Who is the best superhero of all time? 

If you ask me, the coolest, the smartest, and the most fun to watch on the screen is Iron Man. 

A while ago, I was studying the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and trying to understand the roles of each aspect of God and liken it to something today. When all of a sudden, it occurred to me: Iron Man is very similar to the Trinity. 

I have three cautions before I explain further. 

1. No human metaphor or analogy of God is perfect. There are definite flaws, so don’t read into this too much.
2. The Trinity cannot be fully understood or fathomed by our human brains. It’s okay to walk away with curiosity, disagreement on minor concepts, and a bundle of questions.
3. I will spoil the end of “Marvel Avengers: Endgame.” If you have not seen the movie, feel free to turn the page (to page 20). 

This modern analogy is to get you thinking about the One we’ve dedicated our lives to serving, to help us understand the roles of the Trinity, and to perhaps make sense of how we can see God at work today.  

God: The Father

Let’s start with the Father. 

What is the role of God the Father? His role, perhaps, is the trickiest to identify and pin down without some biblical research. Let’s revisit a familiar verse. John 3:16 (NIV), “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” 

God the Father gave up His Son. Why? Because the Father is the planner, the designer, the mastermind. 

In Mark 13:32 (NIV), Jesus was talking about the end times, and He said, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” 

Why would only the Father know when the end of the world will be? Because He is the one who makes and holds the plans.

You know who else is a designer and a mastermind? Tony Stark. In our analogy, he represents God the Father in the way he designs, makes plans, and gives thought to the plans. 

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony Stark is the creator of an iron suit. He designs the outer shell, the technology to support it, and the gear and weapons it’s equipped with. He is also the designer of J.A.R.V.I.S., similar to an AI-companion. He wrote the code for this program and designed an interface for J.A.R.V.I.S. to accompany him in the suit. More on that in a bit.

Tony is also a self-proclaimed leader within the Avengers. The group often regroups at Stark Towers. Tony is looked to in difficult times and respected in decision-making. He is wise and sometimes can point out the bigger plan at work. 

God the Father is the designer of all things in existence and within the spiritual realm, similar to how we picture Tony Stark as the designer of Iron Man. 

The Son: Jesus

Next, God the Son, also known as Jesus.

Of all the persons in the Trinity, Jesus is typically the most well-known. At Christmas, we celebrate His birth. At Easter, we celebrate His resurrection from the dead. This is the role of the Son: He came to Earth, born as a baby, and ushered in a new covenant by shedding His blood on the cross. Hebrews 2:14a (NIV): “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity…” Jesus is the Savior, but He is more than that. His role is bigger than what happened 2,000 years ago. 

In John 1:1-3 (NIV), we read “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Jesus has existed forever, along with the other persons of the Trinity, and it was through Him that the world was made. 

Therefore, I label Jesus’ role as the implementer. He fulfills the will and plans of the Father. The Father plans for a universe and Jesus creates it. The Father designs a path for redemption of His people and Jesus makes it so by coming and giving His life. 

Jesus told His disciples, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38, NIV). 

So, the suit. Tony Stark is, in a way, distanced from the battle because he wears the suit. The suit fights and flies. The metal suit helps implement the plans and the will of Tony Stark. When we look at the technology and power of the Iron Man suit, it reveals the ingenuity and genius of its creator. 

This is not unlike Jesus, who has revealed in such a beautiful way the overall plan for God’s creation. 

The analogy breaks down here, because in “Avengers: Endgame,” it is Iron Man who gives himself in battle, but it is Tony Stark who ultimately is injured to the point of death. You may remember, though, that his sacrifice was noble and brought salvation to the rest of the world. In the final battle scene in “Endgame,” while battling Thanos, Tony asks Doctor Strange, “How many do we win?” Doctor Strange replies, “One.” Tony Stark was fully human and could not redeem his own death. Much to my heartache, he will not return. 

However, we praise Jesus because He rose again three days later, fully conquering sin on our behalf.

The Holy Spirit

Finally, we come to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is also a person within the Trinity. He takes our breath away and stirs our souls like nothing else can. The Holy Spirit has always existed. The Trinity has been and always will be. Interestingly, the Spirit’s role in the Old Testament is vastly different from His role in the book of Acts and onward until today. 

In the Old Testament, we hear of Him hovering over the waters before creation (Genesis 1:2). Then He appears in various situations as a cloud, a fire, a dove, and more (Numbers 11:25, Exodus 13:21). He comes upon Bezalel, Gideon, David, Isaiah, and others (Exodus 31:2-3, Judges 6:34, 1 Samuel 16:13, Isaiah 61:1). 

The Holy Spirit comes to reside in believers, sharpening our spiritual sight. His role is to guide our decisions, to help us in hard times, and to communicate God’s will to us — and more. I like to use Jesus’ description of the Holy Spirit: the Advocate (John 14:26). Like a guide or supporter. 

Tony Stark, in his brilliance, created J.A.R.V.I.S., and later created a replacement system named F.R.I.D.A.Y. This AI system became the pulse of Tony Stark/Iron Man’s productivity. It provided information, kept Tony organized, and helped the suit fight battles. It monitored Tony’s physical health and the suit’s wellbeing. 

Eventually J.A.R.V.I.S. was put into the body of Vision, who is another legendary superhero. This created the need for Tony to create F.R.I.DA.Y. The original AI system, J.A.R.V.I.S., was uploaded and put into another being to provide wisdom, guidance, and strength for his battles. 

At times, that’s what the Holy Spirit does for me.

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, participating in their fellowship of mutual, self-giving love, and He comes to help us and involve us in the self-giving mission of God. The Spirit supplies what we lack for that mission. Similar to how J.A.R.V.I.S. and F.R.I.D.A.Y. served Tony’s human inability, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness…” (Romans 8:26a, NIV). 

It Assembles Together

This concludes my modern-day analogy of the Trinity and Iron Man: 

• God the Father, the mastermind, is represented by Tony Stark. 
• God the Son, the implementer, is represented by the Iron Man suit. 
• God the Holy Spirit, our advocate, is represented by J.A.R.V.I.S. and F.R.I.D.A.Y.

Pick this analogy apart and find the similarities and vast differences, but here’s one thing I know: God is good. He is powerful. He is real. And I love Him. 

We may never fully understand the Trinity on this side of Heaven, but I’m grateful that someone else knows the plan, someone else has done the hard work that I could never do, and someone mighty is always with me.