At first glance, this movie looks rather typical and despite the twists, it was rather predictable. It’s an antihero story where we root for the “bad guy”. What we have is another answer to the question, “What makes a hero?” It is good vs. evil, and an unlikely hero tale. The more I watch it, the more it grows on me, and we can learn more about God from it.
Megamind’s origin story is a parody of Superman’s. He’s the other guy that was sent to Earth from a planet on the verge of destruction. He’s ugly, and doesn’t have the good adoptive-parents that his handsome enemy, Metroman, has. Megamind is raised by prisoners in the city jail, and even though he tries to do good things, so other kids will like him, he keeps failing. On a bit of a tangential thought, there was a Superman comic saga called “Red Son” that asks, “What would happen if Superman landed in Soviet Russia?” It’s a nature/nurture question; check it out if you can.
Let’s look at this as the story of every individual. Each of us has some natural skills that we are born with, and we really don’t get a choice in where we are born, who our parents are and so much more. The Bible says that our talents are provided by God so that we may do great things for His glory. Regardless of our origins or how we are nurtured, we are responsible for how we use, or don’t use our talents.
Even though he has everything, Metroman is not happy being a hero. He says there’s too much pressure from all the expectations people have for him. Plus, he wants to be Musicman (though he has no musical talent). Even when the city is falling apart, Metroman never returns to his hero role. At the same time, when Megamind finally takes over the city, he realizes he’s still not happy.
On one hand we have a person giving up his talents to pursue his own selfish goals. On the other, we have a person who achieved the goals he had focused all of his talents on, and it turned out they weren’t the right goals. These can be the end results for us, if we do not listen to how God tells us to use our talents. We are meant to use them to bring Him glory, anything that does not ultimately result in God being glorified is an abuse of our talents, and we will be left unsatisfied.
Titan is different from both Megamind and Metroman in that he is told explicitly by “Space Dad” that he has been given super powers to do good; but he decides to go and do evil instead. Titan wants to use his powers for his own selfish desires.
As Christians, we know why we have the talents we do. The Bible tells us to use them for God’s glory. Depending on the talent, the process by which we reach that goal is going to look different. Christian doctors heal people for the glory of God. Christian artists create works that point towards His awesomeness. That is what it means to use our talents properly. It would be wise to keep ourselves in check and make sure that we are not behaving like Titan, abusing our talents for our own selfish desires.
The real hero in this story is Roxanne. Think about her reactions to things throughout the film. She is quite selfless, but she does something AMAZING that changes everything. She shows Megamind loving-kindness. And it is Roxanne’s kindness that leads him to turn from evil and do good. Without Roxanne, the city would have been destroyed, the people enslaved and everyone would be sad.
It is God’s loving-kindness that leads us to repentance. Think about God’s reactions to humanity throughout history. He’s been gentle with us, encouraging us to do what is right. It is God’s grace that changes everything. Without God, we would all continue to aim our talents toward goals that will never satisfy us. And the whole world would suffer as a result. I’m happy that God shows us loving-kindness.