More than Superheroes

Spider-man: Wearing a mask

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In only a few short months, Spider-man will be returning to the movie theaters in Captain America: Civil War. It has not yet been revealed exactly what he will be doing in the film. Fans of the Civil War comic event know that Spider-man had a very memorable moment which probably won’t be repeated on screen. In the comics, in order to show support for the Superhuman Registration Act, Spider-man revealed to the world that he is Peter Parker. The reason I believe that this scene will not appear in the movie is because secret identities are not much of an issue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

However, in comic books and most movie universes, many superheroes wear a mask. The purpose is simple. They want to protect their identity. They don’t want their real identity to be public knowledge because then they could be attacked at any time of day and their loved ones would also be in danger. Having a secret identity is very important for Spider-man. He has learned the hard way that terrible things happen when people know that Peter Parker is Spider-man.

Going back to the Spider-man movie from 2002, we see Spider-man in a difficult situation. Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, figures out that Spider-man is actually Peter Parker. After he learns this, the Goblin attacks Peter’s Aunt May and puts her in the hospital. In addition to that, the Goblin kidnaps Mary Jane Watson and uses her as bait to lure Spider-man into a battle.

green goblin

Spider-man is able to save Mary Jane and several civilians during the battle. In the end, Spider-man is victorious but the Green Goblin ends up perishing because he became the victim of a trap that he was trying to use against Spider-man. After seeing the all the collateral damage that was caused by just one villain knowing his secret identity, Spider-man works very hard to conceal that he is Peter Parker.

Peter Parker has a very good reason for hiding the fact that he is Spider-man. He wants to keep his loved ones safe. He puts himself at risk every time he goes out to fight a super villain. He doesn’t want anyone else to have their life endangered because of him. His motivations are very noble and I absolutely think that it is a good thing for Spider-man to conceal his identity.

To get the maximum effect out of cheapest cialis professional Kamagra consume it on empty stomach. 3. buy generic viagra This is the reason that a lot of customers prefer making purchases through cash on delivery. Symptoms of Body glucose level below 60-65 milligrams/decilitre- Shakiness, feeling of hunger, little racing of heart. b. tadalafil online canada bought here How effective the cheap price viagra is? This anti-impotency drug is quite widely available. Even though I think it makes perfect sense for a superhero to wear a mask, Christians are to do the exact opposite regarding our faith. We should not hide the fact that we are a Christian. However, that is exactly what we are tempted to do. We don’t want people to know that we are different. We don’t want to be labeled. We don’t want to be persecuted because of our faith.

Think about what Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew. He says in chapter 5 verses 14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Jesus wants us to let our light of faith shine so that we can share his love with others. People can see the good that we do and they can see that as a fruit of our faith. When people see our light of faith it gives us opportunity to share the gospel with them. We can share the forgiveness that has been shown to us. Jesus has forgiven us for the times that we have hidden our faith out of fear. We appreciate our own forgiveness and can help others see that they are forgiven.

It is interesting that Spider-man is persecuted because he keeps his identity secret. J Jonah Jameson, editor of the Daily Bugle newspaper, continues to call Spider-man a menace to society. Jameson acts like Spider-man is a villain who is hiding something simply because he won’t take off his mask. But Peter knows better. He knows the difficulty and possible heartache that will result if his identity is known. So he endures the media persecution.

We at times are going to endure persecution if people know about our faith in Christ. That too is something that is good to endure. We share our faith with good reason. We want others to know the love of Jesus. We want them to join us in heaven. Peter Parker hides his identity so that he can save others from calamity. When people know our identity as Christians, then we are able to work toward a greater good. We reveal our identity as Christians so that we can help others be saved eternally. We want them to know their forgiveness in Christ.

Spider-man History

The Clone Saga was a huge event from the 90’s in Spider-man comics. The event started because a villain Clone Saganamed the Jackal made a clone of Spider-man. Peter thought that the original clone died but that was not true. The clone started calling himself Ben Reilly and living his own life. Ben eventually returned to New York and started being a superhero called the Scarlet Spider. Peter and Ben are both living as Spider-heroes. Many events happen throughout the saga but there are interesting moments of questioning one’s identity when neither Peter nor Ben knows for sure which one is the clone. Also, Peter contemplates retiring from being Spider-man because of his love for Mary Jane. Peter is ready to let Ben become the only Spider-man. Eventually Peter has to take up his role again as the one true Spider-man because of the return of the Green Goblin.

 

I am a Lutheran pastor who is currently serving at Trinity in Belle Plaine, MN. My wife is Megan and my daughter is Elizabeth "Libby". I have two dogs (Labradors) - Samson and Charlie. In my spare time, I train for and run in marathons, I cheer for the Green Bay Packers, and I love the Comic Book genre of entertainment.

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