Somehow, Jesus Returned: The Resurrections of Superheroes and the Difference in Christ

There used to be a saying amongst comic book readers: “No one stays dead except Bucky, Jason Todd, and Uncle Ben.” I say “used to” because in 2005, both Bucky and Jason Todd were brought back to life as the Winter Soldier and Red Hood, respectively. In both The Infinity Gauntlet and its adaptation in the Avengers movies, half of all life in the universe is destroyed by a snap of Thanos’s fingers but is later restored. And Jean Grey has died and resurrected so many times that Marvel even has an official article cataloging it.

All of this is to say that death and resurrection are integral elements of the superhero genre. Much to many fans' chagrin, nearly every major character has died and later been brought back to life. It is as much a part of the genre as secret identities and superpowers.

And this isn’t limited to superhero comics. “Somehow, Palpatine returned” has become an infamous line from Disney’s Star Wars trilogy. In The Matrix, my favorite film, Neo defeats Agent Smith after being resurrected. And The Legend of Zelda series is built off the fact that Ganondorf, the main villain, continues to be reincarnated. Across all sci-fi-fantasy media, resurrections are an incredibly common trope.

It is interesting to consider, then, that the Bible contains a similar story of resurrection in Jesus. There are notable differences: for example, Jesus doesn’t die in a fight against a powerful villain like Doomsday or Agent Smith, instead suffering pain and humiliation on the cross. But the comparison is still apt: we see a powerful, heroic figure sacrifice his life for the greater good, only to later be resurrected. 

How do we know, then, that Jesus’s resurrection isn’t just a superpower that He is employing? The York Mystery Plays ask this question, wondering if his resurrection “might be done through sorcery” (255, line 103). What makes Jesus different from these comic book and movie heroes?

Setting aside the role faith in the truth of His resurrection inherently plays, there are three distinguishing factors in His story: the meaning of His resurrection, what Jesus does after His resurrection, and His ascension. Because of these, we see Jesus is not just a superhero brought back to life to continue fighting crime, but that His resurrection has a much more important role to play in the Christian story.

First, Jesus’s resurrection means something different than other resurrections. Take Superman, a character who is often compared to Christ, and “The Death of Superman” event as an example: when Clark returns, it is a celebration not because of the resurrection in and of itself, but because he returns. Superman can now continue fighting evil and saving the day like he did before he died. His resurrection only matters insofar as it brings Clark, and only Clark, back.

In contrast, Jesus’s resurrection fundamentally changes the world. What Jesus has done is give us the gift of eternal life by offering Himself as a sacrificial lamb. Because of His death and resurrection, through faith alone we are able to enter the kingdom of Heaven. And this holds true for all, even those who lived before His death, as seen in the Harrowing of Hell. Jesus’s resurrection not only brings Himself back to life, but of everyone who has faith in Him. It means something that Superman’s doesn’t.

Second, consider the difference in what Superman versus Jesus do after their resurrections. Pardoning the strange status quo of “Reign of the Supermen!,” Superman returns to normality. He continues fighting crime and supervillains as Superman and living his civilian life as Clark Kent. The resurrection is essentially just a way for him to return to his status quo. It is also not a secret that Superman is back. It quickly becomes public knowledge as he continues his normal activities, and the world that was recently mourning him now celebrates his return.

This is most certainly not the case with Jesus. He could have easily announced His return to the world, “proving” Himself as the Son of God, and resumed His teachings. And if He was just a warlock trying to show Himself as fulfilling the prophecies, that is likely what He would have done. But that isn’t what happens. Instead, the women (specifically Mary Magdalene) find an empty tomb, in most accounts with an angel present to announce Jesus's resurrection. They are the ones who first announce His return, before He later appears to His disciples. But, according to the accounts in the Gospels, these are the only people He appears to.

This is important because, unlike Superman, Jesus doesn’t publicly announce His return to the world. He appears to His closest followers so that they can testify to His return. That is the goal of the Gospels, to tell of Jesus and show how He fulfilled the prophecies and is the Savior. As is explicitly stated in John 20:31, “But these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing, you may have life in his name.” We must have faith to see Jesus, as “blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed” (John 20:29). It is not about “knowing” He returned, like with Superman, but believing that He did.

Finally, Jesus ascends into Heaven. He has completed His purpose on Earth, and, as is stated in the Nicene Creed, “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” His death was a necessary part of His plan; through it, He fulfilled the prophecies, demonstrating Himself as the Son of God, and gave us the gift of eternal life. Jesus’s ascension is a recognition of the fulfillment of His plan.

Compare that to Superman: he continues to fight crime as he has always done. While part of this is inherent to the nature of superhero stories, there is no “end” to Superman that his resurrection fulfills like with Christ. And his death was not a part of the plan, but rather a setback that had to be overcome. 

It makes sense that so many of these heroic stories would follow this model; Jesus is the ultimate hero and savior, after all. But, Jesus is not simply a superhero using His powers to come back to life. His resurrection is less about Himself and more about the gift He is giving to us. We are saved because of what He did, because of how He changed the world. And He doesn’t show off to prove what He has done; instead reveals it to His closest followers so that they may testify and that we can have faith. Finally, in fulfilling the prophecies and executing His plan, Jesus shows Himself as the Son of God. While the day may be saved thanks to Superman, everyone can be saved thanks to Jesus.

—Chad Berkich