Nobody
stays dead in comic-books. I had to remind myself of this little comic-book
truism at the end of Avenger’s: Infinity
War when Thanos snaps his fingers and instantly kills off half the
population of the MCU including Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Spider-man, and
nearly all the Guardians of the Galaxy. Since most, if not all, of these
characters have pending sequels, I think it’s safe to say “nobody stays dead in
comic-book movies,” either.
The death of a major title character makes for great drama
and increased sales, but so rarely remains permanent that frequent
resurrections have become a cliché in comic-books. For instance, Captain America #25, which depicted the
death of Captain America, made real-world headlines and skyrocketed sales, but
Steve Rogers returned just two years later in Captain America: Reborn. The list of comic-book characters who’ve
come back from the dead include Cap’s side-kick Bucky Barnes, Batman, Robin,
Green Arrow, Green Lantern, The Flash, Spider-man, Thor, and Jean Grey—just to
name a few. Heck, I’ve lost count of all the times Nick Fury has died and come
back to life.
The most notable comic-book resurrection, at least in my mind,
was the death and return of Superman—an epic story spanning more than 36 issues.
Doomsday, a brutal behemoth bent on bloodlust, pummeled the Man of Steel to
death in Superman #75, one of the
best-selling single issues of all time. In the aftermath, the entire world
mourned Superman’s death and a panoply of heroes paid their respects. The
fallen hero is buried in a tomb in Metropolis’ Centennial Park.
Then, in a story titled Life
After Death, Superman’s adoptive father, Johnathan Kent suffers a massive heart
attack and has a near-death experience where he encounter’s the soul of his
son, Superman. In the afterlife, a hoard of demons attempts to deceive Superman
and drag into the depths of hell. But with the help of his father, Superman
fights back, defeating both the demons and death itself. Together the two
return to life. Suddenly, Jonathan regains consciousness on the hospital
operating table. His wife and the attending physicians try to calm him down,
but he manages to tell Martha, “I brought him back… I brought Clark back to us,
Ma.” Lois doubts Pa Kent’s story, but she checks it out anyway. When she and
police Inspector Henderson go to Centennial Park to inspect Superman's tomb,
they find it open and empty. “He’s gone!” Lois cries. “Not really,” Inspector
Henderson replies. “I’d say from the look of things, he’s back! Superman’s
back!”[1]
These comic-book tales of death and resurrection ought to
resonate with Christians. While superhero resurrections occur quite frequently,
real-world resurrection remain quite unheard of… with one notable exception:
Jesus Christ!
After his death on the cross, Jesus’ followers buried him in
a tomb in a nearby garden. The following Sunday, Jesus rose from the grave.
Luke tells the story this way:
But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb,
taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled
away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the
Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them,
clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces
to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for
someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!” (Luke 24:1-5
NLT)
Over the next forty days, Jesus appeared to his followers
many times and proved to them beyond any doubt that he was alive before finally
returning to his rightful place in heaven. While Jesus probably never punched
out any demons, like Superman, Jesus defeated death. Not only that, but
Christ’s resurrection paved the way for our own resurrection from the dead!
The Bible says, “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the
dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died… everyone who
belongs to Christ will be given new life… all who belong to Christ will be
raised when he comes back” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23 NLT). For those who put
their faith in Jesus and the power of his resurrection, death is not the end. The
grave doesn’t have the final word. There is life after death! Jesus put it
bluntly, saying, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me
will live, even after dying” (John 11:25 NLT). He followed up this claim with a
profound question, “Do you believe this…?” How will you answer that question?
