Comics and Religion Discussion (DC/Marvel)
Name some religion based comics that have been successful in the comic industry. Also explain what so great about them and how they are kept interesting?
Here are some superheroes and there religions I found:
Superman Methodist/Krytonian Religion
Spider-Man Protestant
Batman Episcopalian/Catholic (lapsed)
Wonder Woman Greco-Roman Classical Religion
The Hulk Catholic (lapsed)
Captain America Protestant
Daredevil Catholic
The Thing Jewish
Nightcrawler Catholic
Elektra Greek Orthodox
Shadowcat Jewish
Zatanna Dianic Wiccan
Other Lists of
Religious Superheroes
God Squad
Which major mainstream superheroes are most consistently portrayed as overtly religious? These are characters who go beyond simply exhibiting positive religious values, charity and heroism, but who openly exhibit religiosity tied to an organized religious affiliation, through prayer, verbally sharing their faith, worship service attendance, and other means. This brief list only includes some of the best known devoutly religious comic book characters. Many other characters listed on this page are devout in their religion.
- Nightcrawler
- Wonder Woman
- Martian Manhunter
- Firebird
- Doctor Mid-Nite
- Moon Knight
- Dust
- Black Lightning
- Green Arrow
- Captain Canuck
- Wolfsbane
- Atom Smasher
- Triathlon
- Raven
(Note that these characters represent many different religious faiths and denominations, including: Catholic, Greco-Roman classical religion, American Baptist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Buddhist, Jewish and Islam.)
Superheroes who are Clergy or Religious Leaders
In addition to superheroes who are devout lay members of their religious faith (see above), there is another class of superhero: those that are actually active clergy or religious leaders. A surprising number of full-time religious have been members of various super-hero teams, including the Avengers, Defenders, the Legion of Super Heroes, Infinity Inc., etc.
- Black Panther
- Shang Chi
- Karnak
- Ramban
- Shaman
- Talisman
- Northwind
- Sensor Girl
- Thunderlord
- Brother Voodoo
- Justice/Josiah X
- Varua
- Confessor
- Ghostmare
- Green Lama
- Mr. Christian
- Lilandra Neramani (UXM)
- Scarecrow of Romney Marsh
Superheroes who are Former Clergy or Seminarians
A number of major superheroes are former clergy, former religious leaders or (in the case of former Catholic seminarian Frank Castle, the Punisher) former clergy-in-training. For the most part, these heroes have left their religious calling, but not their faith.
- The Punisher
- Moondragon
- Hellstorm
- Caleb Hammer
- Michael Devlin
- Nemesis
Angels who have been Superheroes
Presumably angels are considered religious, right? A few angels/direct agents of God have been superheroes, even joining teams such as the Justice Society of America and the Justice League.
- The Spectre
- Zauriel
- Supergirl (Linda Danvers)
- Comet
- Avengelyne
The Significant Seven
Out of the hundreds of superhero characters, seven stand out as most historically important:
- Superman
- Batman
- Wonder Woman
- Spider-Man
- Captain America
- Captain Marvel
- Plastic Man
More details here.
Source: Mike Benton, The Comic Book in America: An Illustrated History, Taylor Publishing Company: Dallas, Texas (1989), page 178.
Info Source:http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.html