If you’re looking for a theologically correct movie (or even just a family-friendly one), the superhero genre is probably not the first place you’d look.

As a side-note, I think it’s incredible how truth — real truth — is so unstoppable. Even if a screenwriter, filmmaker, or actor defies the reality of God or objective truth, that truth and that God shine through: no one can write a truly good story without piggybacking off of what God has created and revealed to us.

So while the Marvel franchise is far from morally upstanding or spiritually accurate, we know that all stories pull from truth. Even the stories about a spider-venom-infected teenager who helps save the world.

Peter Parker’s dilemma

In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker is loving the high school life. He helps his aunt in her nonprofit work, hangs out with his friend Ned, and makes plans for the upcoming school trip to Europe. He’s figured everything out for a romantic moment in the Eiffel Tower with the girl he can’t stop thinking about: MJ.

Then Nick Fury calls. It’s probably about a mission, Peter knows, and he just doesn’t have time for that right now. He’s going on vacation.

So he never answers the call.

The school trip is barely underway before some strange water creature erupts out of the canals of Venice, wreaking havoc and destruction on tourists — and Peter’s class.

“What is that?!” Ned asks.

“I don’t know!”

“What are you going to do?”

“I left my suit in the hotel room,” Peter says.

“Why?!?”

“Because I’m on vacation, Ned!”

Without his suit, Peter struggles to help while a new superhero, Mysterio, does the heavy lifting of defeating the watery threat. After the battle is won, Nick Fury gives Peter a gift from the late Tony Stark: high-tech E.D.I.T.H. glasses that will give Peter an unimaginable advantage no matter what villain he’s up against. But when Fury insists that Peter travel with them to the next threat level site in Prague, Peter opts out: “I’m just the friendly neighborhood Spiderman, sir.”

Spider-Man’s identity crisis

He should have guessed he wouldn’t get off the hook so easily. Fury pulls some strings to redirect Peter’s class trip to Prague, and soon Peter has once again been roped into helping ward off another otherworldly phenomenon: a fire monster.

Fury can tell that Peter’s head isn’t in the game. In the glow of a burning carnival after the defeat of the latest villain, he reminds Peter, Mysterio, and the other good guys that there will be more threats. “We need to stay vigilant,” Fury says. “You got gifts, Parker,” he adds, turning to Peter. “But you’ve got to decide whether you’re going to step up or not.”

Hours later, Peter decides to give the E.D.I.T.H. glasses to Mysterio. Clearly Mysterio is a better superhero, and, after all, Peter just wants to be normal (with a little superhero work on the side).

Leaving “normal” behind

Despite our fascination with superheroes, we can understand Peter’s dilemma because we crave normalcy, too. We want to “fit in” with our neighbors or friends, and our social media accounts all-too-often reflect the persona we want our friends to see.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession,” the Bible tells us, “that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

If we are Christians, “normal” is literally the opposite of who we are to be. We are set apart, called to be like lights in the world but not to be surprised if the world hates us for shining. We are given every spiritual blessing and set free from everything that once held us captive.

We are people meant for heaven, living out a few days on earth.

But too often we try to cram our identity into the mold of normalcy, dreaming of being just like everyone else when we are being made ready for Jesus’ heavenly kingdom. Paul wrote to his protégé Timothy about the difficulties people face when they only live for earthly wealth. Timothy, Paul insisted, was called to live differently:

“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…”

We aren’t called to be normal. Of course, we aren’t called to be superheroes, either.

Our better reality

Even with all their shortcomings, I still enjoy a good superhero movie every now and then. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, when Peter realizes his mistake, he just as quickly realizes that it’s up to him to fix the whole situation — with only his high-tech resources and Stark’s mentoring to draw from.

But we have a better reality than the Marvel universe. Saving the world isn’t up to us.

There was no way we could have rescued ourselves from the dilemma we were in. But Jesus rescued us — sealing our victory, redeeming us, and setting us apart to live for Him instead of following sinful desires that only hurt us in the end.

Even if we mess up as badly as Peter Parker did, our story isn’t over. Jesus calls us to fight the good fight, knowing that He has already won the victory.

And we must stay vigilant.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” –Ephesians 6:12-13

Photo by Road Trip with Raj on Unsplash