Zack Snyder has his own personal Jesus trope - here's every one of his movie messiahs. Whether it's J.J. Abrams' lens flare, Hitchcock's suspense, or Christopher Nolan's plots that require a degree in quantum physics to properly understand, the most renowned directors each have their own hallmarks and signature storytelling techniques. A Zack Snyder film is usually recognizable by its cinematic, stylistic approach to violence, but the director has also developed a habit of casting certain characters in a biblical light.
Whether you interpret his story literally or not, the figure of Jesus Christ has endured over the centuries as the archetypal protagonist - a selfless savior who willingly sacrificed himself for the good of humanity. In the modern era, playing the big JC himself has become somewhat of a poisoned chalice, and it's now more common to see unrelated characters take on his qualities, evoking Christian mythology without going full-on ion of the Christ. Using religious symbolism to create a sense of grandeur is a technique Zack Snyder is particularly fond of. Snyder will drape his heroes (and sometimes villains) in Christian imagery and metaphor, but the clothes aren't always tailored to fit.
Snyder certainly isn't the only director to portray their protagonist in a Christ-like hue - The Matrix's Neo being a famous example. But while Neo's journey fits the Christian allegory (as far as one can in a digital world of gun-fu), Snyder's Jesus figures are intentionally less divine, flawed to the point where the allusions to Jesus can become more criticism than flattery.
King Xerxes (300)
Xerxes values his people as little more than instruments of his own power, and while such cruelty is entirely the opposite of what you'd expect from Jesus, that's the very point 300 is making.
King Xerxes is a false God, and Gerard Butler's King Leonidas takes it upon himself to prove the Persian ruler's mortality, exposing his deception and defending the good name of the true Gods upon Mt. Olympus. In the context of the setting, King Xerxes shares more in common with the Greek gods of myth than Christianity's Jesus. The character's religious parallels also derive from Frank Miller's graphic novel, rather than Snyder directly. Nevertheless, Xerxes is a vital precursor to the Christ figures Snyder would later develop, introducing familiar tropes such as humans hopelessly following a false god, and the efforts of mortals to cut down the divine.
Doctor Manhattan (Watchmen)
Being locked inside an Intrinsic Field Generator actually panned out remarkably well for Dr. Jon Osterman. Transformed into a being of near-limitless power, Watchmen sees Doctor Manhattan become increasingly isolated from humanity, eventually moving to another planet and failing to prevent Ozymandias' genocidal plan. When Ozymandias seeks judgement, Manhattan replies only that "nothing ever ends." This notion of judgement and ascension to the heavens (or outer space, in Manhattan's case) cements the character as a Christ allegory. And just as Christ was God reincarnated as man, Manhattan harbors a duality between his old mortal self and his powerful blue glow-up.
Similar to 300, these seeds were first planted in the source material. Oster means Easter (highlighting the resurrection parallel), while Manhattan also walks on water and makes a cross shape when being blasted by the Field Generator. By posing Doctor Manhattan as a Jesus figure, Alan Moore (and, by extension, Zack Snyder) raises difficult philosophical questions about man's relationship with God. Manhattan has the power to protect humanity, but his apathy prevents him from doing so. It's the age-old atheist conundrum of God being all-powerful, but not necessarily all-loving. Watchmen refuses to definitively condemn or glorify Manhattan, allowing believers and non-believers alike to form their own interpretations of his moral stance.
Ozymandias (Watchmen)
While Doctor Manhattan is the most prominent representation of Jesus Christ in Watchmen, the character doesn't have a monopoly on biblical allusion. Adrian Veidt is a supremely intelligent superhero who sees himself as a savior, come to save mankind with his unparalleled wisdom. Ozymandias affords himself the right of power over life and death and, in this sense, can be seen as another false idol in the mold of 300's King Xerxes - the mortal who wrongly views himself as a God among man. Ozymandias' biggest visual Jesus reference comes when Veidt catches a bullet, and the bloodstain on his glove mimics Christ's stigmata. However, Ozymandias' downfall comes at the hands of a genuine God. Doctor Manhattan humbles the villain in no uncertain , comparing him to a mere insect.
Superman (Man Of Steel/Batman V Superman)
While the likes of Xerxes and Manhattan come with religious comparisons straight from the comics, Snyder's DCEU Superman also riffs on ideas from his previous Christ figures. Batman's "do you bleed?" mirrors King Leonidas exposing Xerxes as a false god by cutting him with a spear, and Superman's senate hearing mimics concerns that Doctor Manhattan was giving ordinary people cancer in Watchmen.
Superman's arc is Jesus Christ's bible story, but condensed and with more punching. His birth is considered a miracle on Krpyton, where reproduction has become scarce, and his sacrifice against Doomsday is the ultimate delivering of humanity from sin ahead of Justice League's resurrection. Snyder goes harder than ever in his pursuit of making Henry Cavill's Superman a modern religious deity, with Knightmare soldiers bowing in his presence, Clark physically forming a cross on several occasions, and a carefully positioned stained glass window sitting behind Cavill in a foreboding moment of self-discovery.
The DCEU's Christ-like depiction of Clark Kent usually occupies.
Joker (Zack Snyder's Justice League)
Zack Snyder's most recent Jesus figure has not yet been revealed in his full splendor. Jared Leto's Clown Prince of Crime was confirmed for a surprise return in the Justice League Snyder cut, and has been afforded a sorely-needed makeover from the Suicide Squad days. But marketing material for Zack Snyder's Justice League has shown Joker wearing a crown of thorns and adopting a Jesus Christ pose in black and white, predictably eliciting a negative reaction from the religious community.
While it's understandable that some would be less than thrilled at the most infamous comic book villain of all time representing Christian imagery, Zack Snyder's intention is less akin to Superman and Doctor Manhattan, and more in line with King Xerxes and Ozymandias. In Justice League's Knightmare timeline, Joker evidently sees himself as a savior. Darkseid has stolen Joker's villainous crown, and this sad clown can only help Batman restore things back to how they were. In Joker's deluded mind, this means he's saving the world by giving his life (presumably, the Knightmare will cease to be). It's easy to imagine how Joker warped mind can put two and two together and come out with Jesus.
