Comic books were initially intended for immature audiences, but eventually, they developed beyond the simplistic villains and themes, and branched out into new areas. Religion being one of them.
The concept of fate is bound to come into play when death is rendered an impermanent construct. Superheroes never stay dead, and so some sort of reasoning had to be provided to little Timmy as to why Batman didn’t stay in Heaven.
Comic books are an entertainment industry, and as such they have to reach a worldwide audience. Therefore, making every superhero of a single unified religion seems a bit limiting, not to mention the fact that it completely cuts out the possibility of utilizing mythology as inspiration for powers and characters, lest those stories seem in some way blasphemous.
Marvel and DC comics are anomalies in that they are singular universes with constant and continuously connected storylines.
First, let’s take a look at Marvel…
Thor exists. He’s an alien, but he’s also THE Thor. The one from myth. He came to Earth thousands of years ago and brought thunder to our realm, and therefore he is real.
Hercules is also real
So is the One Above All
Marvel just explains everything away as Aliens, and apart from THE God, it pretty much works out.
DC on the other hand has a Christian-like God and Devil, but the rules are nowhere near as tight. Good people go to heaven. The people in Hell are there because deep down, in their souls, they feel they deserve to be there. The system is interesting and easy to understand, and any other God is simply another aspect of that afterlife.
Both, however, have a spirit of vengeance
Overall, basically all the gods exist in all of comics, so that they can be used as pplot devices in stories. Some books deal with theology in some ways, others handle it in others, and it is a unique trait of the format that makes accuracy not matter in the slightest.
