“Solve world hunger, tell no one!”
The Grinch in ‘Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch stole Christmas’ 2000
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I was watching Avengers End Game last night and a particular moment struck me.
The Avengers have an idea for saving the world and they are pretty confident their plan will work. The only hitch is they need to figure out how to travel in time.
So the Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow and Ant Man are toiling away in the Avengers Headquarters trying to figure out how to safely time travel to no avail.
Tony Stark (Iron Man) who dismissed the rest of the Avenger’s notion as farcical and impossible, is running a few tests himself, more out of his own curiosity than actually trying to solve it.
Then low and behold Tony figures it out. He solves the problem and successfully creates a time machine.
Now the moment I found interesting is that Tony hesitates.
He doesn’t go running to the other Avengers screaming that he solved the problem.
He deliberates because getting involved with the Avengers could mean risking his life and losing all that he holds dear.
And yet he feels an obligation to help.
He is torn between losing everything and helping the greater good.
Fortunately this hesitation doesn’t last long and Tony joins the Avengers to save the world (whoops spoiler!).
I thought it was an interesting moment because Tony, armed with the ability to help, felt the responsibility to help.
He chose the greater good over his own self-interest and that’s why he’s a superhero.
Thomas Duggan 