Black Panther, the Avengers and the consuming power of vengeance

Shootings, road rage and multi-generational feuds. Tifts that play “tit for tat”. These are actions frequently fueled by a flawed trait of our now-fallen human nature. It illustrates our tendency toward revenge. Vengeance taken out on those who annoy or attack us is an instance in which we permit our anger to dominate our reasoning.

The oft-relatable feeling is seen gnawing away at numerous literary and cinematic characters. Jim Caviezel’s Edmond Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo, though still the protagonist, is utterly consumed with vengeance for a significant period of time. Mel Gibson’s character Benjamin Martin from The Patriot has a bitter hatred toward the colonel who killed two of his sons. One of Anakin Skywalker’s earliest turns toward the Dark Side is when he takes out his wrath on the clan of Tusken Raiders, slaying all of them mercilessly for what they did to his mother.

Star-Lord made a foolhardy attack on Thanos in Infinity War, resulting from what he knew Thanos had done to the love of his life. John Wick’s infamous rampage of slaughter was an act of revenge as well. Even some of the Mexican Cristeros, the real-life soldiers for Christ, fell into the snare of vengeance – as related in the terrific film For Greater Glory.

Vengeance is also a common act of fighting men throughout the Old Testament of Scripture. It is the cause of one battle leading to another and eventually turning into a war. For another example, King Saul attempts to kill the youthful David following David’s success in battle, leaving the king feeling as if he has had his reputation for bravery undermined by a young whipper-snapper. Vengeance further makes its way into some of the most significant, intense moments related in the New Testament such as St. Peter cutting off the ear of Malchus in the garden in response to what he and his party were doing to Jesus. Of course, this episode ends with Jesus rebuking Peter for his actions.

So it’s certainly a common theme running throughout fiction just as it has been prevalent throughout history. However, its commonplaceness does not make the vice permissible. As G.K. Chesterton would have us know, “Right is right, even if nobody does it. Wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong about it.” This is definitely applicable to acts of vengeance, in the sense that they are unrighteous.

Now, within a group of individuals who literally call themselves the Avengers, it should come as no surprise that we find a number of whom display vengeful attitudes. Clint Barton effectively inflicts a type of revenge upon the criminal world, even unleashing his anger on those who had done him no personal harm. While Barton might not care, his actions resemble those of Tony Stark just a few years earlier when, in Captain America: Civil War, Stark is inflamed with the desire to kill Bucky Barnes, the assassin responsible for murdering his mother and father – and the close friend of Steve Rogers.

Stark’s personality automatically makes him a candidate for being prone to declaring judgment. His narcissism and the significant amount of power at his disposal only build up his mentality that deems anything he wants to do is justified – even when it’s not. In fact, Stark not only prompts the “civil war,” but he also becomes his own worst enemy, falling into the pit of hypocrisy.

While discussing the proposed accords with his peers, Stark would say, “We need to be put in check.” Later, in the same film, his character totally disregards any boundaries or ethical codes when he belligerently seeks to destroy Bucky Barnes. This is a prime example of wanting to take revenge out on a hated enemy. Iron Man once again raises himself to the supreme triune seat of judge, jury, and executioner. The problem is that he is not God. It is not his place to pass judgment on those around him. Inevitably, his personality belies him for who he is: a guy who wants to be the boss of everybody and one who believes he can do pretty much anything.

In short, Stark’s response to Barnes’ actions goes directly against the message of Christ. In the New Testament, we read, “’But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them’” (Luke 6:27-28, 32).

In Captain America: Civil War, there is one figure who willingly relents of his intense (and understandable) search for vengeance. It’s T’Challa, the young prince of Wakanda who finds his whole world turned upside down when his father is assassinated. The full duty of the Black Panther is thrust upon him. He joins the Avengers right when they begin choosing sides and end up fighting one another.

When T’Challa discovers the identity of his father’s murderer, and upon confronting him face to face, he makes an eloquent observation of the tragedy Baron Zemo has orchestrated. “Vengeance has consumed you,” the Black Panther tells Zemo. “It’s consuming them. I’m done letting it consume me.”

T’Challa does not dismiss the fact that justice shall be dealt to Zemo, but he recognizes that he is not the one to enact personal judgment on this killer. An equally bold maneuver is T’Challa’s refusal to let Zemo commit suicide. (Morality has declined in modern movie protagonists to the extent that they prefer to watch idly as the villains shoot themselves; a specific example of this is Caesar’s indifference in 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes.) T’Challa takes on the role of protector – even to one as despised as the man who killed his father.

Black Panther represents the person Iron Man could have been. Both lost parents to devastating violence. Both burned with a desire for vengeance, to simply get back at those who had removed loved ones from their lives. And, in a very real sense, it is the same motivation which festers in Zemo: a desire to get back at the Avengers for what they had inadvertently brought about.

All of them have suffered from loss. Their hearts have swelled with hatred in place of grief. But only the Black Panther manages to use his will power to overthrow the inclination toward retaliation. Black Panther’s response is one of true justice, honor, and peace. In this case, his is the example to follow in our own lives.