Let's see...Oh yeah, I've been trying to write something about the new Superman movie. Not really a review, but about how blatantly Christian Superman Returns is. I mean, good Lord, one has to be blind not to make the connection. Meanwhile, we all talk about how Narnia is a Christian allegory as if it were a revelation. Hello?
Superman has always been a God-like savior figure, even though it's been established early on that he is just an alien from outer space. But, what if Christ was also an alien from outer space, what with the Star of Bethlehem, the immaculate birth, the resurrection and all that? Okay, never mind. I am not going to get into a theological controversy here, unless, of course, I want to write the next smash a la The Da Vinci Code.
At any rate, my point is this: the story of Christ is one of the greatest stories/myths, and the comic hero's journey of Clark Kent/Superman fits nicely into that model. There are obvious parallels between savior heroes such as Superman, Neo in Matrix, Luke and Darth Vader in Star Wars or Aslan in Narnia. But not so with Batman or even Spider-Man. It's interesting to note that Superman was created by two Jewish boys; considering that, the Christ allegory is rather astounding. I wonder if the Christ parallels were developed later on, or if Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster had Christ's odyssey in mind right from the start.
With all that in mind, it is still jarring to observe so many blatant references and images in the recent film that scream "Christ!" Obviously, it's just a movie — a popcorn romp at that — and we shouldn't really take it too seriously. It's good summer fun. But for the intellectually anal crowd, Bryan Singer's version would call for some analysis and provide some interesting conversation, at the very least. I hope.
Article comments
1 - Boxclocke
Well, to be fair, Superman Returns plays up the "savior allegory" element a lot more than most Superman stories tend to have done in the past. I think it bears mentioning, however, that the savior in question is not necessarily Christ. As you said, Siegel and Schuster were Jewish...
A kindly old couple, faced with the death of everything they know and love, place their child in a tiny craft and send him away that he might survive certain doom. He is raised by the family that finds him, and, upon discovering his true heritage in a revelation as a young adult, and, wearing the blankets he was wrapped in as a child, sets out to become the savior of all mankind.
Now, you tell me -- was that the backstory of Singer's Superman Returns, or a summary of DeMille's The Ten Commandments?
2 - Juan Oskar
Since 1938, Superman has gained a lot of powers. Starting with the 1978 Christopher Reeve movie, I felt Superman was more like a biblical angel.