More than Superheroes

Civil War: I side with Iron Man

 civil-war-official-trailer-iron-man-war-machine-726833I love that the conflict in Captain America: Civil War is a battle of ideologies. Both sides of the argument have valid reasons and because of that, neither Iron Man nor Captain America is a villain. They both remain heroes. I think the movie did a better job than even the comic in that both characters were presented in a fairly positive light. In the comic, it was easier to view Iron Man negatively. In the end, whether you are talking about the comic event or the recent blockbuster movie, I agree with Iron Man’s point of view.

Iron Man is saying that superheroes need to work under the authority of the government. There are many reasons that he feels this way. He laments the fact that there was collateral damage during the battles which the superheroes fought. Innocent people died. During these battles the superheroes were essentially acting as vigilantes. Especially in Sokovia and later in Lagos, the Avengers were acting on their own. No government had asked them or even ordered them to get involved in those situations. Iron Man thinks that superheroes will be better suited for their work if they work with the government and if they are better trained for their responsibilities.

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Captain America is on the other side of the argument. He feels that superheroes need to operate independently of government control. He thinks that they won’t be able to do their job if politicians are trying to dictate what they can or cannot do. He trusts that superheroes will do the right thing and that they will work to protect innocent lives. I struggle with his point of view for a few reasons. One is that Captain America feels that just because he makes very good decisions, all other superheroes will follow his lead and make good choices. However, Cap is quite unique. At his core, he is a very moral person. Not everyone shares his morality. Some heroes might view themselves as judge, jury, and executioner. This would be a terrible abuse of power and free choice. Cap will almost always do the right thing, but that is not true of everyone with powers.

My main reason for supporting Iron Man goes back to a scriptural reason.  I go to what God has to say about the governing authorities and the power that they have. I look at Romans 13:1-4, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”

The proper response is to submit to the governing authorities that God has established. God has established earthly governments. God wants us to obey our government. Now there is a time when disobeying the government is an option. We can disobey the government if they tell us to go against God and his Word. Peter says in the book of Acts, “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29). If the government would demand that we stop preaching about Jesus, we would have to disobey them because God’s directive to proclaim the gospel is more important. On the other hand, if the government is not telling us to disobey God, we are to submit to their other laws and directives because God tells us to submit. In the argument about superheroes submitting to the government authority, it has nothing to do with the government going against God’s plan.

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Captain America might argue that some government officials carry out evil actions. While this is true, it is also true that every human being carries out evil actions. This doesn’t mean that those officials are not the proper God appointed authorities. We still have to work under the authorities that God has established. The problem for us as human beings is that by nature we always want to rebel against authorities. We don’t even like to submit ourselves to God’s authority. We don’t like to obey his commands. We want to do whatever we want to do. And many times, what we want is something that is sinful. All people, whether serving as government leader or citizen, will commit sins. The difference is that God has set up systems of authority that are to be followed. We obey parents, government, spiritual leaders and others in authority.

It is such an amazing blessing that Jesus earned us forgiveness for the times that we have been disobedient to those in authority. Jesus always obeyed the governing authorities. He obeyed them all the way to his death. He was put on trial for sins that he had never committed. He submitted himself to Pilate. He submitted himself to the death sentence. He certainly didn’t deserve that sentence. But he did not fight back. He did not rebel. He did that to earn forgiveness and eternal life for us. Because of that wonderful forgiveness, we are strengthened so that we can strive to submit ourselves to the authorities over us. We do obey and we also make use of the appropriate ways to voice our disagreements. Even the apostles told the authorities that they had to obey God rather than men.

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If I were a superhero Christian, I would agree with Iron Man. While Cap is right that our freedom of choice is important, it still has to be understood correctly. I have freedoms but I still submit myself to God’s requirements because I love Jesus and appreciate his forgiveness. Also, when superheroes use their powers to fight evil, it would be appropriate for them to do so as an agency of the government since the government has the power of the sword. Ultimately, this debate remains in the realm of fiction, at least for now. Thankfully Jesus has already defeated the greatest evil for me. I don’t need government sponsored superheroes to fight my greatest battle. Jesus defeated Satan and now I have forgiveness. Motivated by this forgiveness we can serve God and his authorities.

road to civil warCivil War History

The Civil War event had lots of side stories that add to the overall story. A collected edition called “Road to Civil War” gives important details about Iron Man’s thinking going into Civil War. Part of the reason he supported Superhero Registration with the government was because he wanted the Superheroes to be able to act as a unified military force in case of alien invasion. Therefore he wanted all Superheroes to be registered and trained so that they could be well prepared. This line of thought ties in with the movie universe. Iron Man knows that big threats are still coming because of his vision in Age of Ultron. He even makes the comment in Captain America: Civil War that if they sign the Accords they will be able to make improvements to the system later. Iron Man views registration as a necessary step to improving the fighting abilities and organization of Superheroes.

I am a Lutheran pastor who is currently serving at Trinity in Belle Plaine, MN. My wife is Megan and my daughter is Elizabeth "Libby". I have two dogs (Labradors) - Samson and Charlie. In my spare time, I train for and run in marathons, I cheer for the Green Bay Packers, and I love the Comic Book genre of entertainment.

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