Religion in Comics

Religion is a weird thing in comics. In the DC Universe, the Spectre is literally the Wrath of God, the Greek gods live on Mt. Olympus, there are a bunch of people on other planets who call themselves the New Gods, and comic book writers have been shown to control the lives of superheroes. In the Marvel Universe, Mephisto rules Hell, Thor is the Norse god of thunder, and Iron Man still manages to be agnostic. Religions in comics are rarely depicted accurately or consistently.

That’s not to say that comic book superheroes can’t be religious. Or that comic book fans can’t be obsessive about what superheroes believe. Want proof? Click here for a list of a few hundred comic book characters and what religions they belong to.

For example: Superman is a Methodist, the Thing is Jewish, Nightcrawler is Catholic, Lex Luthor is a lapsed Episcopalian, Two-Face is a Taoist, Mr. Terrific is an atheist, and Mandrake the Magician is Buddhist. Even better: J. Jonah Jameson’s religion is listed as “hates Spider-Man.”