In the conflict over the accords, a number of interesting characters, new and old, were torn between their allegiances to Steve and Tony and the ideals for which they stand. Others, however, do not seem torn, but remain quite decidedly on one side or the other, such as Sam, who is ever-faithful to Steve. Somewhat similarly, that phase of the story ended with Tony and his old friend Rhodey together again, with few others still standing with them. This is interesting because Rhodey has always been the one with strong moral convictions, calling Tony to more than his earlier selfishness. In this way, he somewhat resembles Steve, but his ideologies seem to be quite different. Had Steve been around earlier in Tony's story when the government was attempting to require Tony to turn in his Iron Man suit, rather than taking the responsibility of global protection upon himself, it is hard to say whether a younger Steve would have stood beside Rhodey in attempting to persuade Tony to accept this kind of direction. We could also wonder, however, whether Rhodey's unshaken loyalty to his country and otherwise established government would have been at all shaken had he been with Steve during the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and seen the depth and the impact of that corruption more closely. Regardless, not only does Rhodey's military background prompt him to see the good sense in following orders from the government, so also does his friendship with Tony through the years better situate him to see that this is a part of his ongoing conversion, as he tries to finally take the kind of responsibility that Rhodey wanted him to take years ago. Meanwhile, both Steve and Tony also each recruit a new hero to side with them, both of whom seem rather focused on the honor of being recruited by an Avenger and simply seeking to not let down the one who invited them into this fight (providing a good deal of comic relief in the process). After siding with Steve, Scott Lang will opt for house arrest, because all he really wants to do is be a good father, not unlike Barton who chooses the same path and thus will be absent from the next part of the story. Meanwhile, Tony's new recruit becomes his new protege.
- Tony Tries to Rebuild (Spider-Man: Homecoming): Peter Parker "comes home" after accepting the invitation from Tony to fight alongside them in attempting to stop Steve from escaping Germany. While Tony comes across as somewhat distant and standoffish, Parker is clearly an important part of his plan, as he tries desperately to rebuild the Avengers, in order to be able to keep the planet safe from the inevitable return of the intergalactic foe who previously sent Loki to Earth. Meanwhile, Parker remains as focused as he was during the fight in Germany on his need to "impress Mr. Stark." Still, as he enjoys the prestige of thinking he is an Avenger, he resents being sidelined and treated like a child, as he is still in high school. The irony of this young orphan looking to Tony for a kind of fatherly affirmation of his strength and abilities is quite intriguing. This tension between the mentor and the protege culminates in a moving scene in which Tony comes personally to aide him when he is in over his head. Parker tells him if he cared he would be there (because Tony had previously only sent a drone-suit), only to have the suit open and Tony step out, revealing his presence, without missing a beat in his disciplinary tirade. It is in this moment when the importance of this relationship becomes more clear, as Peter tells him, "I just wanted to be like you," and Tony unhesitatingly replies, "And I wanted you to be better." Since the moment that Parker explained his motivation to Tony, when he was first recruited to help them face off against the "Secret Avengers," it has been clear just how much Parker is a reflection of Tony. His understanding of responsibility in the face of these incredible abilities he now has is understandably that of a scared child, who has already seen a great deal of evil and is perhaps vulnerable to a touch of the same messiah complex. These similarities seem to prompt a kind of affection in Tony that motivates him to take young Parker under his wing, thus he gives him a suit, bearing some similar abilities as his own. But, he also clearly wants him to be free of that which plagues him, namely the narcissistic obsession with saving the world, thus he begins to desire to help this young hero learn humility. This prompts him to take the suit back for a time: "If you're nothing without the suit, you shouldn't have it." When he says this line, we are prompted to wonder if he has ever had the same thought about himself. Parker does indeed learn a lesson of humility, but it seems as if Tony's plan backfired a bit, as this lesson prompts him to turn down the offer to become an "official" Avenger, in favor of being a "friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man," just at the moment that Tony was about to introduce him to the general public in a press conference. Meanwhile, Steve only shows up in a few cameo videos shown at Parker's school, as a role model for the youth. This is meant to be doubly ironic, both because he is now a criminal in the public's eye and because Parker has personally gone toe to toe with him. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether the experience of helping a younger hero learn a lesson he himself desperately needs will benefit Tony.
- Still on Separate Worlds (Avengers: Infinity War): The arrival of that long-feared enemy who previously sent Loki to Earth begins with a scene that features brothers reconciled, as Thanos attacks and slaughters those aboard the refugee ship containing the survivors of Thor and Loki's home world of Asgard. Just before Loki gives his life in a desperate attempt to kill Thanos, he looks to his brother and identifies himself once more as the son of their father, after a long journey of relative redemption and reconciliation. Meanwhile, when the announcement of Thanos's imminent arrival reaches Earth, Tony immediately realizes that what he has most feared is finally at their doorstep. Still, despite Bruce's urging to lay aside their differences for the sake of the planet, Tony can't bring himself to use the phone that Steve gave him to call his old friend for assistance. At the moment that he is finally actually considering it, a scout ship of Thanos arrives, seeking the Time Stone (of which Dr. Stephen Strange, who is their host at the present moment, is the guardian). This initial conflict sends Tony on a journey beyond Earth with his young protege, Parker (who he attempted to keep out of this interstellar part of the battle) and the one ego possibly capable of rivaling his own, Strange. So, this climactic battle begins with Steve and Tony fighting the same battle, but literally on different worlds. Back on Earth, Steve is working with the remaining Avengers to devise a plan to protect both the Mind Stone and Vision, of whom the stone is a part. Although Vision is certain the solution is to destroy the stone, and himself with it, Steve is determined to find another way simply because they shouldn't take an innocent life, even in order to save countless lives throughout the universe. Even in the most desperate situation, Steve is determined to do what he believes they ought to do. This was the understanding of freedom Steve has always been fighting for, only increasingly so as the journey continued - the freedom to do what they ought. Tony was fighting for a kind of freedom as well in the conflict over the accords, but in a more pragmatic sense. He desperately sought to "keep (Steve) from tearing the Avengers apart," with an eye toward "what's coming." Reading the current political climate in response to the catastrophic damage left behind, including innocent lives, by their many battles, Tony saw the acceptance of this government oversight as the only way to hold the team together to keep fighting the battles at all. He has outgrown the immature selfishness of his earlier days, which caused him to seek the freedom to do whatever he wanted, but is now fixated on the freedom to do what he believes they must. The essential difference between the freedom to do what we ought and the freedom to do what we must, is simply that the latter is more vulnerable to allowing its judgment to be clouded by fear, while the former is guided by a firmly fixed moral standard. Meanwhile, the impact of the accords effectively comes to an end, as Steve and his "secret" Avengers are welcomed back by the last man standing back at the "legal" Avengers compound, Rhodey, who even accepts a court marshal in the process. The reunion of these two men who both, at different stages, had offered Tony the challenging witness of strong moral convictions is striking in light of the fact that their convictions still seem to diverge in certain ways, although Rhodey's long endurance of the corrupt oversight of Ross seems to have altered his perspective on the accords. Meanwhile, they face an enemy who shows that the solution is not simply a matter of having strong moral convictions. It is a matter of being strong in one's conviction to the truth. Thanos holds to strong moral convictions. He is deeply convicted that what he is doing is right. But, his strong moral convictions are so gravely skewed that he is seeking to take countless innocent lives in an attempt to provide peace and harmony for the survivors in the galaxy. The depth of depravity in this "mad titan" who holds himself with a kind of noble bearing, as he genuinely feels what he believes to be love and mercy, bring us into a close encounter with the potency of an evil that hijacks our noblest intentions and orients them toward the most horrific wickedness. This is the great horror that has gripped Tony with such crippling fear all of these years, as he tells Thanos plainly: "My only curse is you." This kind of desperation is met by a kind of determination to do what they must, in order to survive and defeat Thanos. This determination is confounded by Strange, who quite willfully does the one thing they all are certain they must not. He freely gives Thanos one of the powerful stones he is seeking, apparently simply to spare the life of Tony. Strange has undergone a similar kind of conversion to Tony's, from a self-centered ego-mania. But, his journey has brought him to an awareness of realities beyond the physical and visible realm, for which Tony cannot give account. It is important for viewers to understand that the way this kind of "spirituality" is portrayed, and particularly the manipulation of it, is really not consistent with Christian faith, but far more closely resembles the occult in a way that warrants great caution against its intrigue. Nonetheless, there is something to be said for the fact that Strange understands things Tony simply cannot as his ongoing conversion has not yet brought him beyond materialism. Whatever knowledge Strange possesses, he seems confident that this was the way it had to unfold, indeed the "only way," and it brings them into "the endgame." But, that endgame dawns on that most horrific note of the realization that Thanos has achieved his goal and many of their friends have disappeared into dust, along with half of the life in the universe. Yet, among the living are all of the original Avengers: Bruce, Natasha, Thor, Rhodey (who was a very early ally who only more recently became an Avenger), Barton, and of course those two separated brothers awaiting reconciliation, Steve and Tony.
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