Movie Reviews/Entertainment

By Summer Lane

Image: Deposit Photo, Editorial Use Only

I remember when Robert Downey Jr. made his big Hollywood comeback in 2008 in the wildly successful Marvel film, Iron Man. Until that point, the only really successful (on a massive scale) Marvel movies had been the Spiderman trilogy (Sam Raimi directed, and Toby Maguire starred in the role of Peter Parker) from the early 2000s and a few X-Men movies that I personally thought were overrated (sorry if you’re a big fan!).

Iron Man was different. It was slick, funny, and simple. It marked the beginning of an unprecedented string of Marvel movies, ranging from the patriotic Captain America: The First Avenger to the belly-laughs provoked in the hilarious Guardians of the Galaxy.

While the films were not perfect in terms of being completely family-friendly, the overall theme of the films were wholesome enough: heroes overcoming the odds to vanquish very evil villains, all in the name of protecting the innocent. The Avengers, the films echo. Earth’s mightiest heroes.

Since the summation of years of trilogies and sagas with the two-part Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game, the Marvel franchise has reinvented itself in a bid to stay current with the times, continuing some of the comic heroes’ stories in movies like Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings, and Thor: Love and Thunder.

Sadly, Marvel is not so marvel-ous anymore (I know, that was a mom joke), having abandoned their devotion to strong storytelling and trading it for shockingly bold agenda items and in-your-face occult symbolism. Yes, I said occult symbolism. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look!

Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The first film was entertaining enough, although it was rifled with threads of witchcraft and spellcasting. Still, it was a pretty simple story. The second film, however, was easily one of the most egregiously occult movies I’ve ever seen – and this is coming from someone who used to watch horror movies (not anymore!).

The film follows Dr. Strange, who is now a very powerful wielder of magic and spells (a warlock, perhaps? I’m not sure what his title is), and who finds himself thrust back into an adventure of a lifetime when facing down the Scarlet Witch. The film is rife with pentagrams, seances, spell-casting, demon possession by proxy, summoning demonic spirits from hell, a scene depicting a satanic sacrifice/ritual, and enough visual aids for each of these scenes to fuel nightmares for years. Even my husband and I found ourselves looking away from the screen, wondering how this got approved by Disney and Marvel.

Remember when Marvel movies were centered on Hulk smashing cars and Captain America throwing his mighty shield? The good old days.

Dr. Strange also uses a third eye to practice some of his magic, a satanic symbol utilized by a real-life Satan-worshipper named Aleister Crowley – an occultist, magician, and self-proclaimed Satanic prophet. This is the same guy who called himself “The Great Beast 666.” CBN News has a good article about this here.

Almost comically, Dr. Strange also encounters a secret society in the movie known as the Illuminati, and I nearly spit out my ice cream when the film casually revealed this supposedly “humorous” name.

In case that wasn’t enough, there is even a scene where Dr. Strange waves his hand over a cup of water and turns it into wine – a not-at-all accidental mockery of Jesus’s very first miracle.

A new promo clip for #DoctorStrange in the Multiverse of Madness featuring Sinister Strange. Tickets go on sale in a couple of hours! pic.twitter.com/lwlQ4dpuce

— thelostsmiles | Phil Burbank’s scarf (@SmilingBenedict) April 6, 2022

Sounds like a great, family-friendly movie, right? It gets better! The young girl whom Dr. Strange is supposedly trying to save for the entirety of the movie, for no apparent reason at all, reveals to viewers that she has “two” moms – just to make sure the LGBTQ agenda got some time in the spotlight. Satan couldn’t hog all the screentime, after all.

Thor: Love and Thunder

I will admit that the Thor movies, for adults, are really funny. The comic timing is brilliant on the part of Chris Hemsworth, but sadly, new director Taika Waititi took the newest film in a far more “woke” direction, with a hefty sprinkling of god and goddess worship.

I’ve noticed, too, that as the original Marvel movies have faded into the past, the newer ones are far more focused on supernatural elements rooted in the stories of ancient gods and goddesses rather than just superhero powers that were created in a lab (a la Spiderman). Sure, Thor was always the “god of Thunder,” but I think the original movies were more centered on aliens, alien battles, and alien invasions. Now, the films are more heavily centered on gods like Zeus or turning the Valkyrie into feminist icons.

Yes, Valkyrie flirts with women in the film, too:

tessa thompson as king valkyrie kissing zeus' handmaiden's hand and waving flirtily before jumping away and leaving in thor love and thunder pic.twitter.com/Fjpr4FuWJA

— mcu reactions & clips (@reactmcu) September 21, 2022

In the newest Thor installment, there is a strong dose of humor – almost too strong – and occasional sexual agenda items are sprinkled throughout, making this film entirely inappropriate for children. One young character insists to Thor that he doesn’t want to be called Astrid anymore, and that his new name is Axel – making a totally useless point, plot-wise, to abandon the name his father gave him in a nod to the transgender community, affirming the “woke” idea that “deadnaming” someone who has changed their name or transitioned is a big “no-no.”

Further, the film’s narrator, a rock-creature alien named Korg, inexplicably decides to describe the process by which new rock-alien babies are made: Only two daddy rock aliens can do it (no girls allowed!). Again, this is a total unnecessary and unfunny piece of dialogue that lends nothing to the film.

Even worse, the main crux of the film is predicated on Thor attempting to rescue a group of children who are snatched out of their beds by demonic shadow creatures and whisked across the galaxy in a horrifyingly scary wooden cage. The villain in the movie seems demonic himself (played by Christian Bale, he depicts Gorr the god-Butcher), with a skull-like, sunken face, white, monk-like robes, and a penchant for abusing the children mentally with terrifying stories. The entire film reeked of an undertone that reminded me of human trafficking – the kids, the cage, etc. – and it was also perhaps one of the strangest plot points I’ve ever seen in a Marvel film.

Thor was reduced from a strong, fearless warrior to a stumbling, bumbling buffoon who had to be saved by his ex-girlfriend (feminism!), seriously degrading the integrity of his hero status.

One last thing: there is also partial nudity in the film, as well as heavily occult themes at the end of the movie, where a place called “Eternity” is said to grant the wish of whoever reaches him/her (whatever it is). Another turnoff? The heroes visit a place called “Omnipotence City,” where countless gods are supposedly holding court under the watchful eye of Zeus: gods like Kronan, Bast, Minerva, Artemis, an Elche goddess, and the Serpent god (Maya/Aztec). Ra, the sun-god of Egypt, is also mentioned.

Like I said: there’s a HUGE emphasis on god and goddess worship in this film.

Conclusion

These are just examples from two new Marvel films, and I’m sorry to report that the rest of Marvel’s creations are not on the uptick in terms of moral entertainment. From Loki coming out as bisexual on his show to the She-Hulk caricaturing the original Hulk character on Disney Plus, Marvel is just not as marvel-ous as it once was (I had to do it again, sorry).

My advice? Parents: steer clear of the new Marvel and, if you’re willing to monitor the content, stick with the older films.

The opinions in this article are specific to its author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Counter Culture Mom team.

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Summer Lane is the #1 bestselling author of 30 books, including the hit Collapse Series and Resurrection Series. She is an experienced journalist and columnist who reports on news within the U.S. and abroad. Additionally, she analyzes politics and policies in weekly op/Eds on The Write Revolution.

Summer is also a mom and wife who enjoys rural country living, herding cats, and gardening. She is passionate about writing about women’s issues, parenting, and politics from a theologically-grounded perspective that points readers to the good news of the gospel.

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