Marvel characters and their religions

[Ultimate Captain America]

"Everybody else" may have been a bit strong, but Revolutionary Jack is right at the main idea: other than some selected characters for whom religion is important (add nightcrawler to the list), it is largely irrelevant for the others.

[Personamanx]

I don't think Nico ever truly identified as catholic in the comics. And her parents, of course, were never really catholic, as it was just a facade for their real identities. But I did like that the show portrayed her as an actual wiccan. Wouldn't mind seeing that in the comics. The show also created a whole new religion to explain Karolina's backstory, although that turned out to be a facade as well.

I mean, she was certainly a practicing one what with being a former Alter Server. You generally have to at least go through a few sacraments to do that. Granted you can do a lot of them as a kid when you don't get a lot of say in whether you go to Mass regularly or not. She's certainly lapsed, but knows her stuff, and has been shown to be cool with praying alongside the devout Catholic Victor Mancha. As for her family's Catholicism being a facade or not? Whose to say you can't be a practicing believer, and use dark magic? The Minoru family didn't get a lot of development beyond this:

faith_runaways.JPG

[WebLurker]

I don't think Nico ever truly identified as catholic in the comics. And her parents, of course, were never really catholic, as it was just a facade for their real identities.

Whether her parents were genuine believers would have no impact on whether Nico had been a genuine believer prior to the series. Don't recall, though, if it was ever specified if she was Catholic, though. Not Catholic myself, but I thought "Mass" was more commonly used then "church" in that circle?

Outside of the first story arc, the only two times I recall Nico's religious past being brought up where in the second Cloak/Dagger story arc where she quotes the Bible and explains that she used to be a choir girl (the joke is that the priest doesn't realize the Goth girl is quoting Scripture to him until she provides the reference). There's also a scene in one of the comics where she's wondering if the reality of the Gribborum (who're part of Judeo-Christian theology in the comics) means that other parts of her old religion could also be true. So far as I know, she's still lapsed. Since she's in a lesbian relationship currently, my guess is that she'd probably be in a more liberal branch of the Church then not if she returned.

(Fun trivia, but, if I recall correctly, in the earlier drafts of the series, Nico was supposed to be Christian, with idea of her struggling to reconcile her magic use with her faith.)

But I did like that the show portrayed her as an actual wiccan. Wouldn't mind seeing that in the comics.

Why's that?

[Drops Of Venus]

Why's that?

I just thought the show dealt with it in an interesting way and I could see comics Nico gravitating towards wicca, considering some of the things she's been through with her powers.

[Tofali]

The supers that got duped in Infinity Crusade by Goddess are believers of some kind of faith.

[Sandy Hausler]

If i'm remembered correctly doesn't Peter B. Parker in Into The Spider-Verse is confirmed to be Jewish. It was shown in the flashback to his marriage to Mary Jane, where he steps his foot on a glass during the ceremony (a Jewish marriage tradition).

Interesting. Jim Shooter once told me that he's sure that Stan Lee thought of Peter Parker as Jewish (even though there was not an overt hint of that in the book).

[Sandy Hausler]

Moon Knight - Jewish (non-practicing)

It has always seemed weird (and a little insulting) to me that Moon Knight, the son of a Rabbi, got his super powers from a pagan god of Egypt, the country that had enslaved the Jews.

[MaximoffTrash]

Black Panther, Shuri, Okoye and the other Wakandans have a fictional religion.

Namor is a pagan, he worships Neptune (god of the seas in the Roman religion)

Thor, Hercules and Loki are pagan gods (or whatever) in themselves.

Dr. Doom worships himself.

Well, wouldn't Wakandans also count as pagans than since Bast is also an Egyptian God AKA a pagan god.

[MaximoffTrash]

Not sure about the bolded throughout the MU, but for Namor, yes, religion is important. His rule is legitimized and blessed by Neptune. He has to perform religious rites. He actually has conversations with Neptune. And he's made a few life saving godcalls. Arguably, there's probably some connection to Neptune and the Atlantean magic that Namor serves as a conduit. It isn't something Namor dwells on every story, but many of his costumes carry Neptune's symbol, the trident, and originally, Neptune himself inscribed that on his belt.

And if I remember correctly he once called some Set cultists "pagan"(the writer was probably confusing the word with heretics or something.)

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Interesting. Jim Shooter once told me that he's sure that Stan Lee thought of Peter Parker as Jewish (even though there was not an overt hint of that in the book).

Cool, that you met Shooter. I know that a lot of people think Peter as being autobiographical on Stan Lee and they think he's Jewish, but the actual content doesn't support that, nor does the story that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (who wasn't Jewish) wrote. The only character in the Marvel era who was coded to be Jewish was Ben Grimm and intentionally so by Jack Kirby. And even then that was kind of an Easter Egg until the 2000s when it was revealed in the pages for the first time that Ben Grimm was Jewish. Ethnically speaking, the only way Peter can be Jewish is if his mother Mary Fitzpatrick Parker with her very Irish-American name is Jewish herself (not impossible but improbable). In terms of spiritual beliefs, Peter's a secular guy. Moses, Jesus Christ, Buddha will never mean as much to him as his Uncle Ben did/does.

Stan Lee like Kirby, Siegel and Shuster, and also Bill Finger, was a pre-war Jewish American which meant that they, with the exception of Kirby, tended to be interested in assimilation. And indeed, superhero stories with secret identities, double lives have often been seen as a coded commentary on immigrants assimilating into America. This assimilation was secular rather than religious.

It's no accident that the first openly Jewish superhero in American comics, is Katherine "Kitty" Pryde and she's the co-creation of Chris Claremont (a post-war Jewish-American who grew up in England and Israel) who was not so much interested in assimilation, and indeed skeptical and scornful of it. Brian Michael Bendis likewise is a writer with a strong sense of Jewishness that seeps into his work, also comes from a later generation.

[Ultimate Captain America]

X-23 and Psyloche discuss this in Fallen Angels.

[Hypestyle]

Given Marvel Earth's history with alien invasions, I'm surprised that some form of alien-worship religion, or semi-Scientology religion hasn't become more prominent there.

[Ultimate Captain America]

There was a religion that worshiped the Asgardians at one point, during Dan Jurgens run in Thor

[mugiwara]

There was a religion that worshiped the Asgardians at one point, during Dan Jurgens run in Thor

Yes, to the point that the Vatican got really pissed, IIRC. I remember a suicide bomber priest, and also Thor coming to the help of some new worshipers whose faith was seen as a threat for the major religions. (or was that in a different story?)

That's a touchy subject, but I wish more stories were adressing that.

[DrNewGod]

Given Marvel Earth's history with alien invasions, I'm surprised that some form of alien-worship religion, or semi-Scientology religion hasn't become more prominent there.

That would make for an interesting story. It could also let you do serious Scientology stories without getting sued.