Without getting too far into the story laid out in the comics, the possible ramifications of mentioning religion in the comics, in any fashion, is that there are bound to be people that will be offended for several reasons. But from a practical standpoint, it does make at least a bit of sense considering that the stories told from a Christian standpoint are a lot to take on faith for a lot of people since nothing quite as outwardly miraculous as what’s spoken of in the Holy Bible has happened in quite some time, at least not in full view of so many. To some this might sound kind of blasphemous, something that would fly in the face of Christianity and even make some people doubt the veracity of the religion. But remembering that it’s a comic book, not a strike at the heart of organized religion, would be wise since one thing that has to be remembered is that art is bound to find any and every aspect of society it can emulate and recreate in its own image. Religion is just as up for grabs as anything.
It would make a lot of sense considering the things that Jesus was said to do in the Bible, from walking on water to feeding numerous people with loaves and fishes. When one thinks about it, hopefully without getting offended, it’s something that a persona with special powers would be capable of, as many mutants throughout the Marvel universe can do quite a few miraculous things that, to folks who need something to believe in, might be seen as divine in one way or another. There are plenty of super-powered individuals that might be seen as divine if not for revealing themselves to be limited and more or less similar to humans in a lot of ways. But taking advantage of belief used to be much simpler, as one could imagine that back in biblical times when humanity was still rather simple-minded in their pursuits and more apt to believe in the supernatural qualities of one being or another.
It’s been established in the movies and the comics that mutants have been around for a very long time, as Apocalypse was rumored to have been around long enough to have started the legend of the dreaded four horsemen. In the comics, presenting Jesus of Nazareth as a mutant feels like something that would be an easy way to explain the world and how it works in one of the many aspects that people cling to when they need belief. It’s kind of the same way in reality, but a lot of people don’t want to hear this either because they don’t care and don’t believe in the idea that superhumans might have existed at one time but been seen to die out over the years. After all, people tend to fear or idolize those that are different than them, and when it comes to mutants it’s been made apparent that those that are deemed homo superior are seen to rise and fall throughout the generations. Lumping in a biblical figure with the lot of them might not be appreciated by everyone.
But Marvel has done it, and they’re not the only ones since DC and other comics have gone the biblical route as well, taking on the legends of Christianity and other religions in a manner that makes the various figures of legend and possible history to be far different than we might have learned in Sunday school. The act of doing this might rile up some religious groups and even inspire them to speak out against it, but in the end, the artistic license taken is protected and furthermore, it’s fiction, so people would look rather silly trying to fight to cancel a comic book that’s not meant to offer offense but to provide entertainment. The fact is that everything that’s within the human scope is capable of being depicted or talked about in one way in one form of entertainment or another. Jesus Christ is no more off-limits than anything else, but it’s bound to happen that people will find a reason to be offended by it. If they don’t, then great, but if they do, well, there’s not much else to be done.
But explaining Jesus’ life as that of a mutant is kind of interesting since it would mean that he’s either a powerful mutant on par with Apocalypse and several others, or he’s a great showman, perhaps with a delayed healing factor, that was able to convince the masses of his divinity. In any case, it’s an addition to Marvel lore that isn’t a world-changing announcement, but it’s definitely a point of interest that could change a few things if it’s allowed to do so. Following the whole story could be worth it.