When War Reunites a Family

 

As stated in my March 28th post I really love the Azzarelo/Akins run on Wonder Woman (around 2011-2014). Sorry to repeat myself, the stories, characters, cliffhangers are still the best I've read. The series is so entertaining that I find myself dipping back into that pool for another reflection.

By issue 18 the character of War (Ares/Mars) seems well-defined as a kind of brutal villain, and as someone who values life, I really resonated with that portrayal. But like all good writing, the author fleshes out the character with nuances, motives and surprising behaviors.

Although I personally look forward to the day we beat our swords into plowshares (Isaiah 2), and we no longer make war with one another, I did find myself really enjoying the fictional personification Azzarelo provides. 

War is depicted as brutal, with bloody feet, but also as an old soul who has seen too much. This character is like an old soldier who just does what 'has' to be done and bears the damage it does to his own soul without complains or excuse. 

...War is going insane...

The other 'gods' talk about how War's sanity is slipping and he has become feeble. This description reminds me of the peace movements of the 60's where we all realized that total annihilation was not really a victory for anyone, and even our 'skirmish' wars like Vietnam really provided no benefit to our country. Maybe for a while, for a very short time, maybe...maybe the world was beginning to see the futility and devastation of killing each other for greed, land, and worse of all, for religion.

I wish I felt the same was still possible today. As though in answer to end times prophecy, we have wars and rumors of wars, nation rises against nation, and there is no safe place for those who just wish to live their simple lives in their simple ways (Matthew 24:7).

But what's up with War doing something good?

OK, so the title of this post tells us that War reunites a family. 

SPOILER: After Wonder Woman is determined unable to truly protect the mother and child she has been charged with protecting, Hermes steals the child (yeah, he IS a thief) and hides it from its mother. War finds the child and returns it to its mother. Really? I mean since when does War the great divider of soul from flesh, and family from family reunite people? How does this work metaphorically?

Again referring to my previous post of March 28, I have to admit that in a broken world like ours it may be necessary to fight the greedy oppressors who are willing to destroy lives and families to further their causes. Can war really reunite people who have been lost to each other? Is violence necessary to repel and oppressor and maybe save the hostage?

As in my last post, I don't have the answers and I don't have the final say. I do know that my holy scriptures (the Bible) give hope that one day we will no longer need or lust for war the pain it brings. May that day come soon.