Most comic book fans are aware that for decades the symbol on Superman’s chest has been considered much more than a stylized “S.” It is a Kryptonian symbol, specifically the family crest of the House of El and, as such, represents Clark Kent/Kal-El’s Kryptonian heritage. This idea was probably cemented in the public consciousness by Superman: The Movie, in which Marlon Brando’s Jor-El wears the “S” sigil prominently on his Kryptonian attire. Almost every subsequent retelling of Superman’s origins has retained this bit of lore until the fanbase has simply taken it for granted as canon.
However, in the 2003/2004 DC Comics story Superman: Birthright writer Mark Waid presents readers with a different take on the meaning of this iconic symbol. Using a Kryptonian tablet that was sent with him to Earth on his rocket, Clark is able to learn about the culture and history of his people. One fact soon becomes clear: Across countless millennia of Kryptonian civilization the “S” symbol was an ever-present touchstone. Clark relates the stunning implications of this discovery to his adopted mother Martha Kent:
At first I thought it was a family crest of some sort – but if it was, it certainly came to mean more than that to these people.
Wars were fought over it. Entire cities were built on it. Over the course of time, it became a… a promise. A sign of people fighting to make a better world.
A symbol of hope.
All of this got me thinking about the power and meaning of symbols in our own Christian faith, particularly the symbol of the Cross.
In Superman: Birthright he “S” symbol means so much more to the Kryptonian people than the sigil of the House of El. It has become a universal image that encapsulates and defines their entire culture, much as the Cross of Christ once defined European Christendom. Seen in that light, is the Kryptonian “S” shield on Superman’s uniform that much different from the bright red cross emblazoned on the tunic of a medieval knight?
Just as the “S” shield evolved from being a family crest to a universal sign of all that is true, good, and beautiful in Kryptonian culture, so the Cross became not merely the symbol of a persecuted religious sect, but a universal sign of hope and salvation, transcending borders, ethnicities, and languages, as the Church followed Christ’s command to preach the Gospel to all nations.
In time, the same Roman Empire that put Jesus to death by means of crucifixion would adopt the Cross of Christ as its standard. In 312 AD the Roman emperor Constantine claimed to have a supernatural vision in which he saw an image in the sky (historians debate whether it was the Cross or the chi ro – a Christian monogram combining the first two letters of the Greek word Christos) along with the Latin words In hoc signo vinces “In this sign conquer.” Constantine made the Christian emblem the battle standard of his legions and went on to victory. As emperor, he issued the Edict of Milan, ending official persecution of Christianity by the Roman state.
The cross is a taunt thrown in the face of the powers of darkness, declaring that if even this brutal Roman instrument of torture and murder can be overcome, if indeed death itself can be overcome, then we have nothing to fear.
But the Cross is more than a symbol or even a statement. It is a potent reality. The reality of our salvation from the clutches of sin and death. St. Paul knew well the power of this reality, greater than any earthly symbols or clever speech when he said, “I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians, 2:1-2)
The Cross is our birthright as Christians. During the closing days of this extraordinary 2020 Lent, when the world is beset by fear, confusion, sickness, and the specter of death, perhaps it would be fruitful for us to meditate on what the Cross means to us as disciples of Jesus Christ, remembering well the words of the popular Lenten hymn:
“Lift high the Cross, the love of Christ proclaim
Till all the word adore his sacred name!”
Thomas J. Salerno
Thomas Salerno is a Catholic author, freelance writer, and podcaster born and raised on Long Island, New York. Among his many passions are dinosaurs, Tolkien's Middle-earth, Star Wars, and superheroes. His writing has been featured in numerous publications including Word on Fire, Aleteia, Amendo, Busted Halo, Catholic World Report, Empty Tomb Project, and Missio Dei. Thomas is the creator and host of the Perilous Realms Podcast and is a contributor to the StarQuest Production Network (SQPN), where he serves as co-host on the Secrets of Movies and TV Shows and the Secrets of Middle-Earth podcasts. Thomas has a bachelor of arts in anthropology from Stony Brook University. You can follow his work on his Substack newsletter thomasjsalerno.substack.com or @Salerno_Thomas on Twitter.