Man of Steel has numerous examples of real-world religious and cultural symbolism, but the Kryptonian Codex implanted in Kal-El adds additional elements of Jewish symbolism to the film. Man of Steel contains numerous overt examples of Christian imagery and symbolism, like Jesus figures in other Snyder movies, but it also, whether intentionally or not, includes Jewish metaphors as well. Superman, like most mainstream superheroes found in DC and Marvel Comics, was created by Ashkenazi Jewish Americans, whose ancestors escaped religious and ethnic persecution in Europe and emigrated to the United States. Superman’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster gave Superman numerous metaphorically Jewish qualities that are now essential to the character and mythos. Every Superman comic and adaptation contains Jewish symbolism due to this, but Man of Steel adds new metaphors with elements like the Codex.
While there aren’t many Jewish superheroes, most popular mainstream characters were created by Jewish Americans, and they often have intrinsically Jewish qualities and metaphors as a result. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two ethnically and religiously Jewish Americans, created Superman and published his first adventures in 1938’s Action Comics. Early 20th Century Jewish Americans were often barred from working in the mainstream publishing industry, so many entered the field of comic publishing, turning the American comic book into a pop-culture juggernaut and inspiring people of any ethnicity or religion to create superhero comics. Siegel and Shuster created Superman as a powerful defender of the downtrodden who fought against bigotry and corruption, something that the world needed in 1938 and still needs today.
Superman’s alien refugee background from the planet Krypton is typically seen as a metaphor for that of Jewish American immigrants at the turn of the century. Superman’s “old country” name, Kal-El, translates to “Voice of God” in Hebrew, and his dual identities are often compared to Jewish American cultural assimilation. Moreover, Clark Kent is an alien who visually passes as a human, which is comparable to how ethnic Jews, who are indigenous to the Levant, can visually pass as ethnic Europeans in many cases. In Man of Steel, Jor-El implants the newborn Kal-El with the Kryptonian Codex, bonding the genetic traits of all future generations of Kryptonians to Kal-El’s blood. Figuratively and literally, Superman carries the future of his people within him, a sentiment felt by many Ashkenazi immigrants who fled European persecution for a better life in America.
In addition to the Codex, Man of Steel acknowledged Jewish American cultural assimilation in Superman’s conflict with General Zod. Superman must choose to either allow Zod to rebuild Krypton or protect the people of Earth. Superman chooses Earth, telling Zod that “Krypton had its chance.” Despite this, Superman continues to honor his Kryptonian heritage by wearing his blue and red outfit as Superman and using a crashed Kryptonian scout ship as his Fortress of Solitude in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Like many Jewish Americans, Superman holds on to his heritage while embracing his new home.
While Superman is metaphorically Jewish, his actual religion is Christianity, as shown throughout Man of Steel. There are, however, literal Jewish characters in the DCEU. Bruce Wayne is not religious, but in the comics, he’s ethnically half-Jewish. In a departure from the comic source material, the DCEU’s Barry Allen is ethnically Jewish, as confirmed in theatrical and director’s cuts of Justice League. Like her comic counterpart, Harley Quinn is presumably also Jewish in the DCEU. The Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, is also ethnically half-Jewish in the comics, and his potential DCEU counterpart may retain this heritage. Superman’s real-world symbolism was one of Man of Steel’s most memorable qualities, and the Codex added to Superman’s metaphoric status as a Jewish American immigrant.
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