Finding Jesus in the Stories of Superheroes

  For much of my life I have believed in and followed Jesus, and as a result his story has been embedded in my mind and imagination for as long as I can remember.  Additionally, I have been drawn to the stories of fictional super heroes.  My first superhero encounter was with Superman, whose story actually mirrors that of Moses from the Old Testament. (a blog post for another day...) I really only liked wearing the Superman "S" on my chest because I thought it was cool that a superhero had my first and last initial on his outfit!  But, over the years I encountered others - Spiderman, Thor, the Flash, the Incredible Hulk, Batman so on and so forth.  It wasn't until the past few years that I discovered many other superheroes whose stories I had previously never heard.  Heroes like Antman, Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the parallel DC movies like Man of Steel and Wonder Woman, I have discovered more and more about heroes I had never known.
  One example, was the character and story of the man known as Doctor Stephen Strange, whose picture I posted above.  I had never read the Dr. Strange comics, I hadn't even heard of him until Marvel began previewing the upcoming film about his origin story.
   Having been sucked into the swirling vortex of Marvel's Cinematic Hero Universe, I felt compelled to see this movie in the theater.  I was not only surprised, I was amazed and intrigued and for a number of reasons.  He is clearly a brilliant superhero, being a medical doctor with both an M.D. and a Ph.D.  He had a passion for bringing science and technology to bear on the great ailments and diseases of humanity.  Long before he 'received' his special set of super powers, Dr. Strange was already saving lives, it was his passion.  Admittedly, he was arrogant and self-centered and ultimately when he found himself unable to do surgery after a devastating accident severely injured his hands, he hit rock bottom.  But, the thing that strikes me most about his story is that he is never actually healed of his injury.  The scars remain on his hands, and after he is given the power to become the Sorcerer Supreme and protect Earth from all manner of  weird and mystical threats, his brilliance and intellect are humbled by his new physical limitations.
  I see in Dr. Strange's story a parallel to the life and journey of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was put to death on a cross, having his hands pierced by nails, and it is one of the central beliefs of Christianity that in Christ's wounds all of humanity is saved from sin and death.  It is the great irony of the Gospel (good news) that Jesus' death is actually what saves the world.  My love for Dr. Strange was only amplified by the fact that it is his wounds which paved the way for his superhero journey, and that while he now has amazing magical powers, he daily bears the scars on his body.
  There are clearly deviations from the story of Jesus in the life of Dr. Strange, but whenever I see pictures of him or see his character portrayed by the amazingly talented Benedict Cumberbatch, I am always subtly reminded of Jesus and how his wounded hands have set me free.