Marvel Cinematic Universe
Superhero movies resonate with so many audiences. These heroes have abilities beyond human capacity and they fight for something bigger than themselves. They connect to us with the Biblical themes imprinted on our hearts.
Nearly every superhero has some sort of admirable quality, coupled with some sort of flaw. Superheroes represent a great gateway to discuss the perfect attributes of God. God is all-powerful and yet has none of the weaknesses. No superhero even comes close to Him.
Here's an overview of the primary characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe:
Tony Stark / Iron Man
Strengths: creative, intelligent, leadership
Weaknesses: pride, ego, sarcastic/unfriendly
Closest Biblical equivalent: Moses (did many mighty works but full of flaws/imperfections)
Steve Rogers / Captain America
Strengths: patriotism, loyalty, leadership
Weaknesses: pride, ego, not always open-minded
Closest Biblical equivalent: Joseph (humble beginning, suffered but stayed the course; his loyalty benefitted many)
Thor
Strengths: powerful, leadership
Weaknesses: pride, lacks self-control
Closest Biblical equivalent: King Saul (at times a good king; other times he was rejected for his disobedience)
Bruce Banner / Hulk
Strengths: physical strength, righteous anger
Weaknesses: lack of mental toughness, quick to anger
Closest Biblical equivalent: Goliath (more powerful than any other Philistine)
Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Strengths: persuasive, intelligent, encourager
Weaknesses: history of trauma, hasn't overcome her past mistakes
Closest Biblical equivalent: Ruth (a widow who persevered painful circumstances; full of bravery, faithfulness, and obedience)
Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
Strengths: strength, loyalty
Weaknesses: traumatic past, history of evil behavior
Closest Biblical equivalent: Paul (made terrible mistakes in his past, now making an impact for good)
Doctor Strange
Strengths: intelligent, knowledge about time
Weaknesses: pride, ego
Closest Biblical equivalent: Solomon (incredibly wise but with faults)
Peter Parker / Spider-Man
Strengths: optimistic, full of wonder, community servant
Weaknesses: takes on too much, inexperienced
Closest Biblical equivalent: David (given leadership at a young age)
Vision
Strengths: intelligent, powerful, superhuman
Weaknesses: mental attacks, detached from emotion
Closest Biblical equivalent: John (given the vision of Revelation)
T’Challa / Black Panther
Strengths: leadership, discernment, integrity, divine empowerment
Weaknesses: nationalism that is blind to outside needs, prone to vengeance
Closest Biblical equivalent: Abraham (father of many nations; brought unity to the different people of the world)
Peter Quill / Star-Lord
Strengths: leadership, quick-wit
Weaknesses: pride, acts before thinking, thief
Closest Biblical equivalent: Peter (impulsive, loyal, acts before thinking)
Loki
Strengths: loyal to family, agile, independent
Weaknesses: manipulative, liar, trickster
Closest Biblical equivalent: Jacob (tricks his older brother; wanted his blessing/birthright)
Thanos
Strengths: powerful, willing to make difficult decisions based on what he thinks is right
Weaknesses: murderer, isolated, cruel/unloving
Closest Biblical equivalent: Emperor Nero (violent, murderer, evil-doer, hunted Christians)
Captain Marvel
Strengths: morality/ethics, powerful
Weaknesses: over-confident, risk-taker, authoritative
Closest Biblical equivalent: Sarah (faithful, obedient, willing to leave comfort for God’s purposes)