Kevin Smith Clarifies His Avengers: Endgame Moment Could Inspire Religions Statement
Filmmaker Kevin Smith never holds back when singing the praises of comic book films, going so far [...]
Filmmaker Kevin Smith never holds back when singing the praises of comic book films, going so far as to claim earlier this year that the moment in Avengers: Endgame when Captain America wields Mjolnir could result in religious inspiration centuries from now, which drew criticism from some fans, resulting in Smith clarifying his comments about the mythical power of the moment as opposed to serving as an image as powerful as iconic works of art. Despite the intentions of his original remarks being quite clear, regardless of whether you agreed with him, some fans preferred to willfully misinterpret his comments in efforts to dismiss his remarks.
The original post featured Smith posting an image of Captain America wielding Thor's hammer, with the filmmaker commenting, "Religions have been founded on the Bible, resulting in millions of people deriving inspiration and moral strength from amazing stories about fantastic feats of faith. Hundreds of years from now, our descendants will find divine inspiration from the story of Cap wielding Mjolnir."
One fan replied to Smith by pointing out how it lacks the necessary components to be considered "Divine Art," to which Smith retorted, "It's unfair to say I held up this particular image as Divine Art; I said the scene could inspire religions. But more egregiously, using this single frame as an example of Endgame's shot composition is misleading because it was pulled from the middle frames of a moving dolly shot."
It’s unfair to say I held up this particular image as Divine Art; I said the scene could inspire religions. But more egregiously, using this single frame as an example of Endgame’s shot composition is misleading because it was pulled from the middle frames of a moving dolly shot. https://t.co/mM4SHf55Ru
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) February 25, 2020
Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the hammer is inscribed, "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." For years, there were discussions within the franchise about the characters who were as "worthy" as Thor, including a scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron where Thor's fellow Avengers attempted to lift the hammer. Cap managed to make it budge, but it remained relatively motionless.
More than just adding intensity to the battle in the finale of Endgame, Cap's ability to wield the hammer had huge thematic resonance, confirming that a mere mortal had proven himself worthy of the mystical artifact.
Stay tuned for details on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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