3 Ways Jesus Offers a Greater Hope against Cynicism than Superman Ever Could
Movies
Audio By Carbonatix
11:00 AM on Monday, July 21
By Amber Ginter, Movies
1. Jesus Is the Real Hope
Unlike the movies, the hope Jesus brings is real. It sounds obvious, but His hope and love are not fictional. Though the Bible is one of the oldest books in the world, it’s God’s truth. It’s the living Word of God that’s alive and active in our lives, if we make room for it to speak.
Sadly, our society doesn’t always see hope this way. We cling to movies, Netflix binges, and temporary facades that feel and look good in the moment, but are a poor reflection of the reality of true hope. Hence, the latest blockbuster hit was with Superman. Everyone loves him. He’s good-looking, charming, and funny. But we know someone even greater than the screens.
The funny reality is this: We forget that, as much as we love Superman, actors have lines. The actors are real people, but the characters they often portray are not. Before we know it, we have unrealistic expectations for ourselves and others. Why? Because we think the characters are real people.
Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about this with Jesus. He is who He says He is, now, forever, and always (Exodus 3:14). Jesus is the Great I Am. Not only that, but the hope He brings is real.
I’m all for fun, fictional stories, and movies. They’re entertaining and spark great conversations. But when it comes to where I’m placing my hope, I’ve found that it must be placed in someone who never changes. Someone who’s not fictional or dynamic, but static, steadfast, and true. And that alone is found in Jesus Christ.
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/Tara Moore
2. Jesus’ Hope Is Countercultural
At the beginning of the 2025 film, Superman faces defeat in a great battle. But as Superman does, he wants no one to perish—not even those who hurt him. At his core, he desires to be good and share good with a broken and hurting world.
Typically, superheroes are seen as powerful individuals. They're strong, clever, and quick on their feet. Despite this loss, Superman is seen as no different. For the most part, everyone likes them (besides the villains), and they’re respected by society.
Jesus, on the other hand, is a paradox to the world. From the beginning of His time, people wanted Him dead—first Herod, and then many rulers after that. And yet, Jesus doesn’t falter. He never doubts who He is and isn’t afraid to share the mission God had given Him with the world.
In His lifetime, Jesus faced immense suffering and persecution. He was and is the greatest superhero of all time, but not everyone saw it that way. To many in society then and now, the values He stood for and claimed to be true didn’t make sense.
1 Corinthians 1:18 describes it this way: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it’s the very power of God” (NLT).
And that’s exactly what led Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. We, villains of this age, then and to come, deserved death, but Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice, gave His life for us, so that we may have eternal life with Him in Heaven. Even those who will never believe in Him, He died and rose again for them.
What kind of hero dies for the good guys and the bad? Jesus Christ, our King: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:6-8, NLT).
Jesus’ hope is countercultural, but it sounds better than any movie—even Superman.
Photo Credit: SWN Design
3. Jesus Is Our Eternal Hope
If what we believe about Jesus is true, then He far surpasses even the greatest superhero with flying colors. In the end, everything else fades away. Movies let us down. The Netflix series ends, and the magic we once felt from our favorite characters eventually fades.
The beauty found in Jesus Christ is that His hope is eternal, no matter how the movie lands with critics. Like many blockbuster hits, some choose to be fans and some don’t. The difference is that Jesus’ offer is the difference between life and death, good and evil, peace and madness.
This hope is everlasting. It doesn’t end when the credits roll, and it’s not based on how you feel or don’t. It’s available to all, while there’s time, it’s free, and it helps us all to become little superheroes on this earth. Not by anything we have or can accomplish, but His grace, mercy, and forgiveness at work through and within us.
Eternal hope is something that can never be taken away from us. Jesus died once and for all for all time, and that’s a gift we will never be able to repay. It doesn’t tarnish with time or circumstance, and its value far surpasses anything you could ever buy.
As 1 Peter 1:3-6 pens: “ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while” (NLT).
Superman spends his entire life believing his life mission is to be good. He believes this because of a message his parents left him. He is good because He’s Superman—he saves others.
By the end of the film, we learn that his real parents, not the ones who actually raised him, told him to be a God and take over the world. To seek dominion and power, and authority over all for himself. Much more like a villain than a hero. His entire life, he’d only heard and lived by half of this message.
Crushed, Superman fights emotional despair. Is his life a lie? Will his hope be squandered? Not at all. Because this truth changes nothing about the way he would and will continue to save lives. He is good and seeks to save others because he wants to stand for good. Period.
Praise God that we serve the one true and eternal God who chooses good no matter our past. He sees the good in us. He even died for us, knowing we weren’t good, but by his blood we could be.
Jesus’ blood took the place of our sin. Not so we could be Superman, but so we could be men and women telling others about the greatest hero who ever lived. The OG hero—Jesus Christ.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images/Tonktiti
