The Real Life Superman
- Jonathan Yu Jie
- Jan 13
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 14
There are some parallels between Superman and Jesus Christ.
This may have something to do with the creators of Superman being Jewish. For example, Superman’s Kryptonian name is Kal-El, which resembles Hebrew phrases that can mean “Voice of God.” Jesus is called the Word of God.
In Superman Returns (2006), the movie makes the parallel even more obvious. In one scene, Superman floats into outer space and hears his father speaking to him in his mind:
“Even though you have been raised as a human being, you are not one of them. They only lack the light to show the way. For their capacity for good, I have sent them you, my only son.”
As JewsForJesus.org puts it:
“The idea of a Jewish messiah places Superman right at the intersection of Jewishness and Jesus. Both are (Jewish) savior figures who come to Earth and fight, each in his own style, for truth and justice.”
Not too long ago, I was watching Superman Returns with my friend. It was thoroughly enjoyable and I found it hilarious, action packed and well-written.
I kept thinking, “They don’t make movies like this anymore.”
For some background context, the story begins with Superman returning to Earth after a long time away. He had spent the last five years in outer space searching for remnants of his home planet, Krypton.
When he returns, he discovers that Lois Lane has grown tired of waiting for him and moved on with her life. While he was gone, she wrote a scathing article titled “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.” She married another man named Richard and gave birth to a child. The world also learned to live without him.
Despite all her anger and disappointment, Lois still loves Superman deep down.
When she learns that he has returned, she is understandably bitter, sad and resentful. She was abandoned by the love of her life without a single word, and now he has suddenly appeared again without any explanation.
There was one particular scene that really stood out to me and moved me to tears because I saw the hope of Christ in it.
It was the scene where Lois meets Superman in secret on a rooftop.
Still angry, she says to him, “The world doesn’t need a savior, and neither do I.”
Even so, Superman invites her to fly with him. She begrudgingly accepts.
While they are in the sky looking down at the bright city lights, Superman asks her a question.
“Listen. What do you hear?”
“Nothing.”
“I hear everything. You wrote that the world does not need a savior, but every day I hear people crying for one.”
It is tempting for us as Christians to become jaded while waiting for Jesus to return.
Sometimes we start to think we do not need the Gospel. Sometimes we begin to believe the lie of the unbelieving world that we do not need Jesus, that we do not need a Savior, that we do not need God.
Every other religion tries to tell us this same lie. They tell us that we do not need Jesus, that we can rely on ourselves, that we can save ourselves.
But we need Jesus.
We need the cross of Christ and His sacrifice. We need to believe in His death, burial and resurrection, which has the power to save us. We need a relationship with the living God that comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We must not lose heart. We must not forget that this dying world truly does need a Savior.
As the author of Hebrews writes:
“Therefore do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay. But my righteous one shall live by faith. And if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." ~ Hebrews 10:35-39
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