Is Avengers Endgame Nihilistic? (And if so, is it really a superhero movie?)

Nihilism is defined by dictionary.com as “the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that all life is meaningless.” In regards to the philosophy of nihilism, it says “extreme skepticism maintaining that nothing in the world has real existence.” Often nihilists are villains in comic books hell bent on destruction: Joker, Owl Man, but the view can be present by the actions and beliefs of even heroes if creators aren’t careful.

For everyone who bought a ticket to Avengers endgame in April 2019 (of which my siblings and I are included), you might have been expecting a phenomenal hero movie that show cases the best aspects of each character. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I left Wonder Woman wanting to step out onto no man’s land, or to do my part in the world even though it may be lost. I left the first Thor film with a lesson in humility, and Captain America with a renewed sense of obligation to do what’s right. I left Avengers Endgame….cursing Hollywood for letting their secular views irreparably butcher some of my favorite heroes.

Endgame is the second part to Infinity wars (which is another story all together). Thanos has eliminated half the world’s population using the infinity gauntlet and the world has lingered on for five years doing its best to cope. The entire plot, journey, theme of the film is that the remaining heroes plan to go back in time and get the gauntlet in order to bring everyone that was killed back to life.

There is my point of contention for the theme of this entire film. Mankind is incapable of coping with tragedy. It presents the idea that what we are indeed fighting for, the greatest thing in this life is to preserve life itself. Even at the cost of balancing a trade of lives or playing God.

There is no message applicable to real life in the plot: we lost everyone so let’s bring them all back. Stan Lee designed his super heroes in the 60’s to be allegories for real life issues and struggles rooted in Judeo Christian values. Spiderman does not use his God given gifts for anything but selfish reasons initially and as a result tragedy ensues. He doesn’t take up his obligation to his fellow man with his gift and his uncle dies. That’s where we derive the popular saying “with great power comes great responsibility.” This is found in Luke 12:48 “To whom much has been given, much will be required;” meaning, we will be held responsible for how we use what we have. We have an obligation biblically to lighten the burdens of others. If a superhero film isn’t exhibiting Judeo Christian values or themes in some way, than its secular, nihilistic and meaningless. 

Bringing everyone back isn’t selfless—it’s actually allowing man to play God: If they bring back half the world, why not bring back every mortal who died tragically? Why not bring back all the lives lost in the Holocaust? Or every child that ever died? Not to mention, in five years people have moved on and started new lives. What if they’re remarried and you bring back a dead spouse they’re barely accepting they lost?

 Half the world dies and they cannot cope or see purpose, so they bring them back after the world has already begun to move on. It presents a nihilistic idea that life is simply a temporary thing here on earth with no higher purpose or cause for living than to survive.

Why does anyone have to die at all? Even the moments of selflessness in the film are ruined. For example, Black widows battle with her best friend over who will give their life—a legitimately good and emotionally touching scene. But it’s rendered irrelevant. Why did Black widow have to die? Why didn’t we take the gauntlet and bring her back? Tony Stark dies, but honestly if its possible for a hero to manipulate the Infinity stones in order to bring back people they love, and there’s no reservations on our protagonists’ parts about using that kind of power, why can’t we rewrite the world as we see fit?

Everyone Quits: Captain America is unable to cope in the modern world so he goes back in time to marry Peggy Carter, he basically quits on the battle between good and evil in the world to go back and live a fantasy. This is selfish because we were shown in Winter Soldier that Peggy carter lived a good life and had children, grandchildren. Were none of them born because of Captain America’s choice to be personally happy? As most of us have seen in the movie “It’s a wonderful Life” one life touches countless others, if you remove it from the grand scheme than you’re only doing harm.

Thor gives up his rightful place on the throne of Asgard because he’s depressed and quit on his place in the world as well. What’s worse is that this is portrayed as a good thing. Thor’s mother tells him to not be who he should be, but be who he is. So, if you’re lazy, depressed, slothful and apathetic it’s fine as long as you embrace who you are? That’s the opposite of what a super hero is supposed to be. The film encourages you to quit and to be proud of it.

Heroes are supposed to submit to something greater, not make themselves the highest authority: Basically, every example in this film displays that none of the heroes have a greater purpose or a belief in anything outside themselves. In other words, they are living like there is no God. The only thing that makes a hero cope with tragedy better than a villain is a villain takes the offense as an example that God isn’t listening and decides to wage war against humanity (like Joker). A hero—like Batman, loses his parents but takes it as something he must use as fuel to be justice for those who have none. Heroes are supposed to have faith in tragedy—and believe there is meaning, purpose, and a reason to keep trying to change the world even if it seems pointless. Endgame was the antithesis of this: it wasn’t a super hero film. It was two and half hours of the modern world’s inability to fathom where hero’s values come from. So the Godless world of Hollywood created the only plot they understood: mortals striving to survive in a world without any higher beliefs that make life have ANY true meaning.

-Jubilee