Religion: God
Name: God
Other Names: The Voice; One Above All; The Creator; Yahweh; Jehovah; Elohim; Allah; The God of the Covenant; King of Kings; Lord of Lords; Heavenly Father; Father in Heaven; Jack Kirby; Stan Lee; Dave Cockrum; Jack
Classification: deity real/historical person
Publisher(s): various
Earliest Appearance Listed in This Database: Old Testament (1402 B.C.): "Genesis"
Earliest Appearance Listed in This Database (Additional Details): (Timely/Marvel) Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939): "The Human Torch"; (DC: as "The Voice", e.g. "The Presence", DC) More Fun Comics #52 (Feb. 1940): "The Spectre"
Super? (Has Super Powers/Special Abilities/Technology): Yes
Number of Appearances: 313
Comic Book Appearances: 17
TV, Film Appearances: 295
Video Game, Computer Game Appearances: 1
Dimension: Heaven
Gender: male
The exact "first appearance" of "God" in a comic book would vary depending on how one defines God, how one defines an "appearance" and exactly what one accepts as constituting a "comic." We have listed God's first appearance in a Marvel comic as being in the very first Marvel/Timely comic ever published: Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939). Does God actually appear in this comic? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But given the miraculous nature of events depicted, God's will and influence are presumably present in this very first Timely/Marvel comic.
In Marvel comics, God has been referred to as "the One Above All" by the Living Tribunal and others. Significant Marvel appearances of God include: Fantastic Four # 511 (2004); Supreme: The Return #5; Howard the Duck #6 (Aug. 2002).
Another particularly significant and poignant appearance of God was in Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 3) #40. In this story, God appears to Spider-Man and helps him realize the significance of his life. God here mentions his Son Jesus and all that his Son suffered.
God has often been identified as "The Presence" in the DC Universe. His servants include: Zauriel (JLA), the Earth-Born Angels (incl. Supergirl, Comet, Blithe), the Spectre, the Word. Heroes drawing from the Presence's power include Seraph, Ramban. In Justice League of America #124 (Nov. 1975), God intervened at Spectre's behest to return the members of the Justice League of America back to life.
Mainstream super-hero comics actually refer directly to God surprisingly often. A small sampling of comics with such references is found below. By this, we mean characters make actual, intentional references to God, the Supreme Being of the universe. These references do NOT include references to deities from various pantheons (such as Thor, Hercules, etc.) or profane utterances (i.e. "Oh my G-d!").
We use the word "sampling" literally. We have made no attempt to catalogue every reference to God in mainstream super-hero comics or Marvel comics or any other subset of sources. We have "sampled" comics and related sources. Our database contains relatively few primary sources which we have extensively indexed with regards to character appearances. Where we have found intentional references to God in these sources (or actual appearances of God Himself), we have added these sources to this listing.
BELOW: Rick Grimes' prayer for strength? After being shot and gravely wounded, Rick Grimes was in coma, lying in a hospital bed for a month. He wakes up to find himself in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. After nine pages of encountering no living people - only horrific zombies - Rick drops to his knees while whispering "Oh God..." He buries his face in his hands and remains silently on his knees for some time. He then stands back up and seems to have the resolve to carry on. He mounts a bicycle he found and heads to his family home intent on finding his wife and son. "The Walking Dead" comic book series does not use thought balloons or internal first-person narrative captions. Readers are not privy to exactly what is going through Rick's mind while he is on his knees, although he was clearly in despair and clearly found the strength to carry on. It is up to the individual reader to decide if Rick's expression "Oh God..." was the beginning of a prayer, a semi-prayer, or merely a profane utterance. Similarly, it is up to the individual reader to decide if Rick's prayer (or non-prayer) was answered.
Source: The Walking Dead #1 (Oct. 2003): "Days Gone Bye, Part 1", pg. 11. Written by Robert Kirkman. Art by Tony Moore. See also: prayer; kneeling; God; Rick Grimes
Suggested links for further research about this character and the character's religious affiliation:
- http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/God.html
- http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0026790/
- http://www.comicvine.com/the-presence/29-56244/
- http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Presence_(New_Earth)
- http://www.marvunapp.com/master/goagok.htm
- https://www.comics.org/issue/556/
- https://www.comics.org/issue/92517/
- http://www.marvunapp.com/master/coacol.htm
- http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix2/brandtellenmt.htm
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presence_(DC_Comics)
- http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=presence
- https://www.comics.org/issue/29191/
- http://www.comicvine.com/comic/justice-league-of-america/2014/15750/&i=47015
- http://www.aroundcomics.com/?p=515
- http://marvel.wikia.com/Incredible_Hulk_Vol_1_257
- http://www.comicvine.com/the-fulcrum/29-60755/
- https://www.comics.org/issue/39582
- http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/More_Fun_Comics_Vol_1_52