Superman: “Is the Man of Steel a Copy of Jesus, God’s Son?”
Lessons From the Outer Limits: Humanity is Looking for a Savior – Part #13
By Richard Allen – October 19, 2026
I’m sure that many of you readers have wondered how long it would take before I used the Superman character as a ‘springboard’ for this Blog series. The Superman story has so many parallels to the ‘Gospel Story’ of Jesus Christ, that no rational person could believe them to be accidental. And what is really ironic is that the creators of the Superman comic book characters, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were both Jewish immigrants. Their families experienced the beginnings of persecution in Europe and fled to the United States in the early 1900’s. This has a real bearing on the Superman plotline, as they wrote their story from the perspective of a ‘persecuted people.’ In interviews over the years, Jerry and Joe admitted that the Superman character was modeled after Moses in many ways. Regaring the origin of the Superman story, which could have been written about Moses, here’s the basic plotline by the American Jewish Historical Society:
“His origin story is perhaps the clearest example: To save their baby from impending doom, his parents place him in a small vessel and send him adrift to an unknown fate. He’s found by people not his own, renamed and raised as a stranger in a strange land. In adulthood, he reclaims his heritage and becomes a miracle-working savior. It’s the story of Moses.... Siegel and Shuster both also acknowledged in interviews that Clark Kent, Superman’s alter ego, was largely autobiographical. They were both bespectled, nebbishy, neurotic and painfully aware of their otherness. Superman was their wish fulfillment, while Kent was their reality. He was also an exaggeration of the Jewish stereotypes they begrudgingly fit. Superman, then, can be read as the story of an immigrant who comes from the Old World, anglicizes his Hebraic name, and interacts freely with humans through a disguise because he looks enough like them. He’s a Jew passing for a gentile. He wears his super-suit, the ethnic garb sent with him from Krypton, under his clothes, like a tallit, and he can change identities at a whim – both personal and racial – Clark to Superman and human to alien. He’s the ultimate assimilation/assertion fantasy” [ https://ajhs.org/supermans-jewishness-from-page-to-screen/ ]
There are parallels to the miraculous birth and deliverance of Moses, but there’s also a parallel story to the Birth of Jesus Christ! Superman’s Kryptonian name, ‘Kal-El’ is Hebrew for Voice, or Word of God! And the Father who sent him away from Krypton to save his son’s life, was named Jor-El, with El being the ‘name of God’ in the Old Testament: ‘El-ohim or El-shadai.’ Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed His plan of Redemption to send a Savior, who had ‘divine powers’ not available to mortal men. But at the same time, this Savior was all too human in appearance and personality. Such was the God-Man, or if you will, The Super-Man! Many of the saints listed in Hebrews Chapter 11 – ‘Faith’s Hall of Fame,’ are types of the Savior, revealing different dimensions of ‘The One to Come!’ Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice ‘By Faith;’ Enoch who pleased God with his faith, was ‘taken up into heaven and was not found;’ by faaith Noah 'condemned the world and became heir to the righteousness that comes by faith;’ Father Abraham – with his Son Isaac and Grandson Jacob, also fled their world to ‘live as strangers and pilgrims in a land of promise.’ One of the comic’s creators, Joe Shuster, said he modeled Supermans strength after Samson.
But the parallels don’t stop there. ‘Kal-El,’ the ‘Word of God,’ is sent to earth to be rescued, as the planet Krypton explodes following a ‘rebellion’ led by sinister forces. But he’s also being sent by ‘Jor-El,’ the Father, to be a Savior and Protector of the human race! In the original original DC Comic, as young ‘Kal-El’ lands in America’s heartland, he’s adopted by a childless couple named Joseph and Mary Kent. Their names were later changed to Jonathan and Martha Kent, but the Biblical parallels to Jesus’ human parents are uncanny! A child with ‘superpowers’ above those of natural humans, is received by parents who are all-too-human. No wonder Mary “pondered these things in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
These two young Jewish boys, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster – like Clark Kent, were themselves mild-mannered and bespectacled, watching the Holocaust from the safety of America. And like Clark Kent, they blended in with humanity without any hint of greatness. Jesus too, the ‘Real Superman’ was unremarkable. In fact, during His earthly pilgrimage His detractors taunted:
“So the Jews grumbled because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose fatehr and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’ ” (John 6:41-42).
And the Prophet Isaiah, prophetically told us: “There was nothing attractive about him, nothing that would draw us to him” (Isaiah 53:2). Jesus was the ultimate ‘mild-mannered man,’ almost incognito and unnoticed – until He started His public ministry! Here’s a list of 10 parallels between Jesus and Superman from Google’s AI Function, Gemini:
Sent From Above: A heavenly or alien father sends his only son away from a doomed world (Krypton / Heaven) to save humanity on Earth.
Adopted by Earthly Parents: Both are raised by humble adoptive parents on Earth, famously mirroring Joseph and Mary (Jonathan and Martha Kent).
The Star / Arrival: Kal-El's spaceship arrives like a guiding star, a direct visual comparison to the Star of Bethlehem.
Desert / Arctic Communion: Before starting their public missions, both retreat into the wilderness (Jesus into the desert, Superman to the Arctic Fortress of Solitude) to commune with their father.
Age of Ministry: Superman traditionally launches his public career and adult mission around age 30 to 33, matching the historical age of Christ during his ministry and crucifixion.
Sacrifice and Death: Both willingly face death or sacrifice themselves to save humanity from destruction (such as in The Death of Superman arc).
Resurrection and Return: Both rise or return from the dead/absence to come back to a world that once doubted them.
The "S" Crest and Triangle: The triangular shape of Superman's shield mirrors the traditional Christian symbol for the Trinity, while the "S" has often been interpreted symbolically as a sign of hope or salvation.
Spreading the Word: Figures like Lois Lane or the disciples act as chroniclers and witnesses who spread the message of the hero's deeds to a skeptical world.
The Universal Savior Archetype: Both function as selfless, incorruptible champions who live among ordinary humans while possessing power from another realm, driven by an overarching mission of grace and protection. [https://www.google.com/search?q=10%20reasons%20that%20Jesus%20Christ%20is%20Superman]
But not all Superman movies follow the original script. Most of the ‘genre’ displays Superman as being tender and compassionate toward all mankind – humans burdened with being mortal, breakable and devoid of power to change their lot. One of the modern versions of the movie presents a different story, as ‘Kal-El’s’ Kryptonian father, ‘Jor-El,’ actually sent Superman to earth to ‘subjugate and reign over hapless mankind.’ This might seem like a stretch, but it includes some elements of truth. Many Christians – especially those whose ‘all-encompassing theology’ is based on the ‘John 3:16 Love God’ – provide really poor theology when it comes to God the Father. Since John 3:16 is the ‘last word’ on God’s character, they make it seem like Jesus came to Save mankind from the ‘wrath of the Devil’ and his opposition. Biblically speaking, Jesus came to ‘turn away the Righteous Wrath’ of God the Father, by atoning for our sins. New Testament Scripture repeatedly states that Jesus turned away the wrath of the Father:
“And He, this same Jesus – is the propitiation for our sins – that is, the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature – our worldliness, our lifestyle; and not for ours alone, but also for the sins of all believers throughout the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
The Real Superman – Jesus Christ – endured the wrath of God for Sin, purchasing our Redemption and Forgiveness! Don’t misunderstand, Jesus didn’t have to ‘twist the Father’s Arm,’ not at all. It was the Father who planned and purposed our Salvation through the ‘Atoning Death’ of our ‘Kal-El!’ He was the Voice and Word of God through whom God ‘spoke to us’ (Hebrews 1:3). While Jerry and Joe certainly did not intend to create a character who was so much like Jesus Christ, the question still needs to be asked: ‘Why do men keep coming back to the same Gospel story? What is going on inside us as fallen men, that draws us back to this story?’ I think the answer lies in how our ‘spiritual blindness’ functions in human thinking. Our ‘spiritual blindness’ means exactly what Job said:
“Do you know the mind and purposes of God? Will long searching make them known to you? Are you qualified to judge the Almighty?” (Job 11:7).
That verse is pretty straight forward. Our long-searching will ‘Not’ make God’s purposes known, divine understanding only comes through God’s revelation by His Spirit (Matthew 16:7). But our ‘spiritual blindness,’ does reveal that ‘something is deficient in our living and thinking!’ It’s knowledge of that disconnect that Paul tells us – leaves us without excuse:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse (Romans 1:18-20).
Our ‘spiritual blindness’ includes both our ‘limited understanding’ and our ‘deficiency.’ If we compare both of these, we’d realize that in our ‘limited understanding,’ we fully know that we need a Savior, an arbitrator, to be a ‘go-between’ to stand between God and us. Job and his friends mused about these truths for a large portion of his Book. But in our ‘deficiency’ we don’t recognize that the ‘go-between’ Savior can only be Jesus Christ. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in their ‘limited understanding,’ knew they needed a Superman, one who was both God and Man to save them! In their ‘deficiency’ they thought it might be Moses – but never imagined that it was the God-Man Jesus Christ!
Soli Deo Gloria!
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