Let’s all be a little honest here. If you had told any of us ten years ago that the biggest movie of the year would feature a talking raccoon, a giant tree, star Chris Pratt from Parks and Rec., take place entirely in space, have very little to do with Earth or even the fate of humanity, and that this movie was aimed primarily at adults as well as adolescents, we probably would have laughed in your face. And yet here we are.
Guardians of the Galaxy is setting records for its August opening, and critics (mostly) loved it. Marvel continues to deliver the types of films that keep us coming back for more. We would probably see just about any movie at this point by that franchise (something I think they know, and might have been laughing to themselves about with the Easter egg at the end of the credits.)
But Marvel has earned our allegiance by making films that give us an experience, and these are the types of experiences that should interest the theologian. What did we experience during Guardians of the Galaxy that was so satisfying? What might it say about God or about us?
While many things contribute to our overall enjoyment of Guardians of the Galaxy, I think that the film offers a unique, powerful perspective on what it means to be heroic in the midst of brokenness, a perspective that differs from the other kinds of heroism we’ve seen in the Marvel Universe. Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and the like fight out of some form of idealism – they believe themselves to be good, and act out of that belief. The Guardians of the Galaxy, however, fight for a very different reason.
When Chris Pratt’s character, Peter Quill, gives his rousing speech to call the Guardians to action, the speech does not have a familiar ring to it. He does not implore them to “do the right thing” or to be selfless or even to be heroes. His most dynamic line simply suggests that the universe has given them a chance to “give a shit.”
Quill acknowledges the brokenness they’ve all experienced; Peter losing his mother and being abducted from Earth; Gamora’s loss of her own family and abandonment of/by another; Rocket Raccoon’s being the result of a horrific experiment; Drax losing his wife and daughter before his own eyes. In the face of such loss, it would be easy to simply check out of the world, going on selfishly in the universe, simply hoping to numb the pain and lead out one’s life.
Quill does not ask them to become heroes. He simply asks them to engage again, to let the needs of others shape their own journeys and destinies. And though we don’t see a large transformation in the characters by the end of the film, we are left with the impression that their own redemption, or salvation, or recovery comes from their willingness to engage the world and participate in it, even in the act of saving it.
I can’t help but think about Jeremiah 29 in this instance. One of the Bible’s most quoted verses is Jeremiah 29:11, which reads, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (NRSV) Like most individual verses quoted from scripture, to read this verse on its own ignores its context. To be sure, everyone can find some peace from this verse, knowing that God intends for our welfare. But what exactly is this welfare?
Opening up the chapter a little wider gives us a clue. The word used for “welfare” is the classic Hebrew word “shalom,” meaning peace and wholeness. This word is used several times just a few verses before, in verse 7: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” So every time that Jeremiah 29:11 is quoted, in a Facebook thread or on a bumper sticker, Jeremiah 29:7 is in the background, calling us to see exactly what it means to find this “welfare” or “shalom” that God has for us. We find it by seeking the “welfare” and “shalom” of the world and local community in which we find ourselves.
Is this not what the Guardians do? Sure, we may not see “salvation” play out on the screen, but it is this same engagement – in the midst of their own experiences of exile – wherein they choose to seek the welfare of the Universe, and find their highest calling and redemption. In it, they find each other.
The sequels and crossovers will likely continue to build on these themes, perhaps showing further glimpses of redemption for these characters, but in this movie we see a unique demonstration of true hope in the midst of darkness. Just as Israel, in the midst of their own Exile, was called to find salvation by seeking the salvation of the city they didn’t belong to, so did the broken, crass, selfish and unheroic Guardians find their own path to redemption by seizing the opportunity to “give a shit” and care about the world they inhabit rather than ignore it. This may not be “classic heroism,” by any means, but it just might be “classic redemption.”
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