The Light to Show Them the Way:
Superman as the Messiah
As a child, I would always watch the old TV show The Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves. Like many children of my time, I would take an old towel and tie it around my neck for it to be my cape so I could ‘fly’ around the house being Superman because of that old TV show. I later became a fan of the comics and read many of his adventures in DC Comics. I loved the action, the powers that Superman had, and wished to be like him in every way possible. He became a true hero to me just like he did for many other children. It has also been said that Superman was more than just a superhero in comics. It has been argued that he can be linked to Jesus Christ in many ways.
But is Superman …show more content…
The writer of the script, Mario Puzo, had a very strong Catholic upbringing, and it showed in his writing of the script for the movie. There are several comparisons to Jesus in the movie form that time period. The young Clark Kent, after the death of his adoptive father, journeys in the wilderness just like Jesus did in the Bible. After spending years with the computer hologram of his father Jor-el before sending him out into the world again he says this to Superman, “For this reason, their capacity for good, I have sent you. My only son.”(Superman: The Movie. 1978. Warner Bros.) This quote is very similar to the Bible verse, ‘For God so loved the world he sent his only begotten Son.’ (King James John 3:16) Superman’s heroic goodness even changed Lex Luthor’s girlfriend and fellow bad guy Ms. Testmocker. She saved Superman from a kryptonite necklace that Lex Luthor put around Superman’s neck. She went from being evil to good, just like a certain woman in the Bible did because of Jesus. Mary Magdalene was possessed by demons, and thanks to Jesus’ help she was freed from the evil influence of the possession. (King James Luke 8:2) As a child, I never picked up on these subtle things. To me, it was just fantastic to see Superman flying in a movie and I had to agree with the tagline for the film, ‘You will believe that a man can …show more content…
When the director Bryan Singer was asked what the movie was about he said, ‘Superman Returns is about what happens when messiahs come back.’ (Fertig, Natalie. Web) In the movie it has been years since Superman was last seen and he returns to Earth after a deep space mission to find his lost home world. It can be argued that this is a strong reference to the Biblical prophesy of the Christ returning to save the world from evil. In the movie, there is an image of Superman flying into the clouds with his arms outstretched. Just like Jesus’ arms were on the cross, and this happened right after Superman saved the world by lifting a giant continent of kryptonite into space. Sacrificing himself to save others, just as Christ was supposed to have done for
Superman as the Messiah
As a child, I would always watch the old TV show The Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves. Like many children of my time, I would take an old towel and tie it around my neck for it to be my cape so I could ‘fly’ around the house being Superman because of that old TV show. I later became a fan of the comics and read many of his adventures in DC Comics. I loved the action, the powers that Superman had, and wished to be like him in every way possible. He became a true hero to me just like he did for many other children. It has also been said that Superman was more than just a superhero in comics. It has been argued that he can be linked to Jesus Christ in many ways.
But is Superman …show more content…
The writer of the script, Mario Puzo, had a very strong Catholic upbringing, and it showed in his writing of the script for the movie. There are several comparisons to Jesus in the movie form that time period. The young Clark Kent, after the death of his adoptive father, journeys in the wilderness just like Jesus did in the Bible. After spending years with the computer hologram of his father Jor-el before sending him out into the world again he says this to Superman, “For this reason, their capacity for good, I have sent you. My only son.”(Superman: The Movie. 1978. Warner Bros.) This quote is very similar to the Bible verse, ‘For God so loved the world he sent his only begotten Son.’ (King James John 3:16) Superman’s heroic goodness even changed Lex Luthor’s girlfriend and fellow bad guy Ms. Testmocker. She saved Superman from a kryptonite necklace that Lex Luthor put around Superman’s neck. She went from being evil to good, just like a certain woman in the Bible did because of Jesus. Mary Magdalene was possessed by demons, and thanks to Jesus’ help she was freed from the evil influence of the possession. (King James Luke 8:2) As a child, I never picked up on these subtle things. To me, it was just fantastic to see Superman flying in a movie and I had to agree with the tagline for the film, ‘You will believe that a man can …show more content…
When the director Bryan Singer was asked what the movie was about he said, ‘Superman Returns is about what happens when messiahs come back.’ (Fertig, Natalie. Web) In the movie it has been years since Superman was last seen and he returns to Earth after a deep space mission to find his lost home world. It can be argued that this is a strong reference to the Biblical prophesy of the Christ returning to save the world from evil. In the movie, there is an image of Superman flying into the clouds with his arms outstretched. Just like Jesus’ arms were on the cross, and this happened right after Superman saved the world by lifting a giant continent of kryptonite into space. Sacrificing himself to save others, just as Christ was supposed to have done for