Orthodoxy & Comics: Is Paganism and the Old Ways being brought back via Comics?

[inconsequential]

I could see an Orthodox superhero being pretty easily doable if a devout Orthodox writer was involved. They have to pretty much be a superhero who happened to be Orthodox, if that makes sense. I'm reminded of the story in Fr. Arseny about the soldier who was devout. When another soldier reported him to the commanding officer the CO castigated the soldier and basically said, "He's the best soldier we have, he's brave, honest and considers the lives of his comrades above his own, we will not have him imprisoned because he's a Christian, just overlook it.

Genuine faith and Orthodox values would make for a very heroic person IMO. The things Cap does, and the bravery he demonstrates before the procedure really resonates with people on a deep level. The grenade scene in the movie gave me chills and made regard him as a hero right then. I mean, the guy jumped on a grenade he presumed real, to save the lives of men who were likely making fun of him on a regular basis. Now if we could put such Christ-like virtues in a character who did them because of his/her faith, that would be awesome to see.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

I could see an Orthodox superhero being pretty easily doable if a devout Orthodox writer was involved. They have to pretty much be a superhero who happened to be Orthodox, if that makes sense. I'm reminded of the story in Fr. Arseny about the soldier who was devout. When another soldier reported him to the commanding officer the CO castigated the soldier and basically said, "He's the best soldier we have, he's brave, honest and considers the lives of his comrades above his own, we will not have him imprisoned because he's a Christian, just overlook it.

Genuine faith and Orthodox values would make for a very heroic person IMO. .

For the Orthodox Superhero, what would be his profile--apart from being Orthodox? Would he have any struggles? Would he have powers? Would he simply be one who trains his mind/body to the peak of human perfection? And with the values he has, which ones would be at the top---and would they be at the top due to his being Orthodox, or due to his being a hero who happens to be with Orthodoxy?

The things Cap does, and the bravery he demonstrates before the procedure really resonates with people on a deep level. The grenade scene in the movie gave me chills and made regard him as a hero right then. I mean, the guy jumped on a grenade he presumed real, to save the lives of men who were likely making fun of him on a regular basis. Now if we could put such Christ-like virtues in a character who did them because of his/her faith, that would be awesome to see

 

[Eastern Drifter]

For the Orthodox Superhero, what would be his profile--apart from being Orthodox? Would he have any struggles? Would he have powers? Would he simply be one who trains his mind/body to the peak of human perfection? And with the values he has, which ones would be at the top---and would they be at the top due to his being Orthodox, or due to his being a hero who happens to be with Orthodoxy?

I'm reminded of the haunting story of Abba Joseph from Saying of the Desert Fathers.

Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, 'Abba as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace, and, as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?' Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, 'If you will, you can become all flame.'

 

[Gxg (G²)]

I'm reminded of the haunting story of Abba Joseph from Saying of the Desert Fathers.

Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, 'Abba as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace, and, as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?' Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, 'If you will, you can become all flame.'

Cool story. But in regards to powers, essentially the man could control flames/become fire--similar to Human Torch from Fantastic Four or Sunfire from the X-Men?

 

[Eastern Drifter]

What about a man who has reached theosis? His attack is fire (like Pentecost, and the story I posted above). Except unlike the Human Torch, he can't fly, and maybe have the flames issuing from his body be white to resemble purity.

And his attacks can only drive out evil. For example. If there was a crowd of mostly innocent people, but with a few wicked men who wanted to harm the others, this hero could bathe the crowd in flames and send the wicked men running while the innocents remained normal.

The intensity of his powers would depend on his devotion to God. That means if he's in the world, he's faced with all sorts of temptations that could lessen or eventually extinguish his flame powers, so he's always struggling. It would be an excellent allegory for being Orthodox in America.

 

[Eastern Drifter]

Btw, G, always loved Gargoyles. I caught it on Toon Disney whenever possible (a channel that's been renamed to Disney XD). Even talked to Greg Weisman before on his blog where he accepted fan questions.

I want a wife like Elisa Maza someday. She's an Alpha Female cop lady.

 

[inconsequential]

Personally, I would have his powers be unrelated to his faith though his virtue and selflessness would augment their effectiveness just because of the way he used them. Although I would like to have one of his powers, maybe even the most powerful one, be a source of struggle. Maybe as an Orthodox Bruce Banner might struggle with wrath, which makes him powerful.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Personally, I would have his powers be unrelated to his faith though his virtue and selflessness would augment their effectiveness just because of the way he used them. Although I would like to have one of his powers, maybe even the most powerful one, be a source of struggle. Maybe as an Orthodox Bruce Banner might struggle with wrath, which makes him powerful.

To see someone like the Hulk as an Orthodox hero would be bananas But it would bring the point home, as it concerns struggle...and how he has to constantly keep himself under control and in discipline--not just for spiritual purposes of developing his spirit/theosis...but of keeping others out of danger...and yet knowing how to unleash/become a living weapon if he needed to.

I thought the concept of having an Orthodox hero who had the ability to heal others would make more sense...especially considering some of the stories I've heard with the monastics/healings occurring. There's one mutant who comes to mind with powers I think would suit someone in Orthodoxy--named Elixer. For a brief description of his powers:

His power is to manipulate the organic material on a genetic level which he uses to mainly heal wounds. This ability requires him to have direct contact with those he wishes to heal. Because of the nature of his power, Elixir has received in depth knowledge on human anatomy. With a greater understanding of the inner workings of the human body, he has demonstrated the ability to heal or even re-grow tissues that have been damaged beyond repair or removed completely. For example, when a classmate's heart was removed by an enemy, Elixir was able to grow a new heart in its place simply by concentrating on the construction of the human heart, re-growing one section at a time until the organ was complete. He has also demonstrated the ability to heal his own minor wounds at a subconscious level, however healing greater damage to his own body does take some degree of concentration.

Theoretically, he may even have the capacity to alter his own genetic code, which may be why he is classed as an Omega. Elixir has also demonstrated offensive uses of his powers.

...While he has begun to explore what he can do with his healing abilities, he has yet to fully explore his control over the reversal of healing, and any practice of this ability will most likely result in the death of his target.

Seriously, how may heroes and supporting characters have the super-power of healing. Not the healing of themselves, but the healing of others....and of course, I’m not counting doctors or nurses with super-powers, unless their powers include healing.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Personally, I would have his powers be unrelated to his faith though his virtue and selflessness would augment their effectiveness just because of the way he used them. Although I would like to have one of his powers, maybe even the most powerful one, be a source of struggle. Maybe as an Orthodox Bruce Banner might struggle with wrath, which makes him powerful.

Speaking of having a Devout (perhaps even monastic) Bruce Banner/Hulk, there was one version of the X-Men that actually showed one of the greatest enemies of the X-Men (and one who has also fought the Hulk) become a monk...and having to constantly struggle against his own urges for violence.

If you recall the character, Juggernaut...

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Violent and as powerful as he was, it was an interesting concept to see him switch. In one reality where (called he Age of Apocalypse ), where Professor Xavier died very early on, his death caused an end to come to the constant feud between him and his stepbrother. With nobody to project his anger on, Cain Marko became somewhat of a pacifist ...but had a great struggle in finding himself being forced to fight while not wanting to injure any human being:

If the man was Orthodox, he'd fit in well.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Cool story. But in regards to powers, essentially the man could control flames/become fire--similar to Human Torch from Fantastic Four or Sunfire from the X-Men?

no, it's more like the fire of God's Divinity, not an actual fire. I honestly don't know how an Orthodox saint comic would work out, but it would be interesting to see one get off the ground.

 

[Eastern Drifter]

no, it's more like the fire of God's Divinity, not an actual fire. I honestly don't know how an Orthodox saint comic would work out, but it would be interesting to see one get off the ground.

Matt knows a good idea when he reads one.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

What about a man who has reached theosis? His attack is fire (like Pentecost, and the story I posted above). Except unlike the Human Torch, he can't fly, and maybe have the flames issuing from his body be white to resemble purity.

And his attacks can only drive out evil. For example. If there was a crowd of mostly innocent people, but with a few wicked men who wanted to harm the others, this hero could bathe the crowd in flames and send the wicked men running while the innocents remained normal.

The intensity of his powers would depend on his devotion to God. That means if he's in the world, he's faced with all sorts of temptations that could lessen or eventually extinguish his flame powers, so he's always struggling. It would be an excellent allegory for being Orthodox in America.

Intriguing...

Btw, G, always loved Gargoyles. I caught it on Toon Disney whenever possible (a channel that's been renamed to Disney XD).

Did the same thing, Bruh, every night at 10:30-11:00pm (when it did come on).

Even talked to Greg Weisman before on his blog where he accepted fan questions.

Would love to talk to the man, as he had alot of excellent ideas...and I definately wished that he continued with the series ideas he had in mind, like Brooklyn traveling through time and others.

I want a wife like Elisa Maza someday. She's an Alpha Female cop lady.

Thought I was the only one who thought that, although I liked her due to her resourcefulness and the fact that she's an African-Native American (Black/American Indian mix) and amazingly smart.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

no, it's more like the fire of God's Divinity, not an actual fire. I honestly don't know how an Orthodox saint comic would work out, but it would be interesting to see one get off the ground.

Seeing the comic in action would be amazing. Till then, one will simply have to settle with icons

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Why not have an Orthodox individual who happened to be a villian?

 

[ArmyMatt]

Matt knows a good idea when he reads one.

haha, indeed he does

 

[inconsequential]

Why not have an Orthodox individual who happened to be a villian?

How about a lapsed Orthodox antihero who struggles with the desire to return to the Church but is haunted by some of the things he has done "for the greater good".

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

I think the time has come for a really dastardly, evil Mormon character! Perhaps he has formed his own polygamous cult in the wilderness of Idaho and has discovered ADDITIONAL lost plates of Joseph Smith in some brush. These plates were not meant for our character, and, as a result, he becomes like a Red Skull character. He manipulates his 80 wives with mind control and creates a desert army of mutated Mormon zombie super soldiers. Just an idea I'm tinkering with.

His goal? To find the planet Kolob and conquer the earth with his missionaries....

 

[StarsDeclareHisGlory]

DC lost me after the 1st crisis (1985) and marvel after secret wars (1984). I read DC from 1950s to 1985 and marvel from 1961 to 1984.

--
Isn't Elektra, a lapsed Greek Orthodox christian? I see her as a sort of anti-hero in the vein of Namor. And I think Black Widow is a practicing Russian Orthodox.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

A Jehova's Witness villain would be the greatest. Unpatriotic, hates birthdays, denies the Trinity, and somehow he finds out that he is not one of the 144,000 saved....goes rogue and wants revenge

 

[Gxg (G²)]

How about a lapsed Orthodox antihero who struggles with the desire to return to the Church but is haunted by some of the things he has done "for the greater good".

The anti-hero (which can also be a villian) seems to bring out the greatest level of conflict since they're not really trying to be "heros" and sometimes you wonder if they could become the things they hate..or do that which is truly corrupt and yet never realize it due to the good they've done, similar to what happened with many within Russian Orthodoxy when priests were working for the Communist Government in betraying other priests speaking against the system...and felt that what they did was for the good of the people.

If it were a hero trying to achieve theosis and who often justified questionable actions in the name of it since it seemed to him that they were necessary to truly grow in the Lord, it'd cause others to think.