Hollywood Heroics and Blockbuster Faith

By Jesse Carey
CBN.com Interactive Media Producer

CBN.com - This weekend, Hollywood’s latest comic book remake hits theaters, and industry watchers expect Watchmen to be a blockbuster. Watchman follows a string of wildy successful comic book films, inlcuding Iron Man (which took in more than $100 million in ticket sales in first three days) and The Dark Knight, one of the highest grossing films of all time.

But as blockbuster season comes upon us and the latest round of superhero flicks prepare for the big-screen (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra are slated for summer releases), we decided to look at the top five superhero movies from summers past with Christian undertones—some subtle, some of super proportions.

The Matrix

It might be a little bit of a stretch to call The Matrix a superhero movie, but it has all of the makings of a comic book epic—kung-fu fights, robotic bad guys and a conflicted hero. And when it comes to spirituality, The Matrix is thick with it.

Neo, a computer hacker, finds out that our world is merely a shadow of the world beyond (in this case, a software program meant to enslave the minds of humans). He chooses to give up the life he knows to tell others about the truth—because that is the only thing that will truly set them free.

Superman Returns

Probably the least subtle out of all the movies on the list, the latest installment in the Superman franchise is heavy with Christian parallels. Not only does filmmaker Bryan Singer feature several visual references to Christian imagery (most notably, Superman desperately falling with outstretched arms and later being pierced in the side by Lex Luthor with a piece of kryptonite), but the movie plays up the similarities between the story of Christ and the Man of Steel’s comic book lore.

Superman, who was sent to earth in the form of a man (but actually is much more powerful), deals with the complexities of walking among men yet knowing his destiny is to save them.

He is his planet’s only son, and was sent to earth by his father. He regularly retreats to the Fortress of Solitude to talk to his mysterious father, Jor-El (a name that some speculate is a reference to the Hebrew word for God).

Here’s one message Jor-El left for Superman (once known as Kal-El on his home planet), "You will travel far, my little Kal-El, but we will never leave you—even in the face of our deaths. You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father. And the father, the son."

Here’s more advice that Jor-El offers his son in a time of despair: "They can be a great people, Kal-El; they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the Way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you—my only son."

Of course in the movie, Superman is only perfect in the physical sense; morally, he is an imperfect being and is even deeply conflicted at times. But the themes of sacrifice, love and the world needing a savior were overwhelmingly present when Superman returned.

Spider-Man 3

Even without overtly Messianic themes like Superman Returns, the Spider-Man movies present an interesting message that deal more with the personal decisions of the individual than a direct Gospel story.

Unlike Clark Kent, Peter Parker, the secret identity of Spider-Man, is completely human. And he deals with the most basic of human struggles—to do right, or choose to do wrong. Even after he’s bitten by the radioactive arachnid that grants him super powers, Parker is still just an average teenage guy dealing with average teenage problems.

There’s even lots of evidence in the Spider-Man comic books (the original source material for the films) that Peter Parker is a Christian—he regularly engages in prayers with God, he has a strict ethical code and strong family values.

But more than just action, high-flying web-slinging and subtle faith messages, the Spider-Man movies are about choices. Specifically, what do we do with the gifts we’re given?

Parker is constantly faced with moral dilemmas, even when he’s not fighting a battle against a supervillain. Will he use his power for revenge, self-promotion and to impress a girl? Or will he stay humble, and deflect glory and use his gift to help those in need?

The first two films have the young Peter Parker learning who he is, how he will fight evil, what he will do when faced with tough circumstances and how he will showdown with bad guys. But in the final installment of the trilogy, Parker has to fight the evil within himself.

After coming in contact with an alien ooze that heightens emotions like pride and vengeance, Spider-Man wages an internal battle as he also fights his foes. The message of the movie is clear—unforgiveness can turn good guys into bad guys, and before we battle the evil around us, we must first forgive others for the evil done to us.

X-Men 2

The first X-Men movie introduced mainstream audiences to the comic heroes—a group of “mutant” humans with superpowers who team together to fight bad guys. The second film in series digs deeper.

Bryan Singer (the same filmmaker behind Superman Returns) uses the theme of prejudice to show how the X-Men must overcome a negative stigma that being a “mutant” carries.

The good guys and the bad guys in this movie are all determined by how they react to being an outsider in culture. Will they negatively fight the people they feel misunderstand them, or will they rise above the prejudice and help those that are against them (loving their enemies)? The social implications—especially for Christians—of the film serve as a powerful sub-plot.

There’s also more clear ties to faith laced throughout the movie, particularly through the character of Nightcrawler. The reptilian mutant constantly prays for guidance and even recites the 23rd Psalm to inspire his fellow mutants.

Teamwork, overcoming trials and unity are all key elements in the X-Men storyline—elements we can learn something from.

Transformers

Transformers contains all of the classic good vs. evil elements you’d expect in a superhero blockbuster, and it even has subtle references to hero sacrificing himself for the sake of others. But more than just a theme of humans needing a savior (which is present in the film), Transformers is a story of David vs. Goliath.

This time, David is an unassuming high school kid, Sam Witwicky, who is picked on by bullies at school and hassled by teachers. As the plot unfolds, we find that Sam comes from a long line of great explorers, and despite being written off at school and home, he is chosen by the last of the surviving Autobots (awesome looking robots that transform into hot rods and semi trucks) to fend off the evil Decepticon army who is seeking to enslave humans. Sound familiar?

Led by the massive Megatron (a Goliath-like robot bent on human enslavement, who enjoys mocking his foes before crushing them), the Decepticons are at war with Optimus Prime (the always good and wise Autobot leader) who's trying to save humans.

In the final story arch, Sam, only armed with a seemingly harmless artifact (the ancient All Spark cube—not a sling and stones) and under the guidance Optimus Prime must defeat Megatron and destroy the Decepticons to save his people for enslavement.