In Theology and the Marvel Universe, fourteen contributors examine theological themes and ideas in the comic books, television shows, and films that make up the grand narrative of the Marvel Universe. Engaging in dialogue with theological thinkers such as Willie James Jennings, Franz Rosenzweig, Soren Kierkegaard, Rene Girard, Kelly Brown Douglas, and many others, the chapters explore a wide variety of topics, including violence, sacrifice, colonialism, Israeli-Palestinian relations, virtue ethics, character formation, identity formation, and mythic reinvention. This book demonstrates that the stories of Thor, Daredevil, Sabra, Spider-Man, Jessica Jones, Thanos, Luke Cage, and others engage not just our imagination, but our theological imagination as well.
Gregory Stevenson is professor of New Testament at Rochester University.
Assemble, true believers, and behold! Theology and the Marvel Universe reveals what Uatu the Watcher has long witnessed: Superhero stories are wholesome entertainments capable of inspiring reflection even upon the essence of the divine and our relationship with it. From the sanctity of life to suffering and sacrifice; from temptation to redemption; from humility to zealotry; from service to stewardship; from struggling with personal faith to confronting historical injustice; from dealing with bodies to caring for souls; from issues of identity and problems of personhood to surveying the celestial order; from source criticism to supernatural forces; from creation all the way to apocalypse--this good book offers confirmation and testimony that Marvel comics, movies, and television series are sources worthy of scholarly attention and enthusiastic affection.--Travis Smith, Concordia University Greg Stevenson has gathered a generically and methodologically wide-ranging assortment of essays for this collection. It will undoubtedly be of great interest to scholars and students working at the nexus of pop-culture and theology.--Ben Saunders, author of Do The Gods Wear Capes? Not too many books on superheroes do justice to the Marvel Universe of characters and stories from a biblical-theological vantage point--this study is refreshing exception. The authors dive deeply into the heroes and their myths without attempting to impose theological elements that are not already latently there. This collection of studies brings to light spiritual, religious, and moral truths implicit, and sometimes explicit, in the superhero films and graphic novels, and it engages both relevant and up-to-date sources. The study is worthy of recommendation for courses focusing on film, heroes, theology, or popular culture.--B. J. Oropeza, editor of The Gospel According to Superheroes: Religion and Popular Culture
