The Avengers and Budo

I saw The Avengers with my kids this week. A very entertaining film which I enjoyed greatly! My favourite part was not one of the action sequences but a brief discussion between the dying agent Phil Coulson and the super villain Loki.

Agent Phil Coulson (dying after being stabbed by Loki): You're going to lose.

Loki: Am I?

Agent Phil Coulson: It's in your nature.

Loki: Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?

Agent Phil Coulson: You lack conviction.

It reminded me of Heraclitus’s statement that “A man's character is his fate.” The ethos of Budo also show us that ultimately it is not our external strength, skill or guile that makes us powerful, but instead our internal character. Great to have that message captured and shared in such an entertaining way.