𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇

(A Marvel & DC Thread)

Religion is an idea that has roots in the very foundation of our civilisation.

As far back as history stretches, there are countless traces around the world that show people have always adhered to a set of rules that places a higher power above themselves.

At the very core of religion, is the concept of faith. What it means to believe in something.

Over the past weeks I stumbled on two stories that touch on this concept in the most profound ways, and I’d like to share my thoughts on them here. They are Kingdom Come & Marvels.

What really made me fall in love with these stories (asides Alex Ross’ amazing illustrations) is how they’re both tackling the same subject, but in completely different ways.

Kingdom come touches on a world that is losing its faith in itself, while Marvels..

Explores a world that is struggling to find it.

But the main focus of both of these stories is very clear; the impact of super-humans on society. I say super-humans and not heroes for a reason, and as you read along this thread, you’ll come to understand why.

Starting with Kingdom Come.

This story takes place in a world thoroughly seasoned by meta-humans. The supernatural is an everyday occurrence on earth, but presented in a melancholic light.

“Heroes” run with reckless abandon. They answer to no one. Not even themselves.

The first thing to note here is the different angles we view this story from.

A man is chosen as an agent of the Spectre to be a witness and judge the coming Armageddon.

There is heavy symbolism and reference to Christianity. The purpose of this is to paint a picture.

To show that in this world, the heroes have been placed on a pedestal. They’re seen as otherworldly. A height that humanity can never reach. A power they can only submit and adapt to.

And for the most part, they’re right. But not in this current age. The age of gods is gone.

We quickly discover what plunged this world into chaos. The actions of one man. A man regarded as a living metaphor for hope.

Ten years prior, Superman retired due to the actions of a meta known as Magog.

The joker set his sights on metropolis, claiming almost a 100 lives..

One of which was Lois Lane. But unlike in Injustice, the Man of Steel was incorruptible. With a heavy heart, he tried to do what was right. But Magog had other plans and so did the world. They claimed Superman was old fashioned. An idealist. And so he turned his back on them.

The resulting chain reaction devastated the way the society functioned. The other core members of the Justice League took a step back, defending the world in what ways they could, but with a clear sense of self isolation.
With this, a new age of heroes was born. One that would..

Spell the beginning of the end.

Magog lead a team of highly powerful meta’s in chase of a parasite that continuously begged for mercy as it hadn’t harmed anyone. They didn’t listen. After a short fight, Captain Atom was split in half, resulting in the death of millions.

From here, we see a completely different battle than what we’re used to. Superman is forced out of his solitude by the burden of his conscience, and the league follows.

But what they’re combating isn’t evil or a villainous threat—it’s themselves. They’re fighting others that..

Should uphold the same values they built and refined for decades. And you clearly see the internal struggle this sparks.

For every person they convince to join them, ten more are forced to be imprisoned.

And the thing to note out of all this ? Humanity is in the backseat.

“A validation of fear”. Their worries are justified. They don’t know what to do, because they are no longer in a position to do anything. These are some of the most influential figures in the world—relegated to the sidelines like everybody else. And it only gets even worse.

We discover that Magog is mentally drained from being the new Man of Tomorrow. The guilt of his actions speak for themselves, blaming Superman for stepping down. Allowing the world to leave a killer as its guide. He attributes the worlds current flow to himself. This results in..

The league constructing a Gulag for the wayward. And it implodes very quickly. What happens next is a blur. Good vs Good. A meaningless clash of values. They’ve lost all faith in themselves. These gods are no longer the object of faith, but false idols with no believers.

And the pagans that once worshipped them strike back. In an act of reciprocation, the world government launches a nuke. Armageddon arrives.

One of the core tenets in the physiology of life is fear. It’s a primal instinct that stems from the need for survival. The people’s..

Faith in their protectors had warped into something ugly. And it was completely justified. Even the heroes didn’t believe in themselves. The next sequence of panels are some of the most powerful pieces of literature I’ve ever read. The judge of these events calms down Superman..

Bringing to light the fact that he is rusty. Not physically. In fact, in Kingdom Come he’s at the peak of his strength; kryptonite no longer affects him. But he’s lost his touch of morality. And after some heartfelt words, he does the right thing. He doesn’t choose one side or..

The other. He chooses the side of life. And this is why this story is so special. Such a simple conclusion had to be arrived at in the most brutal way. It took near nuclear Holocaust for people to just put their differences aside. Much like the real world we live in.

Kingdom Come is a beautiful tale that digs into the very concept of belief, showing that even those who live by its creed can be tainted, those that put to their belief in something can be betrayed by it, but above all else; the moment you let go of that belief, it’s the end.

I didn’t predict it would take so many tweets to cover just one story, but here we are.

To make this easier for myself and anybody reading, I’ll split this thread into two parts. The Marvel portion will be released in the coming days, so keep an eye out.