What Ministers Can Learn from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Since Iron Man was released in 2008, Marvel has developed and grown the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has far and above exceeded expectations. Before Iron Man, there has never been a series of movies and television shows that have connected this well over so many years. Sure, there has been good Superhero movies before (Batman and Superman to name a few), but there has never been something like what Marvel has done in their Cinematic Universe. It is not a stretch to say that most everyone loves Marvel’s movies and shows and eagerly anticipates what will happen next.

But what is it that sets Marvel’s movies and television shows apart from all other comic adaptations? I believe it is character development and masterful storytelling. Marvel has a powerful way of communication and I believe that we, as ministers, can learn a lot from they way they share stories. So, here are 4 different things Ministers can learn from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

1. Make “B” or “C” list people “A” listers. Marvel’s movie popularity started with the release of Iron Man in 2008. If you looked at the Marvel Universe, Iron Man was not an “A” list character. He was a “B” list character. Not as popular as Captain America, Spider-Man or the Hulk. But Marvel, through amazing writing and storytelling made Iron Man an “A” lister and their popularity grew with every movie.

• Ministry Learning: There are so many people in the Bible that don’t get talked about because they are not “A” listers. Share their stories and the life applications of their lives to people. Share more often about some of the minor Prophets or leaders in the Old Testament that don’t get a lot of message time in your sermons or teachings. Their stories have meaning and purpose, otherwise they wouldn’t be in the Bible.

2. Make the stories relevant to today. Captain America didn’t just stay in the 40s fighting Nazis. He continued to fight injustice throughout history. A lot of the stories that Marvel shares on TV and in the movies are stories that were shared years, if not decades, earlier in comic books. It’s not new content, just updated to be relevant today.

• Ministry Learning: We can’t keep telling stories of God’s impact in our lives from years gone by. People need to see God’s relevance and impact in our lives today. Tell stories that happened today, not back in 1940 Nazi Germany. If you don’t have current stories of God’s impact in your life then maybe you need to write less sermons and start living more for Jesus. This directly applies to the stories in the Bible. While the stories shouldn’t be changed, the impact those stories have in our lives can be updated. Share the Truth of God’s word as it applies today, not just in years gone by.

3. Keep people guessing and build up to the application. Marvel does an amazing job of building up to a climax even when you know something is coming. They work on telling the whole story, not sidestepping something because it may be “minor”.

• Ministry Learning: We can often give away our application to early while telling the story. Take time to share the stories, the whole stories, so that people can get the complete picture of why something that happened in the Bible is important. If you don’t fully understand it, do your research and learn about it. Now, this doesn’t meant you have to bore people with unnecessary information, but make sure you tell the whole story.

4. Marvel characters are identifiable. What makes Marvel movies and shows so good is that every person watching can identify with a character(s). You see them as human. You see them as someone who they can be like.

• Ministry Learning: Just like telling the whole story in the point above, make sure the people in the Bible are easily identifiable and relatable. The people in the Bible are just like us. They weren’t all preachers and religious people. They were average people doing extraordinary things for Jesus. While our perfect model should always be Jesus to emulate, share the stories of imperfect people so that they can see how they can do extraordinary things for Jesus just like others did.

Conclusion

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become the standard for amazing storytelling and deep character development. They produce characters that are easily identifiable with every day people and share stories that are extremely relevant today. In my opinion, there is no greater story than the story laid out in the Bible and about the life of Christ. By sharing the whole story, the good and the bad, others will be able to see how they can be just like the people in the Bible and do extraordinary things for Christ today.

What do you think of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Is there any correlation or connection between what they do and how we, as believers can share about Jesus? Share below or on social media using #ymsidekick when you share. 

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