The characters in the hit rock opera and musical Jesus Christ Superstar. As they are based upon characters in The Four Gospels, see also the character page for their biblical inspiration.
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Jesus
Played by: Ian Gillan (concept album), Jeff Fenholt (1971 US tour and 1971 Broadway), Ted Neeley (1971 understudy and 1973 movie), Paul Nicholas (1972 West End), William Daniel Grey (1977 Broadway revival), Steve Balsamo (1996 West End revival), Glenn Carter (2000 Broadway revival), Paul Nolan (2012 Broadway revival), Ben Forster (2012 UK tour), John Legend (2018 TV special), Aaron LaVigne (2019 US tour).
The leader of the Twelve Disciples; a man called the "Son of God" and the "King of the Jews."
- Born in the Wrong Century:If you came today you could have reached the whole nation / Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication.
- Break the Cutie: He's a kind and well-meaning preacher who feels overwhelmed by his ministry. Then, he's betrayed by one of his closest followers, arrested, tortured, denounced by several of his own people, and executed on trumped-up charges.
- Celibate Hero: Well, unless the production goes that direction with his relationship with Mary Magdalene...
- Crucified Hero Shot: The final scene of the musical depicts Jesus on the cross.
- Death by Adaptation: The play ends before we find out whether he resurrects or not.
- Doomed by Canon: It's a given that he will be crucified by the Romans.
- Good Wears White: In many productions.
- Heroic BSoD: "Gethsemane". He admits that his ministry has left him sad and exhausted, that he's terrified of his impending execution, and that he doesn't understand why God is allowing all of his trials and tribulations to happen.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Lets himself be crucified as per God's plan.
- Hippie Jesus: In the 1973 film, he is, for all intents and purposes, a hippie actor.
- Most other productions tend to retain at least some aspects of the hippie look as well.
- I Want My Mommy!: Asks for his mother while on the cross.
- Jesus Was Crazy: According to Pilate and Judas.
- Jesus Was Way Cool: According to Mary Magdalene, Simon, and Caiaphas.Caiaphas: One thing I'll say for him, Jesus is cool.
- Light Is Good: In many productions, he is dressed in white or off-white.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: He doesn't commit any miracles in the course of the play, and most productions leave the question of his divinity open-ended.
- Metal Scream: Present in almost every version of "The Last Supper" and "Gethsemane", largely due to the Original Cast Precedent of Ian Gillan on the concept album.
- Pretty Boy: He's good-looking, but small, slight, not physically intimating.
- Ola Salo of the 2014 Swedish Arena Tour
may also count.
- Ola Salo of the 2014 Swedish Arena Tour
- Race Lift: Very much downplayed. Jesus of the Gospels was a Middle Eastern man, but most performances of Jesus Christ Superstar cast European fair-skinned actors for the role of Jesus. In real life, there are light-skinned Middle Eastern people who can pass for white Americans or Englishmen, and the Jewish tribe to which Jesus was born is known to have white skin, albeit dark by Western European standards, but real life Jesus's complexion would have resembled your stereotypical Sicilian or other Southern European. However, it got played completely straight in the 2018 NBC performance, which cast the black John Legend as Jesus.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: It's Jesus Christ, so this is a given.
- Uncertain Doom: Definitely dies, but the play ends after the crucifixion without showing his resurrection. Some versions imply he survives to appease Christian protesters.
- Unwitting Pawn: Of God himself. In the "Gethsemane" scene, Jesus doesn't realize what role his death will play in God's plan and can only hope that it will not be in vain.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Judas and the Council think that Jesus is a revolutionary fomenting rebellion. In reality, violent revolution is the last thing Jesus wants.
Judas
Played by: Murray Head (concept album), Ben Vereen (1971 Broadway), Carl Anderson (1971 concert tour, 1971 Broadway understudy and 1973 movie), Stephen Tate (1972 West End), Patrick Jude (1977 Broadway revival), Zubin Varla (1996 West End revival), Jérôme Pradon (1999 movie), Tony Vincent (2000 Broadway revival), Josh Young (2012 Broadway revival), Tim Minchin (2012 UK tour), Brandon Victor Dixon (2018 TV special), Tyrone Huntley (2019 US tour)
One of the Twelve Apostles, Judas was initially Jesus's right hand man, but has grown concerned about the cult of personality surrounding Jesus, believing it's overgrown his teachings. His political and interpersonal disagreements with Jesus set the plot of the play in motion.
- Alas, Poor VillainSo long Judas
Poor old Judas - Antagonist in Mourning: He suffers a complete emotional breakdown after his betrayal of Jesus and subsequently hangs himself.
- Anti-Villain: Portrayed very sympathetically throughout the play.
- Beauty Equals Goodness: Depending on how you interpret his character, his being played by a balding young man who hasn't shaved recently in the 2000 version either subverts or plays it straight.
- Tim Minchin in the 2012 tour makes a pretty convincing case for Judas being good.
- That goes double for Josh Young in the 2012 Broadway revival.
- Peter Johansson in the 2014 Swedish Arena Tour has arguably one of the most morally good portrayals of Judas, a fundamentally decent man who loves Jesus but disagrees with him strongly enough to make him an easy target for Caiaphas to manipulate. He's also an objectively beautiful Long-Haired Pretty Boy who very strongly resembles Legolas.
- Betrayal by Inaction: He actually threatens to not betray Jesus just to spite him and God's plans.
- Blatant Lies:(about Mary) "It's not that I object to her profession..."(to the high priests) "Jesus wouldn't mind that I'm here with you!"
- BSoD Song: "Judas's Death", wherein he realizes that God chose him to be the one to betray Jesus.
- Doomed by Canon: See Driven to Suicide, below.
- Driven to Suicide: He hangs himself after betraying Jesus.
- Evil Costume Switch: in the 2000 film, after betraying Jesus to the Pharisees, Judas takes off his jacket to show off his black shirt, and starts wearing red after committing suicide.
- In the 2012 Live Arena tour, he wears grey and green, before switching to black post-suicide.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: In public, he's an angry, judgmental contrarian. Beneath the surface, he's worried about the future of Jesus' ministry, conflicted about betraying him, and later devastated by the harm he brought down on his friend.
- Inelegant Blubbering: In the 2014 Swedish Arena Tour, Peter Johansson's Judas sings "I Don't Know How to Love Him (Reprise)" through brokenly weeping his soul out.
- Killed Mid-Sentence: "You have murdered me! MURDERED ME! MURDERED..."
- The Lancer: Serves as a foil to Jesus and calls him out on some of his beliefs and practices.
- My God, What Have I Done?: "Judas's Death".
- Necessarily Evil:I came because I had to; I'm the one who saw.Jesus can't control it like he did before.
- Never My Fault: On a meta level — whilst other characters have the deeds accredited to them in the Bible presented in different ways to make them more or less sympathetic, Judas actually has negative aspects of his character removed entirely (such as his robbing from the Apostles' purse) to make him more sympathetic.
- No Indoor Voice: in the original film.
- Only Sane Man: Believes himself to be this.
- Race Lift: Judas was a Middle Eastern man in the Gospels, but he's depicted as a black man in some versions of Jesus Christ Superstar, most famously Carl Anderson in 1973.
- Rage Against the Heavens: "Judas's Death".God, I'll never ever know
Why you chose me for your crime
For your foul bloody crime. - The Resenter: He's jealous of Mary, calling her out for her past involvement in prostitution. He's also distrustful of Jesus.
- Slut-Shaming: Chastises Jesus for associating with a woman of Mary's profession.
- Sour Supporter: He admires Jesus, but strongly disagrees with a lot of his actions and proclamations.
- Supporting Protagonist: The story is largely told from his perspective.
- Tears of Remorse: After he sees the extent of Jesus's punishment at the hands of the Romans.
- Unwitting Pawn: Of God, no less.My God, I am sick.
I've been used!
And you knew
All the time! - Villainous Breakdown: During "Judas's Death", he's overwhelmed with grief and guilt for betraying Jesus. His cocky assertiveness is gone, replaced by anguish.
Simon Zealotes
Played by: John Gustafson (concept album), Dennis Buckley (1971 Broadway), Derek James (1972 West End), Larry Marshall (1973 movie), Bobby London (1977 Broadway), Glenn Carter (1996 West End), Tony Vincent (1999 movie), Michael K. Lee (2000 Broadway), Lee Siegel (2012 Broadway), Giovanni Spano (2012 UK tour), Erik Grönwall (2018 TV special), Eric A. Lewis (2019 US tour)
A belligerent apostle who urges Jesus to lead his followers into battle against the Romans.
- La Résistance: A militant leader looking to overthrow Roman power.
- Large Ham: AAAAA-MEEEEEEEEN!!!
- Lyrical Dissonance: His song is an energetic, joyful song and dance number about trying to convince Jesus to rebel against Roman rule.
- Pretty Boy: In the 2000 film and the 2018 NBC performance.
- Psycho Supporter: He tries to get Jesus to declare war on Rome in order to gain absolute power.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Calls for a war against Rome.
Peter
One of the Twelve Apostles, prophesized to deny Jesus three times.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He's overcome with shame after he publicly denies being one of Jesus' followers.
- Pretty Boy: In the 2018 concert version, as played by Jason Tam.
Mary Magdalene
Played by: Yvonne Elliman (concept album, 1971 Broadway and 1973 movie), Dana Gillespie (1972 West End), Barbara Niles (1977 Broadway), Joanna Ampil (1996 West End), Renée Castle (1999 movie), Maya Days (2000 Broadway), Chilina Kennedy (2012 Broadway), Melanie C (2012 UK tour), Sara Bareilles (2018 TV special), Jenna Rubaii (2019 US tour)
The only major female character in the play — formerly a prostitute, now a follower of Jesus who finds herself falling in love with him.
- Beneath the Mask: "I Don't Know How to Love Him" reveals she's just as clueless as everyone else about what to make of him.
- Composite Character: She combines elements of herself with that of Mary, the sister of Martha, whose "waste" of costly perfume on Jesus was derided by Judas.
- The Heart: She comforts Jesus when he's stressed. In some performances, such as the 2018 NBC musical, she calms down other members of Jesus' entourage and tempers their anger.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: She's the holiest of ho's, alright.
- Number Two: Judas believes that she has usurped his role as Jesus's most trusted follower.
- Slut-Shaming: Judas is jealous of Mary's close relationship with Jesus and mocks her for being a former prostitute.
Caiaphas
The high priest who sees Jesus as a threat to the nation.
- Anti-Villain: He's an arrogant religious leader who arranges for an innocent man's arrest and execution. However, he did so because he honestly believed that Jesus' followers were about to carry out a rebellion, which would have prompted the Roman occupiers to crush Judea in retaliation. Of all of Caiaphas' actors, Norm Lewis probably struck closest to this trope, portraying Caiaphas as an almost fatherly man who seemingly offers Judas money as actual thanks for his efforts, rather than a manipulative bribe. Because Annas' actor in that production, Jin Ha, was young enough to be Norm's son, his Caiaphas also has a better handle on his dragon's cruelty than most versions.
- Bald of Evil: As portrayed by Frederick B. Owens in the 2000 film.
- Big Bad: The mastermind behind the death of Jesus, puppeteering Judas and influencing Pilate in such a way as to ensure they act as the means to his end.
- The Chessmaster: He plays a major role in Jesus' arrest, having convinced Judas to reveal Jesus' wearabouts and urging the Roman authorities to crucify Jesus.
- Evil Costume Switch: He wears a blood red robe in the 1973 film during the trial.
- Even Evil Has Standards: In the 1973 film, despite demanding Jesus be executed, he looks extremely unnerved during the 39 lashes.
- Evil Sounds Deep: He's the only bass in the show, and one of the few in all of music theater. (Not only that, he's actually a basso profundo, which is rarer still.)
- Good Colors, Evil Colors: In the 1973 film, 2000 film and the 2018 NBC performance, Caiaphas and the other priests wear black clothing, in contrast to Jesus' white clothing.
- I Did What I Had to Do: He believes that the actions of Jesus will have negative repercussions for the entire Jewish race.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: In the 2018 NBC version, Caiaphas and the other priests are wearing long black coats covered with geometric patterns, making them look both futuristic and sinister.
- Kick the Dog: It's pretty damn cruel to mock Judas for having been paid 'pretty good wages for one little kiss' in betraying Jesus when Caiaphas forced him to accept the money to give to charity as a 'fee' to begin with.
- Pet the Dog: Oddly enough, in the 1973 film, he and Annas both place comforting hands on Judas' shoulders after this.
- Large Ham: "FOOOOOLS! YOU! HAVE NO PERCEPTION! THE STAKES WE ARE GAMBLING ARE FRIGHTENINGLY HIGH!"
- Necessarily Evil: See I Did What I Had to Do, above. He believed that Jesus' followers were about to launch a rebellion, which could have thrown Judea into chaos and provoked the Romans to commit a massacre.
- The Needs of the Many: The stated rationale for the priests' actions:Caiaphas: For the sake of the nation, this Jesus must die!
- Scary Black Man: In the 2000 film, where he's played by bald, booming Frederick B. Owens, and the 2018 NBC version, where Norm Lewis uses his explosive gravitas to basically turn Caiaphas into Javert distilled.
- Soprano and Gravel: Caiaphas is a booming, commanding bass, contrasted with high-voiced Annas, who is usually played by a countertenor.
- Villain Respect: In earlier versions of the musical, he thinks "Jesus is cool" for not openly preaching violence against Rome. Averted in later versions, in which his line about Jesus' coolness is replaced with "Infantile sermons; the multitudes drool".
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Caiaphas is driven by a desire to avoid 'blood and destruction' against the Jews.
Annas
A Jewish priest, Caiaphas's second-in-command.
- Age Lift: In history, he was the older man and Caiaphas' father-in-law; most productions present him as a younger Smug Snake sidekick.
- Bald of Evil: In the 2000 film and the 2018 NBC performance.
- Creepy High-Pitched Voice: Usually has the highest-pitched male voice in the show, bordering on falsetto at times. How "creepy" he is varies between adaptations (the 2000 film version being probably the most unpleasant), but he's always a smug Jerkass.
- The Dragon: To Caiaphas.
- Good Colors, Evil Colors: In the 1973 film, 2000 film and the 2018 NBC performance, Annas and the other priests wear black clothing, in contrast to Jesus' white clothing.
- Hate Sink: The only true example in the story - while Caiaphas and Pilate have sympathetic qualities, Judas is flat out tragic, and Herod is at least funny to watch, Annas remains an unpleasant, sneering asshole the whole time.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: In the 2018 NBC version, Annas and the other priests are wearing long black coats covered with geometric patterns, making them look both futuristic and sinister.
- Jerkass: He makes no attempt to hide his contempt for the "carpenter king", who he calls a "hero of fools". He also sneers at Jesus' followers, calling them "blockheads" and "half-witted fans" who could easily get out of control. This is especially pronounced in the 2000 film, where the only thing he seems to feel or express is open, disparaging contempt for literally everyone except Caiaphas.
- Kick the Dog: He makes no attempt to empathize with a distraught Judas, dismissing his emotional breakdown as histrionics and suggesting that the only thing Judas should care about is being on the winning side.Annas: Cut the confessions. Forget the excuses. I don't understand why you're filled with remorse.
- Lack of Empathy: The coldest of the priests, who says he can't really understand why Judas is filled with remorse for betraying Jesus since he 'backed the right horse' in the end.
- Looks Like Orlok: In the 2000 film he's depicted as completely bald, pale, and dressed in a long black coat/robe.
- Race Lift: In the 2018 NBC version, he's played by Jin Ha, who (as his name suggests) is East Asian.
- Smug Snake: He sneers at the early Christians' devotion to Jesus, but fails to understand what Jesus stands for or what his death will achieve.
- Soprano and Gravel: To contrast him against deep-voiced Caiaphas, Annas is a countertenor and is typically given a sharper, more outwardly unpleasant voice to denote him as the show's asshole-in-chief.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Like Caiaphas, Annas is driven by a desire to save the Jewish people from Rome's wrath, although he's more of a Jerkass about it than Caiaphas.
Pontius Pilate
The Roman Governor of Judea tasked with Jesus's trial.
- Alliterative Name: Pontius Pilate.
- Anti-Villain: He harbors no ill will toward Jesus and admits that he has no legal grounds to execute him. He feels anguish when forced to choose between punishing an innocent man and allowing his angry subjects to get out of control.
- Chewing the Scenery: Fred Johanson takes this to epic proportions in the 2000 film, as does Ben Daniels in the 2018 NBC performance.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: "Pilate's Dream", in which he meets with Jesus and is responsible for his death.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: An example that carries over from the source material. The historical Pontius Pilate was a ruthless governor who had no compunctions against bloodshed in the name of maintaining order and had his men hide among the people so they could slaughter Jews by the hundreds at the first sign of rebellion against Rome. This Pilate actually has a functional conscience and is deeply uncomfortable with the Kangaroo Court he's presiding over.
- Ignored Epiphany: Takes little to no note of his prophetic dream. Some productions, as well as the 2000 film, avert this when, during the "Trial Before Pilate", he backs away in shock as the "Pilate's Dream" motif plays, showing that he has recognised the Galilean from his dream.
- Large Ham/Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "What! Do! You mean! By! That? That! Is not! An aaaanswer!"
- Macho Camp: Fred Johanson's Pilate is a towering, uniformed goliath of a man who bellows almost every word that comes out of his mouth. His version of "Pilate's Dream" reveals this to be a complete mask.
- Mundane Made Awesome: He counts along while Jesus is flogged to the tune of heavy metal guitar.
- Peer Pressure Makes You Evil: He does not want to execute Jesus and insists that Jesus has committed no crime. Peer pressure from the priests and the mob drives him to have Jesus flogged, then to foist Jesus' case onto Herod instead of setting him free.The Mob: Remember Caesar! You have a duty to keep the peace, so crucify him! Remember Caesar! You'll be demoted! You'll be deported! Crucify him!"
- Purple Is Powerful: As the governor of Judea, Pilate is one of the most powerful characters in the show, and some productions dress him in purple to reflect this.
- He wears purple in the 1972 London production (designed by Gabriella Falk).
- Every single one of his costumes in the 1973 film incorporates purple to some extent (designed by Yvonne Blake).
- His costume on the A.D. Tour is also purple (designed by David Paulin).
- Putting on the Reich: In the 2000 film the Roman's outfits are a combination of Roman armor and Nazi uniform, with Pilate distinguished by a Commissar Cap. He ends up looking like a weird Expy of M. Bison/Vega.
- Shaming the Mob:
- He lambasts the mob screaming for Jesus to be crucified, since he sees Jesus as a harmless crazy man being used as a scapegoat by the mob for the revolutionary rumblings his presence set off.
- He also calls members of the crowd hypocrites for insisting, "We have no king but Caesar", pointing out that they hate the Roman occupiers more than they hate Jesus.
- A Taste of the Lash: Unwilling to execute a man, he first orders Jesus to be whipped instead.
Herod
The King of Galilee; Jesus is brought to him for judgment after first being taken to Pilate.
- Affably Evil: He's a charismatic host, his underlings seem to love him, and he's positively giddy at seeing Jesus.
- Ascended Extra: He only appears for one scene in most versions, but the 1973 movie has him appear again during the 39 Lashes scene, as he initially enjoys Jesus' flogging before showing discomfort.
- Berserk Button: Ignoring him and not performing the miracles he wants makes Herod positively explode.
- Camp Straight: For all his camp and debauchery, he's a married man, and tends to surround himself with beautiful dancing girls.
- Card-Carrying Villain: The only unashamedly evil character and is not suffering an existential crisis.
- Chewing the Scenery: Alice Cooper delivers a flamboyant performance as Herod, complete with dancing girls, during the 2018 NBC performance.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Downplayed in the 1973 version: while Jesus is being flogged he starts out cackling with cruel amusement at his suffering, but by the end he looks visibly disturbed and uncomfortable.
- Fat Bastard: In the 70s production, Herod is noticeably paunchy and quite the nasty jerk.
- Game Show Host: Chris Moyles' portrayal. His segment parodied Britain's Got Talent and he asked the audience to text in to vote if Jesus was a god or fraud.
- God Test: Tries to goad Jesus into proving he's the son of God by performing miracles.
- Gold-Colored Superiority: Alice Cooper's King of Galilee indicates his station by literally wearing a gold tuxedo.
- Ironic Echo: Jesus says "Get out!" first when clearing the temple, then to Judas. Herod drives him away with the same words.
- Large Ham: His song is usually the most over-the-top and flashy in the show, and Herod himself tends to milk every moment for all it's worth.
- Laughably Evil: Herod and Annas are arguably in contention for being objectively the worst people in the show, but the distinction between them is that Annas is an openly unlikable bastard while Herod is ridiculous.
- Mythology Gag: In the 2019 Barbican production, his servants had wide silver platter collars with blood on them, referring back to Herod's execution of John the Baptist and his Decapitation Presentation on such a platter.
- No Indoor Voice: Alice Cooper again, of course, during the final verse and ending of his song.
- Royal Brat: Interested in getting things his way, having fun and enjoying life.
- Sissy Villain: Some performances depict him as effete and flamboyant.
- Villain Respect: The first two thirds of his song are him first expressing wonder at Jesus's supposed accomplishments; then begging him to show off some miracles. Subverted when Jesus refuses, and he turns nasty.
- Walk on Water: In the 2012 tour, when he tells Jesus to walk across his swimming pool, an image of Herod walking across one appears in the background.
God
- The Plan/Gambit Roulette: For the highest of stakes and with his own son's life as the ante.
- The Unseen: He doesn't actually appear in the musical.
