Unless you’ve been caught in a time loop, you know that the long-anticipated movie “Avengers: Endgame” premieres in theaters this week. We can finally discover whether Earth’s mightiest heroes can save half of humanity. To defeat the most powerful, purple-est villain since Grimace, the Avengers are going to need a lot of help—and I think nuclear energy can provide it.
I grew up watching superhero cartoons and desperately wishing to become Spider-Man in real life, even after three-and-a-half reboots. (Before you ask, my answers are: 1) my favorite Spider-Man is Tom Holland and 2) yes, that “Infinity War” scene nearly broke me). This experience—combined with my time here at the Nuclear Energy Institute—has helped me see that if the Avengers are going to do whatever it takes to win, they need nuclear energy.
Avengers, assemble, and learn three reasons why nuclear can help you succeed on your quest:
1. Uranium Is Better Than Any Infinity Stone
Okay, I get that uranium is not the same thing as a concentrated ingot born from the remnants of a singularity that existed before time and that can control an aspect of existence. But hear me out—if you had to create a super material, you’d be hard-pressed to find an element that contained all the useful qualities that uranium has without delving into science fiction.
I mean for goodness’ sake: scientists believe that the Earth’s uranium was produced from a supernova over 6 billion years ago. That’s practically half the script for another Marvel adventure right there—“Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3,” maybe?
What’s even more impressive is that one pellet of uranium fuel creates as much energy as one ton of coal, 149 gallons of oil or 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas. A single nuclear power reactor generates enough electricity on average to power 755,000 homes without emitting any greenhouse gases. That’s more than enough to power a city the size of Philadelphia.
Plus, that one pellet is about the size of an Infinity Stone anyway and can fit right into your Infinity Gauntlet.
2. Iron Man Is Already a Believer in Nuclear Energy
Iron Man is the sarcastic, brilliant leader of the Avengers. He’s quick with a joke and has that weird lightning goatee, which looks like Harry Potter’s scar became facial hair. But honestly, if I could grow a beard I’d try it for a day. He’s also a fan of nuclear energy.
Don’t believe me? Hear it from Robert Downey Jr. himself.
“Half the people that were out there saying 'No nukes' and 'Shut down the power plants' are now realizing that, some would say, nuclear is the best way to go for energy for the future,” Downey said on the red carpet a few years ago. “So I think it's natural to re-examine your beliefs as you age up."
It’s obvious that Iron Man is going to be a major player in “Endgame”—hopefully not for the last time. Think of how much easier making new suits of armor to take on Thanos would be if they had reliable, clean energy 24/7? Tony Stark already has experience with reactors (in a manner of speaking), so it’s not too much of a stretch for him to seek out the power of the atom to help our band of heroes.
3. You Can’t Travel Through Space Without Nuclear
“Avengers: Infinity War” ended with Thanos congratulating himself on a distant planet. If the good guys are going to undo “the Snap,” their ships will need a powerful source of fuel to reach him.
Nuclear energy propels space travel. For years, NASA has been using plutonium-fueled radioisotope thermoelectric generators to power satellites and other probes. Now they’re working on a project—called Kilopower—which would use a small, uranium-fueled nuclear reactor to power space expeditions and might even power small bases.
If you think about it, Tony Stark wouldn’t need to worry about getting stranded in space again if he relied on nuclear energy.
Nuclear Power Can Save the Planet
In the last movie, the good guys lost, bringing calamity upon the universe. It looks like in “Avengers: Endgame,” they’re going to learn from their mistakes and save the day (real “Hero’s Journey” stuff). Rumor has it that they’ll use some time-traveling, timey-wimey nonsense too.
We face our own crisis in the real world. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we could see severe effects of climate change by 2030 if we don’t act quickly to drastically reduce carbon emissions.
We don’t have the benefit of Infinity Stones or Captain Marvel and we can’t turn back the clock, but we do have nuclear energy—the largest source of carbon-free electricity, providing more than 55 percent of all clean energy in the United States. With renewables and other clean sources, nuclear energy can reduce carbon emissions while still powering our way of life. A growing number of climate advocates, thought leaders and bipartisan voices agree that nuclear energy must be part of any viable climate solution.
So get some shawarma and enjoy the new Avengers movie, but remember that whether you are standing up to intergalactic baddies or protecting our climate, nuclear energy is essential for saving our planet.
