With all the speculation about the Man of Steel’s sexuality, the media almost forgot about that whole Superman-as-Jesus angle. Almost. Luckily, The Associated Press is there for us.
“It is so on the nose that anyone who has not caught on that Superman is a Christ figure, you think, ‘Who else could it be referring to?’” our favorite pop theologist, Steve Skelton, tells The AP. Skelton is the author of The Gospel According to the World’s Greatest Superhero.
Previews for Superman Returns have done little to discourage such comparisons. One poster shows Superman, striking a godlike pose, as he surveys Earth from above. And, as The AP article observes, a trailer for the film “shows the hero with his eyes closed as the voice of his father — Marlon Brando’s, courtesy of 1978’s Superman — tells him he was sent to Earth because humans ‘lack the light to show the way. … For this reason,’ continues the voice, ‘I have sent them you, my only son.’”
Subtle, huh?
But not everyone is buying it. Amy Pedersen, who’s writing her doctoral thesis at UCLA on comic books, calls the comparison “a misrecognition,” noting that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were inspired by the story of Moses and the golem of Jewish folklore.
June 14th, 2006 at 11:34 am
I never did like the idea that Jor-El somehow knew that Earth was screwed up and intentionally sent Kal-El here to save us. Sort of demeans the importance of the Kent influence.
I also think that Siegel and Shuster would be surprised by the Christ comparisons seeing as how they were Jewish.
June 14th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
I don’t understand why people keep seeing Christian metaphors in art created by Jewish guys.
June 14th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
What? You don’t get how Maus was actually an allegory for the way Christian conservatives are treated by the liberal media today?
June 18th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
[...] We started the week with Bryan Singer’s final word on Superman’s sexuality, which had been receiving a lot of media attention and discussion over the past few weeks. No, he isn’t gay. But is he Jesus? [...]
June 20th, 2006 at 9:44 am
[...] Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen claims of Superman as a Jesus metaphor, Superman as Jewish allegory, and Superman as gay icon. [...]
March 2nd, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Hyrrocodone….
Hyrrocodone….
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