Avengers Infinity War for All Humanity's Fundamental Right to Life

Hollywood, you did it again. I went to see the Avengers Infinity War (AIW) to be entertained and somewhat inspired, as most superhero films do, and, like “A Quiet Place” (2018), I was pleasantly surprised by its’ strong pro-life message. Avengers may not have its’ superheroes overtly carrying signs in front of Planned Parenthood Clinics to defend the unborn, or depicted in a March for Lives on Washington DC; However, through its’ villain, Thanos, and his adopted daughter, superhero Gamora, this film piercingly speaks to a modern day culture of death with a particular mindset that self-righteously takes on the role of God – namely, to bend reality to one’s own will and take on the power to decide who should live and die based on their limited view of what the future world will be like and what will be best for the life under their power – And to justify the exercise this authority under a distorted sense of truth, love, and goodness.

Through all the action, thrills, and collection of superheroes, AIW’s overarching theme is revealed during a quiet and personal moment between Thanos and Gamora. Thanos explains his motive for trying to gain universal power in his quest to obtain six infinity stones (all-powerful relics left over from the creation of the universe). He wants to bring about a better place and quality of life in the universe for so many who suffer due to limited resources and poverty. Once he gains the power of the universe, he will save (half of) the universe’s population by ending/killing the other half of the universe’s population. His reasoning…in the name of goodness? - “I am saving them (those whose lives he spares and even those he puts to death) from a bad life… I am their savior.” Gamora’s response to Thanos’ twisted and sinister plan eloquently carries the voice of not only the pro-life movement today, but also those innocent and vulnerable unborn souls who can’t speak for themselves: “You can’t grab enough power to envision what the future will be for anyone and then decide who should live or die!”

One might say, “if you want, you can find religious significance in any movie, even Ant-Man or Toy Story. Don’t try and contrive religious significance (through an entertaining film). Don’t try to give Christian interpretation of every little thing. Yes. I get that we shouldn’t try and extend reality to unveil the face of Jesus on our morning toast, or the Blessed Virgin Mary appearing above LA in cloud formations. And I do not purport AIW to be a religious genre film. But if we just step back and take notice, is not God’s supreme power and presence, if not His footprint, evident everywhere in the creation of the universe? His presence cannot be so easily dismissed as being separate from Entertainment. If a film, such as AIW, exhibits an overarching presence of truth, beauty, and goodness, then in that, is not God so profoundly present and at work?

In this day and age, when the Church’s voice in promoting the fundamental right to life of the unborn is largely dismissed, disrespected, or suppressed, the extension of reality is not needed to see how God is speaking to us through this Hollywood film - namely, that in an authentically good, just and loving society, no matter what limitations or severe disabilities we see in a person, a group, or planet, God wants to share his life abundantly with them - ALL LIVES MATTER to him and it should to each of us, protecting everyone’s fundamental right to life, from womb to tomb!