By Kevin Price, National News Editor, USADC.
Warning, spoiler alerts for Infinity War.
I know, the dust hasn’t even settled on Marvel’s Infinity Wars. In fact, at the time of this writing, it is still selling out theaters (I know, I sat in one over the weekend early one morning) and it has already become the fourth highest grossing picture of all time. There are no announcements about whether there will be another direct installment, but the ending shows it is clearly begging for a part 2.
One of the most surprising takeaways from the movie was that it was a morality tale against environmental extremism. The chief Antagonist, Thanos (very well played by Josh Brolin), is nothing short of an environmental wacko who has put himself in a god like role of judging creation — wiping out half of populations wherever he goes in order to wipe out poverty and starvation. It is part of his quest to create “balance.” He seems entirely altruistic, even willing to sacrifice the one he loves in order to achieve his goal of wiping out half of all populations everywhere, in order to “save them.” Yet, the makers of the film clearly see him as evil, in spite of his “best intentions.” As well they should.
With the odd ending clearly showing a need for the next installment, with half of the Avengers dying as well as the rest of the universe’s populations, “Infinity War 2” (or whatever they call it) is just a a question of when, not if. So, I decided to pull out some lines that would be perfect quips that could come out of Thanos’ mouth in the next installment:
“The right to have children should be a marketable commodity, bought and traded by individuals but absolutely limited by the state.” (1)
“I suspect that eradicating small pox was wrong. It played an important part in balancing ecosystems.” (2)
“Phasing out the human race will solve every problem on earth, social and environmental.” (3)
“Human happiness, and certainly human fecundity, is not as important as a wild and healthy planet…Some of us can only hope for the right virus to come along.” (4)
Did I sneak into Marvel’s vault to find lines from the next script? No, I just did a little homework and found some quotes from actual environmentalists that are known for their extremism and are yet, considered (largely) legitimate.
(1) Kenneth Boulding, originator of the “Spaceship Earth” concept (as quoted by William Tucker in Progress and Privilege, 1982). The late Boulding is actually a renowned multi-disciplinary scholar. Oxford educated, he worked with the University of Edinburgh, University of Colorado (Bolder), and many other institutions.
(2) John Davis, editor of Earth First! Journal. Davis has been considered a leading authority in the environmental movement for decades, and is considered an influence on many others in the movement, in spite of his radicalism.
(3) Dave Forman, Founder of Earth First! Forman was arrested for his radical activities, but again, is seen as a legitimate force in the environmental movement. He has even served on the Board of Directors of the well known Sierra Club.
(4) David Graber, biologist, National Park Service. Yes, THAT National Park Service. About as legitimate as the environmental movement can be.
It is interesting that Infinity Wars went at the jugular of environmental extremism when so much of the population — particularly those who are younger and are attracted to the Marvel Universe — have embraced it. I am glad Marvel did, but it shows a disconnect. I have seen very few articles that have even considered this obvious “elephant in the room.” I have heard no criticism about the bad guy being an environmentalist from fans or even the maligned (by this movie) environmental community. I have no idea how to assess this disconnect, but I find it fascinating.
I think “balance” (a term used repeatedly by the evil Thanos) is a very good thing. Hopefully his abuse of the expression will make us rethink it and lead to a view in which we put people first and yet realize that cannot happen without a healthy planet.