As I sat in a theater watching the third installment of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, I had one of those double-take moments where I couldn’t believe what I just heard. A clear message came forth, speaking to the heart of my generation, and I want to do my best to unpack it here. So be forewarned, spoilers are ahead… 

For those who aren’t familiar, the Guardians are a ragtag bunch of human and alien friends who come together to fight off the evils of the galaxy. The third film focuses on one of its members, Rocket Raccoon, who throughout the series presents as a cynical, self-loathing, and yet very lovable creature. 

As the opening scenes center in on Rocket, the song “Creep” by Radiohead blasts in the background, setting the stage for a message that’s about to unfold to the viewers who grew up with Radiohead as well as the other songs that play throughout the film. This particular song was released at the beginning the 90s and speaks intimately to the angst of the Gen X and Millennial generations. Here are some of its lyrics:  

I’m a creep
I’m a weirdo
What the hell am I doin’ here?
I don’t belong here

I don’t care if it hurts
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice
When I’m not around

In the story, we learn that Rocket’s innocence was stolen as a baby raccoon because he was taken and genetically altered into the intelligent life form he is in the series. This was done by a man known as the “High Evolutionary” who quickly becomes the villain of the story. The High Evolutionary develops entire species and new civilizations by making mutations on pre-existing lifeforms and accelerating the evolutionary process. His says his goal is to make things better, but he shows no empathy or care for his creation along the way. His creations are killed and discarded as swiftly as he makes them. 

This character is a fitting personification of evolution itself. The theory of evolution proposes a meaningless and emotionless process of “making things better” as countless species are killed and discarded along the way. The worldview of a blind natural selection arising from this theory has firmly embedded itself as one of the premier deities and high places of our modern culture. It took over a century to establish itself, but once it did, there was a mature harvest of dark fruit that emerged in the post-Baby Boomer generations, those who grew up listening to songs like Creep and who questioned their worth and identity more than any generation prior. This questioning of identity is exactly what we see with Rocket throughout the film as other 90s songs play on the screen.   

At one point, the High Evolutionary says to Rocket:

“You think you have some worth in and of yourself without me? No! You’re an abomination! Nothing more than a step on my path!”

Speaking with the fervor of a judgmental god, the High Evolutionary reinforces Rocket’s ultimate fear; the same fear that hides itself in the anxious hearts of many Westerners. But there is revelatory point in the film, the part that made me do that double-take. In one scene, Rocket is about to die and we see his spirit approaching a heavenly white light. In the scene, he reunites with a deceased friend named Lylla who had been a source of great comfort earlier in the story. She is a Holy Spirit figure who brings peace and truth into Rocket’s existential crises. In the scene, Rocket tells her he wants to leave and be with her, to which she responds with the following:

“You still have a purpose here.” 

To this, Rocket cries and releases all the anger and fear buried in his heart, what I would propose is buried under the song Creep and other dark lyrics from the past 30 years. He says:

“A purpose for what? They made us for nothing! Just stupid experiments to be thrown away!”

To which Lylla responds:

There are the hands that made us, and then there are the hands that guide their hands.

This is the line that blew me away. Without being preachy at all, the movie was not-so-subtly proclaiming a clear message to its Western viewers. No matter what way people came into the world, no matter who their parents are or what ways nature and civilization shaped their arrival into the galaxy, there is a “hand” that worked behind the scenes, and this hand did so with love and purpose.

It is no surprise that soon after this scene the story is infused with direct allusions to the book of Genesis. One involves a scene with Rocket’s friend, Peter Quill, who is the leader of the Guardians. Peter initiates the entire plot of the movie by electing to save Rocket, and indeed the whole story is about Rocket’s salvation, both physically and spiritually. Peter Quill is known as “Star Lord” and he becomes a picture of the Lord Himself. In the second installment of the movie we learn that this Star Lord is half human and half god, an obvious connection to Christ. The character is played by Chris Pratt, someone who once spoke an incredible message about God’s grace at an MTV Award Show of all places.

The scene that brings in the book of Genesis is when Star Lord gives his life to save every single creature from the High Evolutionary’s ship. At the end, the ship that he oversees is crashing (in the same way, the politics and philosophies behind Darwinism are certainly going to implode and crash) and Star Lord jumps into cold space after saving the last of the captive creatures within. But as he’s dying in the middle of space, a character named “Adam” comes and touches him with his finger. The exact imagery of Michaelangelo’s famous painting in the Sistine Chapel then fills the scene:

In the midst of this moment are a multitude of wild animals who get saved from the High Evolutionary’s ship as they jump onto a different ship that has come to rescue them. This is the ship that belongs to the Guardians. It becomes a kind of “Space Ark,” developing the Genesis motif even further as the story begins to wrap up.

Genesis, of course, holds the story of our true origin in the heart of God. This becomes even more significant when you realize these scenes come on the heels of Rocket discovering a cage of baby raccoons, innocent little creations that spark something deep within him. As I said before, Rocket is a hardened, sarcastic, and guarded individual throughout the entire series. But something in him softens when he discovers the innocence and purity of his origin. The same holds true for every person who comes to look at themselves in the mirror of Christ, the one who is our true “Adam,” who defines our identity and sets an eternal and glorious value on our lives. 

The movie does what I wish apologetics ministries would do more often. It does not set out to get into a debate over the issue of evolution. This is a major pitfall for Christians who get caught arguing about details when there is a higher perspective that overrides the nuances of creation. This was integral in my own conversion when I came across a ministry who allowed room for evolution but focused more on the realities of God’s divine signature throughout the cosmos. They focused on an even bigger point: that is, whatever role evolutionary processes played in the development of creation, the reality is that there is a hand that guides it.

But really, you can forget the evolution debate for a moment and just ponder other horrible and seemingly “meaningless” ways people are created. Moments of lustful passion, affairs, alcohol-induced sex, rape, and more. There’s no denying these are the avenues through which people come into the world, and many children in the wake of these situations are left with deep questions about their purpose and worth. The movie cuts through all of this heartache to say that whatever pain brought you into the world, there’s a loving hand that overrides everything and calls you precious and worthy of love. 

And this hand is depicted so well by the character of Star Lord, for he is someone who lays down his life to save Rocket. In fact, the whole movie is a laying down of one’s life for a friend. That summarizes it all. And that of course summarizes the good news about God through the person of Jesus. Star Lord is completely human, but there is a divine side to him that beautifully resembles the reality of Jesus Christ. This is the good news that breaks the lie of the emotionless god of evolution (as well as the judgmental and distant gods of religion, including any false depictions of the true Creator).

Though many will not see it, the film holds a message for a generation who grew up feeling like an accident floating on a rock in space, orphaned and ultimately alone. It shouts out in parable form that each person is worth dying for. This is the good news. And this good news is coming to a theater near you. As it comes, it will shatter the ship of evolution and it will dismantle the stronghold of religion. Jesus is calling this generation into an awakening of their true identity, and even Marvel is a tool in his hand to prepare their spirit for this transforming revelation, even if their mind hasn’t caught up to the message yet. 

On that note, the ending of the movie needs to be a quickly mentioned as well. In the final scene, Star Lord hands over his position to Rocket. Rocket becomes the leader he was always meant to be. And what a beautiful picture this is as well, for it reminds us that Jesus not only restores our identity but he prepares us to rule and reign in this age and in the one to come. Both meaning and purpose are given to us by the Lord, and there is a whole eternity ahead of us to discover it.

Featured Image: Marvel Studios / Copyright 2023 MARVEL