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In a bazaar entry in Crisis Magazine, the author contends that the recent mega-hit Avengers: Infinity War is anti-Christian. His “proof” is a series of factual inaccuracies that suggest he has never actually seen the movies, and he ignores a long standing tradition of interpreting myth that undermines his claims.

This article will break down the central criticisms against the film and explore the traditional relationship of myth with Christianity. In particular, the article discusses how the modern understanding of Norse mythology comes through Christian writers, and how some of the greatest Christian writers incorporated aspects similar to those used in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that the author of the attack piece rejects.

1. False Claim: Thor is “pagan” and is antithetical to Christianity

The article claims, “The fact that the Norse god Thor is part of the modern pantheon of ‘superheroes’ definitely ought to raise eyebrows.”

For centuries, our modern versions of Norse myth have been deemed by scholars as a way to introduce Scandinavian pagans to Christian themes, or were written by Christian writers who deemed them no challenge to Christianity. The writers were Christian, and Anthony Faulkes (among many other critics) discussed how Snorri Sturluson (whose Edda is one of the most important sources on Norse myth) handled the matter of collecting “pagan” myths in a Christian era:

But although the prologue has a primarily narrative function, and the author does not obtrude his own personality into it, he does appear to be trying in it to define his attitude to the mythology he is presenting and to clarify the relationship of the religion implied by the mythological stories in Gylfaginning to his own beliefs and to the Christian culture within which he was writing. Undoubtedly one of his motives for including the prologue, and maybe the chief reason for the use of the frame device itself, was to avoid the criticism that his stories were dangerous to orthodoxy… He tries to fit it into the framework of universal history as he knew it from the Bible and other Christian writings. (Faulkes p. 3)

He goes on to point out that Snorri was not unique:

the author of the prologue relates his material to historical learning and explains the religion of his forefathers rationally as a groping towards truth by unenlightened heathens in a pre-Christian age. His aims thus appear to be very similar to those of the author of Skjƒldunga saga (Faulkes p. 3)

This historical approach is similar to how the Marvel Cinematic Universe treats Thor: a figure from history who was alien and powerful, and it was this power that led people into falsely attributing divinity to him.

2. False Claim: Thor is different from other medieval heroes and cannot be seen in a Christian light

The article claims, “The epic hero Beowulf can point to Christ in a way that Thor cannot. With no claim to deity, Beowulf cannot fairly be called a ‘false god.'”

Medieval scholar and famed writer, J. R. R. Tolkien would surely disagree. In his Middle Earth fictional universe, the Ainur and Maiar are two types of immortal entities based on the Norse Aesir and Vanir.

Few would try to deny that the staunch Catholic Tolkien would create a parallel system to Norse if such a system would not allow any understanding of Christianity. If anything, his novels can be seen as a complicated recreation of all medieval myth systems into one with Christianity being the central and most important aspect of the universe. On this issue, Andy Dimond explains why Tolkien found much appeal in Norse myth:

This points to an aspect of Ragnarok myth that is crucial in light of Tolkien’s work–its anticipation of the Christian era…. Therefore, Ragnarok, as we have it in these written sources can be seen as an interpretation of the original myth filtered through Christian sensibilities, neither entirely pagan nor completely Christian. (Diamond p. 184)

It is strange to see Beowulf and Thor seen in such different ways, especially when a medievalist would know that both were heavily Christianized. It is further strange that the author ignores how much Tolkien was so obviously indebted to Norse myth. These “gods” to Tolkien and (as discussed above) the original mythographers are merely super powered heroes and hold no challenge to a supreme God that lies at the center of Christianity.

3. False Claim: Dr. Strange uses magic and is evil

The article claims, “Doctor Strange seeks forbidden knowledge that he attains through eastern mysticism. This theme continues in Infinity War when Doctor Strange briefly holds a levitating pose imitating common representations of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma. ”

Returning to Tolkien, Gandalf, one of his central figures, is a wizard. This was not a coincidence but part of an old tradition. Throughout medieval literature, many Christian warriors deal with wizards who aid them in their quest. This is especially true of Sir Galahad, who is taken into Heaven when completing the Grail Quest. We cannot simply see “magic” and think “Satan” or “evil.”

Then there is the claim that the “levitating pose” imitates common representations of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma, which is just fantasy. Perhaps he is thinking that the “Indian style” of sitting with legs crossed is somehow limited to only India, instead of common to both Occidental and Oriental traditions. Even Christ has been depicted as sitting in this very manner, as it is the only way to sit upright while flat on the ground and keep balance.

The article then claims: ” In Doctor Strange’s myth of origin, this ‘Sorcerer Supreme’ gains magical powers by consulting the so-called “Book of Cagliostro” (Vol. 1, Issue 13, Jan. 1974)”

If one were to look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe wiki, then they would see just how mistaken the author is. The character in the film does not touch the book until after he has magical powers, and there is even a warning that it leads to darkness. As for the comics, the Marvel wiki points out the dark aspects of the book, and it was the Ancient One, not an evil book, that led Dr. Strange to his powers. These are sloppy errors done to suggest that Dr. Strange’s powers are dark.

4. False Claim: The Ancient One’s mark is a mockery of Christianity

The article claims, “The Ancient One and Kaecilius (the latter being named for a species of snake), both of whom have been initiated into “’the dark arts,’ share the same mark in the same place—upon the forehead precisely where a Bishop seals the lay faithful with chrism in the Rite of Confirmation”

The problem with this claim is that the author ignores the concept of the “third eye,” which is important to Buddhism and other religions. Both of these two characters draw corrupting power from an evil dimension, and it manifests upon their face to show they are corrupted. The Ancient One, in particular, is deemed to be a hypocrite.

The Doctor Strange film clearly puts her actions in the “evil” column and condemns them. It is strange, then, for the article to suggest that her evil actions somehow taints Dr. Strange when he refuses to indulge in the same behavior.

5. False Claim: Thanos means Theos (God)

The article claims, ” The import of Thanos’s character is elusive but discernible. While the name “Thanos” gives a nod to the Greek thanatos, meaning death, the name is pronounced clearly throughout the film as “thay-nos.” The cast’s ubiquitous suppression of the intervocalic ‘n’ causes Thanos’s name throughout the film to sound like the word theos, meaning god. ”

This is just ridiculous to anyone who has ever seen the film. The “n” in Thanos is overly pronounced, an emphasis that is hard to ignore. There is no dropping of the “n.” Furthermore, the first syllable is pronounced by all characters as “Thah” and not “Thay.” This, and other errors, suggests that the author has never actually seen any of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

6. Misc. False Claims

There are just so many errors throughout the article that show that the author could not get simple details correct.

At one point, the article claims, “Drax and Gamora fight on the side of “the good,” resisting Thanos’s Malthusian plan to destroy half of all living people.” This mention of Malthus can only be made by one who has never read the words of Thomas Malthus. Not only was Malthus a devout Christian (showing that the author slurs Christians more than Marvel does), he never advocated for killing populations. To the contrary, he believed that child birth would naturally decrease as resources become scarce.

To compare Thanos’s willful murder of half of the universe’s population to an individual who stressed that governmental population control was unnecessary represents a baffling level of ignorance.

At another time, the article claims, “In short, Thanos wants to be, and in the end becomes, supreme over all other ‘superheroes’ or ‘gods.'” Never does Thanos say he wants to be a god. Instead, he wants to “save” the universe from destruction caused by overpopulation. His ambitions are solely from his nihilistic obsession with death.

On Facebook, the author further exposed his ignorance when asking, “What does it mean that Thor harnesses the power of the rainbow bridge Bifrost in his attempt to kill the “bad guy” in the latest Avengers film?” Asgard was destroyed in Thor: Ragnarok, and Thor never attempted to use the Bifrost to destroy anyone. Instead, this was a bad attempt at gay panic to frighten people into clicking on his article.

In Summary

The original article was ignorant clickbait in its worst forms. It preyed upon the fear of an audience to drive traffic while providing nothing of substance or honesty.

At no time do any Marvel Cinematic Universe films attack or undermine Christianity, and they have gone to great lengths to avoid any negative statements on the topic. Instead, the few mentions are playful jokes that acknowledge Jesus without ever casting doubt upon his divinity. Those “gods” and the “magic” that exist are explained away as an advanced understanding of the universe, with technology appearing as magic to those who do not understand. While it might seem startling to some that mandalas and other complex geometries are used to harness power, Merlin used many similar powers to guide heroes in the past.

The Marvel heroes are connected to universal tropes that have appeared in the works of every culture. The use of “pagan” and “mystical” elements is not a threat to Christianity, and some of the most respected Christian writers, especially Tolkien, make heavy use of them in their works. The level of sheer ignorance and factual inaccuracy suggests that this truth does not matter to the author. He had an agenda and wanted to force it regardless of what reality would allow.