'Ra, Krishna and Yahweh': X-Men Apocalypse doesn't demean Gods, it explores the meaning of birth and death

The trailer for X-men: Apocalypse is out, and all of us fans can squeal with joy at the sheer prospect of the film. The trailer promises a stellar storyline that borrows from mythological and religious texts. As soon as Sophie Turner says, “I saw the end of the world… I could see all this death”, there is no doubt that this film seeks to explore the themes of second coming, immortality and an apocalyptic time. The intense two minutes and 33 seconds trailer packs in a montage of mythology-inspired premise: X-men super-villain Apocalypse, also known as En Sabah Nur, the blue figure has emerged and recruited his four henchmen to build a new order in the world by destroying the old. [caption id=“attachment_2547770” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Apocalypse, the super-villain in X-Men comics and movie franchise. Image courtesy: Youtube[/caption] Apocalypse says in a powerful speech, “Everything they have built, we will burn and from the ashes of their world we will build a better one”. The religious/mythological tone in the film is quite obvious, even the characters candidly refer to the Bible and the four horseman (death, famine, war and pestilence). Apocalypse introduces himself as, “I have been called many things over many lifetimes – Ra, Krishna, Yahweh.” There is no two ways about it, the film is hinting at Kalki (Vishnu’s last and final avatar) that would destroy the world that has gone off the rails. As Devdutt Patnaik, scholar on Hindu mythology says, “Kalki was probably inspired by messianic thoughts that are prevalent in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He was the deliverer and the saviour.” Recently, Rajan Zed, the President of Universal Society of Hinduism said that Lord Krishna, highly revered in Hinduism, has been trivialised in the film and such usage of Hindu figures is inappropriate and disturbing to the devotees. He called for a deletion of all references to Krishna in the film. He tweeted:

Comparing #Krishna to villain #Apocalypse in #XMenApocalypse trailer was inappropriate. Delete references to Krishna unless scripture based.

— Rajan Zed (@rajanzed) December 15, 2015

However, when Apocalypse says that he has been called, “Ra, Krishna and Yahweh”, the creative intent is not to demean a Hindu figure but a fantastical extrapolation of a common theme of historical figures who appear and reappear in various time-periods to either destroy or rebuild and points to the cyclical nature of human existence. As the director said in an interview with Empire, “What is a God? Why would someone create and rule over a race simply to be worshipped? It bears no respect or devotion to him – that’s the big giant ego of the old God. All of it lacks symmetry, order and devotion to him. It needs to be culled. It needs to be wiped away and rebuilt again.” For that matter, religious texts and scriptures are open to interpretation, wherein lies the beauty of scholarship. Watch the trailer here: