The Theology of Superheros

Anyone who knows me knows that I love superheros. Comics, movies, television. While all the other little girls were watching Care Bears, I was watching Batman: The Animated Series & X-Men. Obviously I'm not alone. For all these larger than life characters to exist, there has to be a market for them. There has to be a craving for these larger than life characters with complex back stories that swoop in & save the day. The question is, why? Why are we so fascinated with these characters with these super human abilities & a deeply instilled sense of justice? Is it a desire for adventurous fiction or is it a deep craving of the human soul?

I think we all wish to be saved. We all wish for some mysterious person to swoop in & save the day. We want someone to care even though they don't have to. And all these properties aren't enough, they have to have a human quality to them. It's not enough that Superman is almost invincible or for Batman to go into the dark places of Gotham to save its' citizens from the slime of the city. All these superheros have a human aspect in them. Clark Kent struggled with developing an identity & sense of self in his adopted home planet, Bruce Wayne struggles with the horror of losing his parents at a young age. Clearly it's not enough that we have a saviour, that saviour has someone who has faced the hardships of life that we can identify with.

The thing that some people don't recognize though is that we've already been saved. Jesus was fully God & fully human & that sounds pretty superhero-esque to me. Take a look at the gospels, they read like a comic book except they're not fiction! Jesus is born to a virgin, lived through the struggles of life (with no sin), was betrayed by someone close to him, murdered, & rose from the dead. He did it all to save us because God couldn't stand the thought of us being dragged down by sin, helpless to get out by ourselves. That sounds like a superhero to me, except this wasn't written by Stan Lee! It's actual history! And this whole saving thing isn't a one time deal. Jesus still works though those who follow him, the members of the church & promised to come back again.

And now some of you probably think I live in a comic book. Well, my faith is my reality. I see the difference God has made in my life & in the lives of others I know. Maybe not everyone agrees with me, but can you explain why I have such joy & happiness in my life? One of my friends calls me "Little Miss Sunshine on uppers." This joy isn't natural, it's a mark on my life left by the devine.