Page - 131 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 03/01

Bulletproof Love: Luke Cage (2016) and Religion | 131www.jrfm.eu 2017, 3/1, 123–155 One other feature of Luke’s character stands out as unique in a way that is connected to prophetic realism: his role as a Christ-figure. While a great many superheroes also symbolize Jesus, they do so while waving the flag of zealous nationalism. there are by no means any universally agreed parameters for iden- tifying cinematic Christ-figures, but Lloyd Baugh’s influential Imaging the Divine (1997) offers a useful starting point.13 And while he does not even mention su- perheroes, almost all of his criteria are in fact part of standard superhero tropes: they are saviors with mysterious origins; they perform miracles; they suffer and bleed; they have devoted followers or helpers; and they are committed to jus- tice, which often leads to conflicts with authorities. In addition many heroes are often scapegoated, and it has become increasingly common for them to die and resurrect, sometimes literally. In film the Christ-like nature of these (literal or figurative) deaths is often indicated by showing the hero in a crucifixion pose.14 Luke meets all of these Christ-figure criteria. Initially no one knows who he is or where he is from. he has miraculous strength and seems impervious to harm, although he suffers and bleeds when shot by the Judas bullet. He is helped by several people, including Pop, Claire, Misty, and (in a great cameo) Method Man. His sense of justice is what compels him to finally step out of the shadows to protect the community.15 he struggles against several authorities including the police, Mariah, and Cornell. he is falsely accused of killing both Cornell and a police officer. He is not prone to crucifixion poses, although he possibly appears in one after he has been shot by Diamondback and is helped by Claire and Dr. Burstein, his arms across their shoulders (fig. 5). More directly, after his eulogy for Pop he is shown walking with a neon crucifix over his shoulder and a street lamp halo (fig. 6); during the opening a crucifix is projected onto Luke’s back (fig. 8); and at the very end of the series, as Luke is being driven out of New York by the police, he passes by a brightly lit “Jesus Saves” cross (fig. 7). Finally, we see Luke “resurrected” at least twice: after Dr. Burstein’s seagate Prison suffered by Cornell and Mariah, who are shown to us as infinitely more complex, conflicted, and inter- esting adults than stryker. that said, to its credit the series remarkably does not end with the standard climactic/apocalyptic superhero battle between mimetic enemies. it certainly appears to be going in this direction, especially when the penultimate episode ends with Diamondback in a super-suit con- fronting his half-brother Luke. But this fight is actually quite brief and ends very near the start the final episode, leaving a great deal of time for people to simply have conversations about what is next for themselves, for others, and for the community. 13 The criteria for identifying Christ-figures listed in this paragraph come specifically from chapter six of Baugh’s text (“Essential Dimensions and Typical Guises of the Christ-figure”). There are of course any number of criteria not mentioned by Baugh that could be used instead; see, e.g., Kozlovic 2004. Also, as noted below, many objections have been raised regarding the ways in which Christ-figures are gen- erally identified and interpreted. 14 The one criterion mentioned by Baugh that appears least often in superhero films is prayer, although this is not unheard of (e.g., superman’s very Gethsemane-esque visit to a church in Man of Steel [2013]). In keeping with this pattern, prayer is arguably the one Christ-figure requirement from Baugh’s list that Luke does not clearly fulfill – although he does give a eulogy for Pop in a church (E05). 15 referring to his role as the savior of harlem, Angelica Jade Bastién (2016) says that she has come to think of Luke as “hood Jesus”.