Who am I?

          Children ask it. Philosophers ponder it. Multitudes of people use this as a reflection tool. But for some reason, a cinematography company has decided to address this question as a thematic element across 4 different movies.

          Not only that, but they also paired in the second-most thought about question:

What is my purpose?

          Across Iron Man, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Marvel’s The Avengers, Marvel explores the meaning of lives (super or otherwise) and the purpose within them in an interesting way. While the plots are not relatable to ordinary lives, the themes are completely relatable. All of humanity will, at some point, come to a cross-road of self-identification. Everyone will question who they are, and why they exist. It is a primary function of humanity. Yet, somehow Marvel seems to ease a plausible answer into our subconscious, and half of the time, we don’t even realize it.

          Take, for example, Iron Man. Billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark nearly dies in a kidnapping and dedicates his life to saving those he has put in harm’s way. This mission only really begins when he discovers the use of his company’s technology. He understood that he was producing “weapons of mass destruction,” but he was completely unaware that his business partner was dealing with terrorists. This revelation sparks his mission to become Iron Man. He makes the decision that his life, and his company, are within his choice. In an argument with his assistant/close friend, he says, “I shouldn’t be alive…unless it was for a reason. I’m not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And in my heart I know it’s right.” Even though his life was turned upside down, and even though nothing was what he thought, he made the choice to choose his own identity. This is where we relate. Even when life turns us upside down, we get to decide who we are. We can let our choices destroy us, or we can find the meaning in the eye of the storm. In the midst of chaos and confusion, we decide who we are. It’s true that we can’t always decide everything about ourselves, but that isn’t the point. The point is that our choices don’t decide for us, we decide our choices. Our lives are shaped by action, and we decide what action to take. Just like Iron Man, we can make the decision to get a grip on our own lives, and decide who we are and what we stand for.

          Thor is a completely different story. He thought he knew who he was. He thought he knew his purpose. He lived an amazing life of battle and revelry. He fought battles across the nine realms, in the name of Asgaard, and he believed in his destiny as future King. He believed that he needed to be strong and fierce in order to take his place, and that fighting off his enemies, no matter the cost, was a good thing. However, when his father banishes him to Earth, Thor is forced to re-examine his entire life. He had to learn the value of humbleness and the difference between necessity and carelessness (something he was very clearly lacking). His shining moment is in a conversation with Dr. Erik Selvig. This is the moment where he realizes his mistakes. Erik tells him that it is good to admit that he doesn’t have the answers to everything, to which Thor replies: “For the first time in my life, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.” Thor spent his life trying to live up to this imaginary expectation, and it crushed him when he failed. Banishment caused him to question everything about himself, and he had to find his own meaning within himself. In today’s world, this is probably the most relatable theme. We live in a society that has expectations of everyone. We internalize these expectations and beliefs to a dangerous level, to the point where we feel like a complete failure if we don’t achieve them. When we fail, as we always will under impossible expectations, we have to go back to the basics. We have to reflect on ourselves, and find who we are on our own. Take away everything on the outside, and find who we really are. We also have to find why we are here. As Thor did, we will struggle. We will have a hard time because the reality is that finding your own personal identity is the hardest thing anyone will ever do in their lifetime, especially when your believed purpose has been taken from underneath you. But also as Thor did, we will find who we are, and we will be all the more stronger for it.

          There is still another layer to the identity-complex of Marvel, and that is Captain America. The little guy from Brooklyn, all he wanted to do was join the war. He felt it was his duty, and his physical difference from the preferred “soldier type” shouldn’t hold him back from fighting for what was right. But society told him no. He didn’t fit the bill. Yet he fought back. Even though he didn’t fit societal expectations, he was sure of himself. He knew it wasn’t about the glory. It was about the fame. It was about doing what was right. Or, in the words of Steve Rogers himself, “There are men laying down their lives. I’ve got no right to do any less than them. That’s what you don’t understand. It’s not about me.” And not even a few minutes later, Rogers continues with his strong identity in an examination by Dr. Abram Erskine. Erskine asks if he wants to kill Nazis, to which he responds, “I don’t want to kill anyone. I don’t like bullies; I don’t care where they’re from.” Steve got it. Out of everyone mentioned so far, he understood. Once you have found your identity, you will soon find your purpose. Once you have found both your identity and purpose, you can’t let anyone take them away. People will try to tell you that you are wrong, but no one will ever know what’s inside of you other than yourself. You can’t let anyone tell you that you are wrong about yourself. As Captain America would do, you have to do what you know is right for yourself, no matter who says it’s wrong. Hang onto your identity and your purpose for dear life.

          As in every situation, there is a darker side. There simply is a dark side because light cannot exist without the dark. Yet there is hope in the darkness, and this comes in the form of Marvel’s The Avengers. When Loki (Thor’s brother) tries to take over a crowd in Germany, one older man refused to kneel to this “King,” insisting that there are always ruthless men in search of power. There will always be people that will try to take away everything, but that doesn’t mean you have to hide. You can stand strong against the evil and the darkness, and eventually you will win. But sometimes that darkness is a part of you. Once Loki has been captured, Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) goes to question him about wanting to save a friend of hers, and wanting to clear out her “ledger,” Loki snarls a response that is both terrifying and horrifyingly relatable: “You pretend to be separate, to have your own honor code. Something that will make up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away!” While it is really scary to imagine that the darkness inside of us will never truly go away, yet there is still hope. The darkness can be used for good. We can turn our darkness into light by sharing our darkness, using our experiences to help those with their own darkness. Because that’s just the thing about darkness: it only remains dark if you keep the light away. Just because part of our identity is shrouded in darkness doesn’t mean we can’t bring back the light. There is both light and dark in everyone, so we should let the light inside us shine and bring the dark into the light to help someone with their own darkness. This is, essentially, the entire theme of Marvel in a nutshell.

          Yes, identity and purpose are frightening concepts to consider. Yes, they are often multifaceted issues. Yes, they doesn’t come without their troubles. But, if our identity and our purpose are the basics of who we are, then it is a path we must travel. And if our favorite movie characters can do it, then so can we. I mean, I will admit that it might be easier for them because they’re superheroes, but they are really only super because they made the choice to be. And if it all boils down to our life choices, than what’s to say you won’t become the next Superhero? With your own chosen purpose? And your own super identity?