# Superman fans: is depicting the son of Jor-el as a Christ figure good or bad art? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-fans-is-depicting-the-son-of-jor-el-as-a-christ-figure-good-or-bad-art/563571 "2010-12-09T19:57:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-fans-is-depicting-the-son-of-jor-el-as-a-christ-figure-good-or-bad-art/563571/21 "2010-12-10T04:36:06Z")
I’d like to see 'em _try_ to nail Supes to a tree. Roll the bones for his cape, see where that gets ya. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Amazing\_Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@The\_Amazing\_Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Amazing_Hanna)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-fans-is-depicting-the-son-of-jor-el-as-a-christ-figure-good-or-bad-art/563571/22 "2010-12-11T14:05:03Z")
The Christ metaphor doesn´t work for me. I mean, the thing with Christ was that he had a very important and difficult mission to carry out, and he knew exactly what it was. Also, he carried an important message to mankind. Superman doesn´t really have a mission more than protecting his newfound home. He doesn´t really have a message to preach, unless it´s “Let´s all play nice now, ´kay?” or “Don´t you come mess with my adopted planet.” He isn´t really privy to a cache of wisdom, unless it´s “Don´t blow up your home planet, man”. I´d say Superman is more of a Courage the Cowardly Dog sort of figure. He knows how thankful he should be for a place to call home and he´s ready and willing to lay down his life to protect it if necessary. But most of all he´d just like to be an everyday, ordinary person with a quiet, comfortable life somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-fans-is-depicting-the-son-of-jor-el-as-a-christ-figure-good-or-bad-art/563571/23 "2010-12-11T16:32:49Z")
I like the messiah metaphore, but definitely not a Christian messiah. The messiah imagery doesn’t have to imply he is Christ. He is the messiah that has not arrived yet. He is the messiah that we are waiting for. In fact, this depiction is decidedly anti-christian, since it implies the Jesus was not the messiah. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-fans-is-depicting-the-son-of-jor-el-as-a-christ-figure-good-or-bad-art/563571/24 "2010-12-11T17:36:04Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > He’s not a Christ figure. He doesn’t sacrifice himself. He’s just an old-fashioned muscle hero like Hercules or Sampson. > [@cochrane](#): > > Well, Superman did die and was resurrected. You don’t get more Christ-like than that. He was also sent to earth by his father in the heavens. He was a man, and yet much more than that – and he nevertheless humbled himself, shedding those trappings to live amongst us. He was also a paragon of virtue, a role model to emulate. And contrary to what **Diogenes** said, he most certainly did sacrifice himself. So no, he’s much more than just an old-fashioned muscle hero. Much, much more. BTW, the Old Testament character in question is “Samson.” I don’t normally make a point of correcting one’s spelling in these threads, but that particular error tends to stick in my craw. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-fans-is-depicting-the-son-of-jor-el-as-a-christ-figure-good-or-bad-art/563571/25 "2010-12-11T17:37:45Z")
When did he sacrifice himself, or die and be resurrected? I thought he came from Krypton intact, then just grew up with superpowers from the sun or something and that was that. ETA fuck me on the Samson error. I should have known that. Don’t know why I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-fans-is-depicting-the-son-of-jor-el-as-a-christ-figure-good-or-bad-art/563571/26 "2010-12-11T17:42:50Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I don’t think he’s a type of the Christian mystery-religion Jesus, no. But he is probably meant to be Messianic in a Jewish sense, which is hard to explain to Christians who see “Messiah” as something unique & divine. Yeah, you got it right. The Moses style origin and personality do have some Jewish tint to them. By the way, **Diogenes the Cynic** , Samson is a strongman, but a noble one, and that sacrifices himself. So, maybe saying he is some kind of mix between Moses and Samson would probably be not far from the truth (and really points the Jewish mythology flavor). ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-fans-is-depicting-the-son-of-jor-el-as-a-christ-figure-good-or-bad-art/563571/27 "2010-12-11T18:39:20Z")
I think they’re too different for the allegory to work. It’s like…if they were both types of loans, then Jesus would be the microloans program, whereas Superman would be the guy in a college dorm who gives out “loans” (which are never paid back) to anyone in the dorm who ran out of money before the end of the month. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-fans-is-depicting-the-son-of-jor-el-as-a-christ-figure-good-or-bad-art/563571/28 "2010-12-11T22:26:29Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > When did he sacrifice himself, or die and be resurrected? I thought he came from Krypton intact, then just grew up with superpowers from the sun or something and that was that. The Death of Superman storyline. It made pretty big news back in 1992 – so much so that the major news services even reported on it. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-fans-is-depicting-the-son-of-jor-el-as-a-christ-figure-good-or-bad-art/563571/29 "2010-12-11T23:45:47Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Suggested by a remark in [this thread on Aslan,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13232716#post13232716) which is not otherwise relevant. > > Poll coming in a moment, but don’t let that stop you. I only use polls as an [del]excuse[/del] venue to crack wise anyway. It’s a natural enough comparison, but the Christopher Reeve “Superman” laid on the symbolism a bit thickly for my taste. I wouldn’t mind some in-universe discussion of the topic - Supes dealing with people literally worshipping him, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superman-fans-is-depicting-the-son-of-jor-el-as-a-christ-figure-good-or-bad-art/563571.md?page=1)