The Real "Hero" of Infinity War

Dear Readers,

It has been a while since I did a film review, but inspiration has combined with extra time, and Infinity War is well worth examining.  So I will do a quick review up front, then move on to a more spoilers rich analysis.  So fair warning, if you have not yet seen Infinity War, read the first paragraph or so, go out and see it, then come back.

Infinity War is the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.  It brings together most of the heroes we have grown to know and love over nearly twenty films.  While one can watch Infinity War without having seen all the previous Marvel films, one should at least be familiar with both previous Avengers films, Captain America: Civil War, and Black Panther.  The story follows the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and a number of independent heroes as they battle “the Mad Titan, Thanos,” as he attempts to collect all six Infinity Stones so he can instantly destroy half the population of the universe.  The film is defined by fast paced action sequences broken up by short, but deeply compelling character development moments.  Infinity War, is ultimately, a film about the hard choices that heroes have to make; choices between loved ones, friends, and companions, and the “fate of the universe.”  This is what makes the story so compelling: seeing each of these characters grapple with the hard choices, of dealing with “no win” scenarios.  Ultimately, Infinity War was an excellent movie, with great action, an amazing balance of the myriad characters, and an emotional gut-punch that is well worth seeing.  That being said; if you are a Marvel fan, odds are you have already seen it, and if you are not a Marvel fan, you might not understand what is going on without going back and watching some of the previous films, so keep that in mind when booking tickets.

Alright, now into the analysis and spoilers section.  This will be divided into two sections: first, I am going to do an analysis of the epic (or hero’s) journey as explored in Infinity War, and then a speculative section about what might happen next in the MCU.

The Hero? of Infinity War

The concept of the hero’s journey has informed fiction for centuries.  From early poems like The Epic of Gilgamesh or The Odyssey, to more recent contributions like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and (in the MCU), Captain America: the First Avenger.  These stories are defined by heroes who set out of a journey to accomplish a specific goal, encounter trials, opponents, and new allies on the way, descend (either literally or symbolically) into the Underworld, followed by a “resurrection,” and return home at the end, only to find that home is not the welcome he sought, but has been changed during his journey.  What is interesting about Infinity War is that it does present a hero’s journey, however, it is not the journey of any of the protagonists, but rather, that undertaken by the villain Thanos.

Infinity War starts out on the space-ship that holds half the population of Asgard, including Thor, his brother Loki, and Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk.  Thanos’ soldiers have almost completely wiped out the the citizens, Thor is down, and Thanos is demanding the Tesseract from Loki, having previously acquired the power stone from Xandar.  While Thor, Loki, and the Hulk all try to stop Thanos, ultimately, Loki sacrifices the stone to save the life of his brother, and is killed, the Hulk is beaten so badly he is afraid to appear for the rest of the film, and Thor is left for dead.  This is the beginning of Thanos’ journey, as he sets out with a specific goal: to unite the Infinity Stones and “balance the universe.”  Along the way, he encounters obstacles in the “heroes” of the story, as they try to keep him from obtaining the reality, mind, and time stones.

Thanos’ quest could not truly be called a “hero’s journey,” however, without a descent into the underworld.  There is, however, an event in the story that almost perfectly matches this description.  In his quest for the soul stone (the one stone that no one knew the location of going into the film), Thanos and Gamorra travel to the planet Vormir.  There, they are greeted by Red Skull (one of the most interesting cameos, as he has not been seen since Captain America: the First Avenger, and was thought to have been killed in his attempt to wield the Tesseract).  Red Skull takes the symbolic form of Death: possessing preternatural knowledge of the soul stone, hovering, wraith-like, and guiding Thanos to his destination.  The acquisition of the soul stone itself is also linked with death: it is only by sacrificing what he loves (Gamorra) that Thanos is deemed worthy of obtaining the soul stone.  And after pushing her off the high cliffs of Vormir, Thanos is shown lying in the water at the base of the mountain, raising up out of the water in a symbolic reference to baptism; to death and resurrection, having succeeded in obtaining the most difficult item for his quest.  Everything after this is falling action for Thanos’ story; his return to the world of the living includes battle with the Guardians of the Galaxy on Titan and with the Avengers in Wakanda to obtain the last two stones, two more minor trials that have to be passed, before his “triumph.”  This success is bittersweet, however, as the process of achieving his victory has come at the cost of everything: his beloved daughter, his other children, his soldiers, his own health and almost, his life.  He is shown at the end of the film living in a hut in what appears to be a reconstructed Titan; a homecoming to a home that is no longer hospitable, that no longer holds anything to make it homelike.

Infinity Wars is not the hero’s journey of any of the traditional heroes that we have come to cheer, but rather the epic journey of Thanos as he sets about balancing the universe.  This is further reinforced by the final post credits tag line, “Thanos will return.”  This tag emphasizes the fact that this story belongs to Thanos, that he is the main character who grew, developed, struggled and triumphed, no matter how much we, as the audience choose to cheer for our “heroes.”  The fact that Thanos completes a hero’s journey demonstrates a new step forward for the MCU.  Thus far, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been defined by strong and interesting heroes, but lackluster villains who often blend together.  While there have been exceptions (Loki being the most obvious), for the most part, Marvel villains have fallen into either the category of “religious extremist,” “power-hungry maniac,” or “person Tony Stark offended,” with some overlap between the three categories.  But with Thanos, we are given a complicated villain who views himself as the hero of his own story, who is capable of empathy and love, who is following strong principles that he believes in to the best of his ability (much like both Captain America).  This is why he is so easy to understand, but also why Thanos is such an easy villain to hate.  Because the audience sees the principles he is following, and his fidelity to those principles, and we see the shadow that could fall over our beloved heroes, the trap that is waiting as the universe becomes more and more complicated.  Thanos is an interesting villain because he is a hero, the hero of Infinity War, undergoing the trials of his journey, his death, his resurrection, his victory, just like so many heroes have before him.  This time, however, we do not agree with the hero, and it is our antipathy toward his principles (instead of the lack of them) turns him into the villain.

Idle Speculation

So what happens next?  This is where spoilers start coming fast and hard, so if you haven’t seen it, or don’t want to know what the next movie might be like, click away now.  These are speculations about who is really dead, who might still be alive, who is coming back, and who will probably die in the future.

First, although Thanos successfully completed his journey, the final events of the film are not a defeat for the heroes.  When Dr. Strange looked into the future and saw 14,000,605 possible futures, and only one where they win, it is safe to assume that every action he takes afterward is to lead events toward that one possible victory.  This includes, giving the time stone to Thanos, failing to stop Starlord from punching Thanos and awakening him from Mantis’ trance, and allowing himself to and the vast majority of the heroes to disappear.  Thus, we can assume that at the end, when Strange comments to Ironman “It was the only way, Tony,” he is reassuring the other man that there is still a path to victory, that they are, in fact, on the only path to victory, and that he has sacrificed his own life, and that of all the heroes who disappear, in order to achieve that victory.  This is not out of the question for Dr. Strange; we know from his stand alone movie that he is a character who achieves victory by playing a losing hand to his advantage.  This leads one to believe that no one who disappeared at the end is going to stay disappeared. Both Spiderman and Black Panther have solo movies planned in the immediate future, and Dr. Strange was also set up for a sequel.  The next question then becomes; who is coming back, and how, and who will die in the process.

First, everyone who vanished is coming back; as mentioned previously, most of them are contracted and confirmed for future films.  There are a couple of ways that this can be accomplished.  It is safe to assume that Dr. Strange successfully oriented the characters towards the one possible successful future where they beat Thanos… and that having the remaining characters is going to be essential to that; most people believe that Tony Stark is going to be central in this.  Dr. Strange made no bones at the beginning of the film that he would sacrifice Tony or Peter Parker in an instant to save the universe, however, later, he gives up the time stone to save Tony.  This indicates that Tony will be very important to the next film and to successfully beating Thanos.  Both he and Nubula are still on Titan, and it seems very likely that Thanos is also on Titan.  In the comics, Nebula steals the gauntlet and uses the time stone to rewind back before Thanos’ snap, then Adam Warlock uses to gauntlet as an incentive to negotiate with Thanos.  Since Nebula is still alive, and still on Titan, it seems very possible that she will steal the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos, however, although Adam Warlock has been hinted at in the MCU, he is not confirmed to appear in any upcoming films.  Instead, it will probably be Captain Marvel who will wield the stolen gauntlet against Thanos.  Whatever part Tony Stark will play in that is battle is less certain, however, it is probable that he will die in the process.  Many of the original Avengers are reaching the end of their contracts, including Robert Downey Jr., and the powerful death of at least one of the original Avergers will provide a good transition into Marvel’s phase 4 projects.  The most obvious options at this point would be to kill Iron Man and Captain America.  Both Downey and Evans are reaching the end of their contracts, both characters have been hugely developed over the three films, and both have become iconic to the MCU, so their deaths would have a great impact but also serve as a catalyst for transition to the newer (and younger) heroes coming up.  I think odds are good that Thor survives (honestly, I think Chris Hemsworth is having such a good time playing Thor, he isn’t going to give that up any time soon), and I don’t think killing Hulk, Black Widow or Hawkeye would have the same emotional impact.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the next Avengers movie.  Either way, I am excited to see what the future holds for the MCU as we wrap up phase 3 and move forward.

Well, back to reality.

The Essence of Karate in Modern Times

Dear Readers,

Over the last four months, I have been training to test for my black belt.  I have been studying Koden Kan Combined Martial Arts for nearly twelve years now, and as a part of the test, I had to write an essay about "the essence of karate."  I wanted to make that essay more widely available, and I have received permission to post it here.  Without further ado...

The Essence of Karate in Modern Times
    In order to adequately answer the question, “what is the essence of karate in modern times?” one must first consider how essence of karate has been traditionally defined, then consider that answer from a modern perspective.  Karate was originally developed from Chinese martial arts styles in Okinawa as a form of weaponless self-defense.  As such, the essence of traditional karate can be summed up in two quotes, “karate ni sente nashi,” or “there is no first strike in karate,” (Krupa, Ronald, pg. 2), which is inscribed on a monument to Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shoto Kan Karate.  The second quote is from author and martial artist Shoshin Nagamine, who wrote, “Karate must be a defensive art from beginning to end.”  Therefore, karate is traditionally a fighting style dedicated to self defense; it is a style that seeks to protect the life and safety of the practitioner and those around her.  The question then becomes: does the essence of karate remain unchanged in modern times?  The short answer is yes.  Karate started out as, and remains, a weaponless style designed to be used for self defense.  However, such a definition also reduces the complexity of what karate has become.  While self defense is an important aspect of the study of martial arts, the truth is that many practitioners may never have the need to use their martial arts in a self defense situation.  Thus, while the function of karate remains defensive, the essence may also be accurately defined as “the art of constructive violence.”

    Webster’s Dictionary provides several definitions of violence, however, only the first two are import in the discussion of martial arts.  The first definition is, “swift and intense force,” while the second more elaborately terms violence, “rough or injurious physical force, action, or treatment.”  In simplest terms, karate is violent.  It is a method of dispensing “rough and injurious force,” on an attacking opponent.  It is important to remember, however, that violence is not necessarily negative.  A surgeon conducting a knee replacement must violently saw through bone and muscle in order to effect a repair upon the damaged area.  A contractor building a house must violently pound nails into boards in order to erect a solid structure.  The key mediating term in this definition is that the violence being practiced must be “constructive.”  It must be a “swift and intense force” dedicated to building up the practitioner and those around her.  The essence of karate is using the human tendency toward violence in such a way as to edify the martial artist in her individual development, in her relationship with the people around her, and in her relationship with society as a whole.
    One way karate demonstrates the constructive capacity of violence is through the development of the practitioner.  The violence the martial artist practices is firstly against herself.  Anyone who has trained in karate for a sustained period learns that rough and injurious force is part of the training.  This force, also allows the martial artist to grow physically stronger.  Forearms and shins that were bruised and battered become capable of taking greater impacts and blocking stronger attacks.  The conditioning violence karate provides is not merely physical.  The practice of pushing past temporary pains in order to achieve a specific result allows the martial artist to develop strong mental discipline; as Higaonna Sensei stated, “Karate is difficult, but its purpose is to train both body and mind.” ("The Philosophy of Higonna Sensei," pg. 172-173).  Conditioning body and mind to accept pain as a necessary part of training allows the practitioner of martial arts to confront painful situations with rationality and pragmatism, persevering through discomfort to the benefits beyond.  The martial artist is more likely to be successful at other endeavors because, where other participants are likely to give up, the perseverance the martial artist has built up through training allows her to successfully navigate trials.  This strength of body and mind allows for the cultivation of other virtues; honor (choosing to do the right thing), truthfulness (knowing and correctly evaluating yourself), and respect (correctly valuing others)( Shaw, Scott, pg. 32).  Thus, the violence that the martial artist does to herself in training is constructive, promoting a strong physical, mental, and moral state.
    The constructive benefits of karate are not just for the individual, but permeate the wider social aspects of the practitioner’s life.  Relationships established in training at the dojo inculcate a wide variety of social skills and responsibilities.  Every dojo is founded upon the respectful relationship between all practitioners training therein.  Many dojos include wall placards detailing expected behavior such as, “karate begins and ends with courtesy” or “empty the mind of egocentric thoughts during practice…” (Reid, Howard, pg. 161).  Both these statements emphasize the importance of correct relationship in the dojo.  The primary relationship is established between the instructor and the student.  This relationship is grounded with a deep respect for authority that recognizes the instructor is superior in his knowledge, and understands the value of that knowledge.  With respect comes trust that the instructor is trying, to the best of his ability, to impart his knowledge and experience to the student.  This trust and respect is amplified when the student begins instructing others.  The new instructor learns responsibility; she must provide an example to her students, and show them how to move forward.  This process is at once inspiring and humbling.  It is inspiring for the instructor to see how far she has come, how much she has learned and understands, however, it is also humbling because teaching always brings with it failure.  The failure of the students becomes the failure of the instructor, and thus, the instructor must always try to push forward, constantly training and learning so that she can better teach those who are coming after.  This struggle to constantly move forward is aided by the efforts of a third relational component to dojo training; that of the student with her fellow students and training partners.  Mutual exposure to the violence of training allows training partners to develop close friendships and a unique trust.  Those who train together learn to react to each others actions; to move with the attacks and defenses.  These reactions lead to an abiding trust.  The friendship and trust that develops between training partners creates a home-like atmosphere where students can leave for years, return, and immediately feel welcome and comfortable.  This environment, built on respect for authority, responsibility toward students, and camaraderie toward training partners provides a healthy social foundation and a unique place of belonging for the practitioner of karate.
    The ultimate expression of “constructive violence” in karate is found in the traditional essence of karate; self-defense.  Reid and Croucher sum up the important role of self-defense: “In karate training, the aim of the master is to develop in his students an understanding of how practically any part of the body can be used as a vital or lethal weapon.” (pg. 165).  This one sentence epitomizes the violence inherent to martial arts, however, this sentence is qualified with a constructive purpose to that violence, “…mental training, which continues at the same time, teaches a student the absolute importance of not fighting…”  The violence of karate is designed to protect both the attacked and the attacker; the practitioner of karate uses violence, not to inflate her ego or make herself feel better at the expense of others, but to safe-guard her life and the safety of those around her.  This includes, as much as is possible, the life and safety of a would be attacker.  Martial arts teaches, not only how to destroy another person, but when, and how much such destruction might be necessary.  An attacker who is merely verbally belligerent is not a threat worthy of physical violence.  A drunk who takes a wild swing in a bar does not require the use of lethal force.  The violence of the martial arts is funneled into constructive channels by repeated training in the appropriate use of that violence.

    To summarize the essence of karate in modern times is not easy.  One must consider the traditional definition, namely, self-defense, and examine whether that tradition bears weight in the modern context.  While self-defense is an integral part of karate, defining the essence of the art, particularly in a modern context where it may not be used defensively, requires a broad explanation that retains the potency of the original.  The term “constructive violence” at once emphasizes the “rough or injurious physical force” associated with the fighting arts, while demonstrating the need for that violence to be purposely limited.  In many ways, the essence of martial arts in modern times is defined by the perspective of the practitioner.  For me the essence of martial arts is tied to the Fruits of the Spirit.  It is about showing love to those around me, taking joy in the physical exertion, finding peace in the confidence I have in my abilities.  It is learning to be patient in repetitive training, showing kindness to my students, demonstrating goodness by responding appropriately to those who would attack me, practicing faithfulness in my commitment to my training, embodying gentleness by adjusting my strength to those around me, and productively channeling the sinful tendency toward violence into something edifying by showing self control, (New American Standard Bible, Galatians 5:22-23).  In Colossians 3:17, Paul writes, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks, through Him to God our Father.”  Whatever you do includes karate; karate can be practiced in the name of Jesus in order to praise God.  The essence of my karate is to take an art that has such a potential to be destructive, and practice it in such a way that it is edifying and creative as a sacrifice of praise to the ultimate Artist and Creator.

Resources
Krupa, Ronald. Shorin-Ryu: A Lineage of Masters. United States Karate Systems. January 2008. Accessed April 4, 2018. http://www.usksmartialarts.com/history.html.
New American Standard Bible: Reference Edition. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1973.
Reid, Howard, and Michael Croucher. The Fighting Arts: Great Masters of the Martial Arts. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1983.
Shaw, Scott. The Warrior Is Silent: Martial Arts and the Spiritual Path. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 1998.
Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language. 1996 ed. New York, NY: Gramercy Books, 1996.