Watching the trailer for "Man of Steel" last week greatly excited me, as it fulfilled all the criteria for the Kid Messiah archetype as laid out in my post "Looper and the New Aeon, Part 1" -- plus a healthy dose of "Alien Messiah" archetype just for shits and giggles.
Now, the connection between Superman and Jesus/"Son of God" has been around for quite some time, so that's old news. New news: just how jaw-droppingly blatant the symbolism is in this upcoming movie.
Here's the first shot in the trailer, with choir-like music in the background:
Classic crucifixion pose, down to the rags he wears; only the orientation of the body is different. Hanging in "space" like that, he reminded me of the Dali painting:
This is a Cosmic Christ crucified in time-space, rather than with nails; the cross representing the axis-point upon which Spirit is tied to this material plane of existence. Young Clark Kent comments on this feeling of oppression by burdenous ties to the Physical when he narrates: "The world's too big, Mom."
Then we see another classic "Jesus" shot of Superman, complete with beard:
Here we have the story of the son of God, a "super" man: Kal El, "El" meaning the word "deity" in a whole host of languages including Hebrew, Arabic, and Phoenician. In the Canaanite religion, "El" means "supreme god."
Superman's pose, submerged in the water, also brings to mind another "Alien Messiah" from pop-culture: Valentine Michael Smith from Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in A Strange Land":
Smith is technically human but was raised on Mars, and, like Clark Kent, also has "super powers." He initially is chased by the authorities as a menace, but will eventually be something of a "New Messiah" who will bring about a new era. "Stranger" was written in 1961, heralding the deep changes in society during the 1960s. Smith is the herald of the New Aeon, the Age of Aquarius, literally a "water god."
The trailer now focuses on the travails of young Clark, exhibiting classic cinematic "Kid Messiah" traits such as struggling to control his powers and apparently some sort of psychic/ESP ability:
He complains about the world being "too big," but his mother Martha advises him to "make it small." This advice is narrated over shots of a bunch of pencils and words being written. The Word = Superman = Christ. Christ is "The Word." He will make the "too big" world small by bringing people together across the globe, by being the Alien Messiah that transcends world borders.
As we switch to a scene of water -- a school bus falling in a river -- we again are reminded of Valentine Michael Smith, the "water god" ushering the Age of Aquarius:
In a controversial scene, Clark's adoptive father, played by Kevin Costner (no stranger to playing Messiah/Jesus types in movies), advises the boy to hide his powers -- even if it means letting innocents die. His perceived callousness would make sense in the context that he is trying to protect the boy, who, like a young Jesus, would be persecuted if "found out." But the reluctance to protect the "innocents" also demonstrates an "old Aeon" old-school God (compare to the character of "Old Joe" in "Looper").
It is through getting back in touch with the feminine side of Deity -- the Goddess-Mother -- that Clark can transcend this old-school way of thinking and truly be an evolved Messiah for our times. As his adoptive father advises him: "You just have to decide what type of man you are going to be."
In the shots that follow, we see the familiar red flowing Superman cape -- but it is filmed in such a way (from behind and from an extreme long shot) that it looks similar to the robes of Jesus:
Superman's trek through the snowy peaks -- his "vision quest" to figure out "what sort of man" he will be -- parallels the "lost years" of Jesus, which some theorise took place in areas like Tibet:
His meditation -- and subsequent enlightenment -- sends him on literally a cosmic journey:
It also should be noted that by this point in the trailer, Superman displays "powers" that are very rooted in "Kid Messiah" lore -- far more like telekinesis (which, in theory, could be scientifically measured) than vague wondrous abilities. Compare the concentric rings of energy emanating from Superman's fist in this shot to a similar one in "Looper":
What follows next in the trailer is the standard "destruction of cities" imagery that by now we are quite used to in movies; the unique part here is that it is contrasted with the destruction of Superman's homeworld Krypton (are we just as arrogant as the Kryptonians that the world as we know it will always be the same? Did we "heed the warnings of God" -- Superman/Kal El/Son of God's dad?). In any case, these scenes further link "Man of Steel" to a Biblical, Apocalyptic narrative where the "second coming" of Jesus has to step in:
Earth is being attacked by an evil, outside, "Satanic" force: General Zod and his minions. Zod has the classic, pointy "Evil Goatee," almost striking an Anton Lavay pose:*
It is up to Superman to return from his Vision Quest, and bring back what he has learned to his community -- just like any good hero from a Joseph Campbell template. Zod takes the place of Pontius Pilate and Superman is forced to kneel to him:
Superman also "rocks" the traditional "Jesus in bondage" pose, as he is arrested:
But at this point, it must be asked: is Superman purely a traditional "Jesus" figure here?
He "fell" from the heavenly city of Krypton, away from his father/God.
He is depicted several times towards the end of the "Man of Steel" trailer on fire or within fire:
Is he Jesus, or the "Fallen One" -- Lucifer, who gives light and understanding to the people, liberating them from the slog and ignorance of Old School religion? Prometheus, who literally gave fire and heat to humanity, to help them grow?
Are these the flames of a Cosmic Christ, in flight like the bird Horus, usher of a New Aeon?
And that is why, though placing Superman within the traditional Christ narrative is helpful, it can also be misleading. It is only a template, the same way older Messiah Gods were templates for newer ones:
Superman is that next "god" in line, the usher of the New Aeon. He is a "god" of our times. That is why there has been so much hustle and bustle about his ownership in the courts, that's why the intense power of his icon transfixes the public. If you own Superman and can control his stories, you are, in a sense, "owning" the narrative of what has become a universal Messianic figure.
I believe that "Man of Steel" will succeed in the box office in part because it boldly reappropriates these primal religious images. It gives the public the hero -- the Savior -- they are so desperately looking for at this time.
But the movie also works as the herald of a New Aeon, and this era will transcend the "candy store" version of superheroes and the fire-and-brimstone teachings of the Old School. These are all remnants of our childhood as a species. We can find the Superman -- and the power -- inside ourselves, in our own DNA that looks so much like the "S" in the Superman logo, the twin serpents of the caduceus:
*When I say "Satanic," I am by no means making a value judgement on the Satanic religion as established by Anton Lavey. I am merely pointing out common tropes used in pop-culture.
