Abstract
This article poses that the Christological problem of the tertium quid, or `third thing,' is exemplified in the comic book hero Superman, who is an alien `savior.' In this, the value of popular culture's contribution to academic theology is assessed, as is the value of the connection made in popular culture between Superman and Jesus Christ. Regarding Superman as a `Christ figure' is essentially a misunderstanding of the doctrine of the incarnation, in which the eternal Son of God has assumed the full reality of human nature, which includes its weakness, vulnerability, and ordinariness, as well as its potential for divine activity.
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