As a society of people, there is one thing we desire more than anything. We live around people, and we desire to be in relationship with them, no matter romantic or platonic. The people around us matter to us, and we desire to help them and be there for them. Yes, this may sound like the cheesy intro to some Hallmark Channel movie, but it’s true. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gotten very good at weaving subliminal messaging into their movies, and the second phase of their universe shows us just this. No matter what we do, the people in our lives and our feelings for them will always directly influence what we do.

          In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark has finally found himself in a relationship with Pepper Potts, the woman of his dreams. However, Pepper is struggling to deal with Tony’s anxiety. When Tony skips a date, and Pepper finds him working on his suits, she is furious. Tony’s only explanation is this: “Things are different now, I have to protect the one thing I can’t live without. That’s you.” Tony has become so in love with Pepper that he can’t imagine living without her in his life, especially when the villain is coming after Tony and Pepper. Tony finally sees that he needs balance between his suits and the people around him. If he envelops himself in his suits, he will lose the relationships he holds with those around him. That is something he finally realizes at the end of the movie when he says, “my armor, it was never a hobby or a distraction, it was a cocoon.”

          Metaphorically, this can relate to anything we are too involved with. If we ever become to involved with anything, it will wrap us up and keep us there. If we get too comfortable, we will slowly distance ourselves from those around us who care the most. We must maintain connections with those who matter most, or we will slowly fade into an existence of nothingness. We must learn. Or we will leave this world alone.

          Yet, remaining in connection with those around us is not nearly enough. It is the balance between our various relationships. With many relationships, especially in families, the balance becomes hard. This rings doubly true for Thor’s family in Thor: The Dark World. Loki is being held in prison for his evil doings in New York, but he is broken out by Thor, who needs his help in saving Jane. When Loki is suddenly struck and dying during this mission, Thor promises to tell their father that Loki died with honor, in service to their family in country. Loki, in his last moments, tells Thor, “I didn’t do it for him.” Loki continually held a grudge against his father, even through death. This is probably the most painful thing a person can do. To hate someone so thoroughly that you continue to hate them in your final moments. This is a fate that everyone should hope to avoid.

          It’s a fate that Captain America tries to save the Winter Soldier from. The Winter Soldier, being Bucky Barnes’ alter ego, has been given a mission to kill Captain America. The most heartbreaking part of this storyline is the part where Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers have been best friends since birth. When his parents died, Bucky offered Steve a place to stay; a place at his house, but Steve refused. He claimed that he could get by on his own, but his friend was there to assure him that he wasn’t alone with this heartwarming line: “The thing is, you don’t have to. I’m with you until the end of the line, pal.” In the first Captain America movie, Steve mourns the loss of Bucky when he seemingly dies. When he returns in this installment, Steve is beyond elated. However, his alter ego has taken over his mind. His only goal is to kill Captain America. He continues his pursuit until the end of the movie, during their epic battle. The fate of the world hangs in the balance. There are 3 ships in the air, and if any of them remain online, million will die. Steve must take the ship offline while fighting off his best friend. After completing his mission to take the ships offline, he begins a full-on epic fight with Bucky. Steve stops fighting, and the two have the following heart-crushing exchange:

          “I’m not going to fight you. You’re my friend.”

          —“You’re my mission! You Are My Mission!”

          “Then finish it. ‘Cause I’m with you ‘til the end of the line.”

          Captain America is done running from his friend’s inner-hatred. He has decided that, come hell or high water, he will help his friend. His friend was willing to risk life for Steve, and now Steve is ready to reciprocate. This is the true friendship that this world can only hope to have. In the end, Steve succeeds. Bucky is returned to being Bucky, and his hatred is caged. Friends become friends. Relationships are mended. And the world continues to turn.

          Relationships are so far more important when in group settings, especially when your group is trying to save the world. Throughout the movie, the group struggles with battling a robot they unfortunately created. Their main struggle is with where the blame belongs. Each person is blaming themselves for some different piece of the problem, yet they all struggle with the same problem. However, each person finds strength in the people around them. When then come to their final fight, Captain America sums up the theme in a couple lines: “Ultron thinks we’re monsters. That we’re what’s wrong with the world. This isn’t just about beating him…it’s about whether he’s right.” Since each person had been blaming themselves, each person was worried about the validity of Ultron’s arguments. This fight wasn’t just a fight to save the people around them. This was a fight to determine if the self-blame was justified. And even then, the blame continues into the fight. Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, has a near panic attack during the battle because she blames herself entirely for the fight, since she aided Ultron in his early phases. Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) brings in the voice of reason as he says, “Hey. It’s your fault, it’s my fault, who cares…None of this makes sense. But I’m going back out there ‘cause it’s my job…But if you step out that door, you’re an Avenger.” At the end of the day, no matter who was blaming themselves or who was blaming others, they were fighting the good fight. At the end of the day, the blame didn’t matter because the Avengers are a team. They live and die together. No one person is greater than the other and that’s what is important. The relationships between them were their saving grace, and that is the most important thing.

          Lastly, we address familial relationships. The relationship between parent and child is one of the most complex relationships on the face of the planet, and this is the sole focus of Ant-Man. Scott Lang is an ex-convict and his main concern is winning back visiting rights for his daughter, Cassie. He gets a chance through Hank Pym, in the chance to become Ant-Man and save the world. However, as Hank puts it, “It’s not about saving our world. It’s about saving THEIRS.” The hero work he did with Hank wasn’t about saving the world for the sake of themselves. It was about saving the world for the sake of their children. Becoming a hero was the second chance that Scott needed to gain back Cassie. Becoming a hero was the second chance that Scott needed for a better life. After all, “second chances don’t come around all that often…this is your chance to earn that look in your daughter’s eyes, to become the hero that she already thinks you are.” Parent-child relationships are tough enough when both parents are together and in the home, so this extra strain is almost unbearable. However, Scott takes the second chance as his opportunity. He becomes the hero and works his tail off for his daughter, to make his daughter’s world a better place. He makes everything better for her, and that’s what is most important to him: his relationship with his daughter.

          Without relationships, we will fall. Without relationships, humanity is doomed. Without relationships, we lose a piece of who we are meant to be. Throughout the second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the various relationships are tested, tried, and challenged. I understand the redundancy of repeating various forms of challenges, but this is the downfall to relationships. They are continually challenged, but they continually persevere. This is the beauty of relationships. No matter the pain suffered, the relationship will prevail. Relationships are important. Relationships matter. At the end of the day, they are all that matter. At the end of the day, we are together. We are in relationships. We. Are. Together.