Super Jesus

In this week's lecture, we discussed Jesus films and Christ figures in films. A great example of Christ figures in films are any superhero movies - Superman, Spiderman, Batman, etc. They are the saviours, the ones who try and do good deeds and save the town from the bad guys. With the example of "Superman Returns", Superman's father tells him he is going to send him to Earth because "humans lack the light to show the way". There is a clear biblical reference there, which is by no means accidental. At the end of the film, he is stabbed with a piece of kryptonite. This can be related to Jesus being stabbed during the crucifixion. After he throws Lex Luthor's continent into space, he falls back into the Earth into a pose that resembles Jesus on the cross. Superman wakes up from a coma three days later, like Jesus waking up three days after his crucifixion. Also, he is able to fly around and hear cries of help from people needing his assistance. This resembles God being able to hear our prayers in heaven. It seems the story in "Superman Returns" could be a sort of re-telling of Jesus' life; being sent to Earth by his father to do good, battling with Lex Luthor (who could very well be the devil figure), being crucified and then waking up three days later.

In class we talked about how films with Christ figures often have a covert missiological intention to try and convert people to becoming Christian. I believe Superman could be one of these movies, as there are so many obvious biblical references (as stated above). Some non-religious people may be offended by having Christ figures in films because it can offend their non religious beliefs. However, because Superman is such a widely popular figure in popular secular culture, the religious references shouldn't ward off mainstream viewers.