WEEK THREE: WAKANDA FOREVER

The entertainment industry has been in a big superhero phase for the past several years. We all love the stories of people with special powers coming to the rescue when villains threaten the safety of the community, the country, the whole world, or even the entire universe and beyond! In these movies and shows, we look to these gifted and strong protagonists as beacons of hope; it seems like no matter what happens, the superheroes will win.

Spoiler alert…

Sometimes, our heroes fall. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans came to know and love the character of The Black Panther, the prince turned king and hero of the nation of Wakanda. When the actor who played this character in the films tragically passed away, the creators of the franchise chose to honor his memory by allowing audiences to mourn through the story as the people of Wakanda cope with the loss of their beloved leader. And this isn’t the first time that comic books and superhero movies have openly addressed the subject of death and loss. The widely popular character Spider-man has seen several movie adaptations in recent years, and now these different iterations of his story are overlapping in movies that include the concept of a multiverse (or in this case, a “Spider-verse”) where multiple versions of Spider-man exist in different worlds. But we find that, in each version of the Spider-man story, the young hero faces the painful death of a loved one that drastically shapes the person they will become. It is as though this “canon event” in their story is inevitable and a necessary part of their journey.

Death is something everyone will experience. We are well aware of this reality, so why do death and loss feel so unnatural? When we lose someone close to us, we are deeply impacted. The process of grief can feel so overwhelming, it can feel like we’ll never be whole again. We’ve all heard of the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance), but contrary to popular belief, these stages don’t typically happen in a tidy order, moving sequentially from one stage to the next. Instead, many have described grief like a pinball machine: you may bounce around from one stage to another and then back again, and even when you feel as though you have hit all of the stages and settled… something can trigger your memories or emotions that sets the ball right back into motion (causing waves of that grief to resurface unexpectedly). 

Most of the scripts of these superhero movies include reflections on the pain of loss, and almost all of the heroes credit their experience with death as an important part of making them who they are. It is very important to grieve when we lose someone we love, and it is important to face all of the emotions and responses that may come in the process. But as followers of Jesus, we know that there is one hero who has overcome death. When Jesus suffered and died on the cross, he experienced all the sorrow, pain, and grief that we will ever feel; through his sacrifice and miraculous resurrection, he conquered death and made it possible for us to have eternal life through him. If we accept the gift of forgiveness and redemption that he offers us, we can experience peace and wholeness knowing that there is life after death for those who believe in the living hope of Jesus!