5 Lesser Known Jewish Superheroes

Chag Sameach, fellow Jewish readers!

As Hanukkah approaches it got ComicBook.com thinking about the lesser-known followers of the Jewish faith.

Sure, Ben Grimm and Kitty Pryde are the more popular and possibly most devout, but there are dozens of characters in comicdom that are Jewish. They might not always have time to light the Menorah or attend schul, but are Jewish in practice or by birth, and you probably didn’t even realize it.

So let’s take a look at comics’ not-as-celebrated Jewish superstars as we prepare for this year’s upcoming Festival of Lights.

Songbird

Songbird of the Thunderbolts, aka Melissa Gold, aka Mimi Schwartz is another character that is sort of quiet about their faith. Originally the supervillain Screaming Mimi who held a rank among the Masters of Evil, took the name Songbird as a secret alias while she was a Thunderbolt. 

In the past, Gold has been seen in her civilian gear wearing a Star of David pendant, and celebrating Hanukkah with her fellow heroes on the occasion. Co-creator Kurt Busiek has expressed in interviews that despite her lack of exploration of her faith, Gold is meant to be Jewish. 

Ambush Bug

Irwin Schwab, ladies and gentlemen. 

Considered as the “original Deadpool”, Schwab here has the power of teleportation, but uses it in the most bizarre ways. Schwab possesses the alien Ambush Bug suit, which grants him those powers and one of DC’s weirdest characters, who often appears randomly, just to annoy the likes of Batman and Superman. 

His Jewish faith is talked about in passing in the comics. However, Mr. Bug made his appearance on Batman: The Brave and the Bold he was voiced by possibly one of the greatest Jewish superheroes in pop culture: “The Fonz” himself, Henry Winkler. 

Marc Spector, Moon Knight

While not originally created as a Jewish character, Marc Spector eventually had Jewish roots. Son of a rabbi, Marc’s religious origins were revealed back in Moon Knight #37 in 1984, where he tells of an incident involving his father. 

Of course, due to his job, Marc isn’t really observant and worships the Egyptian god Khonshu instead, so I don’t think he keeps a kosher table. Though in the 2011 Moon Knight series by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, Spector can be seen wearing a kippah, or yarmulke, at the premiere party of his new show. 

Wesley Dodds

One of comics’ first superheroes is also one of the most enigmatic. 

Wesley Dodds was a character out of the Golden Age who wore a green suit and purple cape, knocked out criminals with his gas gun. The character was revitalized in the early 90’s Vertigo series Sandman Mystery Theatre by Matt Wagner, Steven T. Seagle, and Guy Davis, which set it apart from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series. 

In Sandman Mystery Theatre #40, Wesley stops an assassination of a rabbi who was speaking out against both the Nazis and Jewish mob. It’s in this issue that we learn that Dodds’ mother was Jewish. 

Son of a Catholic father and Jewish mother, Dodds was raised Catholic, but stopped practicing as an adult. Now, by Jewish Law, I mean by what the Torah states, he is Jewish because his mother is Jewish. So by definition, he is a Jew, but is not observant of Judaism or, as it seems, any faith. 

Arthur, from The Tick

There’s something to be said about a man whose catchphrase was “Not in the face!”

Arthur was an accountant before retiring to the superhero lifestyle and sidekick of The Tick, protector of The City. Constantly mistakenly being called a bunny because of his white moth costume, Arthur does his best to keep up with the Tick and being the cooler and more responsible head of the duo. 

His Jewish background is mentioned only on the occasion with his mother, Bea, being a cliche of your typical Jewish mother. His sister, Dottie, even married Dinosaur Neil in a traditional Jewish wedding on the animated series.