comics - Religion in the Marvel universe?

With Thor referred to as a god in the Marvel universe, do modern day religions get any references in the Marvel universe, e.g. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc?

Answer

Religion often comes into play in the Marvel Universe where mutants are concerned.

William Stryker is a religious fanatic, convinced that mutants are an abomination, and has attacked the mutants on a grand scale on many occasions. Bolivar Trask is a military scientist, but his work has often dovetailed into Stryker's plans, leading one to assume that religion factors into his anti-mutant positions.

Trask's creations, Master Mold and the Sentinels, eventually lead to the development of Nimrod, named after a Genesis reference.

Magneto has been viewed as a "god," both by himself and his followers, sometimes called "acolytes." They often employ a Catholic approach to their structure.

Of the X-Men themselves, several members express one religion or another, which is somewhat unique in the MU; most other characters are not expressly affiliated with one religion or another.

Nightcrawler is devoutly Catholic; Shadowcat is Jewish; Storm worships an African godess; Shaman, Forge, Thunderbolt and Warpath all pray to respective Native-American gods; etc.

Then, there are the supporting characters: The Shi'ar, the Brood, the Phoenix worshippers, Apocalypse, etc.

Outside of the mutants, the only instances I can think of that involve religious interactions are Daredevil, who is Catholic; Thing, who is Jewish; and Black Panther, who worships African gods.

Comments

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