The Dark Knight
Near the end of Frank Miller’s epic Batman story The Dark Knight, there is a scene in which a passenger airline crashes into a skyscraper in Gotham City.

Miller’s words and images, depicting the falling debris, the smoke and fire, the people panicking . . . well, not to make light of this week’s tragedy in the slightest, but what seemed like a somewhat unrealistic vision from a comic book in the mid 80’s became a hideous reality on Tuesday.

In The Dark Knight, Batman mobilizes street gangs to help the victims and apprehend looters and help the citizen’s of Gotham put out the fires and rescue the wounded.

As a child, perhaps twenty-five years ago, I expressed bewilderment, sorrow, and rage over a shooting that took place in a fast-food restaurant near our home. I was righteously enraged that something so horrible could even happen (how very young I was).

“There should be someone to fight against this kind of thing, someone who can protect people from it, like Batman.” I said.

“Sure,” my dad replied. “Or God.”

He was right, but Tuesday I didn’t think of Batman first. I thought of Captain Marvel — someone who could apprehend the villains with the speed of Mercury and head off their plans using the wisdom of Solomon. Someone who could have averted the tragedy before it happened.

And yet, I hold to a faith that acknowledges the presence of beings far powerful than any comic book hero. Unseen warriors against evil who have the power and avocation to protect humanity from the terrible forces at work in the world.

But where were they? Captain Marvel cannot be blamed for his absence Tuesday, but surely the archangels didn’t simply forget to check their heavenly Palm Pilots.

“Holy shit, Mikey. We’d better motor if we want to catch that airplane.”

“Goddamn Gabe, you’re right. I almost forgot.”

I’m sure that there’s an easy answer, maybe C.S. Lewis wrote something about the remarkable ineffability of The Creator’s plan and how we, looking outward from the canvas, cannot devise the pattern nor trace its shape.

In the comic books, when people fall from windows, Captain Marvel is there to catch them before they hit the ground.

And in the scriptures is it written: “He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

People fell from the sky Tuesday morning, but neither marvels nor angels were there to catch them.