I THOUGHT I WOULD START A FIGHT. (HAHA).
WHAT RELIGION ARE YOU? DO YOU AGREE WITH OTHER RELIGIONS? DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD OR EVOLUTION OR REINCARNATION OR WHAT?
LET'S BULLSHIT ABOUT IT, SEE IF WE CAN HAVE AN INTELLIGENT CONVERSATION WITHOUT FIGHTING.
AND TO INJECT SOME LEVITY :
< Return to Religious Affiliation of Comics Book Characters
Wolverine prays at a Japanese Shinto temple
Above: Logan (Wolverine) prays at a Shinto temple in Kyoto, Japan.
[Source: Wolverine: Soultaker, issue #2 (May 2005), page 6. Written by Akira Yoshida, illustrated by Shin "Jason" Nagasawa; reprinted in Wolverine: Soultaker, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (2005).]
Wolverine prays in a Christian church
Above: Holding the Bible, Wolverine prays in a Christian church. [From the "Nightcrawler" episode of X-Men: The Animated Series.]
The Religious Affiliation of Comic Book Character
Wolverine
Logan, of the X-Men
Wolverine is the code name of the Marvel Comics character who was long known simply as "Logan." (Long after his introduction, the character's real name was revealed to be "James Howlett.") Although originally a relatively minor character introduced in The Incredible Hulk #180-181 (October - November, 1974), the character eventually became Marvel's second-most popular character (after Spider-Man).
Nightcrawler (former priest) and Wolverine
Above: Although Logan (Wolverine) is not a Catholic, and Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) is not really a priest, Logan nevertheless was so troubled by his recent actions that he informally sought absolution from his old friend.
[Source: Wolverine, volume 3, issue #6, page 18. Written by Greg Rucka. Pencils by Darick Robertson. Inks by Tom Palmer. Reprinted in Wolverine: The Brotherhood trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York (2003).]
Wolverine was for many years one of Marvel's most mysterious characters, as he had no memory of his earlier life and the origins of his distinctive Adamantium skeleton and claws. Like much about the character, his religious affiliation is uncertain.
It is safe to say that Wolverine, at his core, is something of a cynic and a skeptic.
Some fans characterize Wolverine as an "atheist," but this may be an oversimplification or a misidentification with regards to the character's current status.
Has Wolverine been an atheist? Yes, absolutely. Has he identified himself as an atheist in the past? Yes. Is he an atheist today? That is a more difficult question to answer. Currently, this question seems open to interpretation depending on the writer or reader. On more than one occasion, Wolverine has been shown having experiences that led him to have faith in "immaterial" and "metaphysical" phenomenon, including God and Heaven.
Wolverine has indeed expressed disbelief and frustration with God in isolated stories. For example, Wolverine apparently briefly identified his theological position as an unbeliever in The Uncanny X-Men during the Brood War saga in the 160s (circa 1983, but not #166). A story delving into Wolverine's past showed how he became an atheist during World War II after his girlfriend was killed by the villain Cyber. But Wolverine has certainly changed and developed, while having many influential experiences and not a few theological dicussions, since then. For example, Wolverine has actually been to Heaven. It is safe to say to say that Wolverine has been an atheist in the past, but too many stories have established Logan as having found and practiced religious faith to characterize the current character as an atheist.
Wolverine has spent considerable time in Japan, and has studied under some Japanese martial arts masters. Wolverine has been shown praying in Buddhist and Shinto temples, and participating in Buddhist ceremonies in both the comic books and animated adaptations of The X-Men. But Wolverine is not known to practice Buddhism regularly nor is known to have ever overtly identified himself as a Buddhist.
Furthermore, although it is far more common for religious Japanese to identify themselves as Buddhists than Shintoists, it should be remembered that Wolverine's late fiance, Mariko Yashida, was from a family that was overtly identified as Shintoist. (Various visual clues indicate the Yashidas were also Buddhists, as is often the case in Japan.) Mariko worshipped the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu. Her cousin, Sunfire, is an acknowledged Shintoist. The wedding of Logan and Mariko was to have been a Shinto wedding, as shown in Uncanny X-Men #170. However, Wolverine should in no way be regarded as a Shintoist.
Wolverine has also been depicted praying in a Christian church and seeking advice and absolution from his devout Catholic teammate Nightcrawler on religious topics.
Although Wolverine has never been portrayed as religiously devout or an orthodox member of any organized religious denomination, he has frequently expressed sincere religious belief. Indeed, his various experiences suggest that he has more reason to believe in God than nearly all other Marvel comic book characters.
Wolverine has a highly developed personal sense of morality and ethics that seems to be of his own devising, and not derived from any specific belief system. However, Japanese culture (including Bushido and a Samurai sense of honor), as well as the teachings of Charles Xavier, have been important influences in the formation of Logan's belief system. Another important aspect of Wolverine's goals and personal code of ethics is his drive to regain and retain his humanity in the wake of his transformation into a living weapon at the hands the Weapon X program, the military/intelligence program which gave infused his skeleton with adamantium and trained him as a deadly operative. Wolverine also works to keep his anger in check, lest he slip into one of his deadly berserker rages.
Neither an atheist nor an orthodox religious believer, Wolverine may best be characterized as one who struggles both with God and himself. He is rarely a static character, but seems always to be on a journey toward self-improvement and personal redemption.
Wolverine is a hero not simply in the spandex-wearing, villain-fighting sense of the word. More importantly, he is marked as a hero by his constant battle with himself to overcome an inherently anti-social, violent, sinful, animal nature, while striving to live in a humanistic, spiritual, positive way.
Wolverine prays at a Japanese temple
Above: Wolverine prays at a Shinto temple in Kyoto, Japan. [Source: Wolverine: Soultaker, issue #2 (May 2005), pages 3-6. Written by Akira Yoshida, illustrated by Shin "Jason" Nagasawa; reprinted in Wolverine: Soultaker, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (2005).]
With regards to the specific question of whether Wolverine/Logan believes in God, a reader of this website who has read every issue of Wolverine that has been published wrote that there have been numerous issues in which Logan has had the opportunity to debate about God and religion in general, always doing so with the sense that he believes God exists, although often wondering about specific points of doctrine and ethical questions.
Notable among recent storylines was an issue in which he sought out Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner), an Catholic priest, to request last rites for a loved one who was dying in his arms. In Wolverine, volume 3, issue #6, Wolverine sought to receive spiritual absolution from Nightcrawler after feeling guilty about a recent with a particularly high death toll.
Wolverine is one of only a handful of characters in mainstream comics who is known to have seen the afterlife. After he lost his Adamantium skeleton because of Magneto, Logan was on his deathbed and was visited by Illyana Rasputin (a.k.a. "Magik," the sister of Colossus) in the afterlife, and he begged her to let him come home to heaven, or wherever she was.
Wolverine prays in a church
In the X-Men animated TV series, an episode portrayed Wolverine converting from atheism to belief in God. The episode, titled "Nightcrawler" (episode #44, Season 3, 13 May 1995), introduced Kurt Wagner, the overtly Catholic Christian character of the same name. Nightcrawler's strong faith in God caused Wolverine to question his own disbelief and find faith in God. This may be one of the most religious, theology-laden episodes ever made in a mainstream animated cartoon series. The episode is included in the DVD X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine, which was widely distributed in video stores and other outlets. From: Steve Beard, "Bamf! The gospel according to Nightcrawler", on Thunderstruck.org website (http://www.thunderstruck.org/nightcrawler.htm; viewed 8 December 2005):
With the heightened popularity of the X-Men movies, a DVD collection of animated TV episodes from the early 1990s has been released entitled X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine (Buena Vista). It includes an entire episode devoted to the origin and theological disposition of Nightcrawler.
The story takes place within a monastery in a small Bavarian village in Germany. Three of the X-Men (Wolverine, Gambit, and Rogue) find themselves being aided by monks in the aftermath of an avalanche. Having been mistaken for a demon by the townspeople because of his looks, Nightcrawler explains to Wolverine and his friends that his genetic mutations were evident from birth and that the villagers chased he and his mother of out of town.
His mom (Mystique) also abandoned him as a child (in the comics, she throws him over a waterfall) and a family of travelling performers took him in. When he was young he was able to work in the circus, but he was still treated as an outcast, "shunned and hated." In talking with Wolverine, Nightcrawler says, "Though all people are flawed and struggle with the capacity for sin, none likes to be reminded of our shared human weakness. My appearance does not make it easy."
"Don't it make you crazy?" Wolverine asks with incredulity.
"It did once, but then I found peace by devoting my life to God," said Nightcrawler. "He directed me to this place [the monastery] where they value the character of my heart, not my appearance."
This only sends Wolverine further into a rage. "What are you talking about? God gave up on us long ago!" Nightcrawler counters, "No, my friend, God does not give up on his children-human or mutant. He is there for us in our times of joy and to help us when we are in pain--if we let Him."
Later, Nightcrawler tells Wolverine, "We are alike, you and I--angry at the world. My pain drives me to seek God, yours drove you away." Wolverine is further infuriated when he asks why God would have allowed him to be treated so badly. "Our ability to understand God's purposes are limited," says Nightcrawler, "but take comfort in the fact that his love is limitless."
Amazingly, the episode concludes with Wolverine kneeling in a French cathedral reading the Bible and saying, "I will give thanks to you O Lord. Though you are angry with me, your anger is turned away and you have comforted me. I will trust you. I will not be afraid."
Not a bad message -- especially coming from a superhero.
From: Tom Keogh, editorial review of X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine DVD (1992), posted on Amazon.com website (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000089G5M/002-8167473-0559256?v=glance&n=130; viewed 22 December 2005):
This animated anthology focuses on Wolverine's mysterious past and his heroic efforts at heavy-duty anger management. "Out of the Past," parts 1 and 2, find Professor Xavier's most challenging team member (real name: Logan) lured into a trap by former lover Lady Deathstryke, who seeks nasty revenge for the unintended destruction of her scientist father. Emotions run high and Logan's bad luck seems endless, but he is not without fellow-mutant friends here. (These episodes tell us one version of how Wolverine's body gained its interior metal frame.) "Nightcrawler" is an interesting variation on Frankenstein, in which Wolverine and X-Men newcomer/cleric Nightcrawler are attacked by a mob of paranoid villagers. "The Lotus and the Steel" finds Logan seeking inner peace at a Buddhist monastery in Japan, only to find himself in a Seven Samurai-derived plot.
From: Scott C., review of X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine DVD (1992), posted on Needcoffee.com website (http://www.needcoffee.com/html/dvd/xlowolverine.htm; viewed 22 December 2005):
[The episode titled] "Nightcrawler" introduces the bamf-producing mutant who made such a splash in X-Men 2 and Brother Nightcrawler's faith in God and man makes Wolverine question his own beliefs. And in "The Lotus and the Steel" Logan goes to a Buddhist temple in Japan to work on his violent rages. Instead he has to confront a biker gang and a teleporting samurai bent on extorting a small village.
From: "Even superpowers cannot save Western individualism: X-Men take up failed Liberal integrationist strategy" (review of X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine animated DVD), posted on movie review section of "Maoist Internationalist Movement" website (http://www.etext.org/Politics/MIM/movies/long/xmenwolverine.html; viewed 22 December 2005):
One episode celebrates Christian monks and another Buddhism in Japan. In the dialogues, a Christian with superpowers turned monk says that most people in the world believe in a God who loves them, "can so many be wrong?" Wolverine says "God gave up on us," the mutants, but in a later episode we see him praying in church after changing his mind.
Obviously the whole idea of X-Men appeals to the idea of people seeking special powers. Each character has a special power, often lasers of some kind, the ability to fly and admantium claws in the case of Wolverine. Each mutant character has a unique "special" power--in line with Western individualism. We can only say that if people lived in a communist society after perfecting the science and art of cooperation, they would not need to look like a Wolverine with metal claws to feel "powerful" and nor would they stand in front of burning candles in churches to feel "connected" Nor would humyns [humans] face the constant fighting that Wolverine deplored in the Buddhist episode. Because workers do not control the means of production in day-to-day life, they feel a lack of power and pine for the X-Men and similar artistic works to make up for their alienation from power.
On the plus side, the farming and fishing toilers in Japan in the Buddhist episode do liberate themselves from their humyn oppressors extorting "tribute" taxes. They only need Wolverine to fight a similar superhero character on the other side... In the Christian episode and throughout, there is an underlying mob distrust of mutants including the X-Men. The main political theme of X-Men is the question of tolerance and getting along. In the Christian episode, X-Men have to beat up some intolerant Amerikkkans [Americans] before these Amerikkkans realize they are wrong about mutants. Instead of changing their ideas completely, the mob realizes it has "sinned." Still it took a gang of mutants with superpowers to get the Amerikkkans to make peace with their neighbors.
From: Jim Harvey, interview with Len Uhley (writer of "Nightcrawler" episode of X-Men: The Animated Series), published in Toon Zone News in 2003, posted on Marvel Animation Age website (; viewed 22 December 2005):
This interview was conducted by Jim Harvey for Toon Zone News in 2003. It is duplicated here in it's entirety.
The new X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine DVD, from Buena Vista Home Video, is scheduled to hit shelves on April 29, 2003. The DVD, a compilation of various X-Men: The Animated Series episodes, features one episode focusing on a certain furry elf called Nightcrawler.
Toon Zone caught up with Len Uhley, the writer of "Nightcrawler," an episode featured on the DVD. Uhley says he made sure that the animated version of Nightcrawler stayed close to the comic book version, something he was interested in.
"I was more of a DC guy when I was a kid and reading comics," said Uhley. "However, then I started doing research in order to write for the X-Men animated series, and I was immediately taken with Nightcrawler's back-story. I campaigned shamelessly with Eric Lewald, the executive story editor, to get a crack at him."
The topic of religion is always a controversial subject matter for any series, whether it be live-action or animated. It turns out that dealing with such subject matter wasn't the difficult part for Uhley, but finding enough time to fully explore it.
"Writing it was hard, not only because it is a highly personal and delicate subject, but also because of the time constraints under which most TV animation is written," said Uhley. "I felt this one was a Big Deal, and I didn't want to blow it, you know?
"As for censorship, I don't recall any at all," said Uhley. "In fact, it was quite the opposite. When Lewald turned in our first draft of the outline, the Fox creative executive on the show, Sidney Iwanter, was adamant. Iwanter said 'Don't beat around the bush. Where's God in all this? I want to see them talking about a living, caring God!'
"I also heard from Lewald that Avery Coburn, in broadcast standards, told him, 'As long as you've handled the topic with respect, we have no problem with it.' Of course, we were thrilled," said Uhley. "This all flew in the face of our usual jaded expectations, you know, that the networks want to take the edge off everything. I will always be thankful to Iwanter for his support and encouragement. And to Lewald, who let me have my head on the religious content. He also did his usual skillful job amping up the action sequences, so hats off to him there as well."
One aspect of the episode that raised eyebrows was Wolverine's views on religion. Stating that he abandoned religion because of what happened to him in his past, Wolverine learns a powerful lesson when he meets Nightcrawler and experiences his unique point of view.
"I don't think Wolverine 'found' religion, I think he was just reminded of the faith he'd abandoned," said Uhley. "Remember, earlier in the episode, he said that he used to believe in God, but no more, thank you very much, after all the horrors he had seen. And yet, there was Nightcrawler, who certainly had cause to be bitter, looking at the world from a very different, hopeful, faithful perspective.
"Kurt's extraordinary perspective gets to Wolverine, scrapes away some of his emotional scar tissue, and opens him up to the possibility of a relationship with God," said Uhley, "His ending up at a kneeling rail was just a 'baby step,' that's all."
Given the subject matter of the episode, it was expected a healthy amount of feedback would arise. But when the "Nightcrawler" episode aired, the issue didn't garner as much attention as anticipated.
"Most of the feedback was positive," said Uhley. "In one chat room, one fan objected to Wolverine praying in a church, because he'd become a Buddhist in the comics or some such thing. Otherwise, the show got very little attention outside of the core fan base. I even did a search on the Internet, and came across one article in a tiny Christian magazine called Cornerstone. Oh, and I gave a copy of the tape to some clergy I know, and they thought it was well done. Otherwise, there was no publicity, no outcry, no anything. Maybe the DVD release will stir up a little discussion, but I doubt it."
Looking back on the episode, Uhley is incredibly proud of "Nightcrawler." The episode did what it set out to accomplish and turned out better than he could've imagined.
"I've always been proud of "Nightcrawler," because it was, I think, the first time that belief in God had been openly discussed in a mainstream, Saturday morning animated series," said Uhley. "I think that the production crew in this case did an especially fine job -- I remember that the director, Larry Houston, really took extra care with it. They even got Nightcrawler's 'Bamf!' right." "I later wrote another X-Men episode with a Nightcrawler guest appearance, called 'Bloodlines.' It also made passing reference to Nightcrawler's faith," said Uhley. "But it was more of a traditional Marvel Universe tale detailing the tortured family ties among Nightcrawler, Rogue, Mystique and, apparently, the entire defensive line of the Green Bay Packers. I don't know if that's slated for release on DVD or not."
...Besides "Nightcrawler", X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine includes the two-part "Out of the Past," "The Lotus and the Steel," and the bonus episode "The Final Decision." It will hit shelves on April 29.
From: Paul O'Brien, review of Wolverine #175, on 28 April 2002 page "X-Reviews" website (http://www.thexaxis.com/reviews/280402.html; viewed 26 December 2005):
Finally, we have another eight page story written by Jason Aaron, who is the winner of the Wolverine writing contest. Udon are on art, and to be honest it isn't one of their stronger efforts, with some stiff panels and inexpressive faces scattered throughout. Still, it tells the story well enough.
Plotwise, I'm not sure quite what to make of this one. Wolverine is on the run from hunters with dogs when he stops to change the tyre of a woman who talks to him about the bible. Aaron is presumably trying to make some kind of point about Logan's attitude towards religion, and unfortunately his take on the character is wildly out of line with mine. (I've always read him as an atheist.) Leaving that aside, there are a couple of nice moments in here, but the story flounders on plot mechanics which don't entirely make sense. Why, exactly, is a man on the run from a pack of dogs and a group of shotgun-wielding psychos stopping off to change a tyre? The set-up doesn't provide an adequate rationale for the situation Aaron is aiming for.
Nonetheless, definite points for effort, since it's at least trying to illustrate a character point, and if nothing else it's better than the lead story.
A sample theological discussion between Wolverine and Nightcrawler
Wolverine, volume 3, issue #6 features one of numerous comics in which Nightcrawler's religiosity is an important part of the story, and one of many stories in which Nightcrawler's deep faith is contrasted with Wolverine's relative lack of faith and religious understanding. This story takes place at a what is a relatively low point for Nightcrawler, religiously speaking. This is not long after he has abandoned his preparation to become a priest, due to the mechanations of a supervillain. Yet, despite that, Nightcrawler is still clearly a deeply religious and deeply principled character.
Below are some excerpts of the dialogue from this story, written by Greg Rucka and penciled by Darick Robertson. This discussion between Nightcrawler and Wolverine takes place in a New York City bar, where Wolverine has invited Nightcrawler to meet him after Wolverine's latest particularly soul-wrenching adventure:
Nightcrawler walks into the bar, where Wolverine is already sitting. Nightcrawler is using his image inducer to appear as a Catholic priest, complete with white collar and black shirt.
BARTENDER: Can I help you, father?
KURT WAGNER: A beer, please
LOGAN: Make it a pitcher and three glasses. Put it on my tab.
KURT WAGNER: Thank you, my son.
LOGAN: Knock it off.
[Kurt moves to place his hand on Logan's shoulder in either a consoling or greeting gesture.]
LOGAN: And don't think about touching me unless you're gonna look like you when you do it, Elf.
KURT WAGNER: I'm not certain that's the best idea, my friend. You know how people reat to my appearance.
LOGAN: Jo!
BARTENDER: Show the "Father" your right hand.
LOGAN: Your hand, Jo.
BARTENDER: Always wanted to play show and tell with a priest.
KURT WAGNER: Ah, you don't--
BARTENDER: It's all right, Father . . . I won't lead you into temptation. [The bartender shows her right hand, which is clearly the hand of a mutant. She has a squid-like or octopus-like suction surface on the palm of her right hand, and her fingers are shaped somewhat like tentacles.] I'll have Brady get you boys some peanuts. [She walks away, to give Kurt and Logan some privacy.]
LOGAN: There you go, Elf. No more excuses. [Logan is letting Kurt know that he does not need to use his image inducer to mask his mutant appearance.]
[Kurt touches a device concealed in his belt, and drops the hologram mask that made him look like a normal human priest. Now he appears as his regular furry blue self. He is not wearing a priest's vestments, but is wearing simply a regular shirt and blue jeans.]
KURT WAGNER: Better?
LOGAN: Better is you not having to hide yourself. But it's a start.
KURT WAGNER: You're in a mood.
LOGAN: Has nothing to do with it.
KURT WAGNER: No. Of course not.
[After some small talk, not excerpted here...]
KURT WAGNER: What happened?
LOGAN: Nothing happened.
KURT WAGNER: Certainly something did. You're even more unpleasant than normal. And you could use a shower, I might add.
LOGAN: You think I don't know how I smell? You think I don't know?
KURT WAGNER: Self-loathinig does not become you, Logan.
LOGAN: This from a guy who hides his face?
BARTENDER: You want me to just run a tube from the keg for you?
LOGAN: Can you do that?
BARTENDER: I'll look into it.
LOGAN: What?
KURT WAGNER: She likes you.
LOGAN: That's her mistake.
KURT WAGNER: [Long pause.] What was her name?
LOGAN: What?
KURT WAGNER: The girl who died. The one you couldn't save. What was her name?
LOGAN: Lucy. Lucy Braddock. She was seventeen, Kurt.
KURT WAGNER: Is it working? The beer? Must be hard to punish yourself when your healing factor fights you every inch of the way.
LOGAN: You have no idea.
KURT WAGNER: Yet here you are, doing your best impression of a fish. We have both seen innocents suffer before, my friend. We have both seen the inhumanity of man to his fellow man. Why is Lucy Braddock so different that you drive across the country for three days without rest to meet me here, and to engage in this vain attempt to torture your liver?
[Logan says nothing.]
KURT WAGNER: Seventeen is too young, I agree. Seventy, some would say, is too young as well. We have both seen too much death, lost too many we have cared for. But as trite as it is to say, Logan, death is part of life. Even unnatural death, even, perhaps, murder.
LOGAN: Not murder.
KURT WAGNER: You think? I do not advocate it, of course, but I would point out that every Judeo-Christian religion has murder in the basic text. Cain slew Abel, and thus the world knew murder. One could argue that murder is as natural as dying of old age.
LOGAN: You don't really believe that.
KURT WAGNER: I am no longer sure what I believe, my friend. My grasp of ethical and theological theory is slipping, to say the least. As a result, I am forced more often than not to rely on the facts as I know them. Actions always speak louder than words. You know this better than anyone. Your actions have always mrked you, to me, as a good man. As an honorable man.
[Long pause.]
LOGAN: Three days ago I killed twenty-seven men.
[Kurt stares, speechless.]
LOGAN: Not much to say to that, huh, Elf?
KURT WAGNER: You were enraged?
LOGAN: All the way to the bone.
KURT WAGNER: And these men, they had earned this rage?
LOGAN: You're looking for an excuse.
KURT WAGNER: No, my friend, I'm straining to understand. Because if you tell me that these twenty-seven men were innocents all, then you are everything you have always feared yourself to be. And you would have to be stopped.
LOGAN: And you'd stop me?
KURT WAGNER: No. But I would die trying.
[A long pause as they stare at each other grimly.]
LOGAN: They were a cult. They'd broken a town. Made it afraid. They kidnapped women. Girls. And they used them up.
KURT WAGNER: Then you are describing evil, my friend. And evil begets evil.
LOGAN: Me.
KURT WAGNER: Ah, I see. If that is your question, Logan, I cannot help you.
LOGAN: You were a priest. Absolve me.
KURT WAGNER: Oh, it would be wonderful if it worked like that, wouldn't I? What a world we would have . . . legions of sinners, all committing their crimes with abandon! Safe in the knowledge that absolution was just one quick trip to the church away! They tried it once, you know. During the Middles Ages [sic]. Enough gold, you could be forgiven anything. Would you like that? Such a hollow forgiveness?
LOGAN: Do I need forgiveness?
KURT WAGNER: Isn't that what you're after? Were those men evil? Without question? By killing them in your rage, are you evil? You are unique, Logan. And I do not speak of what has been done to you. Is the wolf evil when it culls the sickness from the herd?
[The bartender flips a sign on the door to show the bar is closed. Logan puts cash on the bar to pay his tab. Kurt and Logan walk out of the bar and stand in pouring rain.]
LOGAN: That thing about wolves . . . I'm not an animal. I'm not.
KURT WAGNER: I know, my friend. I know you aren't.
LOGAN: . . . I'm not . . .
[End of this issue]
From The Uncanny X-Men #165:
Logan: "What's doin', bub?"
Kurt: "What does it look like?"
Logan: "Incongruous. I guess I never figured you for the religious type."
Kurt: "Why, don't I look the part? I admit I'm rarely seen in a church - but I draw comfort from my beliefs and from prayer. Such comfort is dearly needed now - by us all. You should try it, Logan. Who knows, you might like it."
Logan: "I did, in the army. A mistake. I believe in nothin' - never have, never will. What matters is what I can see, hear, smell, taste, thouch - tangible things, physical things. Reality. The rest is imagination."
Nightcrawler: "And you have no use for that?"
Wolverine: "Nope."
Nightcrawler: "I am sorry, my friend. I never realized how utterly, inescapably alone you must be - with nothing to hold onto but yourself. More alone than I - despite my outre appearance - could ever be."
Wolverine: "I ain't alone, bub - I got you. C'mon, lessee if they got any brew on this bucket."
From: Radford, Bill, "Holy Superhero! Comic books increasingly making reference to faith", published in Colorado Springs Gazette, 6 May 2006 (http://www.gazette.com/display.php?secid=20; viewed 8 May 2006):
"I think when I go to superheroes, I see there is a religious metaphor to begin with," says comic-book writer Steven T. Seagle. That metaphor is most obvious with Superman, he says.
"He's the one who's better than us. He's more moral than us. He's more pure than us. He makes better choices than us, and therefore he is an example in a way that God or Christ is an example."
Generally, though, comic book characters aren't as simple or pure as they once were. Consider Marvel's Punisher, who exacts deadly vengeance, or Wolverine, who erupts in fits of animal rage.
Discussion
From: "Religious Affiliations of the Superheroes", posted 18 June 2006 on "Street Prophets" blog website (http://www.streetprophets.com/story/2006/6/18/11384/1397; viewed 20 June 2006):
Elizabeth D on Sun Jun 18th, 2006 at 09:57:13 PDT:
I thought Wolverine as a Buddhist was odd too, but then I thought of the Shaolin Monks and wondered if maybe Buddhism is a way for the character to try to practice his fighting talents in a disciplined and ethical way?
appleblossombeck on Sun Jun 18th, 2006 at 11:06:31 PDT:
On Wolverine and Buddhism. Or anybody and anything, for that matter. There are very few characters who are acknowledged to be adherents of any one religion. Magneto, Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde being among the few examples. For these characters, like a lot of humans, their faith or former faith is a part of their identity. To change this would be to change the character. With characters who have no known faith, writers get a lot of leeway in showing the character involved in ceremonies, prayer, or questioning. Wolverine, due to his international nature, is one of the great examples of this. I bet I could go through my comics collection and find an instance of him either showing knowledge of or asking about pretty much every major religion. To the list in the article, I can add his knowledge of Canadian First Nations beliefs, as seen in his various interactions with Snowbird, Wendigo, and Shaman from Alpha Flight. Logan's Origin story showed his family to have no contact with clergy or involvement with a church. I think his involvement with Buddhism is that he respects it and greatly desires the peace he sees in that path, but he doesn't believe himself capable of finding that peace. That's part of the great poignancy of his character: his constant and unending search for peace and his own humanity.
From: Rebecca Salek, "Spirituality In Comics", on "Sequential Tart" website (http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/dec03/tth_1203.shtml; viewed 5 January 2006):
For many people. December is a month which contains celebrations of religious, spiritual or cultural significance. For many people. December is a month which contains celebrations of religious, spiritual or cultural significance. In recognition of that, this month the Tarts pick out what they consider to be the best representations of spirituality in comic books...
Susan: I think the most touching thing I saw, that has stayed in my memory for years now, is a page in -- let me see if I can recall correctly -- an X-Men issue from the 1980s. They're out in Shi'ar space, desperate straits, et cetera. Wolverine walks by Nightcrawler's cabin and sees him on his knees, praying. There is a small discussion of his faith. That little scene has stuck with me more than Jean Grey sacrificing herself on the moon. My point was, they didn't dwell on it, didn't seem to try to make it all moralizing and hokey. It was very, well, matter-of-fact. And all the more touching for that. Especially considering the two characters involved. Wolverine would be the last person you would expect to respect someone's faith. Kurt's calm avowal of faith is not preachy, he's just saying what he believes. It illustrated that there's always things we don't know about people, even those we are close to. And that not all religious people are fanatics.
From: "X-Men and Religion" forum discussion page, started 21 August 2005, on ComixFan.com website (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/archive/index.php/t-35318.html):
Thaddeus Hettle
Aug 21, 2005, 10:10 pm
Wolverine became an atheist after Cyber killed his girlfriend back during WWI.
Anybody remember the episode of the old X-Men cartoon where the met Nightcrawler? He was all like, "turn to God for--" and then Wolvie knocks over a candelabra and yells "THERE IS NO GOD!"
From: "Superman as Christian Allegory? The religion of Comics" message board started 14 June 2006 on Military.com website (http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/672198221/m/8000028270001/p/2; viewed 20 June 2006):
BlindSword
Wolverine spent considerable time in Japan, even marrying a couple of Japanese women, and has been seen in prayer in both Shinto and Buddhist Temples.
Excerpts from: "Are Superheroes Religious?" forum page, started 13 May 2004, in "The John Byrne Forum" section of the Byrne Robotics website (http://jb.24-7intouch.com/forum/get_topic.asp?FID=3&TID=558&DIR=P; viewed 9 January 2006):
Kevin Bennett
14 May 2004 at 5:28 am
I enjoy it when a character's faith (or lack of it) is explored. Done properly, it can enrich characterization and be a powerful dramatic tool. I recall a long ago scene in X-Men when they were fighting the Brood where the atheist Wolverine and the Christian Nightcrawler had a brief discussion about faith, and I really liked the issue from around the same period in which the X-Men were battling Dracula. Wolverine attempts to make the sign of the Cross, but it has no effect on the vampire because he isn't a believer. However, Nightcrawler's cross works, and Dracula also burns his hand on Kitty's Star of David necklace when he grabs her.
From: "The Nightcrawler as a Roman Catholic Superhero FAQ" message board started 18 December 2005 on "Nightscrawlers" website (http://www.nightscrawlers.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=5447; viewed 3 June 2006):
chicory
posted on 14/3/06 at 21:25
I love what Nightcrawler's spirituality and religion give to the character - and those moments, like the conversation with the Logan after the brood encounter and the power that the cross and the star of david had when wielded by a person of faith were high moments.
The animated episode though really got on my nerves when I saw it recently. (It was nice being able to catch X-men at the convenient 11:30pm time slot whenever I remembered too - which I now think wasn't often enough since they replaced it with Power Rangers )
But, I preferred the subtle message offered in the comics to the heavy-handed way they did the animated story. Like on the brood ship Logan, who's lived a long time and seen a lot and possibly lost his faith a long time ago is allowed to keep his own religious beliefs. (That was a great exchange where Kurt tells Logan he can't imagine how lonely he must be and then Logan just replies that he has Kurt and then suggests they go and find some beer . Very subtle.
I didn't like how in the cartoon it's all presented as though there's only one correct way to think and one place to be in that way of thinking. With Jubilee and then the end where Rogue finds Wolverine in the church playing.
I'm not sure why that bothered me so much. I thought that Nightcrawler's place worked for him in the monastery - I just didn't like how the other characters reacted to his "message" I guess...
From: "Religious Inclinations of heroes" message board, started 1 March 2005 on StarDestroyer.net website (http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?t=63632; viewed 8 June 2006):
lgot
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 11:49 pm
Wolverine also proclaims to not trust any God to save him but he does not disbelieve him. Which is pretty much the best logic possible in DC and Marvel also, because the existense of God(s) there is without doubt.
From: "Religious Beliefs of Marvel Characters" discussion board started 20 October 2004 on Comic-Forum.com website (http://www.comic-forum.com/marvel/Religious_beliefs_of_Marvel_characters_397905.html; viewed 8 June 2006):
Date: 20 Oct 2004 21:55:56
From: OSinner1
Subject: Religious beliefs of Marvel characters?
Does anybody know the religious beliefs of various characters?
Date: 21 Oct 2004 01:45:45
From: JWMeritt
Trick question! There ARE Gods that are Marvel characters. One blatantly obvious: A vampire is repelled by religious symbols...
...The few times it [religion] has played a role is when Wolvie made a cross in front of Dracula, who was suprised by its non-effect (it was wielded by a nonbeliever), and Nightcrawler took the cross away from Wolvie and seared Drac big time. And then Drac was burned on Kittie's Star of David. And of course the Vamp that sputtered out on Thor's hammer...
Date: 22 Oct 2004 14:06:41
From: Del
Out of interest, are there any comic characters, mainstream or otherwise, that are unbelievers? And if so, how do they tend to be depicted?
Date: 23 Oct 2004 10:08:27
From: Matt Deres
The one that comes to mind first is Wolverine, since he explicitly stated his position in UXM [Uncanny X-Men] 166 (I think) during the Brood wars. He has a brief discussion with Nightcrawler, whom he had found praying. Kurt said he felt sorry for Logan, since he (Kurt) is never truly alone since he has God.
The excerpts below are from a newsgroup discussing, among other topics, the scene in which the Reverend William Conovor appeared to heal Wolverine from a Brood infection through the power of his (Reverend Conover's) Christian faith in God. Did Rev. Conover actually use his Christian faith to heal Wolverine, or did Wolverine say nothing to contradict this supposition, and thus allow the Christian clergyman to believe this is what happened? Also, Wolverine's status as an "atheist" is mentioned briefly. From: "Claremont's 'Revenge' / CC Trademarks" thread on rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks/browse_thread/thread/b6c76ad39ebedbac/82cfea80ebc7bade; viewed 12 June 2006):
From: Samy Merchi
Date: Mon, May 11 1998 12:00 am Also note that it is more often than most atheistic characters mention their atheism. Atheism is not supported any more than any religion. The whole issue is simply avoided in books. From: Johan Lundstrom
Date: Tues, May 12 1998 12:00 am
Right. Wolverine and Magneto are by far the most outspoken atheists, and even they rarely mention it.
From: Tim Elf
Date: Mon, May 11 1998 12:00 am
re: "Does anyone have any other instances of positive (or negative) portrayals of religion in comics?"
Positive: Glory Day Ministries, the preacher and his wife tied into the Brood saga, introduced by Claremont, but really developed by John Ostrander in the X-Men/Brood LS. An excellent example of a postive, fair portrayal of Christianity in comic books.
From: Samy Merchi
Date: Mon, May 11 1998 12:00 am
...Rev Conover's been mentioned several times: He pushed a Brood embryo into submission with the power of God.
From: Johan Lundstrom
Date: Tues, May 12 1998 12:00 am
We can't be sure; the scene was deliberately ambigous. It could have been a miracle or just Wolverine's healing factor finally catching up.
From: Samy Merchi
Date: Wed, May 13 1998 12:00 am
Yes, well, it's possible to read it that way. Personally, I always read it as Claremont attributing power to God, but not wanting to be obvious about it and therefore possibly offend people of other religions by implying that the Christian God was the real one.
From: Bigbear
Date: Wed, May 13 1998 12:00 am
I just reread that issue the other night and I definately got the impression that Logan's healing factor caught up and fought off the Brood embryo. His healing factor was already working on fighting it off before he confronted the Rev. Then he went all Brood-y for a bit before his healing factor kicked into overdrive and got rid of the foul thing. When the Rev thought it was a power from god I don't think Logan said anything otherwise because he didn't want to take anything away the guy's faith.
That was a very good issue IMO [in my opinion]. He was supposed to go work towards easing mutant/human relations. He was definitely going to be a high profile muntant rights human. Was he ever heard from again? It would nice to have one of the books touch on that. They could say that he's been an active member of Chuck's underground or something.
From: "The religions of comic book characters" thread started 10 February 2001 on rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe/browse_thread/thread/13590fda80c5d6e1/e5e0b094ced80f0b; viewed 12 June 2006):
From: Terry McCombs
Date: Sat, Feb 10 2001 6:35 pm
For the most part you don't get much of an idea as to the private lives of most comic book characters. Marvelish soap opera not withstanding.
What I mean is you don't get much of an idea what their politics or religion might be. This is sensible enough I guess as they don't want to offend any of their customers... for the most part you just can't really say just what, if any religion or personal philosophy that or that comic character might follow.
What do you think?
From: Menshevik
Date: Sun, Feb 11 2001 6:05 am
...As far as Marvel is concerned, there are a few characters where you do: ...Religious issues did show up quite a bit in the X-Men, with Catholics Nightcrawler and Gambit, the Native American heritage of Moonstar and Forge, the rather hazy goddess apparently worshipped by Storm, Wolfsbane's Scottish Presbyterianism, Cannonball's not specified church (not exactly specified, but Protestant and possibly verging or belonging to a fundamentalist denomination), and Kitty Pryde's very secularized Judaism. Colossus was, judging by some of his conversations with Kurt, raised as a well-behaved Communisit atheist, and Wolverine is a proudly-proclaimed agnostic.
From: "Religion of the X-Men" message board started 15 May 2005 on Comic Book Resources website (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/archive/index.php/t-58362.html; viewed 13 June 2006):
Emerald Ghost
05-15-2005, 05:56 PM
Do you ever wonder what religion an X-Man is? I know they are just characters, but still, just for the fun of it.
I am wondering if you could guess their religion by their character, or what they've said, etc.
Jesse Newcomb
05-15-2005, 06:53 PM
...Magma worships the Roman gods so she's a pagan. We know that Alex is raised as a Catholic... Storm worships her goddess. And Logan worship nothing...
The Lucky One
05-15-2005, 07:38 PM
...As for [other] characters...
Jean Grey - some branch of Christianity...
Archangel - Protestant
Havok - Catholic, apparently
Nightcrawler - Catholic, devout
Colossus, Magik - atheist (or now perhaps simply agnostic)
Storm - pagan
Wolverine - atheist (but has been to Heaven, plus seen power of cross wielded by faithful [Nightcrawler] repel Dracula)
Kitty Pryde, Sabra - Jewish
Cannonball - Southern Baptist
Karma, Sunspot - Catholic
Wolfsbane - Scots Presbyterian
Mirage - Cheyenne, plus some Asgard, presumably
Magma - Roman-Greco gods
Cypher - Some branch of Christianity
The Fury
05-16-2005, 02:11 AM
WHAT RELIGION ARE YOU? DO YOU AGREE WITH OTHER RELIGIONS? DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD OR EVOLUTION OR REINCARNATION OR WHAT?
LET'S BULLSHIT ABOUT IT, SEE IF WE CAN HAVE AN INTELLIGENT CONVERSATION WITHOUT FIGHTING.
AND TO INJECT SOME LEVITY :
< Return to Religious Affiliation of Comics Book Characters
Wolverine prays at a Japanese Shinto temple
Above: Logan (Wolverine) prays at a Shinto temple in Kyoto, Japan.
[Source: Wolverine: Soultaker, issue #2 (May 2005), page 6. Written by Akira Yoshida, illustrated by Shin "Jason" Nagasawa; reprinted in Wolverine: Soultaker, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (2005).]
Wolverine prays in a Christian church
Above: Holding the Bible, Wolverine prays in a Christian church. [From the "Nightcrawler" episode of X-Men: The Animated Series.]
The Religious Affiliation of Comic Book Character
Wolverine
Logan, of the X-Men
Wolverine is the code name of the Marvel Comics character who was long known simply as "Logan." (Long after his introduction, the character's real name was revealed to be "James Howlett.") Although originally a relatively minor character introduced in The Incredible Hulk #180-181 (October - November, 1974), the character eventually became Marvel's second-most popular character (after Spider-Man).
Nightcrawler (former priest) and Wolverine
Above: Although Logan (Wolverine) is not a Catholic, and Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) is not really a priest, Logan nevertheless was so troubled by his recent actions that he informally sought absolution from his old friend.
[Source: Wolverine, volume 3, issue #6, page 18. Written by Greg Rucka. Pencils by Darick Robertson. Inks by Tom Palmer. Reprinted in Wolverine: The Brotherhood trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York (2003).]
Wolverine was for many years one of Marvel's most mysterious characters, as he had no memory of his earlier life and the origins of his distinctive Adamantium skeleton and claws. Like much about the character, his religious affiliation is uncertain.
It is safe to say that Wolverine, at his core, is something of a cynic and a skeptic.
Some fans characterize Wolverine as an "atheist," but this may be an oversimplification or a misidentification with regards to the character's current status.
Has Wolverine been an atheist? Yes, absolutely. Has he identified himself as an atheist in the past? Yes. Is he an atheist today? That is a more difficult question to answer. Currently, this question seems open to interpretation depending on the writer or reader. On more than one occasion, Wolverine has been shown having experiences that led him to have faith in "immaterial" and "metaphysical" phenomenon, including God and Heaven.
Wolverine has indeed expressed disbelief and frustration with God in isolated stories. For example, Wolverine apparently briefly identified his theological position as an unbeliever in The Uncanny X-Men during the Brood War saga in the 160s (circa 1983, but not #166). A story delving into Wolverine's past showed how he became an atheist during World War II after his girlfriend was killed by the villain Cyber. But Wolverine has certainly changed and developed, while having many influential experiences and not a few theological dicussions, since then. For example, Wolverine has actually been to Heaven. It is safe to say to say that Wolverine has been an atheist in the past, but too many stories have established Logan as having found and practiced religious faith to characterize the current character as an atheist.
Wolverine has spent considerable time in Japan, and has studied under some Japanese martial arts masters. Wolverine has been shown praying in Buddhist and Shinto temples, and participating in Buddhist ceremonies in both the comic books and animated adaptations of The X-Men. But Wolverine is not known to practice Buddhism regularly nor is known to have ever overtly identified himself as a Buddhist.
Furthermore, although it is far more common for religious Japanese to identify themselves as Buddhists than Shintoists, it should be remembered that Wolverine's late fiance, Mariko Yashida, was from a family that was overtly identified as Shintoist. (Various visual clues indicate the Yashidas were also Buddhists, as is often the case in Japan.) Mariko worshipped the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu. Her cousin, Sunfire, is an acknowledged Shintoist. The wedding of Logan and Mariko was to have been a Shinto wedding, as shown in Uncanny X-Men #170. However, Wolverine should in no way be regarded as a Shintoist.
Wolverine has also been depicted praying in a Christian church and seeking advice and absolution from his devout Catholic teammate Nightcrawler on religious topics.
Although Wolverine has never been portrayed as religiously devout or an orthodox member of any organized religious denomination, he has frequently expressed sincere religious belief. Indeed, his various experiences suggest that he has more reason to believe in God than nearly all other Marvel comic book characters.
Wolverine has a highly developed personal sense of morality and ethics that seems to be of his own devising, and not derived from any specific belief system. However, Japanese culture (including Bushido and a Samurai sense of honor), as well as the teachings of Charles Xavier, have been important influences in the formation of Logan's belief system. Another important aspect of Wolverine's goals and personal code of ethics is his drive to regain and retain his humanity in the wake of his transformation into a living weapon at the hands the Weapon X program, the military/intelligence program which gave infused his skeleton with adamantium and trained him as a deadly operative. Wolverine also works to keep his anger in check, lest he slip into one of his deadly berserker rages.
Neither an atheist nor an orthodox religious believer, Wolverine may best be characterized as one who struggles both with God and himself. He is rarely a static character, but seems always to be on a journey toward self-improvement and personal redemption.
Wolverine is a hero not simply in the spandex-wearing, villain-fighting sense of the word. More importantly, he is marked as a hero by his constant battle with himself to overcome an inherently anti-social, violent, sinful, animal nature, while striving to live in a humanistic, spiritual, positive way.
Wolverine prays at a Japanese temple
Above: Wolverine prays at a Shinto temple in Kyoto, Japan. [Source: Wolverine: Soultaker, issue #2 (May 2005), pages 3-6. Written by Akira Yoshida, illustrated by Shin "Jason" Nagasawa; reprinted in Wolverine: Soultaker, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York City (2005).]
With regards to the specific question of whether Wolverine/Logan believes in God, a reader of this website who has read every issue of Wolverine that has been published wrote that there have been numerous issues in which Logan has had the opportunity to debate about God and religion in general, always doing so with the sense that he believes God exists, although often wondering about specific points of doctrine and ethical questions.
Notable among recent storylines was an issue in which he sought out Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner), an Catholic priest, to request last rites for a loved one who was dying in his arms. In Wolverine, volume 3, issue #6, Wolverine sought to receive spiritual absolution from Nightcrawler after feeling guilty about a recent with a particularly high death toll.
Wolverine is one of only a handful of characters in mainstream comics who is known to have seen the afterlife. After he lost his Adamantium skeleton because of Magneto, Logan was on his deathbed and was visited by Illyana Rasputin (a.k.a. "Magik," the sister of Colossus) in the afterlife, and he begged her to let him come home to heaven, or wherever she was.
Wolverine prays in a church
In the X-Men animated TV series, an episode portrayed Wolverine converting from atheism to belief in God. The episode, titled "Nightcrawler" (episode #44, Season 3, 13 May 1995), introduced Kurt Wagner, the overtly Catholic Christian character of the same name. Nightcrawler's strong faith in God caused Wolverine to question his own disbelief and find faith in God. This may be one of the most religious, theology-laden episodes ever made in a mainstream animated cartoon series. The episode is included in the DVD X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine, which was widely distributed in video stores and other outlets. From: Steve Beard, "Bamf! The gospel according to Nightcrawler", on Thunderstruck.org website (http://www.thunderstruck.org/nightcrawler.htm; viewed 8 December 2005):
With the heightened popularity of the X-Men movies, a DVD collection of animated TV episodes from the early 1990s has been released entitled X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine (Buena Vista). It includes an entire episode devoted to the origin and theological disposition of Nightcrawler.
The story takes place within a monastery in a small Bavarian village in Germany. Three of the X-Men (Wolverine, Gambit, and Rogue) find themselves being aided by monks in the aftermath of an avalanche. Having been mistaken for a demon by the townspeople because of his looks, Nightcrawler explains to Wolverine and his friends that his genetic mutations were evident from birth and that the villagers chased he and his mother of out of town.
His mom (Mystique) also abandoned him as a child (in the comics, she throws him over a waterfall) and a family of travelling performers took him in. When he was young he was able to work in the circus, but he was still treated as an outcast, "shunned and hated." In talking with Wolverine, Nightcrawler says, "Though all people are flawed and struggle with the capacity for sin, none likes to be reminded of our shared human weakness. My appearance does not make it easy."
"Don't it make you crazy?" Wolverine asks with incredulity.
"It did once, but then I found peace by devoting my life to God," said Nightcrawler. "He directed me to this place [the monastery] where they value the character of my heart, not my appearance."
This only sends Wolverine further into a rage. "What are you talking about? God gave up on us long ago!" Nightcrawler counters, "No, my friend, God does not give up on his children-human or mutant. He is there for us in our times of joy and to help us when we are in pain--if we let Him."
Later, Nightcrawler tells Wolverine, "We are alike, you and I--angry at the world. My pain drives me to seek God, yours drove you away." Wolverine is further infuriated when he asks why God would have allowed him to be treated so badly. "Our ability to understand God's purposes are limited," says Nightcrawler, "but take comfort in the fact that his love is limitless."
Amazingly, the episode concludes with Wolverine kneeling in a French cathedral reading the Bible and saying, "I will give thanks to you O Lord. Though you are angry with me, your anger is turned away and you have comforted me. I will trust you. I will not be afraid."
Not a bad message -- especially coming from a superhero.
From: Tom Keogh, editorial review of X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine DVD (1992), posted on Amazon.com website (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000089G5M/002-8167473-0559256?v=glance&n=130; viewed 22 December 2005):
This animated anthology focuses on Wolverine's mysterious past and his heroic efforts at heavy-duty anger management. "Out of the Past," parts 1 and 2, find Professor Xavier's most challenging team member (real name: Logan) lured into a trap by former lover Lady Deathstryke, who seeks nasty revenge for the unintended destruction of her scientist father. Emotions run high and Logan's bad luck seems endless, but he is not without fellow-mutant friends here. (These episodes tell us one version of how Wolverine's body gained its interior metal frame.) "Nightcrawler" is an interesting variation on Frankenstein, in which Wolverine and X-Men newcomer/cleric Nightcrawler are attacked by a mob of paranoid villagers. "The Lotus and the Steel" finds Logan seeking inner peace at a Buddhist monastery in Japan, only to find himself in a Seven Samurai-derived plot.
From: Scott C., review of X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine DVD (1992), posted on Needcoffee.com website (http://www.needcoffee.com/html/dvd/xlowolverine.htm; viewed 22 December 2005):
[The episode titled] "Nightcrawler" introduces the bamf-producing mutant who made such a splash in X-Men 2 and Brother Nightcrawler's faith in God and man makes Wolverine question his own beliefs. And in "The Lotus and the Steel" Logan goes to a Buddhist temple in Japan to work on his violent rages. Instead he has to confront a biker gang and a teleporting samurai bent on extorting a small village.
From: "Even superpowers cannot save Western individualism: X-Men take up failed Liberal integrationist strategy" (review of X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine animated DVD), posted on movie review section of "Maoist Internationalist Movement" website (http://www.etext.org/Politics/MIM/movies/long/xmenwolverine.html; viewed 22 December 2005):
One episode celebrates Christian monks and another Buddhism in Japan. In the dialogues, a Christian with superpowers turned monk says that most people in the world believe in a God who loves them, "can so many be wrong?" Wolverine says "God gave up on us," the mutants, but in a later episode we see him praying in church after changing his mind.
Obviously the whole idea of X-Men appeals to the idea of people seeking special powers. Each character has a special power, often lasers of some kind, the ability to fly and admantium claws in the case of Wolverine. Each mutant character has a unique "special" power--in line with Western individualism. We can only say that if people lived in a communist society after perfecting the science and art of cooperation, they would not need to look like a Wolverine with metal claws to feel "powerful" and nor would they stand in front of burning candles in churches to feel "connected" Nor would humyns [humans] face the constant fighting that Wolverine deplored in the Buddhist episode. Because workers do not control the means of production in day-to-day life, they feel a lack of power and pine for the X-Men and similar artistic works to make up for their alienation from power.
On the plus side, the farming and fishing toilers in Japan in the Buddhist episode do liberate themselves from their humyn oppressors extorting "tribute" taxes. They only need Wolverine to fight a similar superhero character on the other side... In the Christian episode and throughout, there is an underlying mob distrust of mutants including the X-Men. The main political theme of X-Men is the question of tolerance and getting along. In the Christian episode, X-Men have to beat up some intolerant Amerikkkans [Americans] before these Amerikkkans realize they are wrong about mutants. Instead of changing their ideas completely, the mob realizes it has "sinned." Still it took a gang of mutants with superpowers to get the Amerikkkans to make peace with their neighbors.
From: Jim Harvey, interview with Len Uhley (writer of "Nightcrawler" episode of X-Men: The Animated Series), published in Toon Zone News in 2003, posted on Marvel Animation Age website (; viewed 22 December 2005):
This interview was conducted by Jim Harvey for Toon Zone News in 2003. It is duplicated here in it's entirety.
The new X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine DVD, from Buena Vista Home Video, is scheduled to hit shelves on April 29, 2003. The DVD, a compilation of various X-Men: The Animated Series episodes, features one episode focusing on a certain furry elf called Nightcrawler.
Toon Zone caught up with Len Uhley, the writer of "Nightcrawler," an episode featured on the DVD. Uhley says he made sure that the animated version of Nightcrawler stayed close to the comic book version, something he was interested in.
"I was more of a DC guy when I was a kid and reading comics," said Uhley. "However, then I started doing research in order to write for the X-Men animated series, and I was immediately taken with Nightcrawler's back-story. I campaigned shamelessly with Eric Lewald, the executive story editor, to get a crack at him."
The topic of religion is always a controversial subject matter for any series, whether it be live-action or animated. It turns out that dealing with such subject matter wasn't the difficult part for Uhley, but finding enough time to fully explore it.
"Writing it was hard, not only because it is a highly personal and delicate subject, but also because of the time constraints under which most TV animation is written," said Uhley. "I felt this one was a Big Deal, and I didn't want to blow it, you know?
"As for censorship, I don't recall any at all," said Uhley. "In fact, it was quite the opposite. When Lewald turned in our first draft of the outline, the Fox creative executive on the show, Sidney Iwanter, was adamant. Iwanter said 'Don't beat around the bush. Where's God in all this? I want to see them talking about a living, caring God!'
"I also heard from Lewald that Avery Coburn, in broadcast standards, told him, 'As long as you've handled the topic with respect, we have no problem with it.' Of course, we were thrilled," said Uhley. "This all flew in the face of our usual jaded expectations, you know, that the networks want to take the edge off everything. I will always be thankful to Iwanter for his support and encouragement. And to Lewald, who let me have my head on the religious content. He also did his usual skillful job amping up the action sequences, so hats off to him there as well."
One aspect of the episode that raised eyebrows was Wolverine's views on religion. Stating that he abandoned religion because of what happened to him in his past, Wolverine learns a powerful lesson when he meets Nightcrawler and experiences his unique point of view.
"I don't think Wolverine 'found' religion, I think he was just reminded of the faith he'd abandoned," said Uhley. "Remember, earlier in the episode, he said that he used to believe in God, but no more, thank you very much, after all the horrors he had seen. And yet, there was Nightcrawler, who certainly had cause to be bitter, looking at the world from a very different, hopeful, faithful perspective.
"Kurt's extraordinary perspective gets to Wolverine, scrapes away some of his emotional scar tissue, and opens him up to the possibility of a relationship with God," said Uhley, "His ending up at a kneeling rail was just a 'baby step,' that's all."
Given the subject matter of the episode, it was expected a healthy amount of feedback would arise. But when the "Nightcrawler" episode aired, the issue didn't garner as much attention as anticipated.
"Most of the feedback was positive," said Uhley. "In one chat room, one fan objected to Wolverine praying in a church, because he'd become a Buddhist in the comics or some such thing. Otherwise, the show got very little attention outside of the core fan base. I even did a search on the Internet, and came across one article in a tiny Christian magazine called Cornerstone. Oh, and I gave a copy of the tape to some clergy I know, and they thought it was well done. Otherwise, there was no publicity, no outcry, no anything. Maybe the DVD release will stir up a little discussion, but I doubt it."
Looking back on the episode, Uhley is incredibly proud of "Nightcrawler." The episode did what it set out to accomplish and turned out better than he could've imagined.
"I've always been proud of "Nightcrawler," because it was, I think, the first time that belief in God had been openly discussed in a mainstream, Saturday morning animated series," said Uhley. "I think that the production crew in this case did an especially fine job -- I remember that the director, Larry Houston, really took extra care with it. They even got Nightcrawler's 'Bamf!' right." "I later wrote another X-Men episode with a Nightcrawler guest appearance, called 'Bloodlines.' It also made passing reference to Nightcrawler's faith," said Uhley. "But it was more of a traditional Marvel Universe tale detailing the tortured family ties among Nightcrawler, Rogue, Mystique and, apparently, the entire defensive line of the Green Bay Packers. I don't know if that's slated for release on DVD or not."
...Besides "Nightcrawler", X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine includes the two-part "Out of the Past," "The Lotus and the Steel," and the bonus episode "The Final Decision." It will hit shelves on April 29.
From: Paul O'Brien, review of Wolverine #175, on 28 April 2002 page "X-Reviews" website (http://www.thexaxis.com/reviews/280402.html; viewed 26 December 2005):
Finally, we have another eight page story written by Jason Aaron, who is the winner of the Wolverine writing contest. Udon are on art, and to be honest it isn't one of their stronger efforts, with some stiff panels and inexpressive faces scattered throughout. Still, it tells the story well enough.
Plotwise, I'm not sure quite what to make of this one. Wolverine is on the run from hunters with dogs when he stops to change the tyre of a woman who talks to him about the bible. Aaron is presumably trying to make some kind of point about Logan's attitude towards religion, and unfortunately his take on the character is wildly out of line with mine. (I've always read him as an atheist.) Leaving that aside, there are a couple of nice moments in here, but the story flounders on plot mechanics which don't entirely make sense. Why, exactly, is a man on the run from a pack of dogs and a group of shotgun-wielding psychos stopping off to change a tyre? The set-up doesn't provide an adequate rationale for the situation Aaron is aiming for.
Nonetheless, definite points for effort, since it's at least trying to illustrate a character point, and if nothing else it's better than the lead story.
A sample theological discussion between Wolverine and Nightcrawler
Wolverine, volume 3, issue #6 features one of numerous comics in which Nightcrawler's religiosity is an important part of the story, and one of many stories in which Nightcrawler's deep faith is contrasted with Wolverine's relative lack of faith and religious understanding. This story takes place at a what is a relatively low point for Nightcrawler, religiously speaking. This is not long after he has abandoned his preparation to become a priest, due to the mechanations of a supervillain. Yet, despite that, Nightcrawler is still clearly a deeply religious and deeply principled character.
Below are some excerpts of the dialogue from this story, written by Greg Rucka and penciled by Darick Robertson. This discussion between Nightcrawler and Wolverine takes place in a New York City bar, where Wolverine has invited Nightcrawler to meet him after Wolverine's latest particularly soul-wrenching adventure:
Nightcrawler walks into the bar, where Wolverine is already sitting. Nightcrawler is using his image inducer to appear as a Catholic priest, complete with white collar and black shirt.
BARTENDER: Can I help you, father?
KURT WAGNER: A beer, please
LOGAN: Make it a pitcher and three glasses. Put it on my tab.
KURT WAGNER: Thank you, my son.
LOGAN: Knock it off.
[Kurt moves to place his hand on Logan's shoulder in either a consoling or greeting gesture.]
LOGAN: And don't think about touching me unless you're gonna look like you when you do it, Elf.
KURT WAGNER: I'm not certain that's the best idea, my friend. You know how people reat to my appearance.
LOGAN: Jo!
BARTENDER: Show the "Father" your right hand.
LOGAN: Your hand, Jo.
BARTENDER: Always wanted to play show and tell with a priest.
KURT WAGNER: Ah, you don't--
BARTENDER: It's all right, Father . . . I won't lead you into temptation. [The bartender shows her right hand, which is clearly the hand of a mutant. She has a squid-like or octopus-like suction surface on the palm of her right hand, and her fingers are shaped somewhat like tentacles.] I'll have Brady get you boys some peanuts. [She walks away, to give Kurt and Logan some privacy.]
LOGAN: There you go, Elf. No more excuses. [Logan is letting Kurt know that he does not need to use his image inducer to mask his mutant appearance.]
[Kurt touches a device concealed in his belt, and drops the hologram mask that made him look like a normal human priest. Now he appears as his regular furry blue self. He is not wearing a priest's vestments, but is wearing simply a regular shirt and blue jeans.]
KURT WAGNER: Better?
LOGAN: Better is you not having to hide yourself. But it's a start.
KURT WAGNER: You're in a mood.
LOGAN: Has nothing to do with it.
KURT WAGNER: No. Of course not.
[After some small talk, not excerpted here...]
KURT WAGNER: What happened?
LOGAN: Nothing happened.
KURT WAGNER: Certainly something did. You're even more unpleasant than normal. And you could use a shower, I might add.
LOGAN: You think I don't know how I smell? You think I don't know?
KURT WAGNER: Self-loathinig does not become you, Logan.
LOGAN: This from a guy who hides his face?
BARTENDER: You want me to just run a tube from the keg for you?
LOGAN: Can you do that?
BARTENDER: I'll look into it.
LOGAN: What?
KURT WAGNER: She likes you.
LOGAN: That's her mistake.
KURT WAGNER: [Long pause.] What was her name?
LOGAN: What?
KURT WAGNER: The girl who died. The one you couldn't save. What was her name?
LOGAN: Lucy. Lucy Braddock. She was seventeen, Kurt.
KURT WAGNER: Is it working? The beer? Must be hard to punish yourself when your healing factor fights you every inch of the way.
LOGAN: You have no idea.
KURT WAGNER: Yet here you are, doing your best impression of a fish. We have both seen innocents suffer before, my friend. We have both seen the inhumanity of man to his fellow man. Why is Lucy Braddock so different that you drive across the country for three days without rest to meet me here, and to engage in this vain attempt to torture your liver?
[Logan says nothing.]
KURT WAGNER: Seventeen is too young, I agree. Seventy, some would say, is too young as well. We have both seen too much death, lost too many we have cared for. But as trite as it is to say, Logan, death is part of life. Even unnatural death, even, perhaps, murder.
LOGAN: Not murder.
KURT WAGNER: You think? I do not advocate it, of course, but I would point out that every Judeo-Christian religion has murder in the basic text. Cain slew Abel, and thus the world knew murder. One could argue that murder is as natural as dying of old age.
LOGAN: You don't really believe that.
KURT WAGNER: I am no longer sure what I believe, my friend. My grasp of ethical and theological theory is slipping, to say the least. As a result, I am forced more often than not to rely on the facts as I know them. Actions always speak louder than words. You know this better than anyone. Your actions have always mrked you, to me, as a good man. As an honorable man.
[Long pause.]
LOGAN: Three days ago I killed twenty-seven men.
[Kurt stares, speechless.]
LOGAN: Not much to say to that, huh, Elf?
KURT WAGNER: You were enraged?
LOGAN: All the way to the bone.
KURT WAGNER: And these men, they had earned this rage?
LOGAN: You're looking for an excuse.
KURT WAGNER: No, my friend, I'm straining to understand. Because if you tell me that these twenty-seven men were innocents all, then you are everything you have always feared yourself to be. And you would have to be stopped.
LOGAN: And you'd stop me?
KURT WAGNER: No. But I would die trying.
[A long pause as they stare at each other grimly.]
LOGAN: They were a cult. They'd broken a town. Made it afraid. They kidnapped women. Girls. And they used them up.
KURT WAGNER: Then you are describing evil, my friend. And evil begets evil.
LOGAN: Me.
KURT WAGNER: Ah, I see. If that is your question, Logan, I cannot help you.
LOGAN: You were a priest. Absolve me.
KURT WAGNER: Oh, it would be wonderful if it worked like that, wouldn't I? What a world we would have . . . legions of sinners, all committing their crimes with abandon! Safe in the knowledge that absolution was just one quick trip to the church away! They tried it once, you know. During the Middles Ages [sic]. Enough gold, you could be forgiven anything. Would you like that? Such a hollow forgiveness?
LOGAN: Do I need forgiveness?
KURT WAGNER: Isn't that what you're after? Were those men evil? Without question? By killing them in your rage, are you evil? You are unique, Logan. And I do not speak of what has been done to you. Is the wolf evil when it culls the sickness from the herd?
[The bartender flips a sign on the door to show the bar is closed. Logan puts cash on the bar to pay his tab. Kurt and Logan walk out of the bar and stand in pouring rain.]
LOGAN: That thing about wolves . . . I'm not an animal. I'm not.
KURT WAGNER: I know, my friend. I know you aren't.
LOGAN: . . . I'm not . . .
[End of this issue]
From The Uncanny X-Men #165:
Logan: "What's doin', bub?"
Kurt: "What does it look like?"
Logan: "Incongruous. I guess I never figured you for the religious type."
Kurt: "Why, don't I look the part? I admit I'm rarely seen in a church - but I draw comfort from my beliefs and from prayer. Such comfort is dearly needed now - by us all. You should try it, Logan. Who knows, you might like it."
Logan: "I did, in the army. A mistake. I believe in nothin' - never have, never will. What matters is what I can see, hear, smell, taste, thouch - tangible things, physical things. Reality. The rest is imagination."
Nightcrawler: "And you have no use for that?"
Wolverine: "Nope."
Nightcrawler: "I am sorry, my friend. I never realized how utterly, inescapably alone you must be - with nothing to hold onto but yourself. More alone than I - despite my outre appearance - could ever be."
Wolverine: "I ain't alone, bub - I got you. C'mon, lessee if they got any brew on this bucket."
From: Radford, Bill, "Holy Superhero! Comic books increasingly making reference to faith", published in Colorado Springs Gazette, 6 May 2006 (http://www.gazette.com/display.php?secid=20; viewed 8 May 2006):
"I think when I go to superheroes, I see there is a religious metaphor to begin with," says comic-book writer Steven T. Seagle. That metaphor is most obvious with Superman, he says.
"He's the one who's better than us. He's more moral than us. He's more pure than us. He makes better choices than us, and therefore he is an example in a way that God or Christ is an example."
Generally, though, comic book characters aren't as simple or pure as they once were. Consider Marvel's Punisher, who exacts deadly vengeance, or Wolverine, who erupts in fits of animal rage.
Discussion
From: "Religious Affiliations of the Superheroes", posted 18 June 2006 on "Street Prophets" blog website (http://www.streetprophets.com/story/2006/6/18/11384/1397; viewed 20 June 2006):
Elizabeth D on Sun Jun 18th, 2006 at 09:57:13 PDT:
I thought Wolverine as a Buddhist was odd too, but then I thought of the Shaolin Monks and wondered if maybe Buddhism is a way for the character to try to practice his fighting talents in a disciplined and ethical way?
appleblossombeck on Sun Jun 18th, 2006 at 11:06:31 PDT:
On Wolverine and Buddhism. Or anybody and anything, for that matter. There are very few characters who are acknowledged to be adherents of any one religion. Magneto, Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde being among the few examples. For these characters, like a lot of humans, their faith or former faith is a part of their identity. To change this would be to change the character. With characters who have no known faith, writers get a lot of leeway in showing the character involved in ceremonies, prayer, or questioning. Wolverine, due to his international nature, is one of the great examples of this. I bet I could go through my comics collection and find an instance of him either showing knowledge of or asking about pretty much every major religion. To the list in the article, I can add his knowledge of Canadian First Nations beliefs, as seen in his various interactions with Snowbird, Wendigo, and Shaman from Alpha Flight. Logan's Origin story showed his family to have no contact with clergy or involvement with a church. I think his involvement with Buddhism is that he respects it and greatly desires the peace he sees in that path, but he doesn't believe himself capable of finding that peace. That's part of the great poignancy of his character: his constant and unending search for peace and his own humanity.
From: Rebecca Salek, "Spirituality In Comics", on "Sequential Tart" website (http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/dec03/tth_1203.shtml; viewed 5 January 2006):
For many people. December is a month which contains celebrations of religious, spiritual or cultural significance. For many people. December is a month which contains celebrations of religious, spiritual or cultural significance. In recognition of that, this month the Tarts pick out what they consider to be the best representations of spirituality in comic books...
Susan: I think the most touching thing I saw, that has stayed in my memory for years now, is a page in -- let me see if I can recall correctly -- an X-Men issue from the 1980s. They're out in Shi'ar space, desperate straits, et cetera. Wolverine walks by Nightcrawler's cabin and sees him on his knees, praying. There is a small discussion of his faith. That little scene has stuck with me more than Jean Grey sacrificing herself on the moon. My point was, they didn't dwell on it, didn't seem to try to make it all moralizing and hokey. It was very, well, matter-of-fact. And all the more touching for that. Especially considering the two characters involved. Wolverine would be the last person you would expect to respect someone's faith. Kurt's calm avowal of faith is not preachy, he's just saying what he believes. It illustrated that there's always things we don't know about people, even those we are close to. And that not all religious people are fanatics.
From: "X-Men and Religion" forum discussion page, started 21 August 2005, on ComixFan.com website (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/archive/index.php/t-35318.html):
Thaddeus Hettle
Aug 21, 2005, 10:10 pm
Wolverine became an atheist after Cyber killed his girlfriend back during WWI.
Anybody remember the episode of the old X-Men cartoon where the met Nightcrawler? He was all like, "turn to God for--" and then Wolvie knocks over a candelabra and yells "THERE IS NO GOD!"
From: "Superman as Christian Allegory? The religion of Comics" message board started 14 June 2006 on Military.com website (http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/672198221/m/8000028270001/p/2; viewed 20 June 2006):
BlindSword
Wolverine spent considerable time in Japan, even marrying a couple of Japanese women, and has been seen in prayer in both Shinto and Buddhist Temples.
Excerpts from: "Are Superheroes Religious?" forum page, started 13 May 2004, in "The John Byrne Forum" section of the Byrne Robotics website (http://jb.24-7intouch.com/forum/get_topic.asp?FID=3&TID=558&DIR=P; viewed 9 January 2006):
Kevin Bennett
14 May 2004 at 5:28 am
I enjoy it when a character's faith (or lack of it) is explored. Done properly, it can enrich characterization and be a powerful dramatic tool. I recall a long ago scene in X-Men when they were fighting the Brood where the atheist Wolverine and the Christian Nightcrawler had a brief discussion about faith, and I really liked the issue from around the same period in which the X-Men were battling Dracula. Wolverine attempts to make the sign of the Cross, but it has no effect on the vampire because he isn't a believer. However, Nightcrawler's cross works, and Dracula also burns his hand on Kitty's Star of David necklace when he grabs her.
From: "The Nightcrawler as a Roman Catholic Superhero FAQ" message board started 18 December 2005 on "Nightscrawlers" website (http://www.nightscrawlers.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=5447; viewed 3 June 2006):
chicory
posted on 14/3/06 at 21:25
I love what Nightcrawler's spirituality and religion give to the character - and those moments, like the conversation with the Logan after the brood encounter and the power that the cross and the star of david had when wielded by a person of faith were high moments.
The animated episode though really got on my nerves when I saw it recently. (It was nice being able to catch X-men at the convenient 11:30pm time slot whenever I remembered too - which I now think wasn't often enough since they replaced it with Power Rangers )
But, I preferred the subtle message offered in the comics to the heavy-handed way they did the animated story. Like on the brood ship Logan, who's lived a long time and seen a lot and possibly lost his faith a long time ago is allowed to keep his own religious beliefs. (That was a great exchange where Kurt tells Logan he can't imagine how lonely he must be and then Logan just replies that he has Kurt and then suggests they go and find some beer . Very subtle.
I didn't like how in the cartoon it's all presented as though there's only one correct way to think and one place to be in that way of thinking. With Jubilee and then the end where Rogue finds Wolverine in the church playing.
I'm not sure why that bothered me so much. I thought that Nightcrawler's place worked for him in the monastery - I just didn't like how the other characters reacted to his "message" I guess...
From: "Religious Inclinations of heroes" message board, started 1 March 2005 on StarDestroyer.net website (http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?t=63632; viewed 8 June 2006):
lgot
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 11:49 pm
Wolverine also proclaims to not trust any God to save him but he does not disbelieve him. Which is pretty much the best logic possible in DC and Marvel also, because the existense of God(s) there is without doubt.
From: "Religious Beliefs of Marvel Characters" discussion board started 20 October 2004 on Comic-Forum.com website (http://www.comic-forum.com/marvel/Religious_beliefs_of_Marvel_characters_397905.html; viewed 8 June 2006):
Date: 20 Oct 2004 21:55:56
From: OSinner1
Subject: Religious beliefs of Marvel characters?
Does anybody know the religious beliefs of various characters?
Date: 21 Oct 2004 01:45:45
From: JWMeritt
Trick question! There ARE Gods that are Marvel characters. One blatantly obvious: A vampire is repelled by religious symbols...
...The few times it [religion] has played a role is when Wolvie made a cross in front of Dracula, who was suprised by its non-effect (it was wielded by a nonbeliever), and Nightcrawler took the cross away from Wolvie and seared Drac big time. And then Drac was burned on Kittie's Star of David. And of course the Vamp that sputtered out on Thor's hammer...
Date: 22 Oct 2004 14:06:41
From: Del
Out of interest, are there any comic characters, mainstream or otherwise, that are unbelievers? And if so, how do they tend to be depicted?
Date: 23 Oct 2004 10:08:27
From: Matt Deres
The one that comes to mind first is Wolverine, since he explicitly stated his position in UXM [Uncanny X-Men] 166 (I think) during the Brood wars. He has a brief discussion with Nightcrawler, whom he had found praying. Kurt said he felt sorry for Logan, since he (Kurt) is never truly alone since he has God.
The excerpts below are from a newsgroup discussing, among other topics, the scene in which the Reverend William Conovor appeared to heal Wolverine from a Brood infection through the power of his (Reverend Conover's) Christian faith in God. Did Rev. Conover actually use his Christian faith to heal Wolverine, or did Wolverine say nothing to contradict this supposition, and thus allow the Christian clergyman to believe this is what happened? Also, Wolverine's status as an "atheist" is mentioned briefly. From: "Claremont's 'Revenge' / CC Trademarks" thread on rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks/browse_thread/thread/b6c76ad39ebedbac/82cfea80ebc7bade; viewed 12 June 2006):
From: Samy Merchi
Date: Mon, May 11 1998 12:00 am Also note that it is more often than most atheistic characters mention their atheism. Atheism is not supported any more than any religion. The whole issue is simply avoided in books. From: Johan Lundstrom
Date: Tues, May 12 1998 12:00 am
Right. Wolverine and Magneto are by far the most outspoken atheists, and even they rarely mention it.
From: Tim Elf
Date: Mon, May 11 1998 12:00 am
re: "Does anyone have any other instances of positive (or negative) portrayals of religion in comics?"
Positive: Glory Day Ministries, the preacher and his wife tied into the Brood saga, introduced by Claremont, but really developed by John Ostrander in the X-Men/Brood LS. An excellent example of a postive, fair portrayal of Christianity in comic books.
From: Samy Merchi
Date: Mon, May 11 1998 12:00 am
...Rev Conover's been mentioned several times: He pushed a Brood embryo into submission with the power of God.
From: Johan Lundstrom
Date: Tues, May 12 1998 12:00 am
We can't be sure; the scene was deliberately ambigous. It could have been a miracle or just Wolverine's healing factor finally catching up.
From: Samy Merchi
Date: Wed, May 13 1998 12:00 am
Yes, well, it's possible to read it that way. Personally, I always read it as Claremont attributing power to God, but not wanting to be obvious about it and therefore possibly offend people of other religions by implying that the Christian God was the real one.
From: Bigbear
Date: Wed, May 13 1998 12:00 am
I just reread that issue the other night and I definately got the impression that Logan's healing factor caught up and fought off the Brood embryo. His healing factor was already working on fighting it off before he confronted the Rev. Then he went all Brood-y for a bit before his healing factor kicked into overdrive and got rid of the foul thing. When the Rev thought it was a power from god I don't think Logan said anything otherwise because he didn't want to take anything away the guy's faith.
That was a very good issue IMO [in my opinion]. He was supposed to go work towards easing mutant/human relations. He was definitely going to be a high profile muntant rights human. Was he ever heard from again? It would nice to have one of the books touch on that. They could say that he's been an active member of Chuck's underground or something.
From: "The religions of comic book characters" thread started 10 February 2001 on rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe/browse_thread/thread/13590fda80c5d6e1/e5e0b094ced80f0b; viewed 12 June 2006):
From: Terry McCombs
Date: Sat, Feb 10 2001 6:35 pm
For the most part you don't get much of an idea as to the private lives of most comic book characters. Marvelish soap opera not withstanding.
What I mean is you don't get much of an idea what their politics or religion might be. This is sensible enough I guess as they don't want to offend any of their customers... for the most part you just can't really say just what, if any religion or personal philosophy that or that comic character might follow.
What do you think?
From: Menshevik
Date: Sun, Feb 11 2001 6:05 am
...As far as Marvel is concerned, there are a few characters where you do: ...Religious issues did show up quite a bit in the X-Men, with Catholics Nightcrawler and Gambit, the Native American heritage of Moonstar and Forge, the rather hazy goddess apparently worshipped by Storm, Wolfsbane's Scottish Presbyterianism, Cannonball's not specified church (not exactly specified, but Protestant and possibly verging or belonging to a fundamentalist denomination), and Kitty Pryde's very secularized Judaism. Colossus was, judging by some of his conversations with Kurt, raised as a well-behaved Communisit atheist, and Wolverine is a proudly-proclaimed agnostic.
From: "Religion of the X-Men" message board started 15 May 2005 on Comic Book Resources website (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/archive/index.php/t-58362.html; viewed 13 June 2006):
Emerald Ghost
05-15-2005, 05:56 PM
Do you ever wonder what religion an X-Man is? I know they are just characters, but still, just for the fun of it.
I am wondering if you could guess their religion by their character, or what they've said, etc.
Jesse Newcomb
05-15-2005, 06:53 PM
...Magma worships the Roman gods so she's a pagan. We know that Alex is raised as a Catholic... Storm worships her goddess. And Logan worship nothing...
The Lucky One
05-15-2005, 07:38 PM
...As for [other] characters...
Jean Grey - some branch of Christianity...
Archangel - Protestant
Havok - Catholic, apparently
Nightcrawler - Catholic, devout
Colossus, Magik - atheist (or now perhaps simply agnostic)
Storm - pagan
Wolverine - atheist (but has been to Heaven, plus seen power of cross wielded by faithful [Nightcrawler] repel Dracula)
Kitty Pryde, Sabra - Jewish
Cannonball - Southern Baptist
Karma, Sunspot - Catholic
Wolfsbane - Scots Presbyterian
Mirage - Cheyenne, plus some Asgard, presumably
Magma - Roman-Greco gods
Cypher - Some branch of Christianity
The Fury
05-16-2005, 02:11 AM
