In the world of comic books, religion doesn’t usually play a large role, which is somewhat natural as there are different kinds of creatures and characters that directly contradict traditional religious view. Just imagine a heated debate between a devout Christian superhero and, for example, Wonder Woman, a character whose mere existence disproves Christian beliefs; or, imagine, once again, a Christian debating the mysteries of the world with, let us say, Mister Mxyzptlk. These are just some examples where traditional religion wouldn’t make sense, at least when in-universe situations are concerned.
Still, despite that, there are a lot of characters that are obviously and devoutly religions in the world of comic books. Some of them are villains, some antiheroes, and some superheroes. In this article, we have decided to bring you a list of the 15 most religious superheroes (and antiheroes) in the world of comic books. Enjoy!
List of most religious superheroes
15. Connor Hawke (Green Arrow)
Name: Green Arrow
Alias: Connor Hawke
Created By: Kelley Puckett, Jim Aparo
Debut: Green Arrow #0 (1994)
Religion: Buddhism
Now, we started our list with Oliver Queen’s son, Connor Hawke, who, at one point, replaced his father as the Green Arrow. Connor Hawke was raised in an American-based Buddhist monastery and he even became a monk at one point. Although he did pick a civilian life for himself eventually, he remained a devout Buddhist and he constantly embodied Buddhist teachings in his actions.
14. Captain Canuck
Name: Captain Canuck
Alias: Tom Evans
Created By: Richard Comely, Ron Leishman
Debut: Captain Canuck #1 (1975)
Religion: Mormonism
Canada’s own version of Captain America, called Captain Canuck, was created to be a devout Mormon, as far as we understand, although the comics were never completely clear on that issue. This creator was a devout Mormon and Captain Canuck does utter Mormon-like prayers and it does seem like the denomination’s values are present in the stories, but the main issue with him is that it was never explicitly confirmed. Still, it’s enough for our list.
13. Black Panther
Name: Black Panther
Alias: T’Challa
Created By: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Debut: Fantastic Four #52 (1966)
Religion: Panther Cult
As the ruler of Wakanda, T’Challa is at the same time the head of Wakanda’s mysterious, never-defined religion. We don’t know much about it, but seeing how this reminds us of the role of the Emperor in Ancient Rome, who was also the High Priest (pontifex maximus), we are certain that Black Panther had to land a spot on our list.
12. Kitty Pryde
Name: Several
Alias: Kitty Pryde
Created By: Chris Claremont, John Byrne
Debut: Uncanny X-Men #129 (1980)
Religion: Judaism
Kitty Pride is Jewish, as was confirmed in the comics. Unlike some other characters, whose religious views were revealed decades after their debuts, Kitty Pryde’s Jewish heritage was quite obvious from the start. She wears religious symbols with her and some stories were focused on her heritage and the fact that she is a descendant of Holocaust survivors, just like Magneto. That’s good enough for us.
11. Dust
Name: Dust
Alias: Sooraya Qadir
Created By: Grant Morrison, Ethan Van Sciver
Debut: New X-Men #133 (2002)
Religion: Islam
Dust is a great example of a Muslim superhero. Her robes reveal her religious beliefs and although she is – mostly – a supporting character, which means that we don’t actually see a lot of her, so we don’t know how much she practices her religion, but she certainly does deserve a spot on our list.
10. Black Lightning
Name: Black Lightning
Alias: Jefferson Pierce
Created By: Tony Isabella, Trevor Von Eeden
Debut: Black Lightning #1 (1977)
Religion: Baptist
Black Lightning is a really great Baptist. He was created as a devout Baptist, a member of one of the most important historically black religious bodies in America, the American Baptist Churches USA (the so-called “Northern Baptist Convention”). His religious views were depicted less regularly as time passed, but he can still be considered too important to not be on our list.
9. Captain America
Name: Captain America
Alias: Steve Rogers
Created By: Joe Simon, Jack Kirby
Debut: Captain America Comics #1 (1941)
Religion: Christianity (possibly Protestantism)
Steve Rogers is the embodiment of traditional American values and he is, thus, a devout Christian. Although the comics never really stressed that thing out, we know that he is religious and that his Christian faith plays a large role in his life. He might not be a fully practicing Christian, but he certainly deserves a spot here.
8. Moon Knight
Name: Moon Knight
Alias: Marc Spector
Created By: Doug Moench, Don Perlin
Debut: Werewolf by Night #32 (1975)
Religion: Judaism
This troubled superhero from Marvel’s universe has a very interesting story. Despite the fact that his Jewish faith was revealed sometime after his debut, he has still become important enough to land a spot on our list. The irony of his character is that he, as a Jew, was chosen by an Egyptian god to become Moon Knight, which is one of those beautiful ironies present in comic books, and a reason why we love them so much.
7. The Thing
Name: The Thing
Alias: Ben Grimm
Created By: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Debut: The Fantastic Four #1 (1961)
Religion: Judaism
Despite being present since the early days of modern superhero comic books, The Thing was revealed to be Jewish long after his debut. A series of flashbacks revealed his Jewish upbringing and in later stories, he could often be seen reading the Torah in a synagogue. He also had a Bar Mitzvah! Surely this is enough for him to land a spot on our list.
6. Wonder Woman
Name: Wonder Woman
Alias: Diana Prince
Created By: William Moulton Marston, H.G. Peter
Debut:Sensation Comics #1 (1942)
Religion: Ancient Greek polytheism
Now, Wonder Woman basically is the embodiment of her own religion. Sure, she doesn’t really sacrifice goats to Zeus, but she is his daughter (or was given life by him, depending on the story) and is thus a living proof of her own religion. She might not practice it on a daily basis, but since she is her own religion, we placed her so high on the list.
5. Ghost Rider
Name: Ghost Rider
Alias: Johnny Blaze
Created By: Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, Mike Ploong
Debut: Marvel Spotlight #5 (1972)
Religion: Christianity (probably?)
As far as Ghost Rider is concerned, he probably has the best story to tell of the whole lot. Johnny Blaze became, thanks to Mephisto, Satan’s pet and somewhat of an “ambassador” of Hell. Still, he is not a Satanist and he doesn’t really worship his master. He constantly asks God for forgiveness and even his most dangerous weapon faces his opponents with their sins, which is in accordance with Christian principles.
4. Huntress
Name: Huntress
Alias: Helena Rosa Bertinelli
Created By: Joey Cavalieri, Joe Staton
Debut: The Huntress #1 (1989)
Religion: Catholicism
Now, Huntress could be better classified as an antiheroine, but based on the context – it’s enough. She is a Catholic, which has sense considering her heritage. She usually carries a cross with her and even her costume has a cross-shaped pattern/thingy on it. Honestly? That’s enough for us to list her here.
3. Nightcrawler
Name: Nightcrawler
Alias: Kurt Wagner
Created By: Len Wein, Dave Cockrum
Debut: Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975)
Religion: Catholicism
Unlike other mutants, Nightcrawler is devoutly Catholic. The German Kurt Wagner was a highly religious man and even after realizing his true nature, he never really lost faith. He acts according to Catholic principles and practicing religion is a very important part of his personality, which is why we put him on our list.
2. Azrael
Name: Azrael
Alias: Jean-Paul Valley
Created By: Denny O’Neil, Joe Quesada, Peter Milligan
Debut: Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 (1992)
Religion: Sacred Order of Saint Dumas
Now, this guy can get pretty weird, based on which iteration you encounter. He actually comes in forms spanning from supervillain to superhero, so good luck with finding the right one. What is characteristic of Azrael, though, is his blind devotion to the religious cult called the Sacred Order of Saint Dumas, which caused a lot of trouble for Batman from time to time. But, as long as his beliefs remain firm, that’s enough for us.
1. Daredevil
Name: Daredevil
Alias: Matt Murdoch
Created By: Stan Lee, Bill Everett
Debut: Daredevil #1 (1964)
Religion: Catholicism
Daredevil is probably the most religious superhero on the list. His mother is a nun, he often confesses to a priest and he constantly prays for forgiveness around a cross. Daredevil is a superhero with strong principles, and his devout religion is certainly one of these principles, which he often demonstrates, and that is the reason why he landed to high up on our list.
