This is an archive of Batman-News.com from 2010 to 2025. For the latest news, check out BatmanNews.com

15 Years of Coverage (2010-2025)

Batman News Archive

Zack Snyder says Batman's spear in 'Batman v Superman' was a Jesus metaphor

By

Chris Begley

·

on Zack Snyder says Batman's spear in 'Batman v Superman' was a Jesus metaphor

Zack Snyder hasn't been shy about comparing Henry Cavill's Superman to Jesus in both Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Some of the references and imagery have been obvious, while others not as much. Today on Vero, Snyder shared a metaphor that you may not have noticed.

"Why with all the technology at his disposal would Batman build a spear?," Snyder asked. "Here's why," he said along with an image of Jesus hanging on the cross and a man about to pierce him with a spear.

Some fans have appreciated all of the comparisons Snyder has made between Superman and Jesus, while others have found it to be distasteful. Let me know where you stand in the comments below, but please, keep it respectful!

This is an archive of Batman-News.com from 2010 to 2025. For the latest news, check out BatmanNews.com

Comments (468)

Leave a comment

Join the conversation

A free account lets you comment, like comments, and get an alert when someone replies to you.

Continue with Disqus

or

Sign Up Now
  1. WhitePortuguese Avatar
    WhitePortuguese

    https://i.imgur.com/N2fpIlO...

  2. BROWN_KNIGHT 4 Trump Avatar
    BROWN_KNIGHT 4 Trump

    I hate that Zack does this. I come from a religious household, sounds like hes a devout catholic. Keep that in your private life. All due respect, but people do not want to see that. Besides, hollyweird never gets biblical stories accurate. Always changing the narrative.

    1. Human target Avatar
      Human target

      Superman has always been an allegory for jesus

      1. Royal Ruler Avatar
        Royal Ruler

        Only one word
        WRONG

        1. Human target Avatar
          Human target

          Summarizes your comment.

      2. BROWN_KNIGHT 4 Trump Avatar
        BROWN_KNIGHT 4 Trump

        I lnow. Its not needed on film.

        1. Human target Avatar
          Human target

          It's part of his origin and character.

    2. Schuyler Finley Avatar
      Schuyler Finley

      What? You’re just joking, right?

      1. BROWN_KNIGHT 4 Trump Avatar
        BROWN_KNIGHT 4 Trump

        No

        1. Schuyler Finley Avatar
          Schuyler Finley

          Why? Religious references are common in films, not just Superman films.

          1. BROWN_KNIGHT 4 Trump Avatar
            BROWN_KNIGHT 4 Trumpreplying to Schuyler Finley

            What I mean is. Religion and comics should not be mixed. Keep your personal beliefs at home.

          2. Nightwing Fan J Avatar
            Nightwing Fan Jreplying to BROWN_KNIGHT 4 Trump

            Religion has been a huge part of comics since the very beginning. Superman was created as a messianic figure. The name "El" literally means God.

          3. Schuyler Finley Avatar
            Schuyler Finleyreplying to Nightwing Fan J

            And his creators were Jewish. I'm pretty damn sure they knew what they were doing when they had added El into his name.

          4. Schuyler Finley Avatar
            Schuyler Finleyreplying to BROWN_KNIGHT 4 Trump

            Then you may as well tell that to every artist and writer. There’s no reason for comics to be the only ones barred from containing religious references.

  3. BAK Avatar
    BAK

    Hey Zack. What was the Jesus allegory of Batman smashing Superman's head with a bathroom sink?

    1. Human target Avatar
      Human target

      Mankinds evil hurting jesus

  4. Qthetar . Avatar
    Qthetar .

    Wow. I can’t believe WB let this hack make them movies. Zack should just piss off, and take his vision and shove it up you know what. Nobody cares about you. You ruined a beloved franchise. Smh

    1. Human target Avatar
      Human target

      Oh shut the fuck up. Quit your whining and trolling.

    2. Red Devils Avatar
      Red Devils

      I do...I actually care a lot what he has to say. Best comic book director in my opinion.
      So there you go!

      1. Qthetar . Avatar
        Qthetar .

        Wow. Best comic book director lol. I will try to see it as sarcasm.

        1. Red Devils Avatar
          Red Devils

          There's no sarcasm here. Just my honest opinion and clearly you can't comprehend that there are more like me out in the world that loves his movies.

          1. Qthetar . Avatar
            Qthetar .replying to Red Devils

            All power to you. Clearly he’s not even top 15 directors for comic book movies but hey I can understand there are delusional Snyder fanboys out there.

      2. kan Avatar
        kan

        Your CB director ruined the DCEU, so there is that.

        1. Red Devils Avatar
          Red Devils

          My CB director actually made DCEU, which is amazing. So there you go!

          1. kan Avatar
            kanreplying to Red Devils

            Keep telling yourself that. Where is he? Oh yeah....they FIRED him. HAAAAA!!

  5. Kaingerc Avatar
    Kaingerc

    sure, Snyder.
    because you are so subtle with your metaphors, no one noticed that before.

    https://jesusmoviechrist.fi...

    1. Red Devils Avatar
      Red Devils

      A masterpiece.

    2. Human target Avatar
      Human target

      He's very subtle.

    3. Kouglof Avatar
      Kouglof

      I haven't noticed those references in Man of Steel, and I've really appreciated them after I knew them.

  6. Görkem Tire Avatar
    Görkem Tire

    And change movie name Batman vs Jesus-El. Wè dont want Mythology movie we want a good DC movie god dammit! Like Batman Begins

    1. Red Devils Avatar
      Red Devils

      Yea like MOS which is a better movie than Batman Begins and Wonder Woman. Just saying....keep these references coming Zack!

  7. thefallen83 Avatar
    thefallen83

    **Trigger Word Detected**
    <trigger>Zack Snyder</trigger>

    1. SuperBat Avatar
      SuperBat

      LOL Triggered ?
      https://media.giphy.com/med...

      1. thefallen83 Avatar
        thefallen83

        Not me, but apparently you. :)

  8. SDMF Avatar
    SDMF

    We get it, Snyder, you think you're God's gift to CBM. You're not. More like a false prophet.

    1. Human target Avatar
      Human target

      Nope, he's a goddamn treasure.

  9. BugsMeany Avatar
    BugsMeany

    So...Snyder is just sitting around "confirming" things about a movie that came out two years ago? Is he trying to get people to create Vero accounts so they can suck him off in the comments?

    1. Red Devils Avatar
      Red Devils

      Nah it's because these types of movies are deep layered and shows the real world effects to these meanings and characters. I love it. It's different from casual, fun flicks where you have FUN watching it then becomes forgettable.

      1. BugsMeany Avatar
        BugsMeany

        I was young once, and called things "deep" without a trace of irony.

    2. Human target Avatar
      Human target

      Or maybe answering fan questions

  10. Sense Avatar
    Sense

    Did somebody say cross...

    https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

  11. Human target Avatar
    Human target

    You forgot to add........not.

  12. Red Devils Avatar
    Red Devils

    If I were WB, I would throw a press conference announcing how DC movies should carry the path Nolan and Snyder have taken following movies like Batman trilogy, MOS, BVS and WW. Where the characters are grounded, relatable and Dark. Yes how DC will not do like Marvel. They should make Zack, Wan, Jenkins, Goyer and J Johns consultants and continue their storyboard from there.
    And they will keep producing movies that are risky and different even when critics bash it and not change their core beliefs!

    1. UltimateEdition Avatar
      UltimateEdition

      yup. unfortunately they have had similar announcements in the past where they said they were more “director driven”... except we all know that WB says one thing and does another

  13. UltimateEdition Avatar
    UltimateEdition

    you could also argue that Bruce chose a spear because it’s more of an “intimate” kill as well as how he talked about the first generation of Wayne’s who made their fortune from pelts... “they were hunters... “

  14. Human target Avatar
    Human target

    Hahaha hahaha wrong

    1. Human target Avatar
      Human target

      ;)

  15. Royal Ruler Avatar
    Royal Ruler

    It satisfies me to trashed zombies

  16. Christian Sander Avatar
    Christian Sander

    Lol... if you need to explain a reference two years after a movie came out because nobody noticed it, guess what: it wasn't a reference! :-D

    1. LobsterHov Avatar
      LobsterHov

      Except most people probably noticed it.

      1. Christian Sander Avatar
        Christian Sander

        lol, no they didn't ! :-D

  17. LobsterHov Avatar
    LobsterHov

    Okay, that's cool.

    Honestly, reading other comments here, I must say that engaging in the typical war of words between fans and haters over such an article is truly pointless. You're just feeding your respective bubbles of rage, nothing more.

  18. kan Avatar
    kan

    A better ending to this movie would have been to cut out the tacked on Hobbit cave troll add-on, and went with... https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

    "... the steamy gay bromance at the heart of Batman v Superman. I enjoyed Alfred's audience-nudging hints that Bruce Wayne is a confirmed bachelor who will never marry. Ha! And Clark Kent as a super-buff gym bunny whose tormented double life could wreck his relationship with Lois? Great stuff, pure Douglas Sirk. Bruce's feverish dreams about being chained up and manhandled in Superman's sex dungeon? Fifty Shades of Gotham, bro. And as for that crackle of sexual tension when Batman and Superman finally square up for their big wrestling match — come on guys, get a room!"

    1. FUN Avatar
      FUN

      Wow! You noticed all that! Cool!

      Now tell me about Cap's gay bromance that started the Civil War!

      1. kan Avatar
        kan

        Wow! Sounds like that is your story to tell.

        1. FUN Avatar
          FUN

          Nope, it's yours. To prove how unbiased you are, marveltard.

  19. Smart Ass Avatar
    Smart Ass

    Insert your "Well, duh!" Here.

  20. residentgrigo Avatar
    residentgrigo

    The Kryptonite spear is also from DC Universe Online. Lex used it there, but Batman is "his" gladiator in BvS. The scene in question from the game trailer: https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/r...

    So well done Zack. Bat´s spear now even showed up in a few comics, so it became iconic in it´s own right. MoS answers even had an ep. on the spear.

  21. Daniel Avatar
    Daniel

    Storytellers (especially filmmakers) have always been coy about the Superman-Jesus allusions. I'm not religious, but from a thematic and literary perspective I'm glad that Snyder went all in and doubled down on it like no one else before him. The biggest disappointment about WB's sabotage of "JL" was that Snyder had carefully mapped out the Superman story to explicitly mimic the Jesus story, with each movie focusing on a key part of Jesus' life (birth, death, resurrection). "JL" got shortchanged by the WB-Whedon-Johns sabotage in not being able to fully bring to life the resurrection chapter (no pun intended). There was a lot more thought put into this trilogy than most critics give it credit for.

    1. Kerk Lastnameless Avatar
      Kerk Lastnameless

      No, there wasn't. Not only does he not get Superman, but he does not get Jesus either. That was not how he lived or died.

  22. Pateick Avatar
    Pateick

    I'm all for the comparison...Superman is my all time favorite superhero. I support these movies but my biggest gripe is that Superman didn't act like Superman or "Jesus"since that was what they were going for he should have been a savior and spreading the word to be a better person. Not only the word but the action of stepping in and helping. He should have stood for something instead of sad that he doesn't feel like he is doing the right thing. The god like fear is that he can't be everywhere but show that he will never give up or hang his head. That would have given us a better divide from Batman and Superman in the vs. Movie.

  23. myzterius Avatar
    myzterius

    “Even if Marvel didn’t exist, we’d struggle,” Cavill admitted. “There was a style they were going for, an attempt to be different and look at things from a slightly different perspective, which hasn’t necessarily worked. Yes, it has made money but it has not been a critical success; it hasn’t given everyone that sensation which superheroes should give the viewer.”

    “I think it is a wonderful time for the female hero,” Cavill said on the topic of Wonder Woman. “It is the perfect setting in social politics right now, we need it, we want that perspective, and Wonder Woman has struck at the ideal time and has become a phenomenal success, which is fantastic. Any success within the superhero universe, especially within the DC Universe, is wonderful, because I want to keep telling the Superman story; selfishly, that works for me.”

    “I feel like now the right mistakes have been made and they haven’t been pandered [to], and we can start telling the stories in the way they need to be told,” Cavill added. “It is even better to come back from a mistake or stylistic error into the correct vein because it will make it seem that much stronger. Wonder Woman was the first step in the right direction.”

    Henry cavill words

    1. Royal Ruler Avatar
      Royal Ruler

      What's the point of this comment?

      1. myzterius Avatar
        myzterius

        It was suppose to be a reply to homani but it landed here by mistake.

  24. marsz Avatar
    marsz

    Zack Snyder is God, so it makes sense.

  25. Rorschach Avatar
    Rorschach

    I love Zack, but I actually interpret the spear as having a different -- and deeper -- symbolism. Terrio wrote, after all, and he is a British literature scholar. He was very much referring back to the conclusion of "Excalibur," the 1981 film adaptation of "Le Morte D'Arthur." The movie is one of Snyder's favorites, and the story itself -- as Terrio would know -- is the greatest piece of Arthurian mythology out there. (It's also alluded to in the opening sequence of Bruce's parents being killed, as we know at this point, which is a brilliant piece of foreshadowing and, in a way, parallel structure -- which the film is full of.)

    This video does a nice job of showing the visual parallels between the 1981 film's climactic fight and the end of BVS, when Superman must wield the spear to stop Doomsday: https://youtu.be/B-C8Bfxth5...

    The spear, like Excalibur, is a symbol of divine fate. This movie is in many ways obsessed with divinity and with fate. "Must be there a Superman?" "There is." This is a movie about a world that can be ugly, but a world, nonetheless, that simply is. We are all bound by divine fate. And sometimes, within that fate, we elevate ourselves to glory and honor -- which Excalibur also represented, of course -- like Superman. And sometimes, like Mordred, we betray those who mean something to us (and ourselves), and we fall into darkness (as Batman does in this film, before ultimately finding redemption). And actually, even Doomsday is a Mordred figure, which makes sense, born from Kryptonian blood but ultimately betraying his Kryptonian brother.

    Again, I love Zack. But if we simply chalk it up to a Jesus reference, we miss some of the other nuance here too. And I don't think he meant to ignore that so much as to point out something Jesus-related at Easter time.

  26. Jonny Hesbøl Avatar
    Jonny Hesbøl

    https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

  27. Jay Sherer Avatar
    Jay Sherer

    We did an entire podcast on Man of Steel and Snyder’s comparisons to Jesus:
    https://thestorygeeks.org/2...

  28. Seb is a Socialist Avatar
    Seb is a Socialist

    still retarded like ur username

    1. Seb is a Socialist Avatar
      Seb is a Socialist

      no ur username is probably the most retarded thing i ever saw bud lolz

      1. Seb is a Socialist Avatar
        Seb is a Socialist

        ur username beat it lolz

      2. TimTaison Avatar
        TimTaison

        Shall I dump his fat ass in North Korea, Masta?

    2. TimTaison Avatar
      TimTaison

      Ouches
      Masta schooled your ass now what do you say
      “Yes Masta please may I please have some mo”

  29. Reverse_Flash Avatar
    Reverse_Flash

    As far as we know, Jesus didn't break necks.

    1. kan Avatar
      kan

      So True!

      The opening perspective in BvS is told from the little guys who are getting crushed and killed. It is a stark reminder of how the previous film had been fundamentally wrong. Why?

      Because no authentic incarnation of SuperJesus would allow for that to happen. He can't save everyone, but he would never have created a situation where such destruction and loss of life happened BECAUSE of what he chose to do.

    2. Thanasis Avatar
      Thanasis

      I agree with you a lot but this is a stupid comment. Jesus/God killed a fuck ton of people. God has committed a ton of mass genocides.

      1. Kouglof Avatar
        Kouglof

        WTF?!

      2. Nightwing Fan J Avatar
        Nightwing Fan J

        You need to fact check that

        1. Thanasis Avatar
          Thanasis

          Two words, the flood.

        2. Thanasis Avatar
          Thanasis

          Sodom and Gomorrah. Drowning the Egyptian army that pursued Moses

        3. Thanasis Avatar
          Thanasis

          And so on and so forth.

          1. Nightwing Fan J Avatar
            Nightwing Fan Jreplying to Thanasis

            All of those stories have one thing in common: evil being erased.

          2. Thanasis Avatar
            Thanasisreplying to Nightwing Fan J

            Doesn't mean jack shit. Batman is technically killing bad men. Killing is still killing. Regardless of who does it.

          3. Nightwing Fan J Avatar
            Nightwing Fan Jreplying to Thanasis

            Okay

          4. Thanasis Avatar
            Thanasisreplying to Nightwing Fan J

            Yeah ok.

        4. Thanasis Avatar
          Thanasis

          Killing 185 thousand soldiers in their sleep.

  30. Fierro Avatar
    Fierro

    Another pathetic "news" about Snyder fails

Browse By Topic

Browse By Year

Browse By Author

This is an archive of Batman-News.com from 2010 to 2025. For the latest news, check out BatmanNews.com