That popular phrase “It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” originated in the 1940s radio serial, The Adventures of Superman. In the radio show, Clark Kent’s friend, Jimmy Olsen, would say “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” when seeing Superman flying by. 

Okay, I’ll confess, I love superhero movies. As a child, I was addicted to Batman (Did you hear the theme song playing when you read that?). I thought the Spiderman series with Toby McGuire was fantastic. I was so addicted to the Avenger series that I nearly needed a 12-step group (How dare they do a two-parter and make us wait a year for the finale?) 

There’s a new Superman movie coming out in July. I’m glad. Our world desperately needs heroes. In fact, we all need heroes, even Christ-followers. And our children desperately need some true heroes. 

Some of my favorite passages in Scripture are of the heroic exploits of David. In the book of Joshua, I can almost hear the crunch of the soldiers’ boots as they march around Jericho. Can you imagine the scene as Gideon and his band of just 300 men surround the hordes of Midianites, armed with a lamp, a torch, a trumpet – and an awesome God? 

Did you know that of the 100 highest-grossing movies of all time, more than 25% of them are superhero themed? That economic power was displayed with the Avengers. The climatic ending of that 22-movie saga spanned a decade. Before Endgame’s opening, it shattered presale records.

In his book, Heroic: The Surprising Path to True Manhood, author Bill Delvaux writes about why heroic themes strike us with such power. 

Humans are hardwired for heroism. 

“The heroic is an imprint that’s been left inside all of us because we’re made in the image of God,” Delvaux says. “Even though that imprint has been marred by the Fall, there’s something that remains. We know what’s good, right, and true, but we also know we don’t live up to it.”

In other words, our inner longing can lead us to apply that need for heroism to those in politics, sports, social media, professional life, and even within the family. This passion to experience the heroic is a kind of moral compass directing us to what’s good and what’s true. We’re looking for it and more importantly, we want to be it. Isn’t that why children don capes or masks, pretending to be their favorite superhero? Our kryptonite is that whether we look for it or seek to be heroic, we’re destined to fail and be frustrated at some point. 

Superheroes remind us that courage is contagious. 

What do we love about heroes? They fly in when everyone else is fleeing. When Goliath mocked the armies of Israel and God, King Saul cowered in his tent. Isn’t that why we love David? Here was a teenager who was a man of courage. When Goliath blasphemed the name of God, David took him on with a sling. David constantly proved himself to be a man of faith and courage. Is it any wonder he attracted those around him who were like-minded? 

Brené Brown shares this definition of courage, to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart. Sometimes the most heroic thing we can do in a confused culture is simply speak up. Courage means living unashamedly – unashamed of our faith, beliefs, convictions and identity. Our world needs Christ-followers to not be intimidated but to stand up and speak up for what’s right. One person pushing back against wrong can make a huge difference. It’s also freeing for that person and encourages all who witness it. As Billy Graham said, Courage is contagious. When one man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.

Without exception, all earthly heroes fail and disappoint us. 

If you watched Ironman, there were a few times when you wanted to slap Tony Stark. There lies the problem…all heroes in this world eventually let us down. This puts us at a crossroads with what we are to do with failed expectations. It’s one reason I believe parents, pastors and other spiritual leaders periodically need to take themselves off the pedestal that others may have placed them on. Those who heroize us need for us to admit that we have chinks in our armor and are far from perfect. We either remove ourselves from the pedestal or ultimately we’ll fall off it. 

Knowing ALL of our heroes have soft spots is healthy. Being unprepared for some level of disappointment when a hero is not faultless can lead hero-worshippers to disillusionment and even bitterness. It’s like marital love. Even with our mate, love will always disappoint us in some way.

We can use the disappointment of an earthly hero to drive us deeper to the Lord. Ultimately, it must lead us to Jesus, the one Hero who will never disappoint us. Before we can really understand the gospel, all of our self-constructed heroic journeys at some point have to crash and burn.

This tension of longing for the heroic while also tasting the sting of disappointment feeds superhero popularity. Because characters like Captain America and Superman are imaginary, their epic storylines can whet moviegoers’ appetites for greatness while never disappointing like real-life heroes do. A superhero is a benevolent fictional character with superhuman powers. However, Jesus is not some fictional character. He’s the real thing. Tales of imaginary heroes point to the grand narrative of Scripture—a story driven by sacrifice, death, and resurrection.

The path to heroism always leads to death. 

All of us have envisioned how the outcomes of our lives will turn out. We long for glory we don’t have and potentially will never have. All that goes into this life must be toppled. As Jesus warned us, Whoever wants to save his life will lose it (Matthew 16:25). Epic stories driven by superheroes rely heavily on risk, sacrifice and death. It leads heroes and heroines into dangers where they must choose to sacrifice their preferences and even their lives. 

Jesus told those who followed Him it was the cost they must face. Take up your cross and follow Me. Sacrifice and death point to the Savior and His mission—His sacrifice on Calvary for us. It points to the calling for all who follow Christ to embrace His heroic command to take up one’s cross daily (Matthew 16:21). Because of the universal popularity of heroic stories, Delvaux says people are prepared to accept the themes of sacrifice and dying to self. He writes: “The surprise comes when we realize, ‘Oh, I have to experience this. I have to walk this path.’”

So, during the summer movie season enjoy a superhero movie, yet realize they can’t hold a candle to the greatest hero of all, the Lord Jesus Christ!