Daily Devotional

My college roommate once challenged me to write a research paper on superheroes, which regrettably never materialized. Its basis, however, would have been a few things I’ve observed about superheroes in our cultural moment – and their relation to biblical truth.

First, let’s look at the box office for some context. Of films that have grossed more than a billion dollars in the past 15 years, 12 of the top 30 fall into the “superhero” genre, including four in the top ten. A number of other films on the list feature a protagonist with special powers, such as a Jedi Knight, ice princess, or boy wizard. The emergence of superhero movies as a definable genre is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning around the turn of the 21st century and culminating in the thirty-billion-dollar juggernaut that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Where did this cultural obsession with superheroes come from? (To which, it should be noted, I am quite partial, as evidenced by the Captain America shield hanging in my office.)

I’m no sociologist, but I would posit that superhero movies find an audience because they tap into a specific part of the human psyche. Storytellers throughout history have found that people seem wired to enjoy superhero-esque stories, tales of powerful more-than-men who save the world from the forces of evil by their mighty exploits. This sort of superhero may not wear spandex, but he is ubiquitous in world literature. The myths of Greece, Rome, the Near East, and the Far East are full of demigods and humans with divine power. We see this in the Judeo-Christian world, too: the patron saints and martyrs of the Middle Ages, or even the true biblical accounts of Moses, Samson, or Elijah, could all be included in these types of hero stories.

Why do we seem to enjoy these stories so much? I think we as humans tell hero stories because we understand that we need a Savior. We cannot save ourselves from our predicament. We need someone with the power to save beyond anything we, as fallen humanity, possess. Yet these stories show us that the Savior we desire is not some alien, outside force, but someone like us, who can “sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15). Who better fits this description than our Savior, Jesus? Being fully God, he defeated the enemies we never could – sin, Satan, and death. But being fully man, He did so on our behalf – as one of us. Our longing for a hero, which finds expression in the myths of ancient Greece and the superhero movies of today, is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.

We see an example of this in Hebrews 12:2, which calls Jesus the “author” of our faith. The Greek word here, archēgos, literally means the person at the front of a line. It refers, by extension, to a person who begins or originates something and then continues as its leader. It can be translated as “founder,” “pioneer,” or even “captain.” In ancient Greece, the word could describe a hero who founded a city and became its patron deity. Thus, archēgos is a “hero” word: it describes someone who accomplishes something we could not, then protects and leads those who follow in his footsteps. The author of Hebrews, by using this word, tells us that this is exactly what Jesus has done for us.  

I’m not saying our next sermon series should be “Finding Jesus in Marvel Movies.” If anything, the proliferation of hero stories illustrates fallen humanity’s willingness to find saviors anywhere besides Jesus. My point is that we as Christians have one Hero, and He alone can save. May we come to Jesus with every need we have, every battle we fight, every danger we face. Let us come to him in prayer, saying, “I need a hero!”

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.