Perceived Jesus Allusions in Man of Steel (SPOILERS)

[KalElFan]

SPOILER warning in the Subject line.

Quoting a poster from another thread on ramc-f, here's a
somewhat more provocative but not atypical example of
the hot button that all things Jesus can sometimes be:

> Religious attributions are fine, but not when they are absolutely
> literal, aimed cheaply at the uneducated. Superman, arms stretched
> wide, feet together as if nailed to the cross. Superman, gazing
> heavenward as an appeal to God.

Disagree and occasional shots like that were absolutely fine.
IMO the best Jesus allusion was where Clark went to a church
and spoke to the priest. Clark said "I'm the man they're looking
for," referring to Zod's ultimatum that "Kal-El" surrender within
24 hours. Clark tells the priest he doesn't trust Zod, but he also
isn't sure if he can trust humanity. So hmm... metaphorically
speaking...

Kal-El (El meaning angel) doesn't trust God... er, Zod... but he
also isn't even sure he can trust humanity. There's no Jesus in
that last sentence, but interesting how it still works perfectly
as allusion or metaphor, eh? Yes, it also works as Jesus being
handed over by the mob, but it's far from the only interpretation.
As another example...

Now think of an "El" as a basically good but very special and
very different person. So different that some in authority fear
or resent him and perhaps even his existence. Think of God...
er... Zod as The Authority or New Authority or New Wannabe
Authority, who has announced to the world that "El" may look
like "you" the masses, but "he is not one of you". Humanity,
or at least large segments of it at that point, agrees.

Works perfectly as a gay man and gay rights issue metaphor.
Nothing to do with God, gods uncapitalized, angels of god,
Great Rao (Egyptian Sun god and a Superman exclamation :-)),
or Moses. Why Moses? Well, because Superman creators
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were both Jewish and would
have been thinking Moses more than Jesus in terms of their
religious allusions. Baby in a rocket (basket) sent along a
(celestial) river to hoped-for safety. It's practically all there
in the very first panels of the first comic. Duh.

It's also been suggested the allusion was Clark/Superman
as immigrant, reflecting that Siegel & Shuster were sons
of Jewish immigrants. One could view the priest scene as
the Illegal Immigrant they're looking for, and if you think
that stretches it consider the challenge/concern raised
even at the very end of the movie by a military leader. It
gets countered by Superman with the revelation he was
raised in Kansas and was American as it gets.

Yes, the story developed a perceived Christ allusion among
the others, because Superman as a character is godlike
and his readers were mostly Christian. But one might also
perceive all the other allusions, and elements of Greek
mythology and so on. It depends on the individual how
they view or interpret fiction. I'm Roman Catholic and so
getting back to the great scene with the priest...

The priest is kind of in awe of Clark though he may not
know him by name, other than perhaps Kal-El because Zod
had used that. He's seemingly aware of the Christ parallels
or at least connection -- again, "El" meaning angel as in
angel of God. So that's why a Christian might perceive he's
somewhat in awe. But just as Clark leaves, he manages
some advice for him. It's that sometimes it requires a leap
of faith, i.e., to in this case trust humanity. This seems to
persuade Clark.

To me, that was a cool scene and very much alluded to Jesus
being handed over, but it could also be extended to betrayal
generally, or fear of betrayal, or lack of faith, or persecution.
Spirituality as a broad term doesn't even cover it all. Yes, there
are those religious allusions in the eye of the beholder, but
most importantly it also worked beautifully at the surface
level of the story. It was part of that segment of the movie
where "Kal-El" was as or more feared than Zod, who had
potrayed Kal-El as someone that deserved to be hunted. It
made sense that a raised-in-Kansas young man, probably
a Christian, might seek some spiritual advice at this key
point in his life.

It's by the time he's saved enough people, including at least
two military personnel the senior commander one of them,
that the latter at one point stops a (futile in any case) attempt
to attack Superman. He's realized and says to his troops that
"this man is not our enemy." One could interpret the story,
and find allusion and metaphor, almost universally because
it's such a common story in its generic form.

Lois Lane was there in the first comic, and early on had her
own comic that was titled "Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane".
The romance was an important driver of the first two Reeve
movies, abandoning it an important driver of the decline at
the end of Superman II. In Superman Returns, it was even
worse. When the iconic romance is poorly set up or starts
well but gets nuked, the Jesus or gay rights or other allusions
(subtext, metaphor, whatever terms are used) can become
more problematic.

That's another reason the "problem" isn't that in this case.
Man of Steel is poised for the best treatment yet of the
romance, with some interesting twists. Another post on
that later, but perhaps the "literal" poster cited at the start
of the post will insist Lois Lane is really Mary Magdalene
ln this incarnation. Great Rao, Holy Moses and by Zeus
there'd be no allusion subject to individual interpretation
about it. :-)