Why the world needs heroes: Jesus the ultimate hero

Why Jesus is the ultimate and most victorious superhero in history

I’ve learned a lot about teenagers’ likes and dislikes through what distracts them in an SRE lesson. A few years ago, for instance, I had to stop saying “I’ll see you next fortnight” because it would take a whole minute to stop the chants of “Fortnite! Fortnite!”. Similarly, I had to stop clicking my fingers because invariably, a student would make some reference to Thanos’ fateful click at the end of Avengers Infinity War.

Are the young people in your Youth Groups as obsessed with Marvel as my students were? If so, they, like many Marvel fans, would have been completely shocked to hear the news of the death of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman from colon cancer just last week.

I think many are reeling because of the disconnect between the healthy warrior image we have of Boseman in full costume as T'Challa, Black Panther warrior and king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda, versus the reality of the disease that secretly ravaged his body for the last three years.

It is no question that Chadwick Boseman, both in his on-screen persona and off-screen life, was a hero. His loss will be keenly missed.

Why does the loss of one of these heroes, like Boseman, trouble us so much? And why do we, and the young people in our youth groups, love superhero movies as much as we do? Here are a few thoughts about heroes and how to start deeper conversations with your youth.

Superheroes fight for justice

Anyone who has spent any time with a child under the age of 5 will have heard the phrase “It’s not fair!”.

We all have an innate sense of fairness and of right and wrong. The problem is, we too often fall short of our own standards. But for the superhero, it’s all so clear: the bad guys are recognisable by their maleficent sounding names (Killmonger and Klaw) and desire to destroy the world. The superhero seeks to preserve and protect the world, punishing the evildoer in the process.

When your youth cheer at the end of an Avengers movie, they’re cheering because a world in peril has been restored. Isn’t that exactly what God promises us will happen when Christ returns?

But unlike at the end of a Marvel movie, which always includes an end-credits scene that points to the next movie to come in the franchise, when Christ returns, this world will be made new and the old order of things will pass away (Revelation 21:4).

Conversation starter: Talk about how awesome it is when the superheros save the day, but how annoying it is that it all gets messed up again in the next movie. Share your hope of heaven, when we won’t need anyone to save the day because God himself has made all things new.

Superheroes do what ordinary people can’t

Part of the escapism of superhero movies is that we can relate to someone so much better than ourselves. I can’t make robots like Iron Man, I can’t wield a hammer like Thor, and I can’t open multi-dimensional portals like Doctor Strange, but I can cheer along with them when they do. Paradoxically, superheroes both remind us that we are mere mortals and show us a better, more powerful, version of ourselves.

The young people we minister to are all too aware of their faults and flaws – be it through harsh feedback after a failed exam or by comparing themselves to Instagram influencers.

But instead of seeking escapism in the heroic image of Tony Stark and Stephen Strange, in Christ there is an even greater man, one who has been tempted in every way as we are but is without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

Moreover, the power of the superhero is limited only to them (unless Iron Man makes extra suits again), but God’s word tells us that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is at work in us, transforming us to be more and more like him (Romans 8:11).

Conversation starter: Talk about your favourite superhero and what it would be like to have his powers. Isn’t a little bit annoying they can’t share their powers? Jesus is different in that sense, talk about how.

Superheroes make tough sacrifices

You’d have to be made of stone not to shed a tear when Spider-Man told Tony Stark “I don’t feel so good” before fading away. Or, what about that iconic line “I am Iron Man” said by Tony as he gave his life to bring life back to half of the universe with a snap of the Infinity Gauntlet? Or, to take a detour into DC for a moment, what about when it looked like Batman sacrificed his life when he flew the nuclear bomb away from Gotham at the end of The Dark Knight Rises (only to turn up later at a café in Italy with Catwoman)?

The pattern of death and resurrection is common in superhero movies. This is because at their core, they are all trying to copy the most heroic act in history – Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection on the first Easter Sunday.

Conversation starter: Share your favourite death and resurrection moment from a superhero film – but remind your youth that these are just fantasies. But, when Jesus rose from the dead, he proved it to be true by appearing first to the apostles, then to 500 witnesses and finally to Paul on the Damascus road (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

The world is crying out for a hero, and while I love Marvel movies as much as the next punter, those stories are only pretend fantasies. However, in Christ we have a true hero, one who saves us from a villain worse than Klaw or Killmonger. In fact, the Bible tells me that at one time, we were God’s enemies (Romans 5:10), and yet Christ died for us.

The loss of Boseman and the success of Marvel movies reminds us how so many people in our lives are searching for a hero.

Is there someone you could share the good news about the true hero – Jesus Christ– this week?