Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "the-avengers"

It can mount a strong challenge and defeat the forces of evil if it can avoid being torn apart by its own petty rivalries, divisions, and personality conflicts.

This applies to the original Avengers created by Stan Lee in 1963. However, it can also apply to most churches and Christian groups in the 21st Century.

The Avengers were formed in September 1963 as Marvel answer to the Justice League. The President of Marvel had mentioned the success DC had been having with the Justice League a couple years earlier, but Stan Lee had responded with something entirely different in the Fantastic Four which was entirely different. Four friends become superheroes when exposed to cosmic rays. It's different from the Justice League's amalgamation of a superhero all-star team.

The Avengers would be that, although it would lack Marvel two great stars Spider-man and the Fantastic Four. The first Avenger line up featured Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, the Ant Man and the Wasp.

In the first issue, they came together after Thor's brother Loki had attempted to frame the Hulk. It occurs that with the Ant Man and the Wasp that with all of their diverse powers, they could make a wonderful team.

The Hulk, constantly threatened and on the run sees hope that this new team will allow him a better life declaring, "I'm sick of being hunted and hounded. I'd rather be with you than against you." Thus a great team is formed to fight evil in the Marvel Universe.

That's in Issue 1.

Well then comes Issue 2, and the team is quickly picking at each other. Thor is going after Hulk's dress. Though, at the same time Wasp is hinting that Thor needs a haircut. Then along comes the Space Phantom. He's a shapeshifting alien that plans to destroy the Avengers. He is able to take on someone's physical characteristics while they disappear elsewhere. His plan is to get the Avengers at each other's throats while impersonating Hulk. He then moves on and replaces most of the Avengers. Of course, they don't know the Space Phantom's game and so his fellow Avengers ended up fighting him.

The Hulk declares at the end of the issue, "I never suspected how much each of you hates me deep down! I could tell by the way you fought me...By the remarks you made." The Hulk then returned to his lonely life and would end up batting his Avengers in Issue 3.

Reading this, I couldn't help but be struck with a sense of de ja vu. No, I don't turn into a green creature who wears Purple Pants or have my own suit of armor. But I've seen and been in these situations in Christian contexts where petty issues and jealousies hinder what could have been a great work as the main thing becomes the secondary thing.

The story in Avengers #2 spoke to me so much when I read [book:Essential Avengers, Vol. 1|555896 because the Space Phantom had the same aims at Satan does in fighting good devices by the church: He gets us at each other's throats rather than the work God intended us to do.

And some of us have been Thors, picking at differences and treating some people poorly and with suspicion rather than grace. Some of us have been Hulks who turned to a church or ministry to find rest for our souls and an opportunity to serve, but instead found gossiping and suspicion instead.

The good news is that unlike the Avengers, we can turn to God for forgiveness, healing, and the wisdom to be wise in our relations with fellow believers.

The Internet is a repository of useless facts and trivia. One piece that's missing as far as I can tell is the first use of the Avengers catchphrase, "Avengers Assemble!"

No one's sat down to chronicle it. Having read Essential Avengers, Vol. 1, I can now fill in that gap in our knowledge. "Avengers assemble!" was first used in Avengers #10 by Thor in a battle with the Masters of Evil and Immortus.

And now, the Internet is complete...