I am not the kind of person who is prone to openly weeping in public. But, I have to admit, even I shed a tear when I saw ‘Armaggedon’ at the movies — in that final scene when Harry Stamper (played by Bruce Willis) says a mournful goodbye to his daughter Grace on a video call after he decides to stay behind on an asteroid that is hurtling towards the Earth, in order to detonate the bomb that will ultimately save humankind but cost him his life.
I don’t know about you, but for me, there is something particular stirring about a character in a movie who sacrifices themselves to save another person or lays down their life for some good and noble cause. We find these kinds of characters inspirational and understandably heroic. And we seem to connect with them on a ‘soul level.’ And that’s why they appear in lots of movies.
We call this kind of character a Messianic Archetype because their role in the story echoes that of Jesus Christ. They are portrayed as a savior, whether the thing they are saving is a person, a lot of people or the whole of humanity.
Usually, they are called to make an incredible sacrifice — often their own life — as the means to saving certain others. This is almost always a fate they do not deserve. Other elements may be mixed and matched depending on the movie but the Messianic Archetype will include one or more of the following:
- Being the Chosen One
- Gaining a group of devoted followers
- Betrayal by one of these followers
- A really obvious crucifixion shot
- A figurative or literal resurrection
- A Second Coming
The thing is, when I watch movies that are actually about Jesus, I usually end up cringing at the way he is portrayed. Filmmakers are usually far too reverent in their portrayal of Jesus so that his humanness is lost — along with our ability to connect with him. They also tend to use a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, white guy to play the lead, in a gross betrayal of history and a nod towards white Christian supremacy.
As Michael Frost says, “A more satisfying, and frankly more successful, approach is to avoid a sword-and-sandal epic about Jesus himself and opt for a stand-in, a redemptive Christ figure who doesn’t crumble under the expectations of Christian viewers.”
So, for that reason, I present to you my top ten stand-in Christ figures from movies.
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Number 10: Leonidas from 300
Who could forget 300, the epic tale of a group of Spartan soldiers desperately defending their people down to the last man against a hoard of Persian invaders?
The leader of this troop of brave soldiers, King Leonidas I, and the rest of his 300 Spartans, stay behind to defend a narrow pass against their vastly more numerable Persian foe.
Despite suffering a gruesome death to arrow fire, Leonidas’s sacrificial death gives the rest of Sparta time to raise an army and ultimately defeat the Persian Empire. One of the final shots in the film shows Leonidas’ lifeless body laying in a crucifix-like pose, pierced in the side and hands by arrows.
Number 9: Mufasa in the Lion King
Who didn’t shed a tear in the Lion King when Mufasa died to save his one and only son, Simba, from a wildebeest stampede?
Of course, the whole scenario was orchestrated by none other than Mufasa’s evil brother Scar. Scar — the archetypal Judas character in the story — is trying to find a way to eliminate his brother in order to seize the throne.
First, Scar lures the young and innocent Simba into the valley like Satan confronts Christ in the wilderness. Then Scar completes his betrayal by getting his hyena sidekicks to stir the local heard, threatening Simba’s very life. Mufasa sweeps into the scene and saves the day, but at the cost of his own life — a truly sacrificial death.
The last shot we see of Mufasa in the movie is his lifeless and broken body lying at the foot of a tree — an illusion to the cross, maybe?
Number 8: Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkein was a devout Roman Catholic and used Biblical imagery prolifically. So, when it comes to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I could have selected many characters. Gandalf or Aragon could have also made this list.
However, I have settled on Frodo Baggins, the gentle hobbit entrusted with the mission of saving the world by destroying the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, where it was forged. As the ring-bearer, Frodo emerges as a Christ Figure, like the one who bears the Cross and with it the sins and hopes of humanity. Mount Doom, like Golgotha, is Frodo’s mountain to climb and the weight of the burden that he carries almost seems too much.
His faithful sidekick, Samwise Gamgee, comes alongside and literally carries Frodo up the hill — a reference to Simon of Sirene who carried Jesus’s cross when Jesus was at his most weak. “Come, Mr. Frodo!’ he cried. ‘I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you.”
Photo by Andres Iga on Unsplash
Number 7: E.T. from E.T.
In one particular episode of The Simpsons, Reverend Lovejoy delivers a sermon that begins: “I remember another gentle visitor from the heavens, he came in peace and then died, only to come back to life, and his name was… E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial. I loved that little guy.”
That loveable little alien with the glowing fingertip is about as ‘Jesusy’ as you can get in a movie. He comes to us from another world, bringing superior knowledge and powers; he gathers a small and faithful band of followers around him; the authorities persecute him; he dies and is resurrected and leads his friends to a mountain.
As E.T. is about to return home, the final sequence is literally an ascension moment where he is taken up into the clouds. His heart glows with love for his earthling friends. He embraces his young friend Elliott and, in broken English, tells him, “I’ll be right here,” pointing his glowing finger to Elliott’s forehead.
He could have easily added, “Even unto the end of the age,” and it would not have seemed out of place!
Number 6: Brian from The Life of Brian
This 1979 Monty Python movie was very much intended to be a spoof of the New Testament. However, the real Jesus only plays a ‘bit part.’ The hero of this film is an accidental messiah named Brian, who, despite his best efforts to convince the people that he is not the savior of the world, cannot seem to shake the throngs of adoring followers who hang on his every word if it is divine wisdom.
Despite Brian’s mother famously pleading, “He’s not the Messiah! He’s a very naughty boy!” the people continue to hilariously flock to their false Messiah while the real Jesus stalks along in the background. Not surprisingly, Brian meets the same fate as the real Jesus.
Ok, so this movie was intended to be completely irreverent, but it unwittingly comes with a moral of sorts. The Life of Brian reminds us that the real gospel is often obscured by people who hear it and don’t quite get it.
Number 5: Aslan from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Much like Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, an atheist turned Christian, was none too shy about his Christian faith (In fact, he and Tolkein were writing buddies). Subsequently, all seven of the much-loved Chronicles of Narnia stories are saturated with Christian symbolism.
The ultimate messianic figure is, of course, Aslan, the benevolent and noble Lion who is betrayed by a Son of Adam (Edmund), offers himself to take Edmund’s deserved punishment at the expense of his own life, dies, is resurrected, and defeats the force of evil represented by the White Witch and her army.
Speaking about Aslan, Lewis once said: “He is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question: ‘What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia?’”
Photo by Ingo Stiller on Unsplash
Number 4: Harry Stamper in Armaggeddon
With the movie that I already mentioned in my introduction, we are now entering ‘goosebumps’ territory.
NASA has commissioned Harry Stamper and his crew of oil-drilling misfits to intercept an asteroid the size of Texas and blow it into tiny pieces before it collides with earth and wipes out humankind.
Of course, things do not go to plan, and when a remote detonator fails to do what it is supposed to do, the crew faces an agonizing decision to leave someone behind to light the fuse by hand. Naturally, Bruce Willis steps up the plate and becomes the savior figure.
As far as ‘one-man-dying to-save-the-whole-world’ stories go, you can’t get much better than this!
Number 3: John Coffey in The Green Mile
I will admit it was a mistake to take a girl to see this movie on a first date when I was 19 years old. In retrospect, a nice romantic comedy would have been the go. This was far too confronting.
The Green Mile is the tale of John Coffey, a huge black man, wrongfully accused of murdering two girls and sentenced to death. However, while on death row, one of the prison guards played by Tom Hanks realizes that not only is John Coffey completely harmless, he also possesses the supernatural ability to heal people.
John Coffey fits the messianic archetype in lots of ways. He is wrongfully accused. He pays with his life for someone else’s crimes. He is a miracle worker with supernatural abilities. He is powerful but gentle and benevolent at the same time. Above all, he senses and feels the pain of everyone around him, bearing and sharing their burdens.
Plus, the author of The Green Mile, none other than Stephen King, confirmed that John Coffey’s initials, JC, were an intentional reference to Jesus Christ.
Number 2: William Wallace in Braveheart
“FREEEEEDOOOMMMM!!!”
Is there a more inspiring moment in movie history? Betrayed by his kinfolk, Scottish hero William Wallace — played by Mel Gibson — finds himself facing execution at the hands of his English oppressors. Wallace remains stoic and unmoving the face of death. At the final moment, he musters his last ounce of strength to heroically cry out, “Freedom!”
So, with his arms spread out in a crucifix position, William Wallace lays down his life for the cause of his people, who, inspired by his heroic sacrifice rise up and liberate their lands from the English. Wallace is a true messianic hero!
Number 1: Neo from The Matrix
Let’s start with the obvious. ‘Neo’ is an anagram of ‘One’ and, from the beginning, the main character of the Matrix, played by Keanu Reeves, represents the long-anticipated and prophesied messiah figure who will rescue humanity from the clutches of invisible forces of darkness that control the masses — The Matrix.
Morpheus paved the way for Neo— a modern John the Baptist figure who cries, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” Morpheus fervently believes and proclaims to everyone that Neo is “The One.”
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
But Neo is killed at the hand of the authorities, represented by Agent Smith and his cronies, who will stop at nothing to prevent Neo from exposing and destroying the system of oppression that binds and blind humanity. When Neo is killed — in a crucifix position, no less — it looks like the bad guys have won.
But, of course, in true messianic form, Neo does not stay dead! And after his resurrection, Neo’s mastery of the Matrix is total. The forces of evil are powerless to prevent him from rescuing others from the evil web of lies that enslaves humanity.
So far as Biblical allegories go, The Matrix has it all!
. . .
Disagree with me?
Many other movie characters could have made my list. Do you think I have missed one? Is there someone else who deserves a place in my messianic archetypes hall of fame? I’d love to hear your opinion, so please feel free to comment.
As for me, I love each of these movies! There is something about a tale of heroic sacrifice that really draws me in — and I know I’m not alone. We tell this kind of story over and over again because it harkens back to the greatest story ever told, and therefore, it is worth the retelling!
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This post was previously published on Backyard Church.
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