Spiderman: Brand New Day brought back a government group that we first saw in Spiderman: Homecoming. Damage Control was originally started as a cooperation between Stark Industries and the US Gov. We saw them in Miss Marvel, Wonder Man, and here we get a different look. We meet the director: a guy named William Metzger, played by Tramell Tillman. The first meeting is interesting. Spiderman comes to Damage Control to stop someone from attacking with an armored vehicle; only to find out the person has no memory of driving it. Over time Damage Control went from being a company for cleaning up the damage done in battles by superheroes and others to essentially being the new SHIELD. They don’t just clean up the physical damage; they run jails and actively pursue threats.
Spoilers ahead.
Peter talks with Metzger and in this a few things stand out. Metzger very much wants Spiderman’s help. In fact, he wants all sorts of help. He has taken a position of taking whatever he can to help. This includes investigating gear used by criminals to see if they can reverse engineer it. Taking it further, he has taken some Hand Ninjas and convinced them to join his “team.” At first, he makes this sound like he is mentoring them. “They’re just teenagers who got caught up in …” Yet later on he shows his true colors.
Metzger might be a leader, but he’s definitely an example of someone with their own agenda. He does have a mission of protecting people, but he has poorly chosen boundaries for that mission. To the point where he’s willing to torture innocent mutants in order to find a way to give people those abilities. We see this as he tortures Jean Grey to see what her powers can do and figure out what parts of her brain control and enable these powers. During this time, she realizes that her sister sat in this very chair, undergoing the same procedure. And her big sister did not survive her encounter with Damage Control.
How do we know the difference between false heroes and real heroes? Well, in Scripture we find the answer in the discussions about prophets and teachers. Normally I just work with one or two passages but many of these verses I pulled from 9 Bible verses about False Prophets. Here are some tells about false heroes.
- They are more interested in complacency than growth. “They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “You will have peace”’; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, they say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’ Jeremiah 23:17, Italics added.
- They do not speak according to Scripture but according to their own ideas. “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” Isaiah 8:20 See also Jeremiah 23:16.
- The fruit of their work does not line up with the fruit of the Spirit. “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?” Matthew 7:15-16
- They abuse the people for their own pleasure. “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.” Ezekiel 34:2-4
These are the signs to watch out for. Firstly, check your own heart. See if you are living out any of these and keep up with scripture and prayer so that you do not fall into these habits. Next, keep comparing your pastors’ teachings with scripture and looking for the fruit. Do not expect perfection but do look for generally good fruit and a sincerity of submission to Christ.
We all have potential to be great heroes and that potential is what Christ wants to build in us; but our own sin complicates things and tries to corrupt our heroics. Keep up with Jesus in prayer and scripture. He will be your guide so that you do not become one of these false heroes.