10 Fictional Characters who are Probably Mormon

Sometimes, it's hard to find Mormons in mainstream media. Occasionally we'll get token nods from stories like Ocean's 11 or Space Jam, but overt portrayals of Mormon characters are pretty rare. Most shows don't go into a whole lot of depth on religion, though, so it's possible there are some unidentified Mormons out there in famous movies, TV shows or novels. Here are the most likely candidates:

Aragorn - The Lord of the Rings

The guy can trace his family history back 42 generations. He’s shown tireless effort to redeem the dead. And he gets back from a mission to find an epic homecoming celebration (complete with a musical number) and promptly marries the girl who’s been waiting for him all these long years. Yup. He’s totally a Mormon.

Giselle - Enchanted

This girl goes from single to engaged faster than you can say “time and all eternity.” She has sewing skills any enrichment night planner would die for and her penchant for bursting out into song would make some great musical numbers. She’s also great with kids and ferociously optimistic and takes very seriously the Savior’s counsel to avoid anger and contention. Most telling is her complete lack of understanding as to why a couple would want an end date to their marriage. After all, families are forever!

Kenneth Parcell - 30 Rock

30 Rock’s loveable rube Kenneth is naive, conservative, optimistic and almost certainly a Mormon. Who else would try to ban facial hair in the workplace? He almost always wears a white shirt and tie and refuses to drink coffee and any other hot drinks because, after all, “that’s the Devil’s temperature.” He maintains that you need to read the Bible in German to understand “the real versteckte bedeutung of it.” Not coincidentally, the German translation of the New Testament was Joseph Smith’s favorite. He’s kind, religious, and confident, and he clearly understands the Plan of Salvation, but it gets even better. A recurring joke on 30 Rock is that Kenneth is actually immortal. Clearly, Kenneth is not only a Mormon, he’s one of the Three Nephites! (My money’s on Kumen.)

The Hands of Blue - Firefly

We don’t know much about the “hands of blue”; we’re not even told their names. Here’s a list of what we do know:

• They travel "two by two"
• They wear suits, white shirts, and ties
• They are desperately trying to get a hold of River Tam

Clearly, these aren’t the vicious government assassins that they initially seem to be. They’re just really, REALLY persistent home teachers. Spencer W. Kimball would be pleased. Except about that whole killing people thing.

Belle - Beauty and the Beast

It’s hard to be a Mormon. Sometimes, people will call you strange or odd. Or maybe even the word “peculiar,” an expression laden with scriptural implications. In Beauty and the Beast’s opening number, Belle’s fellow townsfolk use that very word to describe her twice. Why? Because of the way she always has “her nose stuck in a book,” which she’s read at least twice. What book could inspire such devotion? The movie gives us a few clues. The book clearly has a blue cover, and includes “far off places (Zarahemla), daring sword fights (Moroni vs. Zarahemnah), magic spells (Akish’s secret combinations), [and] a prince in disguise (Nephi dressing up in Laban’s clothes).” Sounds like any book you know?

Remus Lupin - Harry Potter

Profesor Lupin waits until marriage (to a much younger woman) before he decides to start a family (though like Giselle, he has an extremely short courtship). He’s a role model to Harry at the time the boy’s first entering his teenage years and teaches him a number of spiritual truths. It is Lupin who teaches Harry to cast out fear (in the form of a boggart), and it is Lupin who instructs the boy in driving off despair (in the form of dementors). In essence, Lupin becomes the best scoutmaster a 13 year old could ever hope for. And though most other Mormons aren’t werewolves, we do experience being driven mad by hunger on a monthly basis every fast Sunday.

The Gergiches - Parks and Recreation

Alone of the Parks and Rec bunch, only Garry/Jerry/Larry/Terry/Barry Gergich begins and ends the series married to the same person. While he's constantly ridiculed by his coworkers, Jerry doesn't mind because he always gets to be home by five to spend time with his family. He's kind, humble, genteel, hard working, and extremely helpful to anyone who needs him, but his family always comes first. Here's the clincher: when two of Jerry's friends need a last minute officiant at their wedding, Brother Gergich reveals that he's "actually ordained." In what religion does someone have a full-time job and just happen to be a clergyman on the side? This means Jerry's probably a bishop or stake president. Besides all of that, do you really think any family that wasn't Mormon would do this?

Hopper - A Bug's Life

So maybe Hopper missed the Sunday School lesson on not enslaving an entire civilization under threat of death. But when it comes to maintaining a year's supply of food, nobody’s more committed to following the prophet than the king of the grasshoppers. I mean, look at that stash! Now, if he could just figure out that whole “love one another” thing...

C-3PO - Star Wars

“Thank the maker!” C-3PO exclaims in Episode 4 in an exultant exclamation of his faith. (Bet you thought thought droids didn’t have religion. Racist.) He’s also quite hesitant to commit blasphemy because “That just wouldn’t be proper.” But how do we know he’s a Mormon? He is fluent in over 6 million forms of communication. I ask you, which is more likely: that Bing translate was vastly better a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, or that C-3PO has the gift of tongues? You decide.

Captain America - Marvel Cinematic Universe

He has a haircut that looks like it was ripped straight from a BYU honor code pamphlet. His dress and appearance are always modest (unlike other men of Marvel, he only takes his shirt off for a serious medical procedure). His cells have “a protective system of regeneration and healing,” making it impossible to break the Word of Wisdom, and just like any Peter Priesthood, he’ll let you know if you use bad language in front of him. Most importantly, he clearly understands the nature of God (or at least how God dresses).

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