Christians Invade Phoenix Comicon! #PHXCC #PHXCC15

Good and Evil in Superhero Stories

What's up guys, this is Jeff Durbin with Apologia Studios. We're going to find out what is it about superheroes and villains that causes us to desire the good to conquer the evil. We're going to find out right now at Phoenix Comic Con 2015.

Why Darth Maul for you?

I was bald.

How long have you been doing this?

I've been coming here for five years.

Five years?

About four years.

The struggle here at the Comic Con conference is between the villains and the superheroes. What draws people into that world? I'm thinking the memorabilia. What's your favorite move that Sub-Zero does?

Probably has to be the ice clone. What you're saying is basically you cheese people in the video game. Ice clone, ice clone, ice clone.

Yes, exactly.

I know you're ilk.

Yes.

But seriously, what happened to M. Night Shyamalan? Why superheroes? Why does everyone love superheroes?

Because superheroes inspire people.

Why'd you choose the Joker?

My favorite villain of all time. Oh, really?

I slam on the man. Cobra was once a man, then transformed into a cobra. You know that I roll over, Joe, like a snow blower.

So guess who I found at Comic Con? One of my favorite TV characters of all time. It's Heisenberg. How you doing, Heisenberg? Good, how are you?

Very good.

Do you think that everybody who watched the series, the entire audience knew he deserved justice? And if so, why do you believe that is?

There is a higher power that we all, in our hearts, we do know that's looking out for us. And we'll take care of that justice. So, you know, it's nice to have the heroes come swooping in and take care of things.

But in the end, there actually will be true justice.

Me personally, I believe in God. We look to that. Good side, always winning.

Good.

I'm blazing. The whole universe is now my empire. I'm Cobra Commander. I light up the sky like fire.

The Image of God and the Desire for Justice

So I'm here with my boy, Gandalf. Nice shoes. What do you think it is about the theme of good versus evil that draws everyone into a Comic Con conference?

I notice that that's the main theme with all of this, is good and evil. And everybody is concerned about, well, primarily good winning. But not everybody is in that.

What's your triumph, good or evil?

Evil.

Hey, good or evil?

Evil.

Good or evil?

Evil.

Good or evil?

Evil. Evil. Evil.

All right. So total depravity is kind of a real thing. So do you think that what draws people into these films by Disney is the combination of the fight between good and evil? Are those themes what draw people to these films?

Oh, absolutely. Yes, absolutely.

Where do you think that comes from in humans?

That is a very deep question.

That's very deep, right?

Because you might get into a religious doctrine.

I think it's just the basic good versus evil. Everyone is drawn to that at some point.

Justice, the Imago Dei, and the Cross

The superhero universe displays something about the image of God in us. And that is the deep need, the deep longing for justice in the world.

We have a sense, a longing you could say, that justice happens. Because we're all created in the image of God, we have some idea of what true justice looks like.

And that's because we're in the Imago Dei. And that image of God within us comes from the one and only true and living God.

But I think we see the good guys as an extension of a justice that's going to happen in the world, that needs to happen in the world against evil.

And most of all, His justice was displayed at the cross when He poured out on His Son the justice that we deserve on that cross 2 ,000 years ago. God the Son, the coming man, to take what we deserve, resurrecting from the dead and ascended and seated.

The ultimate standard, of course, is God's character. God alone is just. He can't have any evil, wickedness in His presence.

He is the just one. His throne is established on justice. And all who turn from sin to come to Him in faith will receive life and forgiveness because God satisfied His justice on that cross.

And God alone is the one who can enact perfect justice. There's no judge above Him. He doesn't make wrong decisions when He makes judgments.

The deepest longing that all of us sense for justice is only found in one place. And that's in the one and only true and living God. All of us know it. All of us sense it. All of us need it. And that's what you see, even in a small thing like Comic-Con.