The Spirituality of Iron Man, (and comic book movies in general): A Review

Iron Man, starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges, is the newest movie from Marvel Productions to hit the big screen. It is the first blockbuster of the summer, and a long-awaited film among comic fans. One may wonder why a review of Iron Man is on a blog pertaining to spirituality: Over the past few years, a slough of Marvel movies, including Spiderman, Fantastic Four, and X-Men have captivated audiences world-wide. Just as the Terminator, Rambo, and numerous Cold War movies defined unrest in the 1980s; and The Matrix defined various concerns of Millennials; the Marvel movies (and comic-book movies in general) over the past decade may very well define the deepest dreams and values of the next generation of movie goers . . . and Christians. We cannot help but explore how these movies can impact and even shape spirituality amongst audiences.

(Spoiler Alert!) Iron Man follows a CEO Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) of a military weapons manufacturer. Stark is a freewheeling playboy who has everything a worldly man could ever want: cars, girls, and gadgets . . . lots of gadgets. The movie opens with Stark being taken as a hostage by Afghan terrorists and made to build a special rocket system called the Jericho Rocket. Under the guise of the project, Stark instead builds an iron suit that enables him to escape; he later perfects the blueprints and builds a more advanced armored suit. Soon after, he finds out that the Afghan terrorists are actually funded and supplied by his own company under the table and at the hands of his partner, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges).

As a result of his torture and escape, Stark realizes that his life had been wasted on materialism; once free, he finds new meaning as a person who can rid the world of weapons and evil. His iron suit is just the ticket he needs to change the world one bad guy at a time. At one point of the movie, Stark reflects, "I'm alive for a reason; I must do this."

Iron Man is an energetic and fast-paced thriller that audiences have come to expect from Marvel Productions. Unlike some of its cinematic forebears, Iron Man is geared towards a more mature audience because of its high-wheeling attitude, which includes some heavy drinking and a scantily-choreographed sex scene. At the heart of the movie, and the reason for this review, is the movie's thematic movement in which Stark--once self-centered and profit-driven--becomes savior and pariah, one who sacrifices himself for the betterment of humanity.

For every comic-book movie (which I have come to call them), there are two types of plots. Some films (Spiderman, X-Men, and to some extent Fantastic Four) develop an underdog hero in which normal people take on super-heroic traits. Spiderman does this best as the weaselly and nerdy Toby Maguire plays the meager role of Peter Parker. The underdog hero usually surfaces within a middle-class world to become a star-studded Christ-figure, complete with the crucible of pride and self-doubt.

The second type of plot, which Ironman follows to the letter, finds its hero from a more upper class strata of society. This plot contains a (selfish) gazillionair who eventually recognizes that relationships and self-sacrifice is more important than money, gadgets, and crass independence (see also Batman Begins). Unlike the underdog hero who finds a unique super power from within, the millionaire Savior has money to fund really cool gadgets that enable superhuman feats to overcome adversaries (who are also usually wealthy and resourceful, but use their wealth for the attainment of greater power).

The popularity of both types of movie storylines, and of the Marvel franchise in general (Marvel has raked in somewhere around $4.9 billion gross-to-date worldwide at the box office), has struck a chord with the spiritual subconscious of movie goers. On a positive note, comic-book based movies reflect values that bring out the best in American middle-class convictions:

Human Achievement: Despite their many weaknesses, superheroes become heroes precisely because of their willingness to experience what it means to be human--the ability to believe in oneself, overcome obstacles, and persevere against hardships and adversaries against all odds.

Sacrifice: Achievement never comes without sacrifice. The hero usually sacrifices him- (or her-)self in order to bring about peace and justice against a foe. The hero learns what it means to be selfless and to serve humanity, rather than to continue in a lifestyle that focuses on power and prestige.

Redemption: In many movies, the narrative of redemption allows heroes to free themselves from weaknesses and failures. This has been the on-going theme of X-Men, in which the roguish Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) constantly battles himself as he battles his foes. Wolverine's battles are metaphors for his battle to redeem himself from his stained past.

Peace in a world filled with terror: The lessons in many comic films, especially Iron Man, is the realization that war and the armament race among nations only furthers the downward spiral of violence and war. Although many Marvel films originate in the midst of war and terror, the films have a heavy subplot in which peace is the universal goal of all humankind.

Despite these positive attributes that have the power to shape public values and audience's spiritual sensibilities, many themes in the comic-book movies have negative undertones:

Human achievement is accomplished through secular means: Heroes overcome their foes by finding the power within themselves. The idea that a Transcendent Other (God) exists is left out of the narratives entirely, and the result is that of a mechanical world in which evil and good co-exist, and that it's up to humans to right the wrongs of evil.

Values that originate out of a western, nationalist worldview: The values that many superheros hold are uniquely American and uniquely nationalistic. Values, such as independence and autonomy, hard work and ingenuity, and law-driven justice, reinforce America as a sort of police officer of the world. Recent films that have contrasted American might over and against terrorists of other countries and have depicted stereotypical cultures (this includes, to a large extent Transformers) perpetuate this worldview. Comic book movies reinforce the power and the righteousness of the American empire in the midst of a broken world.

Violence and Hammurabi's Law: Justice and the American way of handling evil is reinforced, not through non-violent resistance or protest, but through violent means that include, among other things, big explosions, lots of guns, and hand-to-hand combat. In Iron Man, for instance, the only way to fight violent forces that oppress humans are to use violent reactive forces that also inextricably threaten the lives of humans. Many movies rarely, if ever, explore the human collateral damage, much less the grief that happens in the wake of these numerous epic battles between the hero and villain. Furthermore, Hammurabi's Law ("an eye for an eye") motivates vigilantism that utilizes questionable means to produce questionable ends. Although heroes come out as "Christ-figures," their methods of exacting justice are antithetical to the ways of Christ. Christ states, "Blessed are the peacemakers;" in Marvel films, the peacemakers are dults that are both naive and ineffective.

Noncommittal approaches to relationships: Are there any heroes that actually have wives, husbands, or children (except for the Shoveler in Mystery Men)? I can't think of any. Instead, heroes are accustomed to dating their damsels in distress, and engage in relationships with people without the commitment of marriage. Although most comic book movies avoid depicting graphic sex on screen, intimacy and sexual relations outside of the bonds of marriage are usually implied. Families and marriage play a very little role in superhero movies; the decline of marriage and the incline of divorce in society merely reinforce this trend towards recreational relationships.

Appeal to younger audiences: Lunchboxes, backpacks, toys, and other paraphernalia give the false impression that comic book movies are for young audiences. Most movies are not. Despite PG-13 ratings, very little on screen blood, and no sex and frills; hardly a Marvel movie is made for young audiences. Freewheeling attitudes of heroes (Spiderman III, for instance) sends out a sublimal messages to young audiences that exploits both women and relationships. Also, violence plays a part in adolescent and pre-teen development, and Marvel movies are filled with endless battle scenes in which villains, as well as civilians, are killed in the most violent scenarios (in Iron Man, many civilians are killed due to terrorist raids and executions).

The popularity of comic book movies, of which Iron Man is only one, will continue to reflect society's deepest anxieties (war on terror, justice, middle class angst) and therefore shape spiritual moors of audiences that take in its violent overtones and questionable moral undertones.

The allure of these movies, however, reveal spiritual nuances in American audiences that are ripe for the Gospel. People are hungry for Christ-like heroes, justice, peace, redemption, sacrifice, and meaning (heroes are middle class folks that make a difference!); people need a Christ Messiah that is tough, relevant, and dynamically meaningful, and can take on the anxieties that plaque American audiences. Unfortunately, Christ's insistence on non-violent resistance is naturally counter-cultural, especially in a society in which justice is brought about by violent means. But penchant for violence merely shows that humanity is still in need of a Savior--one who makes relationships right and sufferings to cease.

This originally ran on www.baptistspirituality.com on May 10, 2008.