The popular Marvel Comics character Spider-Man was created by writer Stan Lee (who is Jewish) and artist Steve Ditko (who was a devout Objectivist from early in his work on the character). Spider-Man has always been written as an essentially WASP-ish character (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant).

Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada has stated in his JoeFridays column that Peter Parker is "most likely of Christian Protestant beliefs" (http://www.newsarama.com/NewJoeFridays/NewJoeFridays28.html).

Religious affiliation has usually been a relatively taboo subject in mainstream superhero comics. Characters in the comic books from major publishers such as Marvel and DC have traditionally exhibited an unrealistic lack of religious affiliation and religious identity. Nevertheless, it has always been apparent that Peter Parker (Spider-Man) is from a Protestant Christian background. Parker's precise denominational affiliation has never been made clear. Peter Parker has never been depicted as a regular churchgoer and could probably not be said to be religiously observant on a daily basis in any organized way. Nevertheless, Parker has exhibited a clear belief in God from time to time, and his Protestant Christian background has always been strongly manifest in his behavior and personal code of ethics.

Although Stan Lee and many other early Spider-Man writers shied away from directly addressing Peter Parker's religious beliefs and religious identity, other aspects of the character have been dealt with concretely. The character of Peter Parker has always exhibited a strong interest in science. Indeed, Parker's ability to think logically and rationally has often saved him from predicaments and dangers when his amazing spider-derived powers alone would have been insufficient.

From: "New Joe Fridays Week 28", published December 2006 on Newsarama.com (http://www.newsarama.com/NewJoeFridays/NewJoeFridays28.html; viewed 8 June 2007):

RQ [question]: What do you think accounts for the dearth of monotheistic heroes? Do you think we'll be seeing the topic of religion explored in the Marvel Universe anytime soon?...

JQ [Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics]: I don't know if dearth is the right word to use, especially when traditionally there was no expression of religious beliefs by comic characters in the past.

Like so many of the characters we create, ethnicity, religious beliefs... and all of the things that make people who they are only come into play if they're an important part of what makes up the interesting aspects of a character from a storytelling perspective. For us to sit around a table and say, "hey, we need a dozen new Hispanic characters," seems forced and not the way we go about our creative business.

The characters that have religion play into their stories are that way because their religion played an important part in who they are as a character and it effects their decisions and their stories, no one more so than Matt Murdock. In direct contrast, one would have to assume that due to Peter Parker's Irish heritage (Parker/Fitzgerald), he's most likely of Christian Protestant beliefs, yet while there have been rare instances when he's reached out to God, it's not an important makeup of his character...

Infinity Crusade

Now that the appropriate files have been examined I believe I have sufficient hard data to put forth that theory I mentioned earlier. I feel confident I know why these particular paranormals were abducted. All the missing share a common trait or experience... An event or attitude that might be categorized as religious. Many among the missing hold deeply felt moral stands or intense spiritual belief systems. Those who do not fit that profile have all had after-death experiences... My theory does not hold that these attitudes aided in the missing individual's abduction, only that these traits may have determined who would be taken.

Peter Parker: Prayerful

Above: After warning of impending danger, Doctor Strange suggests that the next thing Peter Parker (Spider-Man) should do is pray. Spider-Man does pray, beginning with, "Hey, God? It's Peter again..." [From The Amazing Spider-Man volume 2, issue #46, pages 6-8; written by J. Michael Straczynski with art by John Romita Jr. (pencils) and Scott Hanna (inks).]

Text from The Amazing Spider-Man volume 2, issue #46, pages 6-8:

DOCTOR STRANGE: When you went off the path [on the astral plane, during a mission that Doctor Strange sent Peter on], which kept you safe from prying eyes, you were noticed. When you went off the path, you entered the food chain. Whatever the source of your power, you are tied to the Spider. It is your icon, your totem, the template for your identity. When you follow the spider, you inherit the ways of the spider, its natural powers -- and its natural enemies. They extend into the waking world just as their counterparts in the waking world have echoes in this place.

SPIDER-MAN: Yeah, but . . . what is it?

DOCTOR STRANGE: My time is done here . . . others are calling to me. I must go.

SPIDER-MAN: Waitaminnit . . .

DOCTOR STRANGE: So that you will know this was not simply a dream . . . there is an etymology [sic: entomology] book on your third shelf. Look to page seventy-three.

SPIDER-MAN: And then . . .?

DOCTOR STRANGE: Pray.

SPIDER-MAN: . . . pray . . .

[Peter Parker wakes up from his dream (which was not simply a dream), in which Doctor Strange appeared to him and conversed with him on the astral plane. He finds the book on his shelf and opens to the page Doctor Strange described. The page has a picture and description of a "Spider Wasp."]

The spider wasp is the most efficient spider-killer in the insect kingdom. Its sting quickly subdues its prey by paralyzing the spider's central nervous system. But it does not kill the spider all at once. The spider wasp carries its prey to its nest, or if the spider is too large to carry in flight, the wasp simply drags it to the nest. In order to make the spider easier to drag, some spider wasps bite off the spider's legs, often drinking the blood that leaks form the wounds. The spider wasp places a single spider in each nest, which is often constructed after catching the prey.

[Peter Parker's face shows that he is rather horrified after reading this description.]

PETER PARKER/SPIDER-MAN: Hey, God? It's Peter again. Listen, not that I'm complaining or anything, but next incarnation, just for a change of pace, you think you could have me get bitten by a radioactive Jennifer Lopez? Just a thought."

Peter Parker, Spider-Man #48 is another issue which depicts Peter Parker in prayer, or having a "conversation with God." In this scene, we can even hear God's answers to Peter (or at least what Peter imagines God's answers are, or would be). It is probably not the intent of this scene to suggest that God is speaking directly to Peter Parker, but clearly Parker is thinking about God and pondering why God would allow terrible things to happen to him. Peter seems to find at least partial answers to his questions both in this scene and in the coming story arc.

From: Peter Parker, Spider-Man Vol. 2 #48 (September 2002), titled "The Big Question", pages 1-3; written by Paul Jenkins, pencilled by Mark Buckingham, inked by Wayne Faucher; reprinted in: Peter Parker, Spider-Man Vol. 4: Trials and Tribulations trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (2003).

Dialogue from: Peter Parker, Spider-Man Vol. 2 #48 (September 2002), titled "The Big Question", pages 1-3; written by Paul Jenkins, pencilled by Mark Buckingham, inked by Wayne Faucher; reprinted in: Peter Parker, Spider-Man Vol. 4: Trials and Tribulations trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (2003):

[Peter Parker sits on his bed in his apartment, staring at his Spider-Man costume, which is draped over the back a chair.]

PETER PARKER (thinking): Me and God, we have this little game. We're still working out the finer details, but it basically works like this: He does something really spiteful . . . normally to someone I care about . . . and I get to ask a lot of questions about it. Prayers are, like, God's way of staying interested. I swear he does this stuff to us so that we'll complain and he can have someone to talk to.

Dear God, the thing is this: my life's a joke. I mean, if you're so infinitely wise then why would you send someone like the Green Goblin to try and ruin my life? Since when did my family and friends ever do you any harm? Why would you have the Goblin put my buddy Flash Thompson in a coma so that he may never walk or talk again? And where did I go so wrong that you needed to hold a miror to my heart, just so's I can see my ugly reflection?

GOD: Oh, Peter . . . Don't you see? This is all part of my grand design.

PETER PARKER: Uh-huh . . . is this one of those "create by numbers" things you got going here? Only I'm not sure I see the entire picture.

GOD: Would it make any difference if you did?

PETER PARKER: Probably not. So just why do bad things happen to good people?

GOD: I can't tell you. It'd spoil the surprise. You'd know everything. And then you'd get all bored and grumpy and you'd blame it on me. It's much better this way, Peter . . . You get to figure everything out for yourself and when you do, it'll make all the difference in the world.

PETER PARKER (thinking): Funny how most of my conversations with God end like that.

And the Lord said: "OH, PETER ... DON'T YOU SEE? THIS IS ALL PART OF MY GRAND DESIGN." (Here, the Lord always speaks in CAPITAL LETTERS.)

Here, God is speaking to Peter Parker.

He is speaking to Spider-Man.

Throughout the history of Marvel Comics' "Spider-Man" franchise, little clues have been dropped that Peter Parker is a believer (specifically, a Protestant, although what denomination isn't clear). There's the "God Bless Our Home" stitching on the kitchen wall, for example, and then there was the night he thanked God for bringing Mary Jane into his life.

God speaks to Peter Parker in pseudo-Gothic type in a 2002 issue of "Spider-Man."

Critics have long found Christian themes in Peter Parker's struggle to determine what's right. "With great power comes great responsibility" may be a watchword of the recent Spider-Man movies, but it's lifted straight from the comic books...

Super hero movies have been doing well in the box office. It has been said that Spider-Man is a Protestant Christian, Daredevil is a Catholic, and Superman is a retelling of the Jesus story.

...Superman is not the only superhero thought to be religious... Batman is said to be a lapsed Anglican or Catholic..., as is the Hulk. Rogue from the X-Men was raised as a Baptist, and Spider-Man prays to what is assumed to be a Protestant God...

In fact, most superheroes have religious backgrounds, according to adherents.com... Spiderman is vaguely Protestant. Rogue (of the X-Men) grew up Southern Baptist.

Even superheroes need a superhero, I guess.

From: Barry Caine, "If a superhero lands in the forest, does anyone hear it?" (Movie Guy column), published 24 July 2006 in Oakland Tribune (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20060624/ai_n16506776; viewed 12 July 2007):

..."Superman Returns," which opens at 10 p.m. Tuesday... Superman's pending resurrection is inspiring super conjecture. For instance, Newsweek's "With Beliefnet.com" column has dubbed the Man of Steel a Methodist.

...while we're on the subject, the article uses data gleaned from Adherents.com to imbue other superheroes with their likely religious orientations.

For instance, The Thing from "The Fantastic Four" is Jewish, a fact addressed in the saga.

Spider-Man, "who sometimes addresses God in spontaneous prayer," is Protestant...

With or without overt references to religion, superhero stories resonate for people of faith, says Greg Garrett, author of "Holy Superheroes! Exploring Faith & Spirituality in Comic Books."'

"In the process of telling their stories of human - and superhuman - characters, comics deal with issues near and dear to our hearts: faith, hope, belief, guilt, justice, redemption, ultimate meaning, ultimate evil," he writes in the book's introduction.

Garrett, a professor of English at Baylor University in Texas, is seeking his Master of Divinity degree at Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest.

He says... Batman can be seen as "an avatar of God's justice." Spider-Man teaches lessons about power and responsibility.

"I think when I go to superheroes, I see there is a religious metaphor to begin with," says comic-book writer Steven T. Seagle.

Even comic-book heroes are painted as religious: Suppositions have been made that Superman Methodist, Spiderman is Protestant, The Thing is Jewish...

From: Lynn Arave, "Superhero/ Super savior? Religious imagery plentiful; local leaders worry about Superman's morals", published 8 July 2006 in Deseret Morning News (http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,640192870,00.html; viewed 15 May 2007):

The June 19, 2006, issue of Newsweek contained a list of the "suspected" religions of superheroes... Newsweek also listed Spider-Man as a Protestant, The Thing as Jewish, The Hulk as a lapsed Catholic, Daredevil as a Catholic, Batman as a lapsed Catholic or disaffected Episcopalian and Captain America as a Protestant...

The Newsweek article is online at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13249146/site/newsweek/.

Peter's Aunt May: Protestant Christian

It has been well established that Peter Parker's Aunt May is a Protestant Christian. This is the woman who has had the most influence on Parker, and who raised him during most of his life.

Above: When Spider-Man gets a glimpse of his future, he sees the tombstone of his Aunt May. Note the Christian cross that marks the gravesite of May Parker, Peter's beloved Aunt May, the woman who raised him. Source: The Amazing Spider-Man #500 (December 2003), titled "Happy Birthday, Part Three", pages 2-3; written by J. Michael Straczynski, pencilled by John Romita Jr. and John Romita Sr., inked by Scott Hanna; reprinted in: The Amazing Spider-Man: Happy Birthday trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (2004).

From: "Spiderman: A Man with a Mission" page on "Facing the Challenge of Our Times" website (http://www.facingthechallenge.org/spiderman.htm; viewed 1 December 2005):

The demon, called Green Goblin, tries different strategies to disarm the one who stands in the way of his plans. He tries temptation, lies, flattery - ideas that are neither creative nor new. To demoralize Spiderman's fighting spirit, he even tries to touch the people Spiderman loves most - the woman he loves, and his elderly aunt, who brought him up instead of his mother. But power is found in unexpected places, and she is a committed believer. When the demon tries to attack her, she (who seems so weak) prays the Lord's prayer 'But deliver us from the evil one...' - a prayer with power!

Above: Note the hand-stitched "God Bless Our Home" wall hanging on the wall of the kitchen in Peter Parker and Aunt May's home. Source: Spider-Man: Blue #1, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (July 2002), page 20; written by Jeph Loeb, illustrated by Tim Sale; reprinted in Spider-Man: Blue hardcover collection (2003).

From: Steve Beard, "Bamf! The gospel according to Nightcrawler", on Thunderstruck.org website (http://www.thunderstruck.org/nightcrawler.htm; viewed 8 December 2005):

Out of all the myriad of cartoon superheroes created in the last fifty years, very few have articulated or been indentified with a specific religious faith. There have, however, been exceptions to the rule. Last year, it was revealed in the comics that Ben Grimm (a.k.a The Thing) of The Fantastic Four was Jewish. In the movie Daredevil, crucifixes and other religious iconography flood the screen (as well as visits to the confessional) in order to convey Matt Murdock's struggle between vigilantism and his boyhood Catholic faith. In the Spider-Man movie, the Lord's Prayer is featured prominently when Aunt May is attacked by the Green Goblin.

From: David Wade, "Culture Watch: Holy Warrior Nuns, Batman! Comic books take on the world of faith and spirituality", published in Sojourner Magazine, July 2004 (http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj0407&article=040738; viewed 6 June 2006):

...Jim Krueger, an author of Marvel Comics' Earth X series (which explores issues of divinity, eternal life, sin, and retribution using the X-Men, the Hulk, Spiderman, and many other of Marvel's main characters).

From: Regie Rigby, "The question of religion" article, "Fool Britannia" column, posted on "Silver Bullet Comics" website (http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/fool/111010997522360.htm; viewed 22 December 2005):

...there's another obvious reason for this lack of positive overtly religious characters. When you think about it, there aren't that many in film, or on TV either. "Mainstream" comics, like blockbuster movies and prime time TV, tend to work around conflict. Who are the Justice League going to fight this month? How will Spider-Man deal with the latest menace? What will Batman do about the Joker? That kind of thing.

At its heart, most religion tends to be about harmony. From a comics script writer's point of view, harmony is pretty dull. When you think about it, religion only makes it onto the news when there's a problem. "Today, lots of people visited their Churches, Mosques and Synagogues in peace then went home and lived their lives like everybody else" just isn't news...

Fiction is fiction. It's not real, and unless it claims to be speaking directly about reality (which is what got Rushdie into trouble all those years ago) it needn't cause offence. Ordinary, what for want of a better word I'll call normal religious behaviour doesn't tend to make an impact in comics because, to be honest it doesn't make itself all that visible in real life either. Religion is much like sexuality in that sense - both are huge parts of an individual's life, but neither tend to be immediately obvious to the naked eye. In my view, it makes sense that niether should surface in the foreground of a story unless they become relevent to the narrative.

This is a profoundly realistic approach when you think about it. Although not religious myself, I know a good many religious people. My Atheism, or their faith, tend not to come up unless we happen to be talking specifically about religion. None of my friends introduce themselves to people with the words "Hello, I'm a Christian" or "Hello I'm a Muslim" any more than I introduce myself by saying "Hello, I'm an atheist". The subject just doesn't come up.

So why should it come up when the characters in our comics speak to us? Considering her age and social background I think Aunt May is probably a Christian. Why would she constantly tell us that? My Grandma (who is a little older than May, but of a similar background) is a deeply committed Christian, but she doesn't quote bible passages at people in the supermarket or anything, it's just the way she lives her life.

Above: When Aunt May was going to marry Dr. Otto Octavius ("Doctor Octopus"), it was in a Protestant Christian church, in a Protestant ceremony, officiated by a Protestant clergyman. Source: Peter Parker, Spider-Man Vol. 2 #50 (November 2002), titled "And Here, My Troubles Begin...", page 23; written by Paul Jenkins, pencilled by Mark Buckingham, inked by Wayne Faucher; reprinted in: Peter Parker, Spider-Man Vol. 4: Trials and Tribulations trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (2003).

From: SDG, on "Frank Miller and Batman take on Al Qaeda" message board, posted 16 February 2006, on "Arts and Faith.com" website (http://artsandfaith.com/index.php?s=73c16706d938808095fb38a1dae7c799&showtopic=8177&pid=103639&st=0&#entry103639; viewed 18 April 2006):

JMS's [J. Michael Straczynski] run on Spider-Man has done interesting things with religion... when Tracer made a comment to Aunt May about humans creating their own gods, Aunt May replied, "God created people, Tommy, not the other way around."

Peter gives thanks to God for Mary Jane, and other prayers...

Along with prayer during times of great need, another way that Peter Parker has manifest faith in God is through expressions of gratitude. What Parker is most grateful for is the people in his life - his close friends and family. Mary Jane Watson has been a close friend of Peter Parker's nearly since the creation of the character, and has been his most significant love interest. In mainstream Marvel continuity, Peter Parker and Mary Jane were finally married -- after many years of on-again, off-again romance -- in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 (1987).

Peter and Mary Jane love each other deeply and their marriage is, for the most part, a strong one. In 2002 and 2003 The Amazing Spider-Man depicted a period of great strain in their marriage, and the couple was separated for a time. After they decided to reconcile, Mary Jane was still staying in a hotel in New York while Parker was living in an apartment. Mary Jane was visiting Peter's apartment during the evening and Peter suggested it was getting late and that he should get her back to her hotel. Mary Jane insisted on staying, rejecting Peter's concern that he was distracted by a case and tired and that he wanted the first night they spent together after their reconciliation to be just right. Mary Jane told Peter why she came back (The Amazing Spider-Man, volume 2, issue #53, "Parts and Pieces", page 6; published July 2003 by Marvel Entertainment Group; written by J. Michael Straczynski, penciled by John Romita Jr., inked by Scott Hanna):

PETER PARKER (SPIDER-MAN): I should get you back to the hotel before it's too--

MARY JANE: No.

PETER PARKER: No?

MARY JANE: Not tonight. . . I think it's time, don't you?

PETER PARKER: It's just . . . I want it to be right, MJ. No distractions, not when I'm tired, or chasing a case or--

MARY JANE: And will there ever be a day when that happens? I came back for you, Peter. I love you. For everything you are, for everything you think you're not. Distracted or not, tired or not, you're my lover. My husband. And the dearest thing in the world to me. . . Let me prove it.

[Mary Jane then kisses Peter, and he acquiesces to her intentions. Later, after some off-panel "husband and wife" activities, Peter lies awake and thinks about how blessed he is to have Mary Jane in his life. He explicitly thanks God for his wife.]

PETER PARKER (thinking): I can bench press a car. I can climb up the side of a wall. Fight twenty guys to a standstill. Swing across chasms thirty stories deep. Feel a bullet coming my way and move fast enough to get clear. But something in her makes me gentle. Makes me shy. Makes me strong. Makes me happy to be alive. And maybe that's it. Maybe that's what it really comes down to. She makes me. Makes me whole . . . She completes me . . .

So here's the thing, God . . . I know I complain a lot, and I know that you and me, we've got issues, but right now, just for tonight . . . Thank you for her. Thank you.

Reminiscent of other examples of Peter Parker's "talks with God," there are some notable, powerful scenes in Amazing Spider-Man #33 (vol. 2) - the 9/11 issue focusing on the aftermath of the destruction of the World Trade Center. In this story, Spider-Man appears to argue with God about to why these things have happened.

From: Steven Waldman and Michael Kress, "Beliefwatch: Good Fight", published in Newsweek, 19 June 2006 issue (posted online on 12 June 2006: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13249146/site/newsweek/; simultaneously posted on BeliefNet.com under headline "Holy Superheroes": http://www.beliefnet.com/story/193/story_19306_1.html; viewed 14 June 2006):

...[Adherents.com] says "X-Men"'s Rogue is Southern Baptist, Cypher from "New Mutants" is a Mormon and Elektra from "Daredevil" is Greek Orthodox. Captain America is a churchgoer, and Spider-Man sometimes addresses God in spontaneous prayer...

Above: The decor in Peter Parker's bedroom reveals his passion for science. Note the picture of Albert Einstein (top left), the diagram illustrating hominid evolution (left) and the models of the U.S.S. Enterprise (from Star Trek) and NASA's space shuttle (top right). [Source: Ultimate Spider-Man issue #21 (titled "Hunted"), page 34. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, pencils by Mark Bagley, inks by Art Thibert. Reprinted in Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 3: Double Trouble trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York (2002).]

Peter Parker, scientist

Although the purpose of this page is to identify Peter Parker's religious background as Protestant, and to point out that the character occasionally expresses religious faith (at times sincere, at times casual), it would be a mistake to give the impression that any overt form of Protestant Christianity is a major aspect of his character. Spider-Man's religious background is most evident simply through his character and day-to-day actions. Prayer for Peter Parker occurs mostly during times of extreme crisis, and sometimes as an expression of overwhelming gratitude.

Science (particularly physics and chemistry) has been one of Peter Parker's most consistent passions. He is both extremely talented as a scientist and very interested in science in general. Parker's bedroom decor in Ultimate Spider-Man #21 -- with a picture of physicist Albert Einstein, a diagram depicting evolution, and models of the space shuttle and the U.S.S. Enterprise -- was an overt method of illustrating his interest in science.

Like most American scientists ¹, Peter Parker believes in God, but his overall outlook is on life is as a scientist. As noted above, Parker has frequently utilized his scientific abilities and his rational mind to overcome challenges and villains he has encountered as Spider-Man.

Peter Parker's passion for science, however, has never become the socially debilitating form of mania that one sees in some other scientist characters, notably Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four). Parker has always tried to squeeze in an active social life, and although he has had many opportunities to work purely in science, he has usually chosen to do other things as a vocation (photographer, teacher, etc.), while also maintaining a time-consuming avocation (maintaining his heroic identity as Spider-Man).

It is also worth noting that Parker's scientific outlook and interest has been manifest as "scientism," which is the belief that the methods and theories of the physical sciences are suitable for all fields and endeavors, and the belief that science has primacy over religious, humanistic, social, spiritual and other aspects of life. In many ways, Peter Parker actually represents a fairly balanced "everyman" or "typical American" in his outlook on life. He combines a modernistic rationalism with a practical American spirituality and humanitarian altruism.

Interestingly enough, although he has long worked as a photographer (or web designer in Ultimate Spider-Man), Peter Parker has rarely seemed particularly interested in art (which along with science and religion, is another potential major lens a person might view life through). Peter Parker has been depicted as having grown tremendously in his abilities as a photographer over the course of many years, but he has simply never been as passionate about photography as an art as he has about other interests.

Peter Parker even has an entire photography book published featuring his photographs, titled Webs: Spider-Man in Action. It reveals something about Parker's lack of motivation as an artist that this book was not even his idea. As chronicled in The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #304, the book was created entirely without Parker's input when his boss J. Jonah Jameson worked with a publisher to create a book of the Spider-Man photographs which Parker had taken, but which were the property of the Daily Bugle. Parker was perturbed that he was left out of the loop on the creation of a book featuring his photography, but he had no legal recourse. He agreed to go on a book tour in exchange for a portion of the royalties from the book. Did this experience prompt Parker to conceive of his own book idea and take artistic photos specifically for such a purpose? No, not at all.

Peter Parker's accidental and seemingly unmotivated talent as a photographer was even the subject of a storyline in which another photographer at the Bugle, one who was extremely motivated by artistic concerns, experiences such intense jealousy of Parker that he collaborates with Doctor Octopus in an effort to best Parker. The storyline mirrors the story from the movie Amadeus (1984), with the jealous photographer in the Antonio Salieri role, and Peter Parker in the place of the naturally and nonchalantly talented Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Where this parallel breaks down is that although music apparently came easily to Mozart, it was nonetheless a great passion for him and he considered himself first and foremost an artist and musician. Parker, on the other hand, seems to completely lack strong self-identification as an artist. [See: Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Negative Exposure. Written by Brian K. Vaughan. Pencil art by Staz Johnson. Inks by Danny Miki. Published by Marvel Entertainment Group: New York (2004). Reprints material originally published in magazine form as: Doctor Octopus: Negative Exposure #1-5.]

¹ See: Larson, Edward J. and Witham, Larry, "Scientists and Religion in America," Scientific American 281 No. 3 (Sep 1999), pp. 88-93.

"A little divine intervention..."

Perhaps in answer to Peter Parker's prayers (both on- and off-panel), J. Michael Straczynski even used a little divine intervention to help save the marriage of Peter and Mary Jane in issue #49 of The Amazing Spider-Man (volume 2). In what was certainly one of the most moving and most mature stories of Straczynski run on the series, this issue, titled "Bad Connections," features no physical battles and no villains. Peter Parker never even dons his Spider-Man mask. The story is about Peter and Mary Jane trying to come to terms with the emotional distance that has come between them as they've been living such separate lives, one as a super-hero, the other as a successful model and fledgling actress.

The issue begins with Peter in Africa, where Ezekiel has brought him so that he could survive his confrontation with Shathra. Rather than returning directly to New York City, Peter trades the first-class ticket Ezekiel purchased for him for a coach class ticket all the way to Los Angeles, where Mary Jane was filming a movie. In a romantic/tragic/comedy of errors type of situation, Mary Jane travels to New York to try to reconcile with her husband at exactly the same time. We see Peter in Mary Jane's hotel room and Mary Jane in Peter's New York apartment at exactly the same time, as they both contemplate their marriage and their recent past. Of course, both encounter empty rooms, assume the worst about the state of their relationship, and decide that their marriage is over - that it's time to move on. Peter boards a plane to fly back to New York and Mary Jane boards a plane to fly back to Los Angeles.

As the marriage of Peter and Mary Jane seems to shattering, a bolt of lightning grazes the airplane that Peter is on, doing no real damage, but forcing the pilot to land in Denver to check the electrical system. Miraculously, this the very airport that Mary Jane is at, while her plane is making a scheduled stop on its way to L.A. Peter does indeed meet up with Mary Jane at the Denver airport, and they begin the steps toward full reconciliation and saving their marriage, chronicled in further excellent stories that take place over subsequent issues.

Using lightning - perhaps the most common symbol of direct action by deity, whether by Zeus, Jove, or Whomever - in this way seems almost like an intentionally un-subtle way of saying that Peter's continuing altruism and heroism has earned him a break, and that God wants Peter's marriage to last. (Note, in particular, how in the last panel of the scene it is finally revealed, against a backdrop of billowy - heavenly - clouds, that Peter's "bad luck" at having to make an unscheduled landing will actually put him in Denver.)

Straczynski, a self-described atheist (although one fascinated with religion), can hardly be accused of proselytizing by including a little divine intervention in this story. This positive turn of events can be viewed as one of God's "tender mercies," and mirrors the themes of countless acclaimed and beloved works of fiction depicting miraculous events which signal the lovingkindness of the Lord spoken of in Psalms. One need look no further than Horton Foote's Oscar-winning screenplay for Tender Mercies (starring Robert Duvall), or David A. Bednar's sermon "The Tender Mercies of the Lord" (April 2005 General Conference) for other examples and explanations of what Straczynski does in this story.

Of course, in a world where a spider-bite can give a person super-strength, speed, agility, wall-crawling powers and spider-sense (limited precognitive abilities), it might be possible that the lightning strike which allowed Peter to meet up with Mary Jane was just a coincidence. But that seems like a stretch of the imagination, even in the Marvel Universe.

Below is the text from this scene, pages 16 and 19, in The Amazing Spider-Man (volume 2), issue #49, written by J. Michael Straczynski:

MARY JANE (thinking): [Sitting on the bed inside Peter's New York City apartment] What the hell am I doing here? After everything I've put him through, would he even want me? I'm a fool. But I'll wait. Just a little longer.

[Mary Jane continues to wait, sadly, dejectedly, through 5 silent panels.]

MARY JANE (thinking): Just... a little longer. [Mary Jane shifts from sitting on the bed to sitting on the floor, her arms around her knees, her head bowed.]

MARY JANE (thinking): This was a mistake. I should never have come.

[We see Peter Parker sitting similarly on the floor of Mary Jane's hotel room in Los Angeles.]

PETER PARKER (thinking): [In the hall outside Mary Jane's hotel room, slowly pulling the door shut.] Let it go.

MARY JANE (thinking): [In the hall outside Peter's apartment, slowly pulling the door shut.] Let it go.

PETER PARKER (thinking): [Slowly walking down the hall toward the exit] It's over.

MARY JANE (thinking): [Slowly walking down the hall toward the exit] Move on.

[The final panels on page 17 show the empty hallway outside Peter's apartment and the empty hallway outside Mary Jane's hotel room. The word's "It's over" appear, perhaps thought simultaneously by both of them.]

[Peter is shown in his seat on an airplane. He holds a magazine in front of him, but dosn't read it. He stares into space, lost in thought, a miserable look on his face.]

VOICE HEARD OVER LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM IN PLANE: --to welcome you aboard flight 739 nonstop to New York. Before we take off you should familiarize yourself with the emergency insructions--

[Mary Jane is shown in her seat on an airplane. She stares, as if to look out the window, except that the window shade is pulled shut. She is lost in thought, and looks miserable.]

VOICE HEARD OVER LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM IN PLANE: --and we should be arriving in Los Angeles shortly ahead of schedule. We've got one stop-over in Denver, where we're expecting some weather, but we're assured it won't be any trouble--

[Peter's airplane, seen from the outside.]

PETER PARKER (thinking): Goodbye, MJ.

[Mary Jane's airplane, seen from the outside.]

MARY JANE (thinking): Goodbye, Peter.

[Peter fidgits in his seat, trying to sleep.]

[Mary Jane stares out the window.]

[Close-up on Peter's face. His eyes are closed.]

VOICE OVER LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM IN PETER'S AIRPLANE: --hitting some stormy weather, so we ask that you return to your seats and fasten your seat belts.

[Loud KA-THOOOM sound effect. Peter looks out the airplane window.]

[Loud KA-THOOOM sound effect. Peter looks out the window.]

[Panel shows the airplane from outside, against a pitch black sky. A bolt of lightning arcs through the sky and grazes the airplane. Sound effect: KRAAAAAKK]

[Panel shows the view from inside the cockpit. Sound effect BOOOOOM]

PILOT: Jeez--! Did it hit us?!

CO-PILOT: It grazes us . . . I'm getting irregular readings on the electrical system.

PILOT: Damn . . . are we airworthy?

CO-PILOT: I think so, but I'm not sure. I wouldn't want to risk it, though, not on a flight this long.

PILOT: Nuts . . . [Speaking into com system] This is your captain speaking . . . you probably just saw that hammer of a lightning bold that skinned the surface. We don't believe it caused any damage--

[Peter's face is shown, as he sits in his seat, listening to the captain's announcement over the com system.

PILOT: --but to be on the safe side we're going to put down for an inspection of the electrical system. We apologize for the inconvenience, but airline safety regulations require that we have full confidence in our systems before continuing.

PETER PARKER (thinking): Nuts. Just nuts. What else can go wrong?

[The airplane is seen from the outside, a tiny object against the backdrop of large, billowy clouds in the night sky.]

PILOT: So if you'll buckle up, we'll be on the ground in Denver in just a few minutes.

Some Rare Expressions of Faith by Ultimate Spider-Man

Ultimate Spider-Man is the name of a comic book series started in 2000 as part of the new "Ultimate" line of comics published by Marvel Entertainment Group. This new line of comics utilizes characters that were introduced in Marvel's main line of comics (launched in 1964), but with origins reset to take place in contemporary times.

Below: A young Peter Parker wonders if God is punishing him for entertaining thoughts of a relationship with Felicia Hardy (the Black Cat), from Ultimate Spider-Man #53, "Daughters", page 4, reprinted in Ultimate Spider-Man: Cats & Kings trade paperback volume 8 (Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City, 2004). Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Pencils by Mark Bagley. Inks by Art Thibert.

A rare example of young Peter Parker invoking God in Ultimate Spider-Man appeared in issue #53, in a story titled "Daughters", written by Brian Michael Bendis. Peter Parker is, once again, feeling considerably put upon because of the many problems in his life. His girlfriend Mary Jane Watson recently broke up with him, and at about the same time he met Felicia Hardy, a cat burglar known as the "Black Cat." Hardy is a beautiful woman and Parker/Spider-Man was intrigued when she invited him to meet her for what looked essentially like a date. Although very much in love with Mary Jane, Parker wondered what it would be like to be romantically involved with the Black Cat. Later, Mary Jane runs away because of the constant verbal abuse from her manifestly atheist father. Peter Parker is very worried about Mary Jane. Among the many thoughts that go through his head while he worries about her, he wonders if God is punishing him for entertaining the idea of being with the Black Cat.

Peter Parker's thoughts as he goes to Mary Jane Watson's bedroom and sees for himself that she has run away are as follows:

Come on, MJ . . . Where on earth could you have possibly gone?

Well, this is a nightmare. What is she thinking? Did she leave town? Did she leave me too? I-- I knew she was bummed out and going through stuff with her dad but this is insane. This is so out there for her. She's really this messed up? I should never have told her I was Spider-Man. Nick Fury was right -- I should never have told her. Clearly she can't handle it.

She's very-- she needs to talk to a professional or something is what she needs to do.

This is God punishing me for even entertaining the idea of that crazy Black Cat woman.

Who knew MJ was even capable of--?

After these thoughts go through Peter Parker's mind, suddenly inspiration hits him and he realizes where Mary Jane must be. He heads straight to the abandoned warehouse which they think of as their "little private hiding place" and sure enough, Mary Jane is there. She is cold and despondent, but Peter is relieved that he found her.

In another issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, Peter Parker has recently lost his Spider-Man costume for the second time in a row. Among his many troubled thoughts is the question: Is this a sign from God that he should quit being a super hero?

Below: Peter Parker wonders if his losing his Spider-Man costume for the second time in a row is a message from God. From Ultimate Spider-Man #40, "Average Bear", page 3, reprinted in Ultimate Spider-Man hardcover collection volume 4 (Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City, 2004). Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Pencils by Mark Bagley. Inks by Art Thibert.

Text from Peter's thoughts in this scene is below. From Ultimate Spider-Man issue #40, pages 2 to 3, written by Brian Michael Bendis:

I have no costume. I am a super hero without a costume. I don't even have a cool leather outfit that would pass for "costume-ish" in this more cynical world I live in. And even if I did, short people shouldn't wear leather. That must be a rule of life. And if it isn't, clearly it should be.

Another rule of life should be that teenage super heroes on a very fixed income should make a point of holding onto their costumes during elaborate fight sequences. I can't sew! How can I make a costume if I can't sew! I can't hire someone to make a costume. I don't even know where you get tights from. If I order them online or something, Aunt May will totally get the package before I do . . . and how will I explain that without having to take up ballet? And who even knows if they'll fit if I buy them online? ...I draw the line at ill-fit and schlubby.

When I was dating Mary Jane, she could whip up a Spidey costume for me in a second . . . but now that we're broken up, which was not my idea, by the way, what am I going to do? I got my original costume from that wrestling organization I was wrestling for when I first got my powers. Maybe they have extra and I can steal some. I mean, borrow some. Maybe I can get the costume from the jerk who was running around dressed as me robbing banks.

Maybe someone up there is telling me not to wear a costume, or not to be a super hero.

Maybe I was late to class and I didn't eat lunch . . . again.

Above: Spider-Man: "...it's kinda cool to have a god on your side..." [From: The Amazing Spider-Man #504 (April 2004), titled "The Coming of Chaos", page 22; written by J. Michael Straczynski, pencilled by John Romita, Jr., inked by Scott Hanna; reprinted in: The Amazing Spider-Man: The Book of Ezekiel trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (2004).]

Spider-Man: Servant of the Gods

On a number of occasions, Spider-Man has been chosen as a servent of various religious figures and deities. An example of this took place in Peter Parker: Spider-Man Vol. 2 issues #48 and #49. In this two-issue story, the Buddhist deity Tara (or at least a woman with a connection to Tara, or who sees herself as Tara's representative) enlists Spider-Man's help.

In one scene during this story, Spider-Man contemplates the relative frequency with which he is enlisted as an agent of "metaphysical" beings. From: Peter Parker: Spider-Man Vol. 2 issue #49, page 8; written by Paul Jenkins, pencilled by Mark Buckingham, inked by Wayne Faucher:

SPIDER-MAN (thinking): It's not often you find yourself swinging aimlessly around the city waiting for a major Buddhist deity to buzz you on your psychic cell phone. You figure the Gods must have this really enormous copy of the Yellow Pages which they open at random whenever they get bored or needy. My listing is no doubt in the well-worn section under "Bleeding Heart." That's the only explanation why I'm such a favorite target of the metaphysical brigade. Either that, or some Bangladeshi ultra-chick with a great taste in super heroes has found a new and very meaningful way to pass the time.

Is there a mystical, totemistic aspect to Spider-Man's powers?

EZEKIEL: Okay, I know you don't want to hear this but pay attention, deal with it, because this is important. I know you're scientifically inclined, and I know you don't want to believe that your powers are in any way totemistic in nature or origin. I get that. But the paranormal or the unexpected is in every aspect of life. Church, physics, metaphysics, crop circles, Thunder Gods, Sorcerers Supreme, out of body experiences, extra-dimensional travel, the soul, art, music, Gaia, big green - sometimes gray - guys who should've died in gamma bomb bursts but just got real strong instead.

You can't isolate yourself from the whole world, and say noone of it has anything to do with you just because that's the way you want it. Maybe the spider that bit you was intended for you alone, maybe it was sent, maybe it was operating in a larger context. That's a connection going in to something more, something bigger. Maybe the spider had nothing behind it at all, no meaning, no intent, no context, it just webbed its way into the wrong place at the wrong time. But that scientific event tapped into ideas and constructs and racial memories and powers that were here long before science showed up.

The Ashanti have stories of a Spider-Man that go back centuries. You could look it up. You can't deny that, it's an historical fact, it--

PETER PARKER/SPIDER-MAN: A historical fact.

EZEKIEL: What?

PETER PARKER/SPIDER-MAN: It's An if you can't hear the H, it's A if you can. An hour, A horse. It's a common mistake made by people who want to impress other people by--

EZEKIEL: Who's telling this story, me or you? I'm trying to explain that one way or another, whether it was intended or you backed into it, you've tapped into something old, something important! Don't you have anything to say about that?

PETER PARKER/SPIDER-MAN: [Parker eyes a spider that has landed on his bare shoulder, and speaks - ostensibly to the spider.] Bite me.

EZEKIEL: Peter . . . all I'm saying is that you have to pay attention to what's been happening to you lately. If you try to deny what's going on, you just make yourself vulnerable to whatever comes at you next from the spider side of you. You're tying one arm behind your back.

PETER PARKER/SPIDER-MAN: Look, Ezekiel, I'm not denying that there's been a lot of weirdness in my life lately. But I'm just not there yet, I don't believe yet. I'm hardwired a certain way. I can't change that just because you say I should.

EZEKIEL: I know . . . I'm just trying to help, that's all. I've been a parallel road to yours for a long time, and I have the advantage of being able to see down the road a bit to what's coming. I'm trying to straighten out some of the curves coming your way.

Peter Parker and Aunt May talk to the late Uncle Ben Parker

Peter's visit with the spirit of Uncle Ben is an incredible moving scene, but is best appreciated after having read the entire issue. Dialogue from this visit is shown below, from: The Amazing Spider-Man #500 (December 2003), titled "Happy Birthday, Part Three", pages 33-38; written by J. Michael Straczynski, pencilled by John Romita Jr. and John Romita Sr., inked by Scott Hanna; reprinted in: The Amazing Spider-Man: Happy Birthday trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (2004).

UNCLE BEN: Hello, Peter.

PETER PARKER: Uncle Ben . . . ? I don't believe . . . it really is you . . .

UNCLE BEN: Well, sure, who else would it be? It's odd . . . I was just coming back to May, we'd had a fight, and I was walking in the door, and . . . there was a sound, I thought it sounded like a gunshot but that doesn't make any . . . I know it should mean something, but strangely, it doesn't. What matters is . . . you're here. You look good, Pete. Real good.

PETER PARKER: You look great, Uncle Ben. God, there's so many things I want to tell you . . . so many things I want to ask your forgiveness for, I--

UNCLE BEN: Forgiveness? There's nothing you need to be forgiven for, Pete. Nob by me.

PETER PARKER: But I wasn't there when you needed me--

UNCLE BEN: You know what would disappoint me? If you didn't reach for the kind of life I wanted for you. If you settled for less because you were afraid of reaching for more. If you walked away from what you believe, even once. Have you done that?

PETER PARKER: No. No, I haven't.

UNCLE BEN: Then I taught you right, and your life has meaning.

PETER PARKER: But the thing is . . . I've done things, Ben, I've got . . . abilities now, I can do amazing things. There's stuff you need to know.

UNCLE BEN: And there you're right. There's one question I have to ask you, Peter. An important question. So I can sleep easy.

PETER PARKER: Anything, Uncle Ben. Anything.

UNCLE BEN: Whatever it is you do now, whatever it is you've become, tell me this, Peter. Are you happy? We all go through pain, we all lose people we care about, we all suffer, we all get hurt. It's the price of being human. But at the end of the day . . . do you like your life? Are you happy, Peter?

[Peter thinks about his life. The panel shows him imagining himself, dressed as Spider-Man, shielding his Aunt May, his wife Mary Jane Watson, and his boss J. Jonah Jameson behind him. Circling them, as if about to attack, are the villains Doctor Octopus, Rhino, the Green Goblin, and the Kingpin. The image symbolizes Peter's life.]

PETER PARKER: It's the damndest thing, but . . . I am. I'm happy. I have a good life, Ben. A real good life. I'm very lucky. Sometimes I don't realize just how good, and how lucky. But, yeah . . . I'm happy, Ben.

UNCLE BEN: Then that's the only thing that matters, isn't it?

PETER PARKER: Maybe so. Maybe that is the right question. But I still miss you, Ben. God knows, I've missed you so much.

UNCLE BEN: I've missed you too, Peter. I love you, you know.

PETER PARKER: I love you too, Ben.

UNCLE BEN: Goodbye, Pete. Take care of May for me.

PETER PARKER: I will. I swear. I always have, and I always will.

UNCLE BEN: I know . . .

[Uncle Ben fades away, and Peter is left standing alone, his arms still held as if hugging Uncle Ben. He lowers his arms slowly. We next see him back in the apartment, where he has gone to sit on the edge of the bed. Mary Jane Watson is still awake, as she was reading a book.]

MARY JANE WATSON: So, did you have a nice stroll on the roof?

PETER PARKER: Yeah. I did.

MARY JANE WATSON: Good. I find that a moonlit walk helps clear my head. You too?

PETER PARKER: Yeah. It sure did this time. I love you, MJ. God, I love you so much. I want you to know that. Every night and every morning.

MARY JANE WATSON: I love you too, Peter. My lover, my husband, my best friend. Goodnight, Birthday Boy. Happy Birthday . . .

Below: In The Amazing Spider-Man #501, the entire story is about Peter Parker's Aunt May taking to her late husband Ben (Spider-Man's Uncle Ben), as well as to Peter's long-deceased parents. [From: The Amazing Spider-Man #501 (January 2004), titled "Saturday in the Park with May", pages 21-22; written by J. Michael Straczynski, pencilled by John Romita, Jr., inked by Scott Hanna; reprinted in: The Amazing Spider-Man: Happy Birthday trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (2004).]

Peter Parker talks to the late Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man: Blue

[Peter sits on the floor of the attic, recording his conversation with the late Gwen Stacy into a tape recorder.]

PETER PARKER: For years I've tried to make some sense of your death. Something -- anything -- that I could call "good" that came after all that . . . bad . . . And all the time I've been sitting up here talking to you, I remembered something I don't think I've told anyone.

The night of your funeral. MJ [i.e., Mary Jane Watson] came to see me at the apartment. I was . . . putting it mildly . . . rude to her. I just wasn't up for that "Life is a party and MJ is the cake" thing. But, something happened that night. I think now your death was MJ's wake-up call -- that we weren't going to live forever and the party was going to end. Gwen, I don't think Mary Jane Watson could've had a serious relationship with me until she realized how much we all lost with you gone. She would later become my wife. I had to learn to love again, and she taught me how--

MARY JANE WATSON: Peter . . .?

[Peter looks up and sees his wife, Mary Jane Watson, standing at the top of the stairs.]

MARY JANE WATSON: Hi.

PETER PARKER: MJ . . .? How . . . How long have you been listening . . .?

MARY JANE WATSON: Long enough.

PETER PARKER: I . . . I'm sorry, MJ. I didn't mean for you to hear . . .

MARY JANE WATSON: It's all right. I just came up to make sure you were okay.

PETER PARKER: Yeah. I'm okay . . .

MARY JANE WATSON: Will you do me a favor, Peter? Say "Hello" for me and -- tell Gwen I miss her to . . .

[Mary Jane leaves. The tape recorder continues to record, recording only silence for some moments.]

PETER PARKER: That was . . . MJ, Gwen. She says, "Hi" and I . . . And . . . um . . . I should get going.

I guess when I try and sum up how I get -- how I feel sometimes around this time of year [Valentines Day] . . . I feel blue. Not like I've been dipped in with the Tidy Bowl Man, but like in music, in jazz . . . in feeling blue. And I long for a time when a girl I knew with an incredible smile and so much good in her heart made me think . . . life can be great.

[KLIK, as Peter turns off the tape recorder.]

Jewish themes in Spider-Man comics

From: Thomas Tracy, "Spidey's webs have Jewish roots", published 21 May 2007 in Fort Greene/Clinton Hill Courier (http://www.courierlife.net/site/tab10.cfm?newsid=18369761&BRD=2384&PAG=461&dept_id=552856&rfi=6; viewed 21 May 2007):

Oh, that Spidey, what a mensch!

While no one at Marvel comics would admit it - at least publicly - the webs that our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man weaves are laced with stories and lessons taken right out of Jewish culture - so much so that one borough rabbi believes that Peter Parker is actually a child of Abraham.

"Peter Parker's a nerd who grew up in Forest Hills, his middle name is Benjamin and he's motivated by guilt . . . I see a connection," jokes Rabbi Simcha Weinstein, author of "Up, Up, And Oy Vey! How Jewish History, Culture and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero."

"I have a whole chapter in my book dedicated to the subject," said Weinstein, founder of the Jewish Student Foundation of Downtown Brooklyn and currently a rabbi for both Pratt Institute and Long Island College Hospital.

Speaking from the Pratt Institute campus in Clinton Hill, Weinstein can spend all day spinning similarities between the Stan Lee character and Jewish history and culture, even though the eight legged creatures aren't kosher.

"But there's an interesting story in the Bible about King David and spiders," he said.

According to the passage, David was in the wilderness being chased by King Saul's guards when he ducked into a cave. As he hid, a spider spun a web at the mouth of the cave.

When a guard went to inspect the opening, he saw the web and determined that David couldn't be in there.

"So, because of the spider, David's life was saved and he praised God for creating all creatures, even those he couldn't figure out," Weinstein said, adding that before his adventure in the cave, "David couldn't find a use for them."

King David apparently never figured out that if you give one of those creepy crawlers a crippling dose of radiation and sic it on a nerd in a science lab, you have a $400 million dollar grossing blockbuster directed by Sam Raimi (who is Jewish, by the by).

"Raimi said that he believes Spider-Man is Jewish, but his guilt was caused by his Uncle Ben, not his mother," the rabbi said.

In his book, Weinstein writes about his belief that "Old Web Head's" story is fueled by a deep, post-Holocaust sense of Jewish guilt.

"Just like generations of Jews, his ancestors were wiped away (Peter Parker's Uncle Ben was gunned down by a mugger) and whether they had powers or not, they couldn't do anything to stop it," he said.

But there are some other connections that are just too stereotypical to ignore.

"Peter Parker is a nebbishy nerd," said Weinstein. "He's a lot like Woody Allen. He's also been called a Jerry Seinfeld with webbing. But yet he rips off his clothes and he's a superhuman being."

"When he's Clark Kent, Superman pretends to be a nerd," Weinstein said. "Spider-Man is a nerd."

Weinstein's suspicions about Spider-Man were confirmed when he came across golden age comic book illustrator Patti Cochran, who told him that the Marvel Comics editorial staff always worked off the belief that Peter Parker was Jewish.

But Spider-Man is not the only comic book character to be infused with Jewish values.

Superman, Captain America, the Spirit, Batman and the Incredible Hulk (who Weinstein calls a gamma-radiated golem) all have Jewish themes woven into their masks, capes and cowls and - in the Hulk's case - loincloths.

"Up, Up and Oy Vey" is not meant to lay claim to America's favorite heroes as Jewish, but instead wishes to celebrate an open dialogue, Weinstein said.

"Superheroes are a mixture of religious beliefs and pop culture," said Weinstein. "They're a great way to break down boundaries."

From: Leah Finkelshteyn, "Thwak! To Our Enemies", published in Hadassah Magazine, June/July 2003 Vol. 84 No. 10 (http://www.hadassah.org/news/content/per_hadassah/archive/2003/03_JUN/art.htm; viewed 19 June 2007):

...Today, there may be fewer Jewish comics creators than in the past, but they are still making their mark in what has become an American institution struggling for legitimacy. The hot list - talents whose names on the cover are likely to ensure a title's popularity - includes writer Peter Allan David (Supergirl, DC, and The Incredible Hulk, among others); British import Neil Gaiman, writer of the award-winning The Sandman (Vertigo, a DC imprint), a series subtly peppered with midrashim; and author-illustrator Brian Michael Bendis, who in an article on his Web site, www.jinxworld.com, talks about coming up with ideas for his crime-noir titles on Passover...

...In the late 1950's and 1960's, comics' Silver Age, conformist heroes gave way to a more diverse comic world. Stan Lee and Marvel introduced a new type of "real-life" hero with the wall-crawling teenage Spider-Man who worried about money and social acceptance as well as how to defeat the many-limbed Doctor Octopus. In the 70's and 80's, Jews started appearing, sometimes with a beard and a hat in a crowd scene, sometimes as minor heroes. Shadowcat showed up around that time, too...

The Amazing Spider-Man #542 (August 2007), page 20: Spider-Man speaking to the Kingpin, who previously ordered a hitman to kill Spider-Man and his Aunt May: "You ordered her death, Fisk, so it is only appropriate that your life ends when hers does. So if I were you, I'd start praying right about now to try and convince God to give her every possible second of life. But to tell you the truth, in your position, I wouldn't count too much on God if I were you. See you around, Mr. Fisk. Count on it."

Another good example of the many ways in which Spider-Man is in no way a pure materialist is in The Sensational Spider-Man #39 (September 2007), written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa with art by Rick Hoberg, Stefano Gaudiano and Clayton Crain. In this story, Peter Parker is afraid that his beloved Aunt May (who was shot by a sniper) might die. Aunt May lies in a coma in a hospital and does not appear to be getting better. Peter Parker contacts an associate of his, Madame Web, a clairvoyant medium. Peter asks Madame Web to conduct a seance so that he, his wife Mary Jane Watson, and MJ's aunt Anna Watson (an old friend of May's) can contact the spirit of the unconscious Aunt May and ask her to come back to them.

Discussion

From: "What religion do superhero's belong to? [sic]" forum discussion started 18 July 2002 on "Toon Zone" website (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=41332; viewed 21 May 2007):

07-18-2002, 01:02 PM
wonderfly

What religion do superhero's [sic] belong to?

I'd like to discuss what religious beliefs are favorite costumed hero's belong to. Everyone knows Daredevil is Catholic. But beyond that, what do we know of superhero's beliefs? I'm thinking of mostly the Marvel Universe, but you DC fans feel free to contribute as well...

I think Peter Parker and Stever Rogers, (Spidey and Capt. America) are New York Protestants born and raised. Peter may be a lapsed church goer, but I always got the feeling that if Steve Rogers could find more time, he'd be in church every Sunday...

---

07-18-2002, 01:27 PM
JohnStewart-GL

I would think Cap is Christian but I'm not sure...

---

07-18-2002, 01:30 PM
Machina

This is a discussion I've had several times with my friends, and usually I step out of it when it turns offensive. (Which with my friends, it always does!) Thing to remember though that until recently, like the past decade, religion and talks of such were verboten in most main stream comic books. Now that's changed...

Let's see...

Peter [i.e., Spider-Man] is probably Protestant...

From: "Religious Affiliation of Comic Book Characters" forum discussion, started 10 March 2007 on "Brian Michael Bendis" part of "Comic Creator Boards" section of "Jinxworld Forums" website (http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/archive/index.php/t-106242.html; viewed 6 June 2007):

JoeE
03-10-2007, 10:46 AM

http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.html

An ASTONISHINGLY detailed site that delves into the religions of superheroes. Someone has WAY too much time on their hands.

---

Matt O'Keefe
03-10-2007, 10:49 AM

For a lot of characters, religion shouldn't be mentioned.

Peter Parker would be less relatable to if they gave him one religion. For example, I HATE that Kevin Smith established he had sex, just because I don't think it should have been said one way or another.

---

Matt O'Keefe
03-10-2007, 11:43 AM

...I remember Joe Q [Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada] talking about how Peter was probably Protestant, it should never be said...

From: "Catholic Clix - Comic info needed!" forum discussion started 3 May 2003 on HCRealms website (http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-40338.html; viewed 24 May 2007):

thornnspear
05/03/2003, 21:04

Ok, so in recent films it's been apparent that Daredevil and Nightcrawler are Catholic...

So, who else out there could be fielded in a "Catholic" Heroclix team?

---

weezer_10
05/04/2003, 01:12

...Wolsfbane, Rahne Sinclair is another [Catholic]. She was orphaned and raised by strict Catholic preacher named, Reverend Craig... [Editor: Actually, Wolfsbane has always been a Presbyterian, and is overtly identified as such.]

Spider-Man may also be one [a Catholic] but I'm not sure; Aunt May recites the 'Our Father' holding Rosary beads before going to bed in the movie. There's definitely a strong Christian influence there anyway.

Superman also had a strong Christian upbringing, Johnathan and Martha Kent were praying for a child around the time Kal-El landed on Earth. Martha is always praying for Johnathan during the 'Death of Superman' saga, as Johnathan is venturing on his 'spiritual search' for Clark.

Spider-Man and Superman I'm not sure about being Catholic, but they're definitely Christian influenced.

---

Gargantua
05/04/2003, 18:38

Nightcrawler, Daredevil, Aurora and Huntress definitely [are Catholic]. Superman I agree is probably one of the Protestant denominations. Spider-Man I don't think there's enough evidence really. The Our Father is pretty well universal among all Christian faiths - it's taken straight out of the Bible...

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thornnspear
05/04/2003, 21:00

Wow, thanks everyone. Yeah, Supes grew up in the Bible Belt, and the Spider-Man/Aunt May thing would be nice...

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thornnspear
05/04/2003, 23:10

...I meant to say the Spider-Man theory is a bit of a stretch...

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boneyard
05/05/2003, 01:42

...IIRC [If I recall correctly], here's the Catholic Clix you can play:

Daredevil
Huntress
Nightcrawler

Possible Catholics (or lasped Catholics):

Kingpin
Gambit
Hawkeye
Catwoman (her sister was a nun)
Plastic Man

Due to strong guilt and responsibilites the following could be Catholic (or Jewish):

Spider-Man
Blue Beetle

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spanishyoda
05/26/2003, 19:42

A good argument for Spidey being Catholic in comics are:

A: May Parker's maiden name is Reiley, and given her age and region of the country that she grew up in it could be assumed that she is Catholic.

B: I believe in the ASM issue where Peter proposes to Mary Jane, Aunt May donated his old microscope to a Catholic Church for a fund raiser.

C: In the many what if tales where Peter Parker dies, (Most notably "What if Kraven had killed Spider-man" and "What if Spider-man became Venom"), Spider-man is shown as having a Catholic, or Catholic-looking funeral.

These of course are all speculative theories, but hope they help!

---

WarHULK
05/26/2003, 20:43

Just because someone is "raised" in a certain religion does not mean that they choose to be a member of said religion once they are on their own. I would argue that Spiderman and Batman definitely have no strong religious beliefs at this time.

Peter being a very science oriented individual tends to dismiss the religious angle many times though he has been known to pray in some way but it's typically prayed with a "if you're real" or "we don't get along well, God" or some such comment. He may have some Catholic roots, however...

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cracker_nate
05/26/2003, 22:16

Oddest. Topic. Ever.

But not a bad one. I just never expected to see it. I wouldn't use the "Our Father" as a sign of being Catholic. Many denominations use this. The same is true with the ideas of confession and alter boys. Eastern Orthodoxy has both...

And also don't look at funerals too hard. I've been to Lutheran funeral that look a lot like Catholic, as do Orthodox.

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overkill
05/26/2003, 22:55

...Given that Uncle Ben's of Irish descent (based on his last name) it would stand to reason that he's Catholic. There's a very large presence of Irish Catholics in New York. Peter's probably 'too cool' to go to church, but I'd say he'd follow in his uncle's footsteps if he does go to church.

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kung_fu_lizard
08/17/2003, 16:41

Spider-man, just to throw a wrench into the works, may believe in reincarnation, having in one issue prayed to, in his next life, be bitten by a radioactive Jennifer Lopez :)

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Hippie_Rob
08/22/2003, 15:19

Spider-man is the ultimate Catholic. He fights against the forces of evil because he is trying to make up for his original sin of letting the burglar go that killed Uncle Ben.

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freakazoid_x
08/22/2003, 16:06

I always believed that Spidey was Jewish. He sort of talks like those old Jewish guys you often see in the park playing chess. However that could just be a NYC thing, I never picked it up when I lived there. So I doubt it. However thinking about it more and more, I have seen him celebrate Christmas. So I dunno.

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Jean_genie
08/22/2003, 16:47

Christmas is a lot like Saint Patrick's Day, in that most people celebrate it for the celebration itself, and not so much for its meaning. Not to say that there aren't lots of peple that celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th, but there are undoubtedly lots more who celebrate the giving of gifts, and the racking up of credit card debt.

Although somebody had best point out to some of the people on this board that just because someone believes in God and Jesus, that does not make them Catholic. that makes them Christian; there is obviously a difference. Expecially beause most all born-again Protestants I know hate Catholics almost as much as they hate Muslims. I think it's a language barrier thing ;)

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thornnspear
08/23/2003, 00:01

Wow! I started this thread so long ago - surprised its still kicking (and hasn't fallen apart either)

Few things though:

The concept of "original sin" is not that one's personal sin comes back to haunt you, but that sin entered the world through the choice of our first parents.

From: "Spidey Question for the Legion" page, started 6 July 2005, on "Captain Comics Round Table" message board/forum website (http://www.captaincomics.us/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t3594.html; viewed 20 December 2005):

tsj017
Jul 7 2004, 09:14 AM
I may be mistaken, but I seem to remember Pete/Spidey having some sort of inner monologue with God in one of the latter Paul Jenkins issues of Peter Parker: Spider-Man. Maybe in the aftermath of the Goblin/Flash storyline?
...Found it, courtesy of Spiderfan.org. It was PPSM. #48 [Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man], after the Goblin turned Flash into a vegetable [i.e., puts him into a coma and possibly a brain-dead state]. The link below is to a brief review/description of the story.
http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/reviews/sp...man_v2/048.html

From: "Frank Miller and Batman take on Al Qaeda" message board on "Arts and Faith.com" website (http://artsandfaith.com/index.php?s=73c16706d938808095fb38a1dae7c799&showtopic=8177&pid=103639&st=0&#entry103639; viewed 18 April 2006):

SDG
Feb 16 2006, 11:02 AM

I see they have Spider-Man listed as "Protestant." In traditional comic-book continuity, maybe, but in the movies he seems to be Catholic (e.g., the holy-water stoup by the front door in the Parker house).

[WEBMASTER: Really? This needs further investigation.]

JMS's [J. Michael Straczynski] run on Spider-Man has done interesting things with religion, mostly in terms of Peter's running inner monologue (?) addressing God. Recently when he "died" fighting Morlun, Peter's final thoughts were taken from Psalm 23 ("Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me"). Also, when Tracer made a comment to Aunt May about hmans creating their own gods, Aunt May replied, "God created people, Tommy, not the other way around."

From: "Religious Affiliation of Comic Book Super-heroes", posted 24 June 2006 on "No Sheep" blog website (http://nosheep.net/story/religious-affiliation-of-comic-book-super-heroes/; viewed 25 June 2006):

This site [link to this site] compiled an extremely detailed and well researched list of comic book super-heroes and their associated religious affiliations. Fairly interesting to me that so many actually have affiliations. I'm also amazed at how well diversified the hero population seems to be.

As for Spider-Man/Peter Parker, I always felt as though he was Protestant, but I couldn't put a finger on it. Seeing all the evidence clearly laid out was an interesting viewing.

From: comments on "Racism against Atheists" post on "Stormy's Corner" blog website, posted 23 March 2006 (http://stormy.blogs.com/stormy/2006/03/racism_against_.html; viewed 10 May 2006):

[from original blog post:] Atheists identified as America's most distrusted minority, according to new U of M study: News Releases: UMNnews: U of M.: "From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in 'sharing their vision of American society.' Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry."

---

This is my take on it: When most Americans hear the word "Atheist" they think of someone who is against the values they grew up with. They think of Madalyn O'Hair, a woman who knew how to hate. On the other hand, when people think of Christ, they think of a man who knew how to love. So they would rather have the label Christian than atheist.

Posted by: Jay KTX | March 24, 2006 at 06:12 PM

---

Great post.

Perhaps one explanation is the negative depiction of atheists in comic books. Most superheroes [believe in God], with a majority being Christians: Superman is a Methodist, Spiderman is a Protestant, X-Man Rogue is a Southern Baptist, X-Man Nightcrawler is a Catholic. Even the Punisher is Catholic. But when it comes to villians, atheism seems to be the rule. The Joker, The Kingpin, The Green Goblin, Sabretooth, and Lex Luthor are all atheists.

Posted by: Layman | March 24, 2006 at 06:55 PM

Joel Phillips, who identifies himself as Jewish, wrote an article in which he claimed (partially in jest, but with some underlying rationale) that nearly all Marvel and DC superheroes are Jewish. A Catholic reader of the article commented that he disagreed, although he did think that Aunt May seems Jewish. Phillips, the Jewish writer of the original article, responded and said that he does not think Aunt May seems Jewish. From: Joel Phillips, "Reeding Into Things #22: Comics Q & A", 26 February 2004 (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/archive/index.php/t-26014.html; viewed 12 May 2006):

Q: What religion is _____?

A: It's my opinion, and the opinion of many others I've encountered, that everyone in Marvel or DC comics (unless otherwise specified) is Jewish... Just about all the comic book creators from the Golden and early Silver Age were Jewish, and their characters include thick layers of Semitic behaviors, attitudes, and even speech patterns... All comic book characters from the "big two" [Marvel and DC] are Jewish...

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[Comment posted by:] Scots Fan
Feb 27, 2004, 04:01 am

Your comment that every character's religion being Jewish I don't think is entirely true...

As a person of the Catholic faith I would say that a number of characters show parts that are Catholic for example Matt Murdock, Peter Parker, Scott Summers, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson all to me would seem to be Catholic or at least have some of the underlining principles of Catholism.

Not being Jewish, and therefore only having a limit knowledge on the subject, I can't say with accuracy what character would have underlining Jewish qualities but I would say that Superman... and Aunt May all show aspects of this...

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[Response by:] Joel Phillips
Feb 27, 2004, 11:55 am

Re: post by Scots Fan: "Your comment that every character's religion being Jewish I don't think is entirely true."

It wasn't meant to be true, just to raise the idea that you went on to talk about (creators infusing aspects of themselves into many of their characters). I didn't mean that the characters are all actually Jewish because obviously they aren't.

Aunt May? Can't say I get that one, but OK. Anyway I am Jewish, and there are many others I'd add, chief amongst them being Ben Grimm...

From: Paul O'Donnell, "Look! Up in the Air! A Methodist!" posted 28 April 2006 on "Idol Chatter: Religion and Pop Culture Blog" website (http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/idolchatter/2006/04/look-up-in-air-methodist.html; viewed 12 May 2006):

A Jewish comedian claimed not long ago that he grew up thinking that all the comic-book superheroes were Jewish, because, like, say, Goldman and Federrman, all their names end in "man": Spiderman, Batman, Superman...

The theme pops up too on Progressive U., a national student blog, in an interesting essay [http://www.progressiveu.org/023135-on-the-importance-of-comic-books] about the essential religious nature of comics. The author portrays comics as modern pop mythologies--you know, the boogie-man stories equivalent to cave paintings that we flatter ourselves our society doesn't indulge in anymore. Comic books, the essay claims, allows us to feel awe--mostly concocted but sometimes taking a share of reality, as in the nearly wordless 9/11 installment of "The Amazing Spiderman."

From: "Wasn't Superman Supposed to be Jewish?" discussion board started 24 April 2006 on the official DC Comics website (http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/web/thread. jspa?threadID=2000073412&start=30&tstart=0; viewed 27 May 2006):

otaku-sempai
Posted: May 10, 2006 3:24 PM

Over at Marvel, Ben Grimm turns out to be Jewish, as does Marc Spector (Moonknight), and (correct me if I'm wrong) Peter Parker.

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forbushman
Posted: May 10, 2006 3:57 PM

I'm also pretty sure Peter Parker is Jewish [although he isn't listed on the main Jewish super-hero lists that are available online]... or is he?

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redzone
Posted: May 10, 2006 6:26 PM

I don't know if Peter Parker is Jewish or not. In all the years of reading Spider-Man, his religious background never came up. When he married MJ it was by a judge and he has never mentioned a Jewish background.

beccathegreat
Posted: May 14, 2006 12:04 PM

As for Peter Parker... well, I don't think his religion has ever been mentioned. But if he's not Jewish, no one is.

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beccathegreat
Posted: May 16, 2006 12:23 AM

Seems like a lot of Marvel's heroes are either Jewish or seem to be Jewish. I loved when the Thing compared himself to the golem. That was a great bit of writing.

And as for that Peter Parker thing, doesn't Aunt May seem Jewish to you guys?

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sx-pot
Posted: May 17, 2006 5:29 PM

re: "And as for that Peter Parker thing, doesn't Aunt May seem Jewish to you guys?"

Are wheatcakes kosher?

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forbushman
Posted: May 17, 2006 5:38 PM

Depends on what they are made of. If they have lard in them, no.

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otaku-sempai
Posted: May 19, 2006 4:43 PM

Hmmm... the ["Religious Affiliation of Comic Book Characters"] site says that Peter Parker is Protestant. Could be; I was maybe misremembering something written by a former Spidey writer about most persons living where Peter grew up would probably be Jewish.

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ramones4ever
Posted: May 19, 2006 5:11 PM

Peter Parker spent his younger days with Aunt May in Forest Hills. That area of Queens did have a high Jewish population in the 1960's (Joey Ramone was Jewish and raised in Forest Hills), but is now more mixed. You will find many ethnic backgrounds in Forest Hills nowadays.

From: "Passover Wave! Ragman and--?" message board started 13 April 2006 on official DC Comics website (http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/web/thread.jspa?forumID=29209087&threadID=2000071426; viewed 1 June 2006):

hateradereloaded
Posted: Apr 13, 2006 10:10 AM

Any other Jewish Superheroes besides RAGMAN?...

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hateradereloaded
Posted: Apr 13, 2006 6:42 PM

In all seriousness, I thought Peter Parker was Jewish. Totally neurotic... Woody Allen without the incest/pedophilia thing...

Plus Stan Lee? HUGE Jew!

Mary Jane, however, is a shiksa!

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hateradereloaded
Posted: Apr 13, 2006 9:15 PM

I think Peter Parker should come out as a closeted Jew. And Marvel should make it real melodramatic event issue like when Northstar came out. It was like a full splash page of Northstar, where he said "I HAVE BEEN, AND ALWAYS SHALL BE -- A HOMOSEXUAL!!!"

I read that and howled and howled and howled.

So Peter could say something like: I HAVE BEEN, AND ALWAYS SHALL BE -- KOSHER!!!"

Excerpts from: "Superman Wedding -- why a Christian ceremony?" newsgroup discussion started 11 October 1996 in rec.arts.comics.dc.universe (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.dc.universe/browse_thread/thread/4d17a1ff0ee9c715/d141c36005b90ea4; viewed 5 June 2006):

From: John Saponaro
Date: Wed, Oct 16 1996 12:00 am
Email: John.Sapon...@excelsior.net

You're gonna slug me for saying this, but as far as I'm concerned, Spider-Man is Jewish. Reason One: Stan is. Reason Two: In the classic stories, Peter Parker acts like a cross between Joel Fleischman and George Costanza. (Not every Jew is like that, I must point out before I get flamed by kosher ninjas...)

---

From: Matthew Slater
Date: Wed, Oct 23 1996 12:00 am
Email: m-sla...@nwu.edu

Does anyone know the typical origin of the name Parker? I always thought Aunt May would have been the type to be a little more religious than she was.

Aunt May mentioned that the Vulture had to settle his debt with God to him in spec [Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man 188. I think... with names Parker and Reilly I would guess that Peter is of Irish herritage, and that probably makes him Catholic or Protestant.

From: "Religious Inclinations of heroes" message board, started 1 March 2005 on StarDestroyer.net website (http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?t=63632; viewed 8 June 2006):

Stravo
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 6:38 pm

Post subject: Religious Inclinations of heroes

...Seems that atheistic heroes are as rare in comics as in real life. If [super-heroes] are religious it's a sort Judaeo-Christian wishy washy sort of religion... Any other examples of guesses?

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Crazedwraith
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 6:46 pm

Spider-Man's made references to 'God' in the JMS [J. Michael Straczynski] stories I've read so he's either Jewish or a wishy-washy Christian of no particular description.

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Imperial Overlord
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 7:04 pm

What kind of references to God? Atheists occassionally use phrases like "God knows" and so on.

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Stofsk
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:57 pm

re: "What kind of references to God? Atheists occassionally use phrases like..."

It's more than that. In a recent issue, and I don't remember which one, he has a kind of monologue to himself where he says something to the effect of: "God, I know you and I have 'issues', but thank you for giving me a beautiful wife whom I love dearly." I doubt there's anything more beyond being a wishy-washy Christian.

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The Dark
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2005 12:01 am

...Spider-Man often "thinks" to God, so he's some sort of monotheist (could be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or Zoroastrian...possibly even Brahmanic Hindu)...

From: "Religious Beliefs of Marvel Characters" discussion board started 20 October 2004 on Comic-Forum.com website (http://www.comic-forum.com/marvel/Religious_beliefs_of_Marvel_characters_397905.html; viewed 8 June 2006):

Date: 20 Oct 2004 21:55:56
From: OSinner1

Subject: Religious beliefs of Marvel characters?

Does anybody know the religious beliefs of various characters?

In particular:
Bruce Banner/The Hulk
Captain America
Dr. Doom
Spider-man
Professor X
Magneto...

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Date: 20 Oct 2004 23:02:28
From: The Black Guardian

All I know is the last one [Magneto]: Judaism. Most of the rest are probably various denominations of Christian.

---

Date: 20 Oct 2004 23:16:20
From: Samy Merchi

Barring any actual solid evidence in the characters' own books, you could always fall back on the Infinity Crusade and see which sides the characters were on in that conflict. Anybody feel like whipping those issues out and checking these specific characters?

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Date: 21 Oct 2004 03:52:34
From: The Black Guardian

Anyway, here's the list of those who "faithfully served" the Goddess: Captain America, Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man, Jean Grey, Namorita, Silhouette, Spider-Man, Puck, Archangel, the Inhuman Crystal, Firelord, Hercules, Shaman, Talisman, Moondragon, Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, the Silver Surfer, Sersi, the Living Lightning, Thor, the Invisible Woman, USAgent, Moon Knight, Wolfsbane, Doctor Strange, Wonder Man, Daredevil, the Black Knight, Windshear, Sasquatch, Storm, Gamora, Sleepwalker.

IIRC, even if you read the crossover, it's still pretty vague in what religions the heroes believed.

---

Date: 21 Oct 2004 15:19:09
From: Paul O'Brien

re: Spider-man

I'm trying to think of any stories dealing with that [Spider-Man's religious affiliation], and none spring to mind. I'd assume Christian, though. It's a pretty safe default assumption for any U.S. character where there isn't a strong reason to think otherwise.

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Date: 22 Oct 2004 12:03:33
From: Menshevik

Peter does seem to have very vague ideas, and from the beginning people have seen many of his characteristics as fitting certain stereotypes about Jews (Aunt as the typical Yiddishe Mame, Peter being saturated in "Jewish guilt" etc.), although later developments (such as giving Aunt the maiden name Reilly) do not jibe that well with that view.

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Date: 22 Oct 2004 14:06:41
From: Del

Out of interest, are there any comic characters, mainstream or otherwise, that are unbelievers? And if so, how do they tend to be depicted?

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Date: 23 Oct 2004 23:08:12
From: Nathan P. Mahney

I've always just sort of assumed that Peter Parker was an atheist.

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Date: 24 Oct 2004 00:24:19
From: The Black Guardian

That seems a stretch. I could see a non-practicing Christian (or Jew), but I can't think of anything that screams "atheist."

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Date: 24 Oct 2004 00:23:42
From: Matt Deres

I can't either, and the two (non-practicing vs atheism) can be close at times, but if I were digging for evidence to support his atheism, I'd say this: in all the soliloquies that Peter has done, through all the moping and second guessing and complaining, I don't ever recall him questioning god's plan or praying for support or anything of that nature. Some religious people are like that, of course, but with all the "Why oh why can't anything work out for me..." rants, it's odd that never once (AFAIK) did he ever turn to religion in some way or another. I'm not nearly as well versed in Spidey history as some others here, though.

---

Date: 25 Oct 2004 14:06:34
From: Menshevik

Well, in "Soul of the Hunter", Peter muses on his difficulties believing in the concept of a soul, a problem that apparently recedes when he is making love to MJ: "I want to believe the way she does. I'd give anything to believe! And when she loves me like this -- when we seem to become... something bigger -- touch something higher -- then, for a little while, at least... I really do believe."

And it would seem that Peter saw the events of this story -- fighting for the salvation of Kraven's soul -- as probably real (although MJ apparently saw it more as a hallucination brought on by Peter's feeling of guilt).

BTW, [marital relations] with MJ really seems to be a spiritual experience for Peter, in ASM [Amazing Spider-Man] vol. 2 #53, after the Parkers make love for the first time in ages (their separation ended in #50), Peter feels compelled to thank God for MJ...

From: "Claremont's 'Revenge' / CC Trademarks" thread on rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks/browse_thread/thread/b6c76ad39ebedbac/82cfea80ebc7bade; viewed 12 June 2006):

From: Thomas Wilde
Date: Fri, May 15 1998 12:00 am

re: "Does anyone have any other instances of positive (or negative) portrayals of religion in comics?"

Well, there's Bonita "Firebird" Juarez, who's a fervent Christian and shows up occasionally in Avengers... Captain America, although that's rarely touched upon... J.M. DeMatteis' take on Spider-Man... The more I think about it, the more religious characters don't really tend to lend themselves to comics. Turning the other cheek doesn't exactly make for a hell of a good adventure story.

From: "The religions of comic book characters" thread started 10 February 2001 on rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe/browse_thread/thread/13590fda80c5d6e1/e5e0b094ced80f0b; viewed 12 June 2006):

From: Terry McCombs
Date: Sat, Feb 10 2001 6:35 pm

For the most part you don't get much of an idea as to the private lives of most comic book characters. Marvelish soap opera not withstanding.

What I mean is you don't get much of an idea what their politics or religion might be. This is sensible enough I guess as they don't want to offend any of their customers.

From time to you see things, whenever DC has shown Superman or Batman being married they always seem to have someone in a white collar officiating. Are they saying they are Catholic? or Episcopalian? Or that they just wanted someone religious looking doing it?

...What do you think?

---

From: Menshevik
Date: Sun, Feb 11 2001 6:05 am

That also goes for some of Marvel's characters, e.g. Scott Summers married both his wives in what appeared to be a Catholic or Episcopalian ceremonies. Peter and MJ were a possibly notable exception in choosing a non-religious ceremony (being married by a Justic of the Peace, Mary Janes's uncle Spencer).

From: Bill Craig (founding and senior pastor of Summit Trace Church in Frederick, Maryland), "Comic Faith", posted 14 June 2006 on "Bill Craig" blog website (http://billcraig.blogspot.com/2006/06/comic-faith.html; viewed 14 June 2006):

In a recent article of the latest Newsweek Magazine, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13249146/site/newsweek/ under "Belief Watch" I discovered that many of my childhood comic book superheroes are "religious". Now I don't know what church they may attend and even if I did I would have to be discrete to protect their identity. What fascinates me is that as super as they are they still place a faith in something greater than they are. Newsweek tells me that Peter Parker is a Protestant, Superman is Methodist -- that Midwest clean look gave him away... http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.html You can see a complete list here.

From: Joshua, "Superhero Religions", posted 14 June 2006 on "Carpathian Kitten Loss" blog website (http://kittenloss.blogspot.com/2006/06/superhero-religions.html; viewed 14 June 2006):

In this week's Newsweek periscope [link to Newsweek article: "Belief Watch: Good Fight", http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13249146/site/newsweek/], there is an odd piece on the religions and presumed religions of superheroes...

According to the list, which is taken from a website called Beliefnet.com [link to http://www.beliefnet.com/features/comicbookfaith.html] Superman is Methodist/Kryptonian, Spiderman is Protestant and Batman's either Episcoplian or a lapsed Catholic (huh?)

...The irony, if that's the right word, is that most of the early comic heroes were created by Jewish artists. They did Superman, Spiderman, the X-men and apparently Batman.

What religion is your favorite comic book character? Here is an interesting list [link to: http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.html] that explores the faith of superheroes, supervillians and other well-known comic characters... Many of the most well-known are simply generic Protestants (Spiderman, Captain America, Cyclops)...

From: "An argument for why religion should stay out of comics" message board started 17 May 2006 on official DC Comics website (http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/web/thread.jspa?threadID=2000076170&start=120; viewed 16 June 2006):

chew_chilla77
Posted: Jun 14, 2006 12:01 PM

Wow, so I guess my question would be what comics do you read, because in my mind Spider-Man, Superman, Star Wars, Batman... the list could go on and on, but the point is they use some concept of religion. If you break everything down into the Ten Commandments you pretty much cover all comic book concepts. For example "With great power comes great responsibility" is very much based in religion. How about super-heroes never killing but once Wonder Woman did? We went bonkers. Batman trying to honor his parents by never letting something like that happen to anyone else. I don't know if I think religion has a place in comics but, It's already there.

Hat Tip to the Random Yak on this [http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.html], a page that lays out the religion of Super Heroes. Its not something I've thought about before, but the fact is that most of the comic writers have given some thought to it. The big ones of interest are that Superman is a Methodist, Batman is probably an Anglican, and Spider-Man comes from a Protestant background of some sort. Of course, in the case of most of these heroes, the religion really has little to no tie in to their character. It is more a background than their actual way of living, so they're really more humanist with a religious background than anything else. I was surprised by the number of LDS super heroes, not so much by the number of Jewish heroes.

From: "Atheist superheroes?" thread, started 21 September 1999 on rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe/browse_thread/thread/e8d686f0b20944a6/e46638dbdaa8a219; viewed 22 June 2006):

From: Paul O'Brien
Date: Tues, Sep 21 1999 12:00 am

re: "...we get of Peter Parkers life, I'd say he's at least an agnostic."

Why do you assume he's agnostic? Non-practising, certainly, but that doesn't necessarily make him a non-believer.

I'd be surprised if there aren't some vampire stories floating around somewhere that don't establish Spider-Man as being able to use Christian symbols against them. (Marvel continuity has it that it's strength of faith in the symbol that makes them effective, not anything intrinsic to the symbols themselves.) Moreover, Spider-Man was created as an everyman figure, and I rather suspect the USA everyman in the 1960s was probably a Christian.

From: Doug Tonks, "A Higher Power", posted 22 October 2006 on "All New! All Different! Howling Curmudgeons: Two-Fisted Comics Commentary and Criticism!" blog website (http://www.whiterose.org/howlingcurmudgeons/archives/009995.html; viewed 25 April 2007):

The never-identified but usually heeded "they" claim that there are two topics you should never talk about: religion and politics. But since Mike already brought up religion [link to: http://www.whiterose.org/howlingcurmudgeons/archives/009992.html], I'll follow it up with a link to this page [link to: http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.html], which lists the religious affiliations of various comic book characters. Many of the religious identifications are backed up with lengthy supporting arguments, but some of the more minor characters get little or nothing in the way of explanation.

Some of them are not too surprising: ...Spider-Man is Protestant, although a specific denomination is not identified; ...Captain America, like Spider-Man, nondenominationally identified Protestant...

Posted by Doug at October 22, 2006 7:12 PM

From: "Where are the Christian Superheroes?" forum discussion page started 22 August 2006 on Newsarama website (http://forum.newsarama.com/archive/index.php/t-81451.html; viewed 5 May 2007):

Mr Wesley
08-22-2006, 10:03 AM

...I pose the question to you, my fellow Talk@Ramanians: If Christianity is the most popular faith in the United States, why aren't there more openly Christian superheroes?

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randomengine
08-22-2006, 11:01 AM

I'm not sure if it's an active choice in doing such for most readers to affiliate a character with their faith umbrella. Though I would argue that unless otherwise, most readers will identify a character with themselves (which includes their respective faiths) unless otherwise revealed.

A Hindu reading Amazing Spider-Man would assume Peter Parker is a Hindu as well given your argument. This just isn't the case, although it is possible Peter Parker could be Hindu it is extremely unlikely given his background, location, lifestyle, even though it hasn't been proven either way.

This is not an ideal situation... When meeting new people or characters they are a big grey area of unknown. This includes religion and there should be no assumptions about religion. Therefore until proven otherwise they should be considered religionless, unaffiliated, or not enough information to determine.

That way you wont be disappointed when he turns out to be something different than you assumed him to be.

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spiderrob8
08-22-2006, 12:07 PM

re: I think assuming a character's religion fictional or otherwise is an insult... A lot of people are Christian... here is a person, therefore he must be Christian. That is a logical fallacy. All characters are to be assumed religionless... i.e. agnostic, until proven otherwise either through their direct speech, "I am a so and so" or actions like attending certain churches... but you cannot just assume someone is Christian because that is the majority.

I think you can. If 75% of Americans are, then most American characters will be - though not necessarily fully practicing ones. But enough to celebrate Christmas every year in all those Christmas specials, occasionally mention God (like Spider-man has occasionally prayed to God-recently in fact, and Uncle Ben has been shown, from time to time, having a Cross on his headstone), and occasionally get a Church scene.

You see a fair amount of God/Devil stuff in comics, but it is a vague, monotheistic God, but rarely do you ever see any reference at all to Jesus Christ.

The vague Monotheistic God vague spirituality seems to threaten or offend no one, and I guess they would be worried a Jesus reference would offend people.

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Habitual
08-22-2006, 01:48 PM

re: A Hindu reading Amazing Spider-Man would assume Peter Parker is a Hindu...

There is not a large population of white Anglo-Aaxon Hindu's in New York so it's a pretty safe bet, even if you're reading the comic in New Delhi, that Peter Parker is a Christian, practicing or not.

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randomengine
08-22-2006, 02:34 PM

re: There is not a large population of white Anglo-Aaxon Hindu's in New York so it's a pretty safe bet, even if you're reading the comic in New Delhi, that Peter Parker is a Christian, practicing or not.

That was my whole argument... but its not proven Parker is Christian... I say a [whole] lot and I am an Atheist. I realize that the term has a certain meaning not wholly tied to religious contexts. I also observe Christmas, but merely as a gift-giving holiday.

I think assuming someone's religion is asinine. I am insulted everytime someone assumes that I am Christian because they think it is law or something. I do not assume anyone's religion for the same reasons. I am not saying you or others shouldn't, but it shows a lot of ignorance and arrogance, and says a lot of negative things about your character if you do.

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spiderrob8
08-22-2006, 02:36 PM

re: How exactly do you work in a character being very religious without turning it into a plot point or a story arc? There are so many views and opinions, you'll end be upsetting someone. People criticize writers like Winnick for being too political, I can' t imagine a wrter being too religious would sit well either. There are many characters that have had their religious affiliations casually mentioned, but that doesn't seem to be good enough? I don't care that there are some people here that it offends, but if you are a white American (as the majority of Marvel & DC heroes are) you are probably casually Christian, therefore the majority. Why does the majority need reinforcement?

Who says anything about reinforcement? We've had a lot of threads talking about making the comic verse reflect the world that surrounds them...

You could reflect religious characters - not just Christian - just like you can reflect politics, but you don't necessarily want characters behaving as a mouth piece for the writer.

No one would want someone spouting and trying to convert someone to a religion - which is also what they don't want from politics. Just like I wouldn't want Spider-man telling me Jesus is the only way to Heaven, I don't want Lex Luthor representing George W. Bush. Winnick isn't too political, he's preachy, and he's clumbsy about it too. But a religious character or characters or a political character is fine, as long as attempts are made to be fair and to have characters from different stripes. There's a difference.

David Thompson, "Secret Knowledge, Revealed", posted 1 March 2007 on "David Thompson: Culture, Ideas and Comic Books" blog website (http://davidthompson.typepad.com/davidthompson/comic_books/index.html; viewed 15 May 2007):

Zounds! The religious affiliations of your favourite comic book heroes have finally been documented in a disturbingly thorough database. This improbable cataloguing project may well define a whole new stratum of nerdish preoccupation. But, given the effort involved, it's hard not to be impressed and, dare I say it, just a little curious. I was vaguely aware that Spider-Man is sort-of Protestant, that Ben Grimm is Jewish and that Bruce Wayne seems to have that whole lapsed Catholic thing lurking in the background... deities...

From: "The Church of Superman" forum discussion started 19 June 2006 on the "James Randi Educational Foundation" website (http://www.randi.org/forumlive/showthread.php?t=58627; viewed 15 May 2007):

19th June 2006, 06:03 AM
headscratcher4

The Church of Superman
http://adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.html

Hmmmm... the "religious" affiliations of comic book characters. Huh?

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19th June 2006, 10:26 AM
Dunstan

I read a couple of entries (mostly for characters I'm familiar with) and it seemed reasonably even-handed, although

(1) they have an annoying habit of citing as "evidence" publications that merely quote their own websites; and

(2) I think they rely too much on some pretty offhanded references to God, e.g. they quote an Ulimate Spider-Man issue where Peter is bemoaning how he is once again without a costume, and wonders "I got my original costume from that wrestling organization I was wrestling for when I first got my powers. Maybe they have extra and I can steal some. I mean, borrow some. Maybe I can get the costume from the jerk who was running around dressed as me robbing banks. Maybe someone up there is telling me not to wear a costume, or not to be a super hero. Maybe I was late to class and I didn't eat lunch . . . again."

Having said that, I don't disagree with their basic conclusion on Spider-Man, which is that he's not particularly religious or devout, but does seem to believe in God and have occasional "conversations" with him.

And yeah, I think they need to retitle their "Religious Affiliation" column in the tables, when they list such things as "feminist" and "hates Spider-Man." Also, they list some super-villains as atheists without citing any supporting evidence other than some guy's message board post.

From: "Is Batman an atheist or is he just not very religious?" forum discussion started 2 April 2007 on "Toon Zone" website (http://forums.toonzone.net/archive/index.php/t-187589.html; viewed 21 May 2007):

ShawnHopkins
04-03-2007, 12:42 PM

re: Also, is Spiderman intended to be Jewish?

This Spider-Man question gets asked a lot and no, even though he lives in Forest Hills, Queens and seemed to have some vaguely Jewish traits in his earliest appearances, Peter Parker has always been portrayed as being vaguely Protestant.

From: "Religions of comic book characters" forum discussion started 18 April 2007 on Uberchristians website (http://uberchristians.org/vb/showthread.php?t=373; viewed 21 May 2007):

04-18-2007, 05:26 PM
Gabriel

http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/..._religion.html

I wasn't aware so many characters had their religions defined at any point. I hardly ever remember running into it when I was into mainstream comics.

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04-18-2007, 07:36 PM
NothingButTheBlood

Someone spent a lot of time looking into all that. I was only aware of three or four that had religion as a big part of their character. Including those who had sold their soul or went to hell kinda thing (Spawn and Ghost Rider come to mind). I know some character's families like Spiderman have religion in their background but I don't recall many practicing any faith.

From: "Atheist representation on the Avengers" forum discussion started 20 June 2001 on "Comic Boards" website (http://www.comicboards.com/avengers/view.php?trd=010620110715; viewed 24 May 2007):

Posted by Jae on Wednesday, June 20 2001 at 11:07:15 GMT

Atheist representation on the Avengers

The teams pretty well rounded now, but are there any atheistic members?...

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[http://www.comicboards.com/avengers/view.php?rpl=010620201053]

Posted by D-Man on Wednesday, June 20 2001 at 20:10:53 GMT

...Probably the best comic you could find to figure out who believes in a god or a god, or have deep faith in God or a god would be:

Infinity Crusade
The Goddess uses the heroes' faith and belief in gods and such to recruit heroes.

Here are a list of Avengers who are "believers" so are recruited by the Goddess:
Living Lightning
Black Knight
Hercules
Sersi
Invisible Woman
Spider-Man (which is odd)
Quicksilver
Wonder Man
Captain America
Thor
Crystal
Moondragon
USAgent
Scarlet Witch
Moon Knight

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[http://www.comicboards.com/avengers/view.php?rpl=010620141736]

Posted by Taxman on Wednesday, June 20 2001 at 14:17:36 GMT

I just dug up some back issues of "Infinity Crusade"...

...I think that it is pretty safe to assume that none of the Crusaders [i.e., people chosen by the Goddess] are atheists...

From: "Religious Characters In Marvel" forum discussion started 15 September 2006 on "Comic Book Resources" website (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/archive/index.php/t-143850.html; viewed 25 May 2007):

Nogs
09-15-2006, 09:01 PM

The other day I was thinking about religion and comic books... What I'm interested in is the way religious characters are portrayed in comic books...

I think the first step is listing what characters are what religion...

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[Editor: The person posting the following message seems to think that an unusually large number of characters are Jewish:]

Deadpooligan
09-15-2006, 09:44 PM

Mags is actually a born Jewish who was raised by gypsies in his youth.

His kids, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are gypsy.

Dr. Doom is of course, gypsy.

Moon Knight is a former Jew who now practices worship in the Egyptian deity Khonshu.

Thing is Marvel's #1 Jew obviously (he had his bar mitzvah not too long ago).

Wolverine was probably raised Catholic or maybe somewhat like a Puritan. I got the gist of it in Origin.

Spider-Man should be Jewish if anything. (Forest Hills, Queens in the 1960's is a real giveaway, though his age is obviously not consistant with this currently) Also, he did get married in a church, which kinda goes against this, though it may have just been Mary Jane's faith.

Iceman's Jewish.

I also consider Juggernaut as Jewish since saying "the Jewggernaut" is really funny. Also, thinking of such a big guy being mortally afraid of his mother is even funnier.

Cable is Askani. At least I think it's a faith...

From: Keiichi, "Religion, politics and super heroes", posted 13 May 2007 on "Minitokyo" blog website (http://forum.minitokyo.net/thread/56752/religion-politics-super-heroes/1/#p1215679; viewed 28 May 2007):

Now with the Spidey hype, I was looking for info about our friendly neighbor and I found an article about the superheroes' religions here: http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/SpiderMan.html
and I also began to wonder about their political afiliation.

It was funny, but I disagree with the fact that Peter Parker is Christian... I think that Parker grew up in a Christian home... probably Protestant, but right now he is just a secular fellow that belives in a higher power, generally called GOD. Just like me... with no formal religious afiliation... and Democrat by the way...

From: "Is Spider-Man Jewish?" forum discussion started 15 January 2007 on "Comic Book Resources" website (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/archive/index.php/t-160187.html; viewed 28 May 2007):

choptop
01-15-2007, 09:40 PM

Is Spider-Man Jewish? cuz he's on a list of Fictional Jews on wikipedia but not on the list on Jewish comic book characters.

So is he or not?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Fictional_Jews

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Jewish_comic_book_characters