SPOILER ALERT: This blog post has spoilers! If you haven’t finished watching WandaVision yet, you may want to do that and then come back to this post if you are interested.
Together with my wife and our 22 year old daughter, I eagerly watched the final vision of WandaVision Friday night. We all enjoyed it.
The special effects, the acting, and the story telling were all up to the normal high standards of Marvel. But when I watch a story, I also care deeply about how it connects with God’s truth. Marvel is not a Christian organization, so I don’t expect direct and explicit connections. But if a story is moving and meaningful in any good way, it almost certainly has some relation to the real story we experience in God’s real world. Our family likes to talk about these spiritual connections and reflect on them. In WandaVision, many of these connections are related to the loss, tragedy, and trauma that Wanda has suffered.
Wanda’s life has been filled with a lot of terrible tragedy, loss, trauma, and evil. She has seen a lot of death. Her parents were killed by a bomb in front of her as a child and her brother died in a battle they were fighting in. But these losses were not what hurt her the most. In a valiant attempt to save half of humanity, and at his own earnest request, she herself had to kill her closest friend and deep love: Vision. And then she is denied the opportunity to even give him a decent burial. It’s not surprising that Wanda experiences a type of severe breakdown. I’m actually glad that Marvel shows some of the damage to their characters and even some of their wrong responses to the evil they face and experience (for example, Thor wrongly responds to lots of loss with substance abuse). It isn’t healthy to pretend that people (even superheroes) could lose so much and not be affected by it. Some of the connections to Christian truth that I see in WandaVision are related to our responses to loss and evil.
Do people in real life suffer as much loss and face as much evil as Wanda does in Marvel’s world? Sadly, sometimes we do. Around the world people are bombed and slaughtered in many places. And even in relatively peaceful spots, loved ones die from cancer, accidents, and murder. I’ve been in pastoral ministry for many years and as a result I’m often graciously used by God to help comfort and encourage people who have faced all types of loss. Wanda’s story is of course fiction, and yet her loss and suffering are things that people in our real world can relate to far too often.
With that long introduction, I would like to share seven ways in which WandaVision connects to Christian truths (whether or not anyone at Marvel intended this, I do not know).
#1 Wanda’s Desire to be with Vision Again
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel's voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 CSB17)
I have preached at many funerals and have visited with families during the days leading up to the funeral and afterwards. They miss their loved ones. Wanda misses Vision. She wants to see him again. She uses magic to create a new Vision. Christians have something better. Based on God’s Word that never fails, we can be confident that one day we will be with our loved ones who died in Christ. Unlike Wanda and Vision, once we are reunited with loved ones at the resurrection, we will never be separated by death again. And what of those who lose loved ones who were not (as far as we can tell) saved? This is a painful loss, but it will be made up for by a vast multitude of brothers and sisters in Christ in eternity whom we will grow to love more deeply than even the closest ties on earth allow.
We mourn the temporary loss of Christian loved ones, but we “. . . do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13, NIV). Our grieving is mixed with glorious hope, and this helps us to grieve in more healthy ways. Which brings us to the second connection . . .
#2 Wanda’s desire to control her shattered world
7 My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge.Selah
(Ps. 62:7-8 CSB17)
A common response to a shattered world is to try to create a safe place where we control everyone and everything so that we cannot be hurt anymore. Due to her powers, Wanda is able to take this to an extreme. Even in real life, some people do use whatever power they have to try to control others in unhealthy ways. I’m glad that WandaVision did not shrink back from showing how harmful this can be to the people being controlled and manipulated. What Wanda was doing was wrong, and at one point Vision points this out to her. She finally comes to see it herself.
As Christians, we have a better option. We can trust God to control our world and all the things we can’t control, or shouldn’t try to control. We can believe His promises that He uses all things for the good of those who love Him. We know that even if He allows us to suffer harm, in the end it will turn out for our good if we keep trusting Him:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. (Rom. 8:18 CSB17)
Even with this knowledge, Christians can be tempted to try to control others in unhealthy ways. WandaVision can serve as a type of warning tale against this behavior.
#3 Our sense of control is an illusion: there are hidden evil forces at work
Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. (1 Pet. 5:8 CSB17)
Wanda thinks she is in control, and in some ways she certainly is, but there is another force at work. Agatha has seen Wanda’s wrong response to pain and moves in to try to take advantage of the situation with evil motives. Likewise, when people misuse power to control others, it may seem like they are getting their way. But the devil will use their sin to harm them and others. Unlike Agatha, Satan is real. And we can’t defeat him by being clever. We can only defeat the devil by submitting to Christ and depending on the power of God.
#4 Wanda’s sacrifice for the good of her neighbors
and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. (Eph. 5:2 CSB17)
When Wanda realizes the harm that her magical control of her neighbors is doing to them, she releases them all from her control even at great cost to herself. This is an act of Christ-like love. We are called to love others in the same way.
#5 Lots of courageous characters
Be strong and courageous; don't be terrified or afraid of them. For the LORD your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. (Deut. 31:6 CSB17)
A consistent theme in Marvel stories is that there are characters who show great courage in the face of terrible danger and evil. This isn’t as easy as they make it look! Not only Wanda and Vision, but also characters like Monica Rambeau, Darcy Lewis, and Jimmy Woo all willingly face danger to help others.
Does God ask Christians today to face danger to help save others? Yes! God calls Christians to go to dark and dangerous places in order to tell His good news and share His love. Christians often go to the darkest and most difficult spots in the world in obedience to His call.
#6 Vision’s question about his identity
See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God's children-- and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn't know him. (1 Jn. 3:1 CSB17)
Vision asks Wanda who he is. A deep part of his identity is based on her love for him. As Christians, our deepest identity is based on the Father’s love for us. We are His children. Created by Him. Saved by Him. Hallelujah!
#7 Witchcraft in Marvel’s fiction world vs. our real world
No one among you is to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire, practice divination, tell fortunes, interpret omens, practice sorcery, (Deuteronomy 18:10 CSB17)
In Marvel’s fictional world, witchcraft and sorcery can be used for either good or evil. We have seen this with Dr. Strange, and now we see it with Wanda and Agatha. But in the real world we live in witchcraft and related occult activity is contrary to God’s will. The Bible treats it as a serious and dangerous sin, and so should we. We should not dabble in or play with things like Ouija boards, Tarot cards, fortune telling, horoscopes, magic talismans, or anything at all like that. I think it is ok to watch things like WandaVision as long as we do not feel tempted by occult like power. Many of us might laugh at the thought that anyone would actually get involved in such things. But many do.
Conclusion
Wanda suffered terrible loss and severe trauma. She responds in a way that is understandable, but still sinful. It hurts other people. But in the end, she does what is right. Thankfully, when we experience terrible loss and severe trauma in the real world, God gives us resources that are stronger than the Hulk and more powerful than Thor’s hammer to deal with it. We have the mighty promises of God. He Himself is with us. Wanda did not know of these wonderful promises and in the fictional Marvel world there is no evidence of what we need most to face terrible evil: namely, a God who is both good and also more powerful than all evil, a God who loves us. Praise God, for those who know Christ, the real world is much better than anything Wanda can imagine or conjure up.
Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .
If you liked this, you might like these blog posts:
Thanatos is a worse enemy than Thanos
When a superhero just won’t do
Speaking of suffering is not an easy thing.even if you're a long time believer.when suffering hits you over and over you finally get weak.you feel that you can'n go on.but there's still a hope.Jesus our lord is going to be with his children at all times.He doesn't promise us the end of suffering.he promises that He will be giving us the strengh to deal with pain and suffering.
ReplyDelete