Film Comment: Daredevil

The film, Daredevil (2003), is based on a comic book series.  Daredevil is one of Marvel Comic's second-tier characters, much less well known than The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Spiderman, or the Fantastic Four.  The film includes several comic book insider references and, as do almost all Marvel films, has a cameo by the iconic comic book writer Stan Lee.  Be aware that the film, while rated PG-13, includes extreme violence and some profanity.

The superhero Daredevil is in reality blind attorney Matt Murdock.  Yes, blind.  As a child, Matt Murdock was involved in an industrial accident which destroyed his eyes but enhanced all his other senses to the point that they almost produce sensory overload.  He feels the heat of your breath; his fingers can feel the indentation in the wood produced by a pen writing on a sheet of paper on a desk;  he can sense movements in the air around him; he can hear your internal organs at work; he can identify you by your smell as you enter a room; and his enhanced sense of balance means that he has become the world's best acrobat.

By day an attorney, at night Matt becomes Daredevil, a vigilante in a form-fitting red leather suit, complete with small devil horns on his forehead.  Motivated by the murder of his boxer father, Jack "the Devil" Murdock, Matt swears to fight crime and to "seek justice, one way or another."  Matt's way is extreme violence against rapists, muggers, thieves, and other low-life scum who exist in the underbelly of the city.

The reason this film is germaine to this blog is that the film highlights the fact that Matt Murdock is, at least nominally, a Christian.  This was established as early as Daredevil #119.  Matt's Christianity was brought to the forefront by the writer Frank Miller (who, by the way, is an atheist) during his run as the book's writer and has become one of the character's most identifying aspects, playing on the conflict between his beliefs and his actions.  In Ultimate Spiderman #109, Daredevil states that he is Catholic.

Matt Murdock is a Roman Catholic and the comic books (and the film) are full of cathedrals with stone gargoyles, crosses, stained glass windows, priests, nuns, and other overtly religious images.  Matt hangs around his church and talks to his priest, but seems to avoid actual church services, though he does occasionally go to confession.  He actually believes but can't give up his quest for revenge.  He doesn't want to be a bad man, but he fears that he is a devil.

After severely beating a mob enforcer, Matt realizes he has been observed by the man's son.  He turns to the boy and says, "I'm not the bad guy, kid. ... I'm not the bad guy. ... I'm not."

Matt is stuck in the limbo in which many religious people find themselves.  He is blind, even though he thinks he can see.  People like Matt believe intellectually, perhaps even emotionally, but they are unable or unwilling to commit, unwilling to give up their favorite ways of doing things, unwilling to give control of their lives to the Lord.  They are neither hot nor cold for God, they are lukewarm.

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth"  Revelation 3:15-16

Comic Book Superheroes and Supervillains Have Religious Beliefs

 This post, first published on 13 November 2009, was extensively updated on 27 July 2026.

    

The superhero character Superman has long been recognized to have been based on the Christ/Messiah story.  Kal-el is sent by his father to the Earth where he is raised by foster parents.  The "el" of his name is the Hebrew root meaning "divine," or "god" and, in its plural form (more about that in a later post) occurs as elohim, one of the biblical names of God.

There are hints during his childhood and adolescence that he is "special" but the full truth is not apparent until he reaches adulthood, when he exhibits powers and abilities not available to normal humans.  In one major story line Superman even rises from the dead.

During his childhood he is raised as Clark Kent by a kindly older couple named Jonathan and Martha Kent.  A little known fact is that the character is a Christian, raised as a Methodist in Smallville, Kansas.  The two creators of the character were Jewish.

While overt religion was historically little mentioned in comic books, it was always there, slipped in as asides and used as the basis for numerous story lines.  Overtly Christian superhero comic books and television programs have begun to appear with characters such as Bibleman, Biblegirl, The Crusader, and the Crossbreeds.

The religious beliefs of many comic book superhero/supervillain characters have long been established. Many are more nominal in their religious beliefs than practicing. For most of the characters their religious beliefs are used mainly as story elements to aid in the story writing and not as any sort of real religious statement by the writers. The most obvious example is the blind Marvel Comics superhero,  Daredevil. Daredevil struggles mightily with his intense catholic guilt over his very real beliefs versus his very violent methods of fighting crime and corruption. 

http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.htmlhttp;//www.comicbookreligion.com

     Here is a short list:

The Ancient One: Tibetan Buddhism

Angel: Episcopalian

Ant Man: atheism

Aquaman: Greco-Roman

Avengelyne: a warrior angel

Bard Wire: atheism

Batman: Episcopalian/Roman Catholic

Bibleman: Generic Christianity

Blackhawk: Communism, Atheism

Black Widow: Communist/Russian Orthodox

Blue Devil: Roman Catholic

Brother Voodoo: Voodoo

Captain America: Protestantism 

Captain Britain (Brian Braddock): Anglican and Occultism  

Colossus: atheism 

John Constantine: occultism

Crossbreeds: Christian

The Crusader: Christianity  

Cyclops: atheism

Daredevil: Roman Catholic

Deadman: Hinduism

Doctor Doom: Occultism

Dr. Druid: Druidism and Tibetan Buddhism

Dr. Fate (Kent Nelson): occultism

Doctor Strange: Magic, Sorcery

Doomguy: Roman Catholic

Dust: Muslim

Mr. Fantastic: Humanism

Firebird: Roman Catholic

Ghost Rider: powered by Satan

Green Arrow: Marxism

Green Lantern (Hal Jordan is one of the several thousand Green Lanterns): Judaism

Green Lantern (Simon Baz is one of the several thousand Green Lanterns): Muslim

Hawkeye: nominally Christian

Hawkman: Ancient Egyptian 

HellBoy: Roman Catholic

Herbie the Fat Fury: Church of Herbangelism

Howard the Duck: Roman Catholic

The Hulk: atheism

The Human Torch: Episcopal

Huntress: Roman Catholic

Iron Man: atheism

Jacob Raven: Mormon

Josiah X: Muslim

Kingpin: Roman Catholic

Lightning Lad: an extraterrestrial nature religion

Loki: Norse Religion

Madman: Mormon

The Magdalena: Roman Catholic

Magneto: Judaism/Agnosticism

Major Victory: powered by a supernatural spirit

Mandrake the Magician: Buddhism

Miss America: powered by a supernatural spirit

Moon Knight: Judaism

Ms. Marvel: Muslim

Namor, the Sub-Mariner: Polytheism

Nightcrawler: Roman Catholic

Odin: Norse Religion

The Phantom Stranger: He is literally Judas Iscariot and is the Wandering Jew

PowerMark: Christian

The Punisher: Roman Catholic/Atheist

Quicksilver: Judaism

Ragman: Judaism

Red Guardian: Communism

Red Skull: Nazism

The Riddler: atheism

Rogue: Southern Baptist

Sabra: Judaism

Saturn Girl: either Roman Catholic or Anglican

Savage Dragon: Atheist

Scarlet Witch: Judaism, Occultism

Shadowcat: Judaism

Shadow Lass: an extraterrestrial Talokian ancestor worship religion

Shadowman: Voodoo

Shaman: Native American shamanism

Shazam: mixed religious origins

She-Hulk: nominal Christian

Sif: Norse Religion

Silver Surfer: alien Zenn-La religion

Spawn: powered by Satan

The Spectre: (Judeo-Christian)

Starlight: Generic Christian

Steel Fist: powered by a supernatural spirit

Sunfire: Shintoism

Superman: Methodist

Talisman: Native American shamanism

The Thing: Judaism

Thor: Norse Religion

Johnny Thunder: Mormon

Thunderbird (John Proudstar): Apache Native American religion

Timeslip: Hinduism

U.S. Agent: Protestantism

Venom/Eddie Brock: Roman Catholic

Vixen: Anglican and African indigenous religion

Warrior Nun Areala: Roman Catholic

Wiccan: Judaism

Witchblade (Sara Pezzini):Roman Catholic

Wolfsbane: Presbyterian

Wonder Woman: Greco-Roman

Professor Charles Xavier: Judaism

X-Knights: Muslim

X-O Manowar: Paganism and Arianism

Yondu: the extraterrestrial Centaurian religion

Zatanna: occultism

Zeus: ancient Greek religion

Zuariel: Christian