The religions of comic book characters.
Terry McCombs
of most comic book characters. Marvelish soap opera not withstanding.
What I mean is you don't get much of an idea what their politics or
religion might be. This is sensible enough I guess as they don't want
to offend any of their customers.
From time to you see things, whenever DC has shown Superman or Batman
being married they always seem to have someone in a white collar
officiating. Are they saying they are Catholic? or Episcopalian? Or
that they just wanted someone religious looking doing it?
However for the most part you just can't really say just what, if any
religion or personal philosophy that or that comic character might
follow.
I would say that leaves them all pretty much fair game. Call them
anything you like. Is Wonder Woman a Dianic Witch? What about Storm?
Spider-Man? Dr. Strange? Doctor Doom? I note that Captain Marvel (golden
age version) got his powers from Greek gods (and one Hebrew patriarch)
while Mary Marvel got hers from Egyptian ones.
I guess the "correct" answer would be to say that these characters don't
have any such thing so that they can be said to have which ever one you
happen to have..... Ah! Where's the fun in that?
What do you think?
Terry
Comics Magick for `occult' themed comics:
Menshevik
>of most comic book characters. Marvelish soap opera not withstanding.
>
>What I mean is you don't get much of an idea what their politics or
>religion might be. This is sensible enough I guess as they don't want
>to offend any of their customers.
>
>From time to you see things, whenever DC has shown Superman or Batman
>being married they always seem to have someone in a white collar
>officiating. Are they saying they are Catholic? or Episcopalian? Or
>that they just wanted someone religious looking doing it?
That also goes for some of Marvel's characters, e.g.
Scott Summers married both his wives in what appeared to
be a Catholic or Episcopalian ceremonies. Peter and MJ
were a possibly notable exception in choosing a non-
religious ceremony (being married by a Justic of the Peace,
Mary Janes's uncle Spencer).
>However for the most part you just can't really say just what, if any
>religion or personal philosophy that or that comic character might
>follow.
As far as Marvel is concerned, there are a few characters
where you do: there's the very noticeable Catholicism in "Daredevil",
the mythology connected with Thor, Hercules etc.
(which is really treated more as literature than actual religion),
and a few others -- Moon Knight's father was later revealed
to have been a Rabbi, wasn't Falcon's a preacher of
some sort?, Doc Samson also has Jewish roots, but does
not seem to be very observant.
Religious issues did show up quite a bit in the X-Men, with
Catholics Nightcrawler and Gambit, the Native American
heritage of Moonstar and Forge, the rather hazy goddess
apparently worshipped by Storm, Wolfsbanes Scottish
Presbyterianism, Cannonball's not specified church
(not exactly specified, but Protestant and possibly
verging or belonging to a fundamentalist denomination),
and Kitty Pryde's very secularized Judaism. Colossus was,
judging by some of his conversations with Kurt, raised
as a well-behaved Communisit atheist, and Wolverine is
a proudly-proclaimed agnostic.
>I would say that leaves them all pretty much fair game. Call them
>anything you like. Is Wonder Woman a Dianic Witch? What about Storm?
>Spider-Man? Dr. Strange? Doctor Doom? I note that Captain Marvel (golden
>age version) got his powers from Greek gods (and one Hebrew patriarch)
>while Mary Marvel got hers from Egyptian ones.
Nit-picking time: Mary Marvel also got hers from
Greek/Roman goddesses (Selena, Aurora, Minerva) plus a
minor Greek wind-god (Zephyrus) and two heroines
(Hippolyta and Ariadne).
Also Solomon is not reckoned among the patriarch
(that group consists of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the
latter's twelve sons).
Tilman
"Quimby. If you were running for mayor, he'd vote for you."
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