What we can learn about storytelling from Marvel: Part 3

What we can learn about storytelling from Marvel: Part 3

Over the years, Marvel has learned how to contextualize decades-old stories, captivate audiences, and keep us coming back for more year after year. In my previous two posts, I discussed what the Church can learn from Marvel about contextualization and captivation. Today, I’ll be diving into what we can learn from them about keeping an audience.

In an age where our attention spans only continue to decrease, Marvel isn’t afraid to play the long game. When Iron Man premiered in 2008 as the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they knew that his story wouldn’t come to fruition until Avengers: End Game in 2019. They were able to keep audiences for 11 years to continue watching the story of Tony Stark, and they still have audiences captivated by the universe years later.

The Church often isn’t willing to risk this type of long-game storytelling. People may know popular Bible stories and characters without understanding how they all tie together to form the metanarrative of Scripture. Sure, there is a time and a place for quick, short-form content. But what would it look like to radically transform our discipleship process – moving from a quick-fix solution to a lifetime journey of spiritual growth and development with God’s Word?