((WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Guardians of the Galaxy 2! Do not proceed if you have not seen the movie!))
Probably one of the biggest movies to get an audience 'hooked on a feeling', Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 blasted Fate of the Furious out of top place in just its first weekend in theaters. It's not a surprise, honestly. First of all, it's a Marvel movie. Second, it's got Chris Pratt. And third...baby Groot. (Honestly, I could have just said 'baby Groot' and that would have been enough).
I had high hopes for this film, as I'd been waiting anxiously for it since the teasing sentence that promised 'The Guardians of the Galaxy will return' at the end of the credits in the first movie. I admit, this did not disappoint. My friend told me to bring tissues, and boy I should have listened. I cried so much, out of joy and then out of pure, immense and utter sadness.
But that's not what this article will focus about (though I may address it in a later article. RIP Mary effing Poppins). Instead, my focus is going to be on Ego, and the ever-so-appropriate name of this little-g god.
First, I really liked Ego. He was sketchy, but at the same time he was all smiles, peace, and kindness. What really drew me to Ego was his adoration of Peter (which we find out later is a very bad thing actually). I just loved the father-son dynamic of him teaching Peter how to harness the celestial part of himself, and when they played catch in the 'back yard'. It was absolutely heart-warming, and I'll admit I cried tears of joy when it happened because it was what Peter wanted, and I was so happy for him.
And then Ego showed his true colors, and revealed the aptness of his choice of name. Because, after all, as a celestial being he certainly named himself. Ego's name is absolutely fitting for him. Everything is about him. Not just that, but the ego is "the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity." That sentence alone is Ego. He literally makes his own reality when he creates an entire world. Then he goes on a journey away from his world to "find his purpose in life". He's looking for a sense of personal identity.
Ego finds this sense of personal identity when he encounters other life and finds it "disappointing". Disappointing because..it was not as 'good' as him? Ego holds a high standard. As a celestial, he is immortal, and nearly all-powerful. This makes him immediately consider himself better than the 'disappointing' creatures he meets along the way.
Thus, Ego's purpose is born; to make everything about him. If everything is him, then everything is perfect, wonderful, and fulfilling. Surely these disappointing creatures aren't supposed to stay that way. Surely his purpose is to cleanse them of their pitiful genes and make everything as good as he is.
Everything in Ego's existence revolves around him. The world he created, the people he meets with the sole purpose of impregnating them for his spawn to carry out his mission and his legacy, the mission that is literally all about him...Ego works so hard to make himself the center of everything. Because, in his mind, he is (or should be) the center of everything.
Ego's name is aptly chosen, but there's something even more important in regards to how his name reflects his true self. The character of Ego is a warning. The character of Ego forces you to question yourself and your own motivations. Are you doing things for your own goals, for purposes that revolve only around you? Or are you like Peter, who, despite all the force Ego could throw at him, fought back for the sake of not himself but his friends? Peter knew that destroying Ego and the core would make him mortal. And for someone with the personality of Peter, immortal is a pretty tantalizing concept. But if the price of immortality was letting his friends die, Peter knew it was not a price that he was willing to pay. He put others before himself, proving him to be the opposite of Ego.
And that's what makes us human. Every time Peter considers his friends instead of himself, Ego complains that it's just 'the human part of him', since his mother was a human. But Marvel is sending a really poignant message with that statement. Caring for others, considering others above ourselves, is what makes us human. Our ability to love, to step back and not always be the center of everything, to care more about others than ourselves, is what really makes us human. So often, we get distracted by the tempting allure of fame, money, and power, just like Ego. But here's the question...
How much human is in you?
