Are Superheroes Really Comparable to Jesus? (Superman & Christ)

When thinking about Superheroes, particularly Superman, it's most likely not your first thought to relate him to Jesus, but the two probably relate more than you'd think. To truly get a sense of this, one must take a look at the 1978 version of Superman; the film that paved the way for all of the superhero films everyone knows about today.

When the film starts out, the viewer is automatically introduced to the idea that a man from somewhere beyond our earth is sending his all-powerful only son to our planet for the sake of both saving him and the fact that with his powers he would be able to do something for the greater good of the people of earth. Once he comes down to earth he is dropped into the hands of a very sweet human couple who automatically assume the position of his parents without question. Although the adoptive parents did not birth him, right off the bat the plotline sounds pretty familiar to the story of the Messiah. We then get a glimpse of Superman, aka Clark Kent, in his teens, where it is revealed that although he and his family know he has them, he hasn't really done much with his powers. It isn't until Clark is old enough to leave his widowed mother's house (his father having died before he really got to become Superman, much like how Joseph, Jesus's father, died before Jesus started his ministry) where he embarks on a journey to find out his true purpose on Earth. This journey in itself is very similar to the one Jesus embarks on in the bible during his coming of age. Even the ages in which Superman and Jesus first started out being who they were meant to be line up pretty well, with both of them being around the age of 30 at the time of their "ministries."  - The term "ministry" may seem weird when speaking about the awakening of Superman, but in reality, isn't Superman's pledge to do no harm and fight for justice and truth a considered a ministry of sorts?

The story also reveals that Superman is basically flawless, wants to help people no matter what, cannot tell a lie, and can bring people back from the dead in some way or another, and basically perform miracles, all of which Jesus can pretty much do. Also, going away from the 1978 film, it is technically revealed later on through other media versions of the story that Superman even has the power to be resurrected. This is a highly debated topic by fans of the Superman Universe but it is very obvious that Superman really does "die" and then come back to life when he dies (possibly a fake death) in the 1992 comics titled "The Death of Superman" & "Funeral for a Friend" and later returns in the aptly named comic "Return of Superman," and is shown alive in various films made years later, including "Superman Returns."

It's also no secret even to the creators of Superman comics and films that the story parallels the story of Jesus Christ. Apparently, although being Jewish, the original creators of Superman blatantly admit to taking stories from the Bible. And when asked what Superman Returns was about, Bryan Singer, the director of the 2006 film even answered ‘Superman Returns is about what happens when messiahs come back.”

In my opinion, judging how much of an impact Superman has had on other superhero stories, and how much it parallels the story of Christ and other stories from the bible, it isn't very hard to see why people can relate so many superheroes to Jesus himself. The term Christ-like figure is definitely something that can be applied to Superman, and any superhero based off of him.