#i like this analysis
Should I post my “Captain America is not a golem, he’s King David” rant here as well? It’s already up on TikTok
three likes? that’s enough for me lmao
For context this comes from a lecture I did a little over a year ago called “Superman on the Nile” (cause, y’know, Superman and Moses) in which I claimed that all superhero media owes its existence to Jewish ideals, and this is only a part of a wider analysis of the Jewish themes and principles present in superhero media in general as a result. Basically, my claim is that the Jewish history of the medium of comics is not incidental but rather inherent to its existence and its values. click here for an overview of the bigger themes I’m referencing, but you don’t at all need to read that in order to understand this.
I call this the David-Cap allegory but like part of it is just debunking the idea that Cap is a golem. To get this out of the way: Captain America is not a golem. A golem is a non-sentient tool. It has no will of its own, it can be destroyed rather easily, if you know what you’re doing, and in general is more of a thing than a person. It is made to protect Jewish people and Jewish people only against a great evil and does not have a purpose beyond that.
That just… doesn’t describe Captain America.
A better description of Captain America is as a leader who initially seems weak and incapable but is revealed, partially through his moral strength, that he is the most capable of any of us. He’s a human being with a heart first and foremost, and a leader second. A tool in someone else’s hands? …not even a little bit.
To explain why I think a better comparison from Jewish history is David, I want to share a quote from Samuel 1 chap 16. This is from when God is telling Samuel to pick the next king, and Samuel resists picking David because of his appearance:
And the Lord said to Samuel, “Look not upon his appearance, or the height of his stature, for I have rejected him, for it is not as man sees, (what is visible) to the eyes, while the Lord sees into the heart.”
I don’t love this translation, but like, it gets the point across. Both David and Steve Rogers are chosen out of a group of physically more impressive men because of the quality of their hearts. David - out of a lineup of his big brothers; Steve - out of the entirety of the Super Soldier program.
Another point of comparison is their role in their stories later on. They prove themselves as military leaders and inspire greatness in others. King David takes over from a failed king and unifies the Israelites; Captain America punches Nazis and leads the Avengers. Either way, similar role in the story.
It’s also important to note that as heroes, they are both super human rather than superhuman. They’re both capable of doing feats that are greater than normal, but not quite literally impossible - in case you were wondering, according to Jewish thought, David is given “superpowers” when he is anointed to be king, which allow him to fight the lion, the bear, and, of course, goliath (this is Maimonides’ Guide to the Perplexed). More importantly however, the reason we might look up to them as heroes or leaders is not limited to physical greatness, but rather moral caliber. Steve is chosen by Dr. Erskine specifically because of his moral caliber, yeah? Same as David getting chosen by God since he can see into his heart? In fact, you can very easily compare and contrast the selection process for being anointed and the anointment itself with the Super Soldier program.
Of course the fact that Dr. Erskine is a Jewish man cannot be ignored. But in this lens, I would compare him not to a Rabbi in Prague, but rather to God seeing into David’s heart, with Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones in case you don’t remember who I’m talking about lmao) functioning as the skeptical Samuel. Which, idk, feels like a more powerful metaphor.
At the end of the day, I feel like Captain America’s purpose as a symbol and a leader alike gets erased if you view him only as a tool. Especiallysince Steve’s principles will often make him take off the costume or use it against the institutions it was made by in the first place, like when he became Nomad in the ‘70s.
And listen, the golem of Prague was an iconic figure in Jewish history/mythology. But I feel like it’s unsuited to discussion of any character with agency and their own motivations (although, wildcard, I think Vision might be on the table, I still have to think about this more).
One last note: don’t take this as an endorsement of everything David does nor as me claiming there’s a perfect parallel between every David story and Cap, just that Cap functions, within a Jewish mythological and cultural context, as a military leader and hero similar to David.
Ok it’s official part two: why every single Superman-as-christ metaphor sucks ass coming next
