Marvel's Avengers saga culminates in 'Infinity War,' releasing this weekend. Our team of Christian music Avengers assembled to dream up a soundtrack of Christian music anthems for the characters.
Marvel's massive cinematic universe, centered around their superhero team the Avengers, is culminating this week in the massive movie Infinity War. Our staff of Christian music Avengers assembled to choose a theme song for some of the major characters in the film, picked from some recent standout Christian releases.
Hulk: "Stronger" by Roy Tosh feat. V. Rose
Hulk has always made me sad. While he's pretty indestructible, at his core, he's a trapped man that can't escape the nightmare. Roy Tosh teamed up with V. Rose for "Stronger," and it's a great anthem for holding on when you feel things "slipping away" and just can't take it anymore. Whenever that Hulk rises in me, I have two choices: give in to the beast or find another way to come down. If you can hold on, "He'll help you get up again."
- Kevin McNeese, NRT President
Iron Man: "Keep Running" by Rapture Ruckus
Iron Man (my all-time fave) has been a tortured soul for quite a while. Even as a young man, he had to deal with losing both of his parents--but the real damage to his psyche occurred when he inadvertently gave birth to the evil artificial intelligence known as Ultron (who was in the last Avengers movie). Since then, Tony Stark has really struggled with confidence, and has questioned his ability to make good decisions while still desiring to protect the world and the people he loves.
Rapture Ruckus' "Keep Running" works because, at an emotional level, that's what Tony has been doing since Day 1: growing, building, developing, pushing to escape his internal conflict. The song "Keep Running" also addresses "feeling caught with dark thoughts... a whole world weighing on his shoulders." The song is a cinematic dark pop piece that captures some of the internal and external conflicts that will only intensify in this showdown with Thanos.
- Marcus Hathcock, NRT Executive Editor
Thor: "God Damn Evil" by Stryper
Christian rock legends in Stryper are famous for using controversial words in their most literal, non-profane sense, as they have with this title track from their new album (where "damn" means to utterly condemn and reject). It also makes this the perfect battle pump-up song for Thor, the god of thunder, as he takes on the supernaturally evil being Thanos. If the soundtrack of the most recent Thor movie is any indication, Thor also has a proclivity towards classic metal. These lyrics were practically written for Thor to belt out as he runs into battle: "We're losing all of what remains in a war we'll never win, a war that never ends. God Damn Evil!"
- Mary Nikkel, Associate Editor
Black Widow: "Warrior" by LEDGER
"Never give up, never back down, I will die before I bow." That no-nonsense attitude of determined confidence in this LEDGER track also fuels this former Soviet assassin-turned-Avengers-heroine in her quest for redemption. Never one to back away from battle, Black Widow has been an inspiration for fierce female "warriors" around the world.
- Caitlin Lassiter, News Editor
(with extensive advisory assistance from NRT alum and Marvel expert Sarah Fine)
Black Panther: "I Won't Look Back" by Fireflight
"I've come to take back what was stolen," the chorus of this Fireflightsingle declares. Much of Black Panther's storyline centers around taking back the throne that was stolen from him and reclaiming his rightful place as king of his country of Wakanda. Spiritually speaking, we can liken this to renouncing the enemy's power over our lives and reclaiming our place as sons and daughters in the Kingdom of God.
- Amanda DeWilde, Lead Reporter
Spiderman: "Brave" by Skillet
If you watch Spiderman, you can see he's really eager to jump into action to help out his peers. Skillet's "Brave" fits the web slinger for this reason. "I'm not afraid. You call me to be brave:" this lyric makes me look at the source of Peter Parker's strong desire to lend a hand. "Because of who you are I know who I am." Uncle Ben died in Parker's arms. This gave Peter a purpose and passion to help others-- to be Spider-Man.
- Phill Feltham, Contributor
The Collector: "Infinity" by Beacon Light feat. Canon
A lot of references in this track remind me of the impending war surrounding the movie. I feel connected to The Collector because he and I look alike, and we love to collect. "Everybody gon' die, everybody gon' die:" this basically summarizes the movie. "Infinity" by Beacon Light is definitely a good overall track for the movie, not just this character.
- Joshua Galla, CHH News Writer
Dr. Strange: "Not Dead Yet" by Ledger
While it may be a bit on the nose, Dr. Strange's climactic "death" loop can put quite a literal spin on the metaphorical call to living life with meaning in the song. Plus, the lyric "watch me burn" definitely brings to mind many pictures from the Avengers saga.
- Jonathan Francesco, Music Reviewer
Captain America: "Ceasefire" by for KING & COUNTRY
Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, fights for freedom. But I believe that if he had his choice, there would be no war at all. Hence, for KING & COUNTRY's "Ceasefire" is the hero's anthem. "One by one we will call for a ceasefire / One by one we will fight for a better end / One by one we could rewrite the headlines / We're standing side by side."
"Ceasefire" is a song of humility: put down your gun, not pick it up. In Captain America: The First Avenger, The U.S. Army rejects a scrawny, weak Rogers five times, because he wasn't big and buff. It was his humility that made him a candidate. Steve Rogers joined the U.S. Army not to kill Nazis or get revenge, but to protect his country-- to reach a ceasefire.
- Phill Feltham, Contributor
Assembled from the four corners of North America and many other corners in between, the NRTeam is comprised of staffers whose energy is equally dispersed towards loving music and writing about the music they love.
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