Maybe not political, but I remember reading a comic book in the early 70’s that had Superman and Batman disagreeing over whether man was basically good or bad. The Man of Steel thought man was basically good, and he took Batman around the world showing him examples of human kindness, but Batman kept saying “They’re only doing that because they have to…”
Really? Which one? I know in Adventurers of Superman #636 WW tells Supes to kill a villian who is posing a serious threat to him and his loved ones.
Thanks for all the info, guys!
The Authority are fascists disguised as left-wing radicals (although perhaps they have dropped the facade since I stopped reading the title in disgust).
And, to me, the finest one of all…
The Question, for the anarchistic libertarian in all of us.
“Rand? I’m no Randite! Rand didn’t go far enough!!!”
I remember that story, only it wasn’t Superman and Batman, it was their sons (in a story set in the future).
The recent Flash/Wonder Woman crossover issues. I think the Flash half had their discussion on the subject.
BBVL : The Authority, in their current title, has ceded the reins of power back to the normal world government, and apparently disbanded.
Well, it’s not really philosophical, and you have to realize that it changes depending on who is writing him, but the latest take on Batman is that he is an atheist. (JLA #66). Why do I think that he is? Because he can’t accept that a being like the Judeo-Christian God
would have allowed his parents to be killed. Now,yyou might ask How could he be like that when he knows that Wonder Woman was created by some god. most likely, he believes that these “gods” are just more powerful beings - and
they all seem to have different stories on creation. Batmans heard the Green
Lantern and Oa history. Now, once the next writer realizes that, it is likely to be written out, but still. Oh, and as for the actual dialog:
Batman is handling an ancient piece of armor. Batman is making an observation when Wonder Woman suddenly slams the object out of his hands. “Put that down!” she yells, “I’m sorry, Batman. That object…it is divinely charged, its aura…I didn’t want it touching you.”
Batman, looking nonplussed, replies, “Ah. That explains the near severing of my atheistic hand. Perfectly logical.”
Oh, and Thor has a christian supervillian named The Crusader. Now, he doesn’t see himself as a villain, for all he wants to do is to battle the forces of paganism and godlessness, never mind the fact that Wiccans never did anything to him, but but he has killed at least two men without the benefit of a jury.
A picture of the cover of Thor 330.
Now, again, the above are not political points of view, but they are likely to influence their holder’s points of view politically.
On the other hand, Batman has been portrayed in prayer (or at least swearing an oath to God) many times. Most famously as a child after his parent’s death, and again while swearing in Robin.
That’s old stuff of course, almost as old as him using guns, but unlike that the images have persisted. Mostly because young Bruce Wayne hunched over a candle is such a creepy image. I agree that Batman isn’t exactly the type one thinks of with regard to “faith” and “grace”.
I once read that Elliot S! Maggin assigned religions to all of his characters, although it never came up directly in the stories, it helped him get a handle on the characters.
IIRC,
Clark Kent is Methodist, but Superman is closer to some kid of universalist
Batman is epsicopalian.
Lex Luthor is Jewish (non-observant)
A National Review article on the Burton-Keaton Batman suggested he would be a traditionalist Catholic- with a taste for Gothic cathedrals & all.
RE The Question- “Rand didn’t go far enough!”- Ahhhh, a Rothbardian then!
With a healthy dose of the Tao for measure.
Of course, we shouldn’t completely discount the ‘lunatic whack-job’ argument.
Weird. How can Batman be an atheist if he’s hanging out with Wonder Woman, who’s had cocktails at the homes of most of the Greek gods?
Did you read the post?
Ah yes, I remember The Question. Did’t he defeat his foes by lecturing them into a stupor?
No, by throwing boiling lard in their faces, punching them alot, and letting them fall off of roofs, instead of rescuing them, like Batman would.
I’d argue that Batman, or anyone with his experience in the JLA and other such teams, would have to be pretty damn stupid to be an atheist (for anything approximating a real-world definition of atheist).
I mean, he’s known people (more than one!) who have died and gone to Heaven, and returned to tell the tale. He’s served with an honest-to-God angel, who reported witnessing the Creation. he’s also served with the Spectre, the wrath of God, who’s a cut above the Oans and other such entities. He himself has been to Hell, on more than one occassion.
He knows for a fact that the Judeo-Christian view of God and the universe is largely literally true. Now, that doesn’t mean he paticularly likes God et al, and he also knows that several Pagan mythologies are also largely literally true, but “All religions are true especially Judaism and Christianity” isn’t atheism. Quite the opposite in fact.
Are you sure you’re not thinking of Mr. A, Steve Ditko’s original objectivist “superhero”? Mr. A was much better-known for lecturing on Randian themes and causing his enemies’ deaths through failure to act, whereas the Question was drastically reimagined by Denny O’Neill in the '80s to be more of a philosopher-vigilante.
I think the Tick might be an anarchist, but only as long as it’s filled with wholesome goodness.
No, the throwing lard in people’s faces was Rosach, of The Watchmen, but he was just a take on The Question anyway. Also, I am sure I recall the Question letting a criminal, who couldn’t swim, wash down a sewer pipe, because “Being as how you have chose evil, you must suffer the consequences.” Also, I definitely remember him letting people fall off of roofs.
P.S. I am sure I remember having seen a Mr. A profile in the theme of the Marvel Handbook, but I can not seem to find it. Any leads?
Yeah, but it’s incorrect to refer to Rorhshach when debating The Question. ‘Based-on’ is one thing…‘actually is’ is another.
My all time favorite issue of O’Neill’s The Question had him buried up to his neck in the ground captured by baddies. He spends the whole issue debating with them…even when his mask comes off. Brilliant and no action at all.
For some reason this made me LOL. thanks 
Brian