There is No “I” in “Team,” but There Sure is in “Ironman” and “Wolverine”

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Pleased to Meet You.”

What would happen if Ironman and Wolverine met? How would the meeting go? It would go badly–very likely horrendously badly. It would go badly because both characters have an ego about the size of an aircraft carrier, fully loaded. Logan, aka Wolverine, would surely be put off by the arrogant, devil-may-care attitude that oozes from every pore of Tony Stark, aka Ironman. Even though these characters are supposed to be among the “good guys” of the Marvel universe, in my estimation they are the most flawed in the fact that neither are team players. They will usually only work in a group when it suits their needs, not for the greater good. For goodness sake, Tony Stark was an arms dealer before he was almost wiped off the map. The one thing that redeems them both is that they do try to protect the innocent, but again, their efforts are hindered by their *ahem* lone wolf mindsets. It is likely that a meeting between Wolverine and Ironman would end in blows, which would be as shame. This is not because of the damage they could do to each other since any battle between the two would end in stalemate because Wolverine would not be able to get past Ironman’s armor and Wolverine’s  ability to regenerate. The real shame would be that while Ironman and Wolverine would be duking it out, the real bad guys would be free to wreak havoc on innocent people. So by the time Tony and Logan emerged from their testosterone-fueled slugfest, the damage would be done and if people’s lives were lost, then no amount of Tony’s money  would be able to pay the cost.

Now how would a fictitious meeting between two fictitious characters from the Marvel universe apply to the Body of Christ?  Unfortunately, plenty. Christians have been duking it out with each other since the first century. Paul wrote the church that met in Corinth,  ^“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you” (I Corinthians 1:10-11 KJV). In another letter, Paul warned the church that met in Galatia, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another” (Galatians 5:14-15 KJV). When Christians fight each other, it’s just bad all around because not only does it affect the reputation of the church, but people get hurt and not just the individuals fighting. There are untold millions of people who need to hear the gospel, people who are suffering because the devil is wreaking havoc in their lives. These people need to have believers extend the love of Jesus in their lives. However, when those Christians are fighting other Christians, the people who need to hear the gospel are ignored. In the meantime, the devil continues to have a field day in their lives and every day Christians stay mad at other Christians, the damage continues to mount. So let us follow Jesus’ command to love our brothers and sisters and go out and help the hurting find the Lord.