The Passion of the Christ

Apparently one of the actors portraying the Roman Guards was supposed to strike a board on Caviezel's back to prevent from injuring Caviezel but had missed the mark. Superman - who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with his bare hands, and who disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a neverending battle for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.". Jim Caviezel admitted that he was struck in the back accidentally during the scourging sequence, leaving a significant scar on his back. It's Superman! Yes, it's Superman - strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. This is the same age Christ is said to have been upon his crucifixion. It's a plane. Jim Caviezel also bears the initials "JC." When Gibson first requested Caviezel to portray Christ in early 2002, Caviezel, was 33 years of age. It's a bird.

[2] (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001029/bio) and [3] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3209223.stm). Look! Up in the sky. Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus Christ, was struck by lightning during the shooting; while the assistant director, Jan Michelini, was allegedly struck by lightning twice. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. The film has also been criticized by several fundamentalist Protestant groups for its Catholic and Ecumenist overtones. More powerful than a locomotive. While partially due to graphic violence portrayed in the film, of more concern is the purported anti-semitic overtones of the film. 2#⇧ Narrator Bill Kennedy intoned at the start of each program: "Faster than a speeding bullet.

This movie is considered extremely controversial by both religious and atheistic groups. 1#⇧ Moses, Gilgamesh). Its release in 950 theaters in North America averaged only some 10 viewers per showing. See also: Superdupont, Superlópez. The recut version's showing in theaters was not successful. See: Superman in popular music. This has caused some theater chains which do not exhibit "unrated" films to turn down the recut version, while others will be enforcing the R rating it would have received. Some theaters have passed on the recut version simply because the film is already available on DVD. Superman has long been a popular subject for music, inspiring songs by artists ranging from The Kinks and Barbra Streisand of one generation through The Sugarhill Gang, Genesis, R.E.M., Crash Test Dummies, and Spin Doctors to current performers like Eminem, Dream Theater , Three Doors Down, Our Lady Peace and Five For Fighting.

However, the movie was still deemed too violent by the MPAA for a lesser rating than R, so Gibson decided to release it without a rating. The Swedish parliament was considering at the time whether to intervene and overrule the initial judgement.[3] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3701802.stm). Gibson's stated aim was to make the film more family-friendly. In 2004, local authorities in Sweden refused to allow a child to be named Stålmannen, which means Superman (literally: The Man of Steel). Some five or six minutes of the original version were cut in order to make the film less violent. Hyperion has been revamped in a new Marvel series, Supreme Power, giving a new take on the Superman mythology. In March of 2005, Gibson released a slightly edited version of the film, titled The Passion Recut, to the theaters. DC in turn introduced the "Assemblers of Angar", a thinly-veiled Avengers pastiche.

(Emmerich received beatification in 2004, though her visions were not considered as material for the process, since they were written down by another, who appears to have elaborated on them.) Details beyond primary textual sources are to be expected in dramatizations of historical events, but the trend and tenor of non-source material can assist in understanding the general tendencies of the creators. Hyperion stood in for Superman, the Whizzer for The Flash, etc. For Catholics, the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich are not considered part of the oral Apostolic Tradition and aren't something that Roman Catholics must accept as true lest they be outside the faith; Catholics are free to accept or not accept her visions. The Squadron Supreme was created to do unofficial JLA/Avengers crossovers; the "new" characters were thinly veiled versions of their DC JLA counterparts. Most of these details have been taken from Roman Catholic "Sacred Tradition" and the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich, who vividly described Jesus' Passion in the book "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich" (Sulzbach, 1833). One of the few Superman-like characters that DC Comics allowed to stand without litigation is Hyperion, from Marvel Comics's superhero team, Squadron Supreme. (Where possible, the source of these details is indicated in parentheses after the entry.). In 1998, an American Express commercial featured real-life Jerry Seinfeld and an animated Superman as buddies holding a running conversation around New York City.

The film was shot at Rome's Cinecitta Studios and various locations in Italy, much of it in Matera, on a budget of US$25 million, financed entirely by Gibson. Seinfeld is also famous for having a Superman reference in every episode. Crew:. Jerry affectionately addressed some of his girlfriends as "Lois Lane". Cast:. On the Seinfeld TV show, a Superman statue sat on the stereo in Jerry's livingroom, and a Superman refrigerator magnet was always visible in his kitchen. The film's principal cast and crew are as follows:. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld expressed his fandom of Superman in several ways.

. Moore produced 22 issues of Supreme that paid homage to the classic "Silver Age" Superman. Australian photographer Ken Duncan was invited by Mel Gibson to be present during filming and offers limited edition prints [1] (http://www.kenduncan.com/gallery.php?ms=21&) and a book full of photography shot on location. In the 1990s, comic book artist and writer Rob Liefeld created a Superman pastiche and starred him in his own comic book series, Supreme. The series, published by Liefeld's Awesome Comics, sold moderately well at first, but sales dwindled until the series was taken over with issue #41 by writer Alan Moore. Gibson intended the movie to be faithful not to the New Testament alone, but rather to the New Testament as viewed through Catholic tradition, which accepts as valid a number of later sources. Well-known spoofs of Superman include Mighty Mouse, Underdog, Super Grover, and Super Goof. Gibson's religious beliefs, which inspired the film, are those of traditional Catholicism, which rejects most of the pastoral reforms set by the Second Vatican Council, commonly referred to as Vatican II. One of the first Superman-like characters to emerge, Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, sparked legal action because of its similarities to Superman.

He also co-wrote the screenplay. Nevertheless, a great many imitations and parodies of Superman have appeared over the years. Mel Gibson played a crucial role in getting the film made, putting up his money to finance the project and directing and co-producing the film. DC Comics has trademarked variations on the "super" theme, such as "superdog" and "supergal", to circumvent parody or product confusion. Main article: Making of The Passion of the Christ. Superman is a staple of American pop culture. According to Rottentomatoes.com the same number of critics praised the film as hated it. Other sources cited as inspirations include Doc Savage and The Shadow.

Critics were polarized over the film. Additionally, Superman is believed to have been inspired in part by Philip Wylie's 1930 science fiction novel Gladiator, about a man whose superhuman strength inspires him to help the human race, but who is instead spurned by humanity precisely because of his power. The film was re-released on March 11, 2005 "recut", or in other words reedited, in which Gibson removed approximately 5 minutes of the most graphic footage, in an effort to broaden the audience of the film. Both Superman's name and the premise of his character owe a debt to the concept of the Übermensch, developed by the 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and elaborated upon by George Bernard Shaw. Taking $370m in the US, it became the highest-grossing R-rated film ever made, and the 9th highest all-time domestic gross.
. After months of interest and controversy (primarily over alleged anti-Semitism) that led to record pre-release sales, the movie opened in the United States on February 25 (Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent), 2004. The last two are in continuity with Batman: The Animated Series and its spinoffs, forming what some fans call the "Diniverse", named after Paul Dini, who writes and produces the shows.

The film's dialogue is in Latin and in a reconstructed Aramaic. There have also been numerous animated cartoon series starring the Man of Steel:. Mel Gibson financed and directed this film adaptation of the traditional Passion play, which is a Christian tradition during the season of Lent. Among the actors who have played the role are George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, and Dean Cain. The Passion of the Christ (2004) is an independent film about the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ. The Superman character has made the transition to radio, television, and movies, each on multiple occasions. The Last Supper is shown in the theologically right moment with the consecration Words of Jesus: "This is My Body, which is given up for you and the many ...". Current comics in which Superman does not star, but appears regularly:.

The table is higher than is normal, and Mary remarks that it (the table) would never catch on. Current comics starring Superman:. Jesus is shown at home with Mary, showing her the new table that he had built. Pre-Crisis, Superman's foster parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, died in the summer after his high school graduation; post-Crisis, the Kents are alive and well and are regularly visited by Clark, who relies on them for advice in difficult times. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, welcomed with palm leaves by the crowds. The Superboy name has also been the name of denizens of other dimensions, such as one from a "pocket universe" parallel dimension in the late 1980s post-Crisis Superman comics, and several individuals the current Superboy encountered during his trip through Hypertime (one of those essentially being an exact double of the pre-Crisis Superboy). Jesus told Peter to his face, "Three times you will deny me.". A new Superboy character who is a clone of Superman was created in the early 1990s; adventures featuring this character continue to be published.

The curtain in the temple was ripped after the crucifixion. The original Superboy, introduced in 1944's More Fun Comics #101, represented "the adventures of Superman when he was a boy." This Superboy is no longer in publication, as post-Crisis continuity deemed that Clark Kent did not become a superhero until he reached adulthood. The words of Jesus on the cross, entrusting Mary to an apostle's care (see John 19:26-27). There have been a number of characters called Superboy. He asked Jesus, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom;" Jesus responded, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." This is a choice between two versions: in the other, the repentance of the one thief is not detailed. This especially applies to the Special Crimes Unit (SCU), a police unit that deals with superpowered threats, led by Captain Margaret Sawyer, one of the few openly gay characters in mainstream superhero comics today. The other said that he and his fellow criminal deserved to die, but Jesus was not worthy of death. In Metropolis, Superman enjoys a close relationship with the police department.

One of the criminals mocked Jesus. Superman also has a rogues gallery of supervillain enemies, including:. Jesus was crucified alongside two criminals. Familiar supporting characters in the Superman mythos include:. The crucifixion took place on the top of a hill. In 2003, DC Comics released a 12-issue maxiseries titled Superman: Birthright, written by Mark Waid and penciled by Lenil Francis Yu; this was made into a retcon of Superman's post-crisis origin, replacing Byrne's version, but yet using many elements from that version, along with elements that subtly tie into the Smallville television show. The man who carried the cross for Jesus was named Simon, as noted in all three Synoptic Gospels. so far. Future editorial changes to the series may reverse some or all of these changes.

(It is also possible that Judas impaled himself, and that his entrails consequently spilled out onto the field.). In 1995, Superman (or rather, Clark Kent) finally married Lois Lane, and the two have had a happy marriage.. Judas went to the center of the field, and fell head first on to the ground and his body burst open. He returned from the dead, though his "death" gave rise to a number of new characters and storylines. However, a verse in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:18) indicates that Judas purchased a field with the money he earned betraying Jesus. In the epic The Death of Superman storyline, the hero apparently died at the hands of supervillain Doomsday. This is in keeping with the description of the fate of Judas found in the Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 27:5). Two alterations have had long-term effects.

Judas commits suicide by hanging himself from a tree. Most notably, his alterations to Lex Luthor, altering him from a scientific oriented villain to a businessman remain to this day. (Matthew 27:4-5). But Byrne's changes became the template for Superman's origin and characterization for almost two decades. Judas tries to return the blood money to the Jewish leaders. Byrne himself quit the books after a few years because he felt DC was not supporting the changes he made. Pilate offers the crowd a choice: release Jesus, or release another condemned prisoner in Jesus's place. Some fans debated whether the more drastic changes were necessary, and some of the more traditional historical elements Byrne removed from the backstory were later restored.

Pilate finds no "cause" to put Jesus to death. The re-launch of Superman comic books returned the character to the mainstream, again in the forefront of DC's titles. The Gospels unmistakably hint at this. This 1986 reboot brought substantial changes to the character and met huge success at the time, being one of the top-selling books. Pilate is hesitant to condemn Jesus to death. Writer-artist John Byrne joined Superman and re-started with his The Man of Steel retelling of his origin. The leaders bring Jesus to Pilate for punishment. By the early 1980s, DC Comics had decided that a major change was needed to make Superman more appealing to current audiences.

They spit in his face and beat him. Facing myriad perils, his powers have increased to the point that he is nearly omnipotent. This poses a challenge for writers: "How does one write about a character who is nearly as powerful as God?" (Superman's Kryptonian name, Kal-El, resembles the Hebrew words for "all that God is") This problem contributed to a decline in Superman's popularity, especially during the 1960s and 1970s, when Marvel Comics brought a new level of character development to mainstream comic books. Jewish leaders accuse Jesus of violating their religious tradition. During a multimedia career spanning over sixty years, Superman has starred in every imaginable situation, throughout the universe, and in many eras of history. Both Matthew and Mark relate this. DC soon took Siegel's and Shuster's names off the byline. After his arrest and delivery to the Temple, Jesus is slapped, punched and spat upon in the presence of the Sanhedrin before any trial is held. In 1946, when Siegel and Shuster sued for more money, DC fired them, prompting a legal battle that ended in 1948, when they accepted $200,000 and signed away any further claim to Superman or any character created from him.

Peter cuts off the ear of a man, when the soldiers come to arrest Jesus; Jesus heals that man (see, e.g., John 18:10, Matt 26:51). The Saturday Evening Post reported in 1941 that the pair was being paid $75,000 each per year, still a fraction of DC's Superman profits. Soldiers come to arrest Jesus there. DC copied the character without remuneration to the creators, while suing other companies for copying it. Judas identifies Jesus to the soldiers with a kiss. Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the company for $130. Judas receives 30 pieces of silver from the Jewish leaders for betraying Jesus's whereabouts. The revised Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1, June 1938.

Jesus chides them for falling asleep instead. Occult, who made his first appearance in New Fun Comics #6, October 1935. Jesus asks his three chief followers, Peter, James and John to "watch" (i.e., stay awake) while he prays. In 1935, their Superman story was again rejected, but DC Comics printed another of their creations, Dr. Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. The story did not sell, forcing the two to reposition their character on the right side of the law. This detail is not present in the Bible - it only tells of the arrival of the women at the tomb, where Jesus is nowhere to be found. Their short story "The Reign Of The Superman" concerned a bald-headed villain bent on dominating the world.

The final scene of the movie shows Jesus leaving the tomb after the Resurrection. Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster not as a hero, but as a villain. In the Gospels it is only reported that the curtain at the holy of holies was split. However, Superman continues to be a driving force in the medium after more than sixty years. The earthquake causes a huge fissure to split the Temple down the center. Indeed, Batman has undergone an increasingly dark makeover. It is weird, it is shocking, it's almost too much—just like turning Jesus over to continue scourging him on his chest is shocking and almost too much, which is the exact moment when this appearance of the Devil and the baby takes place." Another interpretation held by some viewers was that the baby was actually the Antichrist, symbolically being nurtured on the hatred of Jesus by the crowds. On several recent occasions, Batman has faced Superman, and Batman has served as a foil to Superman's goodness; Batman, in his more recent incarnations, won't hesitate to use guile or underhanded tactics to gain an advantage, while Superman will be overly hesitant to use his natural gifts as an unfair edge.

Instead of a normal mother and child you have an androgynous figure holding a 40-year-old 'baby' with hair on his back. Superman fights fair long after both sides have begun swinging below the belt, knowing that his vast powers require him to act with equal restraint. What is more tender and beautiful than a mother and a child? So the Devil takes that and distorts it just a little bit. Superman may seem old-fashioned and even quaint compared to the "dark avengers" who currently command the lion's share of the market, and this is intentional. No mention of this is in the Gospels, and Mel Gibson is reported to have said (http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/news/040301-passion.html) "it's evil distorting what's good. Superman's "lily white" persona has been mocked, ridiculed, and spoofed, especially in recent comic book history, when "grim and gritty" comics dominated the market. The devil is shown carrying an "Ugly Baby" during Christ's flogging. Superman's daily martyrdom is reflected tellingly in print during his reappearance in the mid-1990s miniseries Kingdom Come, where he is pictured as a bearded carpenter with a long beam of wood across his back, mirroring a Christ-like image of a man who gave himself for a world that, in that storyline, did not love him.

In the film Jesus builds a table in a rather modern style -- one that one would sit at using chairs, but his mother tells him that "it'll never catch on.". In many ways, Superman is truly one of the most "human" heroes conceived, since he responds to emotional grief in stark contrast to the way he shrugs off bullets, bombs, and death-rays. The crucified criminal who mocked Jesus was shown being pecked at mercilessly by a raven. Far from a perfect individual, Superman is often pictured with a sense of childish innocence mixed with patriarchal restraint. He is also a man with an incredible depth of feeling, since he lives within his own mind as much as he does in the reality of society, often struggling with the differences between the right answer and the practical one. Emmerich, chapter 43, and the apocryphal "Acts of Pilate," also known as the "Gospel of Nicodemus".). He writes fiction in his spare time, publishing two books, "The Janus Contract" and "Under a Yellow Sun". (Cf. This was a further motivation for Superman becoming a reporter, for it is then possible that his physical abilities give him no unfair advantage in a field where the critical skills are intellectual (although his editor, Perry White, praised him in Superman: The Movie as "the fastest typist I have ever seen").

The names assigned to the thieves crucified with Christ, Dismas and Gesmas (also Gestas), are traditional but are not given in Scripture. In this manner, Superman's excessive arsenal of powers is rendered secondary to his ability to convince others to act. (Reportedly a mistake in the filming that Gibson decided "looked good".). Through these conflicts, discussions of good and evil are formed, as Superman struggles with restraint in the face of bigotry, avarice, and cruelty. When they are flipped face-down, Jesus and the cross seem to levitate above the ground, and when flipped back-down, both land with high impact on the ground. It is also important that Superman often struggles with vast social issues in his fiction, including tackling world hunger, unsuccessfully, in a short wide-panel 1990s graphic novel called Peace on Earth. (with artwork by Alex Ross). After Jesus is nailed to the cross but before it has been raised, Roman soldiers flip the cross and Jesus over. This line of thinking, that Superman is a hero as deeply conflicted with his gifts as Batman is with his past, is key to the modern interpretation of Superman not as a better man, but what is best in man.

(Emmerich chapter 38.). In an extraordinary show of mutual respect, Superman has given Batman a ring of green kryptonite, so that if he ever lost his reason, posing a danger to himself or to humans, Batman could use the ring to defeat him. When Jesus' right arm does not extend far enough to reach a nail hole on the cross, a Roman soldier seems to dislocate the arm at the shoulder by pulling it with a rope until the palm is over the hole. He therefore makes it a point of submitting to authority, helping him to feel a restraint on his actions. Though these events are traditionally accepted in the Roman Catholic Church as part of the Stations of the Cross, they are never mentioned in the Gospels. (Emmerich describes seven falls and also the encounter with Mary, chapters 31-36.). They reveal his self-doubts, and his fear that he might abuse his powers and become a monster, subject to no one. Also, Mary goes to Jesus so that she may comfort Him. Recent writers have attempted to deepen Superman's persona and provide a rationale for his goodness.

While travelling along the Via Dolorosa, Jesus falls under the weight of the cross three times. His modesty and humility catches his foes and critics off-guard, as they do not understand why he spends his life helping others and doing good. (Emmerich, chapter 34, which also includes her offering Jesus a drink.). He often acts behind the scenes and lets others receive the credit. This event does not appear in any Bible narrative, but is a depiction of the Roman Catholic tradition of Veronica's Veil. He rescues cats from trees and participates in community fund-raisers. Along the Via Dolorosa, the image of Jesus' face is transferred to a cloth given to him by a woman. Superman has been willing to lay down his life or sacrifice his powers for good.

Emmerich, chapter 36.). He seems out of place and out of touch with his world because he is, in fact, the product of 'better times' more than the real world. (Cf. The education he received on the family farm is the most potent symbol for 'old fashioned values' one can conjure, and this helps ground the character. Simon's name and the fact that he helped Jesus carry the cross are in all three Synoptic Gospels, but the rest of the event is not in the Bible. While Jor-El sent Kal-El to Earth because he felt the human race had the capacity to be great and good if they wished to be, it is clear that Kal-El chose to become Superman and a force for good. Simon of Cyrene, who helps Jesus carry the cross and puts his arm around him, is debased, treated poorly by a Roman soldier, and called "Jew" with a sneer. This is why, despite the emphasis on Superman having powers "far beyond those of mortal men," his name referred also to his goodness.

Along the Via Dolorosa, Jesus is repeatedly rope whipped by a trailing Roman soldier. As superhero stories became more oriented toward young readers, the writers moved toward his better known "boy scout" persona. Even so, Superman's capacity for a violent anger is a key element to many of the most 'dramatic' moments in his appearances, since it is this sort of telling snapshot into his psyche that allows readers and watchers to see that Superman's goodness is not inherent to his being, but learned, like it is with us. (Emmerich, chapter 23.). Superman is also nearly always portrayed as having had some hand in WWII, when the timeline permits. After the scourging, Mary wipes up the blood of Jesus with towels provided by Pilate's wife. In one really early story in which the government would not help maintain low income areas unless a disaster occurred, Superman went on a rampage and created one. (See flagellation.). Originally, Superman's personality could be rough and destructive.

The Gospels state only that he was scourged. When he had Kandor in his possession in the pre-Crisis comics, all of these improvisations were supplemented by the products of the professional tailors and lenscrafters available in the bottle city. During the scourging scene Jesus is nearly flayed alive, back and front, by a variety of whip implements, some with embedded shells, glass and nails. Superman also sometimes carries spare change in his hollowed-out belt buckle, which also doubles as a Justice League communication device. The gospel of Matthew only mentions a message from Pilate's wife delivered while Pilate is hearing the case.). Since they were of Kryptonian origin, Clark could fire his heat vision through them without melting them (in contrast, the post-Crisis Clark has to lift his glasses [made of ordinary materials] off his eyes when he uses his heat vision). Emmerich, chapter 19. In the original comics, Clark's eyeglass lenses were made from two small rounded pieces of glass from his spaceship.

(Cf. In the post-Crisis comics, his costume is invulnerable because of the bioelectric field that his cells produce (see how it works). Pilate is shown discussing with his wife the fragility of his relationship with Tiberius Caesar, emphasizing orders Caesar gave him to avoid uprisings in Judea. While carrying passengers in flight, Superman would wrap them in his cape to protect them from air friction. The identification of Mary Magdalene with the adulterous woman is a matter of contention between the Catholic Church and various Christian denominations, feminists, and adherents to "New Age" religions. His armor-like costume could also protect others that wore it. Mary Magdalene is shown as "the woman taken in adultery" saved from execution by Jesus' famous "let him who is without sin cast the first stone" statement. Said blankets, like everything else from Krypton under a yellow sun environment such as Earth's, shared Clark's invulnerability.

Although this was a common caricature of Herod in medieval Passion plays, it does not appear in the Gospels and is contrary to the historical record regarding Antipas. Superman's costume was created by Ma Kent; pre-Crisis, she created it out of the blankets from the rocket that brought him to Earth. Herod Antipas is portrayed as a mincing, lisping, effeminate homosexual, complete with a "boy-toy". If his powers were disabled or he needed stronger protection, Superman also had his "Supermobile," a small flying car-like vehicle which could fly anywhere and use its powerful waldo arms to handle outside objects. (Emmerich, chapter 17.). For situations involving kryptonite, Superman in the original comics had a collection of lead-lined suits for protection. When Jesus is first brought before Pontius Pilate, Pilate beholds his bloody, bruised condition and asks members of the Sanhedrin (the high council of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem) if they always beat prisoners prior to trial. This one remaining robot was destroyed by superheroine Donna Troy, at the expense of her own life, though she was soon resurrected.

(Emmerich mentions a similar event in chapter 13.). Post-Crisis, Superman at one time had built various Superman robots; however, all but one were destroyed, with the sole remaining robot currently being kept on duty at the Fortress of Solitude. The movie depicts some Jews as opposing the absence of the Sanhedrin's quorum, thereby challenging the legality of the trial and intimating that Jesus was not being treated fairly by Jewish leadership. He largely abandoned them when Earth's pollution began to interfere with their functions. (Emmerich reports that he "fled as if a thousand furies were at his heel" and later mentions Satan standing at his side to drive him to despair, chapter 14.). Superman, in the pre-Crisis comics, also had androids that could impersonate himself (as both Superman and as Clark Kent). Acts states that his body also fell, causing him to burst open and spill out his bowels. A trademark of the Fortress in all of its incarnations is a memorial statue of his Kryptonian parents, Jor-El and Lara, holding up a globe of the planet Krypton.

Matthew reports that Judas committed suicide by strangulation, presumed to be from hanging. Superman also stores in the Fortress various equipment, weapons, and vehicles of Kryptonian design, including a large fighting mecha called a battlesuit and a means of accessing the Phantom Zone. Judas is tormented by "children" whose morphing facial features suggest they are demons, driving him to suicide. Superman and fellow superhero Steel encased the Fortress in a tesseract, permitting the Man of Steel to carry the Fortress wherever he travels. (Taken from Anne Catherine Emmerich, The Dolorous Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, chapter 3.). The device created the Fortress which contains much of Krypton's technology, including artificially intelligent robots. A Jewish Temple guard, sent to apprehend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, drops him from a small bridge suspended from a chain. Post-Crisis, the Fortress was originally created by the Kryptonian artifact, the Eradicator, when Superman tried to dispose of it in Antarctica.

(In Luke 4:13, it is said that the Devil left Jesus "for a time", and many theologians reason that Satan's moment was in the Garden, but this encounter is not recorded in the Gospel.). For years, Superman worked to reverse the city's condition, while also enjoying the opportunity to visit a native community where he was an honored guest. During Jesus' distress in the Garden of Gethsemane, Satan is shown speaking to him. Most importantly, the Fortress was where Superman stored the bottle city of Kandor, which pre-Crisis, was a Kryptonian city shrunken and stolen by Brainiac prior to the planet's destruction. Reverend William Fulco - translated script into Latin and reconstructed Aramaic. It also had tribute rooms to personal friends like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Batman, and Clark Kent (to throw off suspicion about his secret identity by visitors unfamiliar with it), where Superman prepared special gifts for each in the event of his death. Francesco Frigeri - production designer. Pre-Crisis, the Fortress included laboratories, a private zoo of alien animals, a room for communication with the Phantom Zone with a projector to place or remove people from it, a Krypton memorial, a trophy room, and a gym with custom exercise equipment.

Caleb Deschanel - director of photography. While various 1940s comics made mention of Superman having a "mountain retreat," the Fortress in its familiar sense was first introduced in the comics in 1958. Benedict Fitzgerald - co-screenwriter. The Fortress acts as Superman's getaway, although it has communications equipment for urgent messages. Mel Gibson - director, co-producer, co-screenwriter. The Fortress of Solitude, located in the Arctic in the pre-Crisis version of the mythos and (until recently) in Antarctica in the post-Crisis version, in recent issues of the comic book, however, the Fortress has been destroyed and Superman rebuilds it deep in the Amazon. Rosalinda Celentano - Satan. Given his abilities, personal equipment plays less of a role for Superman than for other superheroes.

Mattia Sbragia - Caiphas. Kryptonians are also vulnerable to magical and psychic effects, although they are no more detrimentally affected by such effects than a normal human would be. Hristo Naumov Shopov - Pontius Pilate. The effects of the new blue kryptonite are unknown at this time. Monica Bellucci - Mary Magdalene. Recently, with the destruction of the Kryptonite meteor in Superman/Batman, large quantites of kryptonite have fallen to earth; new forms beyond the red and green are believed to be amongst them, however, only blue kryptonite has been seen in addition to the previously known types so far. Maia Morgenstern - Mary, the mother of Jesus. Since that time, an updated version of red kryptonite was reintroduced into the comics.

Jim Caviezel - Jesus, the Christ. Other variants were introduced sporadically, but after the 1986 John Byrne reboot, all versions except for green were retconned out of existence. Since Krypton was destroyed, its remains (rendered radioactive by the explosion) have been spreading throughout the universe as kryptonite, a crystalline substance which has several major variants:. As a Kryptonian, he has one specific area of vulnerability. But historically, many stories have established that Superman can in some manner have progeny.

On the television series Lois and Clark, the pair adopted a child who, like Clark, came from mysterious origins. The issue of whether Superman can father children is humorously explored in the movie Mallrats, as well as in the essay Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex by sci-fi author Larry Niven (originally published in his 1971 collection All the Myriad Ways.). Like humans, he needs food and water to survive. He does not sweat under earthly conditions, as no temperatures are high enough to make him secrete liquid to cool himself down.

Procedures like surgery are impossible without special equipment. Since he is not human, he cannot donate blood, tissue, or organs. There are some things Superman cannot do. It is unknown whether higher energy stars might increase his powers even more.

More recent exertions caused less of a power drain, suggesting that he is now either storing more energy, or growing stronger under the yellow sun. Earlier in his life, as in his battle with Doomsday, Superman's solar energy supply was depleted by exertion. In recent comics, Superman seems to be slowly building up immunity to kryptonite, and it is possible that its effect is in part psychological. His powers return quickly once the kryptonite is removed.

Kryptonite exposure also stops the process that converts yellow sunlight into superpowers, leaving Superman immediately weakened. Red solar radiation creates a chemical which does not lead to the super energy produced by K-ATP. Near a red sun, his powers would fail faster. He replenishes his supply even on cloudy days, and weakens only after a week without sunlight.

Superman's cells store vast amounts of yellow solar energy. He sees all wavelengths, from radio to X-rays, allowing him to detect thermal trails and other "invisible" things. His taste, smell, and touch are equally acute. Solar energy magnifies its accuracy, allowing him to fine-tune it.

Due to Earth's thinner air, he can hear things no human can. Superman's other senses are less linked to solar energy than his strength and speed. He is invulnerable to forces under 1 kt., and is harmed only by repeated blows of over 1 mt. His brain and nervous system keep up with his enhanced speed, as they too are amplified by K-ATP. When his cells become "supercharged" under a yellow sun, a Kryptonian becomes super-powered.

Superman has been shown shaving and presumably cutting his hair by reflecting his heat vision off of a piece of curved, reflective metal from the rocket in which he landed. His hair is invulnerable, too. This "aura" surrounds Superman's epidermis and teeth, and possibly his nails as well. First, cell membranes and organelles become more resistant to harm; secondly, a bioelectric field surrounds the cells, making them thousands of times tougher.

Under a yellow sun, other factors contribute to invulnerability. In addition, Krypton's gravity was 50-100 times stronger than Earth's, so Kryptonian cells are also much stronger and denser than a human's. "K-ATP" is produced rapidly, enabling a Kryptonian to build up reserves that permit days of super-powered activity in the absence of sunlight. The solar energy supplements respiration, such that when cellular materials (perhaps Kryptonian ATP) combine with glucose, they produce abilities beyond those of humans under a yellow sun.

Under a red sun, this yields increased abilities, which are multiplied a thousand-fold by a yellow sun. Kryptonian mitochondria absorb certain wavelengths of the radiation emitted by solar fusion. One such "scientific" explanation used in various recent analyses of how Superman's powers might work is as follows:. John Byrne in his 1986 reboot suggested that Superman's powers were telekinetic in their functioning (in addition to the traditional yellow sun explanation).

Krypton's red sun), as well as to a much lesser degree Earth's lower gravity; when under a red sun, a Kryptonian would be completely powerless, even if it was a low-gravity environment. In the early 1960s, after the introduction of Supergirl, this was amended to Kryptonians deriving their powers from mainly exposure to a yellow sun (vs. By the late 1940s, this was changed to Kryptonians only gaining superpowers when under a lower gravity environment such as Earth's. In the earliest comics, all Kryptonians were said to possess superpowers while on Krypton.

Various explanations have been offered over the years explaining how Superman's powers work. Superman's powers are derived from his Kryptonian biology and Earth's sun (a yellow star), and are likely increased by Earth's lesser gravity (versus Krypton's higher gravity). His strength too has increased, to the point of allowing him to move mountains again. As in the original series, writers again gradually increased his powers. Since "coming back to life" during The Death of Superman story arc, Superman can once again survive nuclear blasts, though they leave him wounded and weakened, and he can no longer fly faster than the speed of light or travel through time under his own power.

When Superman was revamped in 1986, he became more vulnerable and was no longer omnipotent. He could even vibrate his body so fast, the vibrations rendered him "invisible" to the human eye. From the 1940s through the early 1980s, Superman's powers were nearly unlimited: he could travel millions of light-years in brief periods of time; he could dive into stars unharmed; he could travel through time by moving at speeds faster than light; and he could move planets and lift any weight. His powers include:.

After Byrne's 1986 rewrite, Superman's powers were diminished, though have grown again since then. His powers were relatively limited in the early stories, but grew to become near-godlike by the 1980s. Superman possesses extraordinary powers which render him, as stated in the lead-in to the 1950s television series, "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound". Thus made invisible, he appeared to enter the building as Kent and exit seconds later as Superman.

In the first Christopher Reeve Superman movie, Kent, comically unable to use a newer, open-kiosk pay phone, entered a revolving door and changed clothes while spinning within it at superspeed. Clark sometimes has to quickly improvise in order to find a way to change unnoticed. In the comic books he rarely does so, favoring the Daily Planet's storeroom. In the Fleischer animated series of theatrical cartoons, he often ducked into a telephone booth to make the transformation.

When crises arise, Clark quickly changes into Superman. Fellow reporter Lois Lane became the object of Clark's/Superman's romantic affection. Lois's affection for Superman and her rejection of Clark's clumsy advances have been a recurring theme in Superman comics, television, and movies. Largely working on his own, his identity is easily kept secret. In Metropolis, Superman (as Clark Kent) works as a reporter at the Planet, "a great metropolitan newspaper" which allows him to keep track of ongoing events where he might be of help.

A 2004 miniseries, Birthright, introduced further changes to Superman's origin story, bringing back some of the pre-Crisis elements eliminated by John Byrne and introducing elements of the Smallville television series. Clark soon told her he was Superman, which caused a brief strain in their relationship, but they eventually married, in the mid-1990s special Superman: The Wedding Album. In the early 1990s, Lois and Clark fell in love. As in the original version, Lois Lane is Clark Kent/Superman's love interest.

The concept that Clark is the real man, and the greater emphasis on his earthly upbringing, is a deliberate reversal of the earlier, pre-Crisis version. Also post-Crisis, people do not suspect that Superman is hiding his real identity because he wears no mask. In the post-Crisis comics, Clark Kent is presented more as the "real" person, with Superman the secret identity that he presents to the world to prevent his enemies from harming his family or friends. The Kents were kept alive during Clark's transition to Superman.

The remodeled Clark did not become a superhero until just before starting work at the Daily Planet, when he prevented an experimental spacecraft from crashing in Metropolis. After leaving Smallville, he traveled the world before settling in Metropolis, completing his education, and going to work at the Daily Planet. In the retelling, Clark's powers developed gradually, beginning with his nigh-invulnerability, and he didn't fly until he was a teenager. As in the original version he was found and adopted by the Kents, and raised like a normal human.

Effectively this Superman was "born" on Earth, and was a "son" of Earth as much as Krypton. While a fetus, he escaped Krypton's destruction in a spacecraft (his "birthing matrix" with a rocket engine attached), and landed months later outside of Smallville, by which time he had fully gestated into an infant. In this "post-Crisis" version, starting with the miniseries The Man of Steel, Superman—like all "post-Crisis" Kryptonians— was created through in-vitro fertilization on Krypton. In 1986, after the Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries, DC Comics hired writer/artist John Byrne to recreate the Superman character and retell the Superman mythos, reshaping the previous forty-eight years of stories by putting several new twists on the established mythos.

After graduating with a degree in journalism, Clark was hired by the Daily Planet. During his junior year, Clark changed his superhero name to Superman. After he graduated from high school and the Kents died, Clark moved to Metropolis to attend Metropolis University. At the age of eight, Clark adopted the superhero identity Superboy, and began to fight crime, both in the present and in a far future time as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

During this time, both Clark and the Kents had discovered Clark's amazing powers, and, with Clark realizing the good he could do with his powers, began training their adopted son to use his powers wisely. By the time Clark started school, the Kents had sold their farm and moved into Smallville, where they purchased a general store. After formally adopting him, the Kents raised him on their farm through his pre-school years. (In the earliest comics, the Kents were named "John" and "Mary"; in a 1942 text novel and the 1950s television series The Adventures of Superman, the Kents were named "Sarah" and "Eben.") They named him Clark, after Martha's maiden name.

Kal-El's ship landed in a field near the town of Smallville, and was discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent. Moments before Krypton exploded, they launched Kal-El in a rocket ship towards Earth, knowing that Earth's lower gravity and yellow sun would give the boy extraordinary powers. Disbelieving Jor-El's prediction, they refused to warn their fellow Kryptonians, and forbade Jor-El to do so. Jor-El promised that neither he nor his wife Lara would leave Krypton, and decided to use the little time remaining to save his son. When Kal-El was two or three years old, Jor-El learned that Krypton was doomed to explode, and he brought this to the attention of Krypton's ruling leaders, the Science Council.

In the legend extant in the early 1960s (and memorably summarized at the start of each episode of the 1950s Adventures of Superman television series^{[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman#fn_narration)}), Superman was born on Krypton as Kal-El, the son of Jor-El, a scientist and leader. The modern story of Superman's origin parallels that of other cultural heroes and religious figures ^{[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman#fn_narration)} who were spirited away as infants from places where they were in danger. These changes, while significant, permit the retention of the core elements that make Superman an iconic character. Editors and writers used the process of retroactive continuity, or retcon, to adjust to changes in popular culture, eliminate restrictive segments of the mythos, and permit contemporary storylines.

Superman's abilities and relationships have changed over time. Superman is a loan translation from the German Übermensch (literally "over-man" or "super-man"). Clark's love interest is fellow reporter, Lois Lane. When not fighting the forces of evil as Superman, he lives disguised as Clark Kent, a "mild-mannered reporter" for the Daily Planet.

As he grew, he discovered that he possessed superhuman powers. He was sent to Earth in a rocket by his scientist father Jor-El moments before Krypton exploded, landing on Earth outside the town of Smallville, where he was discovered and adopted by the amiable Jonathan and Martha Kent. Superman was born Kal-El on the planet Krypton. The character, who was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, and films.

Superman, nicknamed The Man of Steel, is a fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938 and eventually became one of the most popular and well-known comic book icons of all time. In an episode of the television series The Monkees, the Monkees audition over the telephone in a phone booth, delaying Clark Kent from using the booth to change into Superman. Superman, who appears in the film wearing only polka-dot boxer shorts, is shown begging the astronauts for the return of his costume. In the Philippines-produced movie Fly Me To The Moon (produced around 1988), starring Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey De Leon (the hosts of Eat Bulaga!), Superman's costume got sucked into their spaceship's rocket booster while the three were on their way to the moon.

Unlike Superman, Suppaman can't fly, and instead pretends to fly by lying belly down on a skateboard and scooting through the streets. Slump, in the form of "Suppaman" (the way that Superman is written in Japanese katakana), a short, fat, pompous buffoon who transforms into a Superman-like costume by eating a sour (or "suppa" in Japanese) pickle. Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama parodied Superman in his first series Dr. The story can be found in the collection "Superheroes", edited by John Varley and Ricia Mainhardt.

In this story, "Kyril Kentarovsky" took on the identity of "Bolshoiman", who attempted to represent Russia but only managed to get thrown into a gulag (with Leon Trotsky as his cellmate). Author John Varley wrote the short story "Truth, Justice and the Politically Correct Socialist Path", a parody where Superman does not land in the United States but in Soviet Russia. Various gag strips, including one by Sergio Aragones in which a hobo finds Clark Kent's abandoned suit inside a phone booth and steals it, and another by Don Martin in which a series of massive lifts induce a "super-hernia.". However, Incredi-Man did so by faking homosexuality;.

The character boasted such powers as incredi-hearing and incredi-viola playing, and like Superman, avoided World War 2 service. "The Incredi-Man Archives," an alleged reprint collection of a 1940s infringement of Superman (like Captain Marvel). "What If Truth in Advertising Laws Applied to Comic Book Previews," which made sport of DC Comics' killing and reviving the character;. "What If Superman Were Raised by Jewish Parents?" (in which the rabbi is unable to circumcise his super-foreskin, but he makes his mother proud by using his vision to become a radiologist);.

Other related pieces include:. Since then, numerous MAD articles about or including Superman have appeared, including parodies of the various TV and movie projects. From its earliest days, MAD Magazine has frequently spoofed the Man of Steel; some consider the parody "Superduperman!" (from issue #4) to be the magazine's first true example of what would come to be the MAD vein. The Saint from the independent comic The Pro was an obvious parody of Superman; he wore a blue spandex uniform with a red cape, had a day job as a reporter, and had an unrequited crush on his pushy co-worker.

In the darker Supreme Power reboot, Hyperion is taken from his foster family by the government and raised as a super-soldier to be acutely aware of his biological superiority, and believes himself to be better than all humans. Hyperion, originally of Marvel Comics' Squadron Supreme, was originally a tribute to Superman; like Superman, he was a solar-powered alien who fell to Earth in a spaceship and tried to live as a human. As a differentiating twist, Apollo is the gay lover of Midnighter, the corresponding Batman-pastiche. He also gets his powers from the sun, wears a spandex outfit with a triangular logo on the front, and possesses the powers of flight, heat vision and super-strength.

Apollo of the superhero teams Stormwatch and the Authority is often seen as a Superman-pastiche. 2000s: Justice League: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited by Warner Bros. Late 2000: Batman Beyond episodes "The Call Parts 1 & 2" by Warner Bros. 1990s: Superman: The Animated Series by Warner Bros.

Late 1980s: Short-lived Superman series based on the "new" DC Comics Superman produced by Ruby-Spears. Early 1980s: Super Powers: Galactic Guardians. 1970s: Hanna-Barbera Productions produces several Super Friends series. 1966: New Adventures of Superman.

1960s: Filmation's Batman-Superman Adventure Hour. 1940s: Fleischer Studios' Superman theatrical cartoons (17 in all, with Bud Collyer providing the voice of Superman). Starring Brandon Routh as Superman/Clark Kent & Kevin Spacey as his archenemy, Lex Luthor. 2006: Superman Returns, to be directed by Bryan Singer.

2000s: Smallville television series, starring Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, and Kristin Kreuk, which places Smallville in Kansas. Mid-1990s: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman television series, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. Early 1990s: Superboy television series, starring John Haymes Newton (1988-1989) and Gerard Christopher (1989-1992). 1988: Superman's 50th Birthday, TV Special.

1985: Supergirl spin-off movie, starring Helen Slater. 1980s: Superman films: Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, starring Christopher Reeve. 1978 Superman: The Movie, starring Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, and Christopher Reeve. 1975: "It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman", TV special.

WTOP-TV (now W*USA) used a news theme music based on the play. 1966: "It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman", a Broadway musical; lyrics by Lee Adams, music by Charles Strouse. 1951: "Superman And The Mole Men", feature film, and The Adventures of Superman TV series, both starring George Reeves. 1940s: Two Superman serials starring Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill: Superman and Atom Man vs. Superman.

1940s: Superman radio series, starring Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander. Yu: A "re-imagining" of Superman which brings back some old, pre-Crisis concepts and adds new modern ones. Superman: Birthright - a twelve issue maxi-series written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Leinil F. Superman: Red Son - written by Mark Millar, illustrated by Dave Johnson: Elseworlds story asks "What if Superman had been raised in the Soviet Union?" Superman now stands for workers' rights and the struggle for global equality, and sets out to promote world communism.

Superman For All Seasons - written by Jeph Loeb, illustrated by Tim Sale: Superman as a young man in a timeless, Rockwellian America, from confused lad to superpowered metropolite. Kingdom Come - written by Mark Waid, illustrated by Alex Ross: A painted epic, in which Superman has temporarily retired, giving way to a new breed of reckless, morally ambiguous superheroes. The story was novelized by Elliot S! Maggin. A novelization of the trilogy, entitled The Death and Life of Superman, was written by Roger Stern. The Death of Superman, World Without a Superman, and The Return of Superman - written by various artists, notably Dan Jurgens: the story of Superman's death, the world's (and his loved ones') reaction, and his eventual return.

The Man of Steel - written and illustrated by John Byrne: The revamp of Superman's origins following the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Originally published in Superman #423 and Action Comics #583. Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? - written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Curt Swan and George Pérez: The final chapter on the pre-Crisis Silver/Bronze Age Superman. Reprinted in Across the Universe: The DC Universe Stories of Alan Moore (ISBN 1401200877).

DeMatteis. This story was originally published in Superman Annual #11 and recently adapted for the animated series Justice League Unlimited by J.M. "For the Man Who Has Everything" - written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons: Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman journey to Superman's Fortress of Solitude to celebrate his birthday only to find their friend rendered comatose by the evil alien Mongul by an alien parasite that grants its host the illusion of their heart's desire. Miracle Monday - a novel by Elliot S! Maggin: tells the story of Superman trying to stop an entity of pure evil from causing universal chaos.

Last Son of Krypton - a novel by Elliot S! Maggin: Superman's "life story" is told and he faces a mysterious alien ruler. Justice League Unlimited. JLA Classified. JLA.

Superman/Batman. Adventures of Superman. Action Comics. Superman.

Gog: A human from the future who masters time travel, and hates Superman for allowing his parents to die. The Cyborg Superman: A reanimated astronaut cyborg who briefly impersonated Superman after his death, and also destroyed Green Lantern Hal Jordan's home of Coast City. The Toyman: An insane criminal who uses special equipment and weapons based on toys. Eventually, Superman, the superhero Steel, and Darkseid stopped Imperiex by using Doomsday as an ally, along with a powerful weapon called the Entropy Aegis.

Imperiex: An all-powerful force of nature whose purpose is destroying galaxies. Doomsday: A mindless, impossibly powerful, raging monster that "killed" Superman during the Death of Superman storyline. Intergang: A nationwide organized crime syndicate armed with weapons supplied in part by Darkseid. Parasite: A superpowered man who can absorb the powers, strength, and memories of any organic being, and wants Superman's power for himself.

Their leader is General Zod. Phantom Zone Prisoners: Pre-Crisis, these prisoners are Kryptonian criminals who hate Superman, as the son of their prison's creator, and become extremely destructive when they escape into Earth's yellow sun environment. The post-Crisis version is an alien entity who is an organic being, later converted into a robotic one, with similar ambitions. Brainiac: The pre-Crisis version is an alien android bent on conquest and Superman's death.

Mxyzptlk: A being from the fifth dimension with magical powers who delights in tormenting Superman and traditionally could only be made to return to his native dimension by being made to say or spell his own name backwards. Mr. Metallo: A criminal cyborg who prefers using kryptonite as a power source, which makes him a deadly threat to Superman. Bizarro: A grotesquely flawed duplicate of Superman who clumsily tries to emulate the original and causes a great deal of damage in the process.