerdy references in one blog post (can you catch them all?).

Nathan served as a writer for InterVarsity for five and a half years. He currently works for a ministry serving adults with disabilities. He enjoys writing and drawing and staying in shape.

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The Theology of Marvel's Avengers: Endgame, Genesis, and Revelation

Black Widow's Sacrifice and the Protoevangelium

Thanos, the Garden of Eden, and his Day of Rest

... finally rest and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe

The Number of the Beast, Earth Prime, and Ant-Man's Van 

What is the Number of the Beast? 666 or 616?

Then I saw another beast which rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. ... it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name . This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six.

What is the Marvel history behind Earth Prime being numbered Earth-616? 

The short story titled "Rough Justice" is credited to writer Alan Moore and artist Alan Davis, so it should be easy to find out who had the idea of assigning a number to Marvel's original reality. When Davis was credited for the assigning of the number, he claimed it was the work of prior Captain Britain writer Dave Thorpe. The number? Davis said it reflected Thorpe's cynical views on superhero stories, giving their universe a variation of The Mark of The Beast ('666').

Kim Jeong Cameo in Avengers Endgame ...

Wearing the Infinity Gauntlet on the Right or Left Hand? And the Catholic Infinity Gauntlet of St. Teresa of Avila

The similarities are eerie in all respects. The color on the gilded silver reliquary is exactly like that of the Infinity Gauntlet, and the rings on the reliquary are even the same colors as the stones on the Gauntlet, although the colors are in a different order. While Marvel has not claimed a connection between the two, it seems likely that someone in Marvel’s design department saw the relic and filed that information away for later use. According to historical records, St. Teresa of Avila’s body was exhumed nine months after her death, when it was first observed that her body did not decay. Even though the passage of time had rotted her clothing, her remains were incorrupt, just as they had been when she died. Relics from the Spanish saint were distributed for veneration, but her hand was stolen in 1936 by Francisco Franco, the Spanish military dictator. Franco reportedly took the relic with him everywhere he went and even slept with it on his nightstand.

Lastly, Do Not Forget: Thor is Based on Jesus

Footnotes: marvel's avengers: endgame, related posts, post a comment.

These movies are fun yet quite dangerous, essentially causing viewers to be averse to Christ and the Bible. The words of God and Christ, for instance, are virtually always put in the villain's mouth. These protestants do a great job revealing this - I urge you to watch: https://youtu.be/qbCbyf16iYc

All things in moderation, even superheroes. I do agree that proper formation is required before watching almost anything these days.

Woah.. So many new things to know you have surely done a great job finding and writing all these. Keep doing the good work.

Thanks so much!

All the marvel MCU movies are based on mocking God and making him look like a madman of malevolent rage, where the human race is the good guy and must prepare to fight him in the last battle. Remember, the avengers are beings with exceptional powers that unite to fight battles to save humanity from "evil" beings that come from outer space. In this perspective, if you pay attention to the dialogues of many marvel movies including Thor, guardians of the galaxy, the avengers, endgame, eternals, etc you will clearly understand the reference and mockery they make between God the father, jesus christ, antichrist, etc, all to prepare humanity to fight against God in the last battle. MR

In one of these movies someone said who is your master? They said what am I suppose to say JESUS? Yessssss you were As much as I did like the action, watching them is like they talking about my mother to my face...only it's my Father. This may be due to the apostate church foolishness I get it. But the true church the body of Christ ain't no joke he will not be mocked.

To those people who commented after Scott responded to Dunstin, he has acknowledged the problematic aspects of these movies. He doesn't need more commentary from readers pointing out the problematic elements of these films.

Thanks, Susana! :)

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Hey, my name is Scott Smith. I'm a Catholic attorney, author, and theologian. I live in southern Louisiana with my beautiful wife and six wild-eyed children. We live between two rivers in our hometown of New Roads... Read more

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The Magazine About Spirit-led Living

Should Christians Stay Away From ‘Avengers: Endgame’?

This weekend, Avengers: Endgame will likely make box office history with the highest-grossing opening weekend ever. But should Christians be part of the group swarming the theater? Christian ministry Plugged In says yes—but with a caveat—in its official video review of Avengers: Endgame .

Reviewer Cheryl Wilhelmi explains, “This is a well-crafted satisfying final chapter in an interconnected series of stories that Marvel Studios has been weaving together since 2008 and across 22 movies. It’s a huge superhero epic that packs a powerful message of heroism and self-sacrifice. But the heroics here come with foul language and violent consequences that could also emotionally batter the younger fans in your family.”

Watch the full review here.

By Taylor Berglund

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Griffin Paul Jackson

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‘Avengers: Endgame’ as Christian Commentary

A rich chapter in superhero lore is closed. Avengers: Endgame faced a universe-sized task wrapping up a generation of remarkably deep plotlines spanning the entirety of the Marvel cosmos. It lived up to the hype. And, as has been the pattern, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely accomplish their work with appeals—conscious and, perhaps sometimes, unconscious—to the Judeo-Christian story.

It must be this way. Great stories always draw from unplumbable well of the Greatest Story.

Marvel’s is a world filled with mythology and theology. Some of the characters are literal gods. Powers are not just super-strength and shape-shifting, but foresight, knowledge, and psycho-magical abilities. The Infinity Stones grant such gifts as omnipresence (Space Stone), omnipotence (Power Stone), and omniscience (Time Stone); and one of the gems is literally called the Soul Stone. In a culture said to be secularizing, belayed far down the chasm of postmodernism, what does it say that our most beloved modern myth is so inescapably spiritual?

While the characters aren’t flat—even angels have their demons, as it were—the Avengers saga is a straight-up good-versus-evil mythos for our time. I don’t know the heart-persuasions of anyone who brought the Avengers world to the real world, and I don’t assert Avengers: Endgame was a deliberate attempt to proselytize, but the traces of a biblical worldview and even the core of the gospel is so obvious across the storyline, it seems clear our cultural storytellers can’t help but retell the good news and the old truths, and the culture itself can’t help but be drawn to it.

Here are just a handful of ways the Christian faith showed up big in Avengers: Endgame .

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Sacrifice (and its necessity).

Like so many good films, sacrifice is central. Avengers is no exception. In Infinity War , we see Vision, perhaps the most Christlike of all the Avengers, willingly lay down his life. In another heartbreaking scene, Gamora, beloved and bewildered daughter of the archboss Thanos, is sacrificed against her will so the supervillain can acquire the Soul Stone. In Endgame , a duo returns to Vormir for the same purpose, and this time our heroes actually battle for the place of sacrificial lamb. Ultimately, and to my surprise, Black Widow wins out, casting herself to Vormir’s depths so that Hawkeye, and the rest of the universe, might live on.

There are plenty of other slivers of sacrifice in Endgame and across the MCU, but the epitome comes in humanity’s supreme hero: Iron Man. In the final fight between the forces of good and evil, Tony Stark pays the ultimate price. And does so unreservedly. But the most fascinating thing about Iron Man’s sacrifice isn’t that it happened. It’s that it had to happen . Dr. Strange, who once possessed the Time Stone and could therefore see all possible futures, said he saw 14 million possible outcomes in the fight for the universe. How many held victory for the good guys? Only one. That means Iron Man’s self-sacrifice in the Last Battle was not merely a way to victory; it was the only way . A man—a super-man—had to pay for the world’s salvation with his life. This is the height of the Avengers storyline. It is also the height of the gospel.

Resurrection: The Un-Vanishing

We lost a few of our favorites in Endgame (some we might see again, but others seem officially gone). But we got back a lot more. Infinity War left us with the brutal erasure of half of all life in the universe—trillions of beings vanished. No class or kind were spared. Endgame culminates with the return of that which was lost. Even for the powers of pop culture, death is not the end.

Interestingly, Endgame doesn’t just end with resurrection; it opens with it—not a resurrection of the masses, but of Tony Stark. Lost in space, we see Iron Man record a final message for Pepper, then fade away into… near-death? Out of that hopelessness, he is raised and given a new chance at life thanks to the arrival of Captain Marvel. We also see resurrection of relationships and the thought-to-be-dead (especially between Antman and his daughter, and Quill and a back-to-the-future Gamora). But the point of the whole story is the resurrection of all, which reverses Thanos’ rapturous snap (the “Snapture”) with a death-defying return of the armies of good, just in time for the battle for the fate of the world.

Christianity isn’t the only religion in human history to proclaim resurrection, but most other ancient faiths of Greece and the Near East only assigned back-to-life mooments to a select few gods. As in Endgame , however, the Abrahamic faiths hold the resurrection of the dead—multitudes upon multitudes—as a core tenet. Avengers ’ un-vanishing, as I’ll call it, doesn’t give us an eternal-life model for resurrection living, but it does present a holistic view that raises to life all that was unjustly killed.

As in the Bible, Eden only makes a brief appearance in Endgame . In a perhaps unexpected twist, the remaining Avengers go to the place Nebula knows Thanos will be after his deadly work is done: a place she calls “the garden.” Talk about Genesis language! And, sure enough, we see Thanos, titan of war, with his armor removed, his weapons abandoned for a life of farming in an ecological wonderland, and sitting alone in a meager house at the center of paradise. The scene is short and doesn’t end prettily, not unlike the Garden of Genesis 3, but it’s fascinating that Thanos’ vision of the perfect world is so similar to a Christian vision of Eden. Lush vegetation. Waterfalls. Simplicity. Fruiting fields. And, chiefly, peace… until that peace is destroyed.

Perhaps Tony Stark, too, finds his own paradise—a sort of secular heaven—upon his death, as Pepper comforts him, “Tony, we’ll be okay. You can rest now.” It seems everyone, both good and evil, has the same vision of paradise—and it looks like rest.

Predestination

Thanos calls himself “inevitable.” When he probes Nebula’s memory files, he sees his own impending doom and resigns himself to it as the necessary price of destiny. When the Hulk knows he’s the only one who can handle the power of the Infinity Stones, he somberly acknowledges, “It’s like I was made for this.” Tony Stark says he had “a vision” about the destruction that came to pass in the Infinity War. And, after Dr. Strange prophesied a 1-in-14 million chance of success, well, that’s what we get.

This is Hollywood, of course, so everything is preordained. We knew the outcome of Endgame as soon as we saw the killer climax of Infinity War , but so many questions linger in my mind. Did Dr. Strange know what would happen, or only what could happen? If Thanos was himself inevitable, was his demise inevitable as well? Was Steve Rogers predestined to return to his love and live out the rest of his days with her, handing over the Captain America gauntlet? I suppose the questions of foreordination in a world of superheroes is not as tricky as in reality, but it’s tricky nonetheless. Basically, did the Avengers have to win? Did the universe have to be saved? I know they did for the sake of the story, but did they for the sake of truth? Avengers seems bent on the reality of destiny, purpose, and identity (Thor’s identity reformation at the end of Endgame is a blog post all its own!). Are we?

There’s too much to say about redemption in Endgame . Lives, relationships, worlds, the universe, and history itself all find redemption—sometimes even in death. Nebula’s redemption, going from one of the most conflicted characters in the series to one of the most beautifully essential, smacks of a dozen Sunday school stories. But Hawkeye’s redemption stands out to me as one of the most biblical. He has gone rogue, betraying the Avenging order, but is ultimately reclaimed. It reminds of Jesus’ words to Peter, just before his betrayal: “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” That’s exactly Hawkeye’s story, from righteous to dirty and back to righteous again, saving the Infinity Stones and returning to his family, both his Avengers family and his blood family. The story resonates so deeply because it is our story. Everyone everywhere stands in need of redemption.  

I don’t think Hollywood had the intention here of preaching. And, if they did, there were plenty of slip-ups and misrepresentations. But even if Endgame isn’t a retelling of the gospel—and it isn’t—it is definitely an important conversation-starter for so many fundamentals of faith.

• Posted in: Culture , Religion
• Tagged in: Avengers , Endgame , Hollywood , Iron Man , movies , superheroes

Posted by Griffin Paul Jackson

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TRANsforming Thoughts

connecting theology and life in gospel-centred ways to the glory of God and our joy in Him

Avengers Endgame Review, The MCU, and Biblical Theology

With around 40 screenwriters, 19 directors, and put together over a 10-year period, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) seeks to tell one cohesive unified story.

It hasn’t always been perfect. There are plot holes and story threads that have simply been abandoned . At times the movies were clunky and overly jam-packed (see Thor 2, or Ironman 2 – IMHO), sometimes they were lacklustre (The Incredible Hulk), and there was a persistent villain problem (ie. several villains were cookie cut and uninspiring – can anyone remember the villains and their motivation from Thor 2, The Incredible Hulk, or Ant-Man?). But generally, they delivered on fun, entertainment, character and heart.

With the release of Avengers: Endgame, the fourth Avengers movie, the MCU’s ‘Infinity Saga’ (the movies of Phases 1-3 dealing with the Infinity Stones) has come to an end. It is not the end of the MCU, but it is the end of the road for a few characters and their arcs through the MCU.

So here’s my non-spoiler review of Endgame.

Avengers Endgame is the culmination of the previous 21 movies in the MCU franchise. After viewing it, there is a very real sense that this movie draws to a close a number of threads and character arcs that the past movies have been building up. And it does so in an incredibly satisfying manner. You will laugh, you will be delighted in the callbacks (if you can remember them all!), you will cheer in gleeful enjoyment, you will cry, and you will leave with a feeling that 22 movies have just been tied together in the most satisfying way.

Satisfying, I think that’s the word I would use to describe the profound sense I left with.

Everything pays off in this film. The relationships between key avengers is built upon and brought to its crescendo. Black Widow and Hawkeye, whose relationship extends before the MCU (with references to some incident in Budapest picked up in Avengers: Age of Ultron), have an incredibly poignant moment. Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Tony Stark settle their differences and re-establish trust in each other – and their screen time is not wasted.

Loss is fulfilled. Time provides opportunities for healing. Characters wrestle deeply with their failures.

And because of all this, the pacing of this movie is markedly different from part 1 – Avengers Infinity War. Where Infinity War was a constant and unrelenting romp from tense action to tense action, Endgame spends the first act of the movie very slowly developing story and character. The slowness of these early scenes isn’t tedious though, and except for one scene in the diner, IMHO, I didn’t think there was much fat to be trimmed.

The slower and intentional pace of the first act pays off big time in the final act. The regulation massive CGI battle can be a bit chaotic and confusing at times, but the audience is rewarded with some very big moments. And I mean big!

Is the movie perfect then? It sure is close.

Upon reflection, there are some callbacks which I felt were a little forced. Particular musical cues used in previous movies to heighten scenes are replayed in Endgame, but the direction of those scenes feels a little more clunky in comparison. Still, the weight of the moment settles in mostly because of the pathos already developed prior. So, in this way my issue isn’t that big.

But there is one nagging quibble, and for the past few days, it’s almost wrecked my enjoyment of the film. It has to do with the ending and what I feel is a moment of inconsistency within the movie. It didn’t stop me from still appreciating that final scene, nor did it prevent the tears for a character that I have most beloved in the MCU. And while I feel that I’ve mentally resolved the inconsistency, for now, I’m keen to find out more from the Directors, the Russo Brothers, how they explain that final scene and how it harmonises with the established rules of the movie.

When I step back and look at the MCU as a whole I can see a gallant effort on the part of multiple screenwriters and directors, and the oversight of Executive Producer Kevin Feige, to produce a massive multi-movie universe. It is an undertaking unlike any other in cinema history. Watching Endgame really did feel like you were a part of history being made. There have been other multi-movie franchises in the same universe – The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter movies to name a few – but these have been based upon novels of the same name. The Bond franchise has more recently had elements of continuity between their movies – especially with Daniel Craig in the title role, and Tom Cruise has put this into some effect with the Mission Impossible series as well. Star Wars should get an honourable mention as well.

But 22 movies in one shared universe telling one story? No one has ever tried that. And you can even see in the earlier movies that various risks were taken, and some risks not taken, on the hunch that this thing might work. When you rewatch the earlier movies, which I did recently in preparation for Endgame, you can pick up a vibe that the writers and directors were playing it slightly safe. Part of the villain problem that I noted earlier probably has to do with not wanting to take big risks, and the regular 3-part act culminating in a big CGI battle is their bread and butter. There’s a good argument to be made that Iron Man 3 – the most divisive of the Iron Man movies – changed the course of the MCU by allowing riskier and more creative directing and scripting.

The variance in voice, so to speak, of the writers and directors throughout the MCU’s 22 movie history is there. Sometimes it threatens the narrative of the unified story, and sometimes it feels as though later directors have to fix various characters along the way . Somehow the MCU has managed to keep the ship steady, headed towards this Endgame, with most of the character arcs making sense. Tony Stark begins the MCU as a self-absorbed narcissist playboy, by the end, he is a self-sacrificing family man at the heart of the Avengers. Thor begins the MCU as an arrogant entitled and ambitious son, and by the end – through failure – he discovers his true power and humility. Steve Rogers begins the MCU as a patriotic and naive soldier, whose trust in authority is broken by Winter Soldier/Civil War, and in the end, rises as the worthy leader of the Avengers. Through their movies, alongside others, we see these characters grow and develop – and that is what ultimately helps Endgame feel like its paid off.

With such an ambitious storytelling attempt, I can’t help in my own mind to consider another unified story which had multiple writers as well. The Bible is written by probably around +40 authors over a period of 1500 years across a wide geography but it tells one cohesive unified story.

But where the MCU sometimes stumbles, I’m amazed at how wonderfully cohesive the Bible is. With its large number of authors (most who never met) writing in various geographical locations across a much larger time span, no story thread is left out or abandoned, every theme of scripture finds its fulfilment and satisfaction – and all the more amazing because it does all of this wrapped up in the person, nature, and work of Jesus Christ. The MCU centres on a team to help save the world. The Bible centres on one man who saves in an even better way – by sacrificing his life in our place, and rising again as King over all.

And as you read the Bible in this way you will laugh, you will be delighted in the callbacks, you will cheer in gleeful enjoyment, you will cry, and you will see how 66 books of the Bible are tied together in the most satisfying way.

So there are my thoughts. What about yours? Did you enjoy the movie – and why? Pop your thoughts in the comments below – and remember: NO SPOILERS!

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Grow Christians

A community of disciples fostering the faith of children in their care.

Grow at the Movies: Avengers Endgame

May 3, 2019 By Fr. Patrick Funston 2 Comments

Editor’s Note: Grow at the Movies is a new experiment from Grow Christians. We hope to offer timely reviews of movies that children and teenagers will beg to see in the theater, along with conversations starters for the car ride home. Please let us know if you would like to see more of these types of posts and other information that might be helpful. Thanks! Faithfully, Allison

SPOILER-FREE SECTION

The story of Jesus, as told by the four gospels, is a great story. “The greatest story ever told,” right? It is full and complete unto itself and, given the opportunity to impact a life, it transforms you. But there’s something special about reading the gospels after studying the Hebrew Bible. It turns out there’s a lot more “there” and, in connecting it to “the record of God’s saving deeds in history, how he saved his people in ages past,” (Great Vigil Service, BCP 288) Jesus’ story blossoms.

Epic Segue Incoming As the twenty-second movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Avengers: Endgame is a lot like the gospels: it pays you back if you know the backstory. (Technically, Endgame is more like the Book of Revelation, but I think the metaphor holds.)

Eleven years ago, Marvel took a huge risk. They attempted  a blockbuster film about a beloved, though not strikingly popular superhero, starring an actor who was a troubled darling of small cinema in the middle of an upswing following imprisonment and rehab. Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man released to much acclaim on May 2, 2008. Those few of us who stayed for the end-credits scene (which wasn’t even a THING back then) saw Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury tell Iron Man about something called “The Avenger Initiative.”

Forty-five cinematic hours later, “The Infinity Saga” comes to an end in a well-paced, laser-focused three hour and two minute film.

Common Sense Media rates the film as suitable for a 13+ audience, calling it an “intense but satisfying finale.” They also have a great article for parents entitled “ 5 Conversations to Have with Your Kids After Avengers: Endgame.”  

I found Endgame to be a film that pays off in direct proportion to the amount of time you’ve put into the MCU. As somebody who has seen the prior films at least two times each, I felt rewarded and thanked for my investment. It’s hard for me to imagine what it would be like to see Endgame without eleven years of context. While it ultimately becomes as big and loud as you might expect, it’s structured atop an emotional resonance that’s irrevocably built on prior experience with the franchise. If you haven’t seen the rest of the MCU, I think Endgame is good enough to warrant a watch-through of the previous films. If you want to watch just the bare minimum, I would suggest: Iron Man (2008), Captain America (2011), Avengers (2012), Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018).

Endgame ’s themes of loss and grief, including non-graphic, but implicit killing might be too much for younger children, but its focus on family and the power of decision, resolve and grit will provide plenty of grist for the teenage and adult mind.

END OF SPOILER-FREE SECTION SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW

The villain who has been pulling the strings on the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its inception is a powerful purple alien named Thanos. At the end of Avengers: Infinity War , Thanos has achieved his ultimate goal: he successfully collects powerful objects called the Infinity Stones. With the six stones placed in a special glove, Thanos can control all aspects of reality. Driven by the belief that the universe is over-crowded, Thanos snaps his fingers and disintegrates/dusts half of the population of the universe: The Snapture. (Marvel wants us to call this “The Decimation,” but I refuse to do that.)

Avengers: Endgame picks up with a family-focused revisit of the Snapture, a narrative decision which seeds the main themes of the film. This is a movie about family, nuclear and chosen, the loss thereof and what we do to protect it. In recent memory, only the movie Inside Out has gotten me more choked up. It’s also a movie about the costs of the super-heroic life and the decisions that life precipitates.

Among the biggest surprises for me was the decision to place the majority of the film “Five Years Later.” We see heroes who reflect their world; grief and sadness permeate the film. But when one hero, previously thought to have been “Snapped,” returns with the inklings of a plan, the Avengers . . . assemble.

What follows is a journey that expertly weaves together the gravitas of the heroes’ situation and roles with the humor that has made the MCU so successful. It is genuinely surprising how five years of grief and failure have affected the heroes and each character offers a different example of how grief messes with us. Some turn into “melted ice cream” and some become more integrated (literally); but the beating heart of Endgame are two heroes who have been able to move on most successfully.

Chris Evans’ Captain America has become something of a mentor and caretaker for those dealing with loss. It’s a role that suits him as a man who sacrificed himself to save the world in 1945 and woke up 70 years later having lost everything he knew. He knows what this is like and he takes care of his family: the heroes closest to him and the larger human race.

Iron Man comes out of the Snapture damaged, but better off than everybody else. His wife/collaborator Pepper Potts survives and five-years-later they have a four-year-old daughter. Iron Man has retired from the superhero game and when he is invited back into the heroic life, he makes it clear that he can help, but not at the expense of what he’s gained.

Both leaders are given incredible arcs and opportunities to reflect on what they’ve lost and gained and each’s denouement is appropriate and deserved.

Incredibly, this focus on Iron Man and Captain America still leaves plenty of room for many other heroes to have their own journeys and, honestly, I’m thankful for the long run-time allowing it to happen. While I would have liked to have seen more from the Hulk, I’m satisfied by the journeys of the other five “main Avengers” and the rest of the MCU pantheon.

The film finishes with an expected and deserved hour-long smorgasbord of action and fan service. Incredible moments throughout the final battle honor those who have been part of the journey, my favorites include the movement of a specific weapon and, more subtly, the phrase “On your left!” If you see the film and don’t understand what your fellow audience members were cheering about, look up an “ Endgame Easter Eggs” video that will explain all of it to you.  If you are overzealous, here’s a this twenty-eight minute video detailing 209 of them.

When all the spectacle of battle has subsided, the emotional conclusion of the movie is satisfying and hard-earned.

Over the last eleven years, I’ve grown up, married, and started a family. The MCU has been with me on throughout that  journey and its characters have become family to one another. Endgame brings this portion of their story to a close and it pays off, especially if you’ve come along for the ride and become part of the Avengers’ family.

CAR CONVERSATION STARTERS FOR THE RIDE HOME

• How do you think you would feel if you were among those who lived through the five years after Thanos’ Snap?
• Which character did you like the best? What did their story make you think about?
• What do you think is the lesson of the movie? What was it trying to teach us? What did you learn?
• If you had been there, what is something you could have done or said to help one of the characters?
• What parts of the movie were the hardest for you to watch? Which were the most fun?
• Again, I commend Common Sense Media’s article: “ 5 Conversations to Have with Your Kids After Avengers: Endgame “.

[Image Credit: Public Domain via Pixabay ]

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May 13, 2019 at 7:41 pm

I think more “Grow at the Movies” reviews would be great!

May 14, 2019 at 9:41 am

Thank you for your feedback!

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