This week we’ll be looking at Halo 3 and the themes of heroism, salvation, and epic conclusions. We’ll start by looking at our always helmeted friend Master Chief and what kind of message we get from his portrayal.
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As you can see from the above video, there was a great deal of effort (and probably money) put into the promotional campaign for Halo 3. The previous games have led up to this point where the very survival of humanity is in doubt. And who is going to save the day? Master Chief of course. He’s the hero, the savior, the messiah. He’s the one to believe in.
The message of the video is clear- things are looking very grim. Gruesome scenes of war display the many ways that humanity’s soldiers are being defeated. Even Master Chief has been captured and is seemingly incapacitated. But what’s this? He’s very much alive, with plasma grenade in hand. Bet he can’t stick it.
This is how we view all of our heroes. Many movies that have this same plot point, where the plucky hero is a hair’s breadth from defeat before making an awe-inspiring comeback. Our view of a savior is one who can overcome an impossible situation and turn the tide. The hero is the one who inspires us to believe that salvation is near even in the darkest circumstances.
There seems to be no shortage of these messianic references for Master Chief throughout Halo 3. The game opens with mankind’s savior falling from heaven…errr….the sky, an image that has also been used for many other messianic heroes such as Superman and Thor. And speaking of Thor, what is the name of Master Chief’s armor? That’s right, Mjolnir, which is both the name of Thor’s hammer and Master Chief’s special armor. He’s not just any hero, he’s a god sent from another world.
Why does this idea of a super-human, god-like figure coming down to save all of us resonate so deeply? It’s because we’re all looking for a savior, someone we can believe in. It’s fitting that this post comes during the Christmas season, which for Christians is also the time of Advent. This is the time of the year when we look back on history as the series of God-ordained events that led to the coming of Jesus, just as the month leads up to the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Jesus’ coming was anticipated because he became the hero for the whole world, saving everyone from sin and death and reconciling humanity to God.
So we have Master Chief and we have Jesus. How do they stack up? Master Chief gained the loyalty of his followers through military feats. Jesus had some followers, but he also had a lot of negative press from the religious leaders. Master Chief was inducted at a very young age into a special military program where he was given advanced training and weapons. Jesus was born in a barn and was raised as the son of a poor working Joe. He didn’t get any special training or go to any fancy schools. Master Chief was memorialized with the highest honors after his “death” by all of humanity. Jesus was murdered by a mob.
That comparison obviously favors Master Chief, but that’s not the whole story. By most people’s standards, Master Chief is all we need. Is saving the day by blowing stuff up really enough? What about our sin and failure, who will save us from that? We all want salvation from our mistakes and inadequacies. Do you think that there is one who can save not just the universe but the soul? Do you believe?
Discussion questions:
What other popular characters fit this messianic image?
What heroic figures are most appealing to you?
Next time we’ll talk about salvation and the Ark, another Biblical parallel. Use the comments to discuss and thanks for reading!
Reclaimer 105 