The Avengers Theme of Justice and Judgment

We're dealing with a superhero story in The Avengers, and that means you just know justice will be served.

But one of the interesting things about the Marvel Universe is how they complicate the typical caped crusader storyline. These heroes lock horns for a bit on who gets to take Loki in, making a simple act of justice a lot more complicated. And sometimes the line between "justice" and "we don't care who gets killed so long as the enemy is stopped" can look pretty blurry.

Questions about Justice and Judgment

  1. Does Loki think he's establishing a just world? Does he feel entitled to Earth because he was wronged in the past?
  2. How do the heroes define justice? Do the variations in their definitions cause them to butt heads more often?
  3. At what point does justice necessitate punishment? Do the heroes get punished for the wrongs they commit?
  4. Does Loki receive justice in the end?

Chew on This

Take a peek at these thesis statements. Agree or disagree?

Justice is in the eye of the beholder, and each character pursues his or her own notion of what it means.

Justice is an unchanging idea, and characters with a less-than-just attitude need to discover it here.