A funny collection of Last Supper pictures
Ronald’s Last Supper
McDonalds is a popular target for Last Supper parodies. I suppose everyone imagines that the restaurants are so ubiquitous now that is likely where the the final meal would be held.
There’s nothing like a couple thousand years of of repetition and an iconic painting by an Old Master to get the story lodged inside the heads of the creators of pop culture. Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th century depiction of Jesus announcing that one of his 12 disciples would betray him is so iconic that it has been co-opted by those wishing to give weight to their parodies, tributes and caricatures. What I find interesting is who gets portrayed as Christ and who gets to be his Judas. As many of the pictures as possible are linked to a more detailed version.
Mickey Mouse Last Supper
One of several works by pop artist and culture jammer Ron English. This is one of my favourites as I like that the disciples are divided between Disney and Warner Bros. characters all looking to Mickey Mouse, the first cartoon superstar, as Jesus. What puts it to the top though is cartoon spokesperson Joe Camel as Judas. Nice.
Sopranos Last Supper
Famed celebrity photographer Annie Leibowitz captured The Sopranos Jesus Christ pose in 1999, with Tony as the central figure in this mob of disciples and his treacherous mother Livia as Judas.
Simpsons Last Supper
Depicting Homer Simpson with his beer-swilling disciples at Moe’s is inspired, but my one complaint is how many minor characters there are in the bar, making some guy I don’t even recognize as Judas. The image comes from the end of Thank God It’s Doomsday.
Superman’s Last Supper
Superman as the Christ figure is a no-brainer but my superhero knowledge is spotty so I can’t name a number of the disciples and I don’t know who Judas is. Anyone?
The Last Pancake Supper
Two depictions of the disciples as breakfast cereal mascots with Aunt Jemimah as the Christ figure and Cap’n Crunch as Judas. They were created by two different artists, in two different countries, four years apart, but there are some striking similarities. The above work - The Last Pancake Supper - was painted by Dick Detzner in 2000.
The Last Breakfast
The Last Breakfast was painted by Aubrey Hallis in 1996. Did Detzner copy him? It’s possible, but as evidenced by the collection here, copying The Last Supper is not a completely original concept. In any case, I like both of their ideas, mostly as sugar cereals have been more a part of my daily life than the Bible ever has.
Cereal Mascot Last Supper
Another great Last Supper depiction by Ron English and lo and behold he places Cap’n Crunch as Judas as well. This leads me to believe two things: great minds think alike and people really hate the Cap’n. I don’t understand the bad rap - all he ever did was fight the evil Soggies. If anyone was ever going to sell you out it would be the Trix rabbit. He’d do anything for a bowl of that stuff.
Sesame Street Last Supper
I accept Big Bird as the Saviour, but why would Cookie Monster betray him? I suppose it would be very easy to bribe him with cookies. Brought to you by the letters J and C.
Star Wars Last Supper
Eric Deschamps was commissioned to paint this by Giant magazine before the final Star Wars installment was released. From the painter: “They wanted selected Star Wars characters in the Last Supper. I started out staying really close to the poses in the actual last supper painting then ended up straying away from them a bit to make the wide range of characters fit.” I would have preferred to see Boba Fett as Judas instead of Han Solo or Chewbacca (I can’t tell who it’s supposed to be) but I suppose that is one of the difficulties when placing all the characters into a preset image.
Donkey Kong’s Last Supper
I love the Nintendo world of Misha’s Donkey Kong’s Last Supper, especially the pipes as the table legs. Having Mario as his Judas is a perfect choice too.
The Last Software
Another take on the video game theme, titled The Last Software featuring characters from competing gaming platforms. From left to right, Pac-Man, Q*bert, Frogger, Donkey Kong, Mario, Pauline (Nintendo), a literal Atari Jaguar, Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, Princess Sally, Earthworm Jim, Gex and Crash Bandicoot.
Hollywood Last Super
You’d think there would be more versions of the Last Supper featuring Hollywood celebs as the apostles but this was one of the only ones I could find, featuring Marilyn Monroe in the Christ seat. She’s a great choice as she was sacrificed for fame and celebrity. Clark Gable is depicted as Judas but I don’t know why. Any guesses?
Yet another Ron English take on the final diner with an interesting yet peculiar selection of disciples for King Mickey, from Bart Simpson and teletubby Tinky Winky to Olive Oyl and Frankenstein. King Kong holds the Judas slot.
That 7o’s show Last Supper
A screengrab from an early episode of That 7o’s show called The Streaking. Not too badly done considering they only had six characters to work with.
M.A.S.H. Last Supper
Back in the real 1970s, director Robert Altman shot a scene in his classic film M.A.S.H., showing the surgeons in a familiar pose.
The Last Happy Meal
The Last Happy Meal is more of a cartoonish of a take on da Vinci’s work, but the free toy is a great kicker. I also love the inclusion of some long discarded characters like Mac Tonight and Captain Crook.
Last Supper McSupersized
Last Supper McSupersized is another classic from Ron English and was featured in Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Supersize Me.
The Very Last Supper
One final take on the McDonalds theme with the interesting detail being Grimace depicted as Judas and not the Hamburglar, as most of the rest of the parodies used. It’s always the one you least suspect. In the detailed view you can see that Grimace is wearing a Burger King hat — his version of a bag of gold, I suppose. Titled The Very Last Supper, by Jim Thompson, it was painted on the back of a pizza box, which is a fitting touch.
James Wood’s Last Supper
This one I have no explanation for at all. A table filled with James Woods except for Robocop, from artist Brandon Bird. Sure, why not?
Lego Last Supper
The last of the series isn’t so much a parody, I just really like Lego.
Lego Brick Last Supper
I mentioned how much I like Lego, didn’t I? Here’s another version.
Popeye Last Supper
Artist *ATLbladerunner’s Popeye parody, titled Supper At Sea is described thusly: All of the characters are from the Thimble Theater strip by E.C. Segar, which later became just the Popeye comic strip. I tried to keep most of the characters in the same positions as the apostles are in Leonardo’s version, and tried to put in a few little fun things relating to the original. For instance, putting Olive in the same place as the apostle John, who some believe to be Mary Magdelene. I also had to put Brutus in the place of Judas Iscariot, and have him holding money (pieces of silver).
From Left to right - Alice the Goon, the Sea Hag, Poopdeck Pappy, Brutus, Professor O.G. Wattasnozzle, Olive Oyl, Popeye, the Jeep, J. Wellington Wimpy, Rough House the cook, Swee’ Pea, George Geezil, Castor Oyl.
Phish Last Supper
The Phinal Supper, featuring the members of Phish. I don’t know anything about the band other than I’m sure some of their followers feel like disciples.
Sean Connery Last Supper
I found this one at You’re The Man Now Dog. It looks like Sean Connery is Christ and his Judas appears to be George W. Bush. I have no idea why. Some of his disciples are Batman, Bill Cosby, Conan O’Brien, Chewie and Patrick Stewart. I also think there is Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, but I can’t be sure.
House Last Supper
This Season Four promotional figure is beautifully done. Set in an operating room with a patient for a table, it mimics da Vinci’s Last Supper perfectly.
Tarantino Last Supper
I expect Quentin Tarantino really does see himself as a Christ-figure, surrounded by his blood-thirsty disciples. There’s a Last Supper that will end in a gunfight of biblical proportions. Artist David Laird went a little overboard with the number of characters, nor does the layout doesn’t make it simple to determine the Judas figure, but I would place my money on Bill. It’s nice that he puts The Bride by Tarantino’s side, in a nod to the theory that the figure to the left of Christ in the original painting is Mary Magdalene.
iPhone Last Supper
The iPhone Supper is a nice riff on the ascendence of the iPhone, but it could have been so much better. How about a pink iPod Nano to the left of the Iphone and maybe a Zune in the Judas spot. But hey, I’m just the aggregator, not the artist.
Cookie Last Supper
The Last Snack, a photo by Tom Altany, was nominated for the International Color Award for color photography (Advertising category) in 2006. Not much to say about this other than it makes me hungry. Would His blood be chocolate milk?
Fast Food Last Supper
Another version using fast food franchise mascots as disciples. Nice to see one without Ronald McDonald as Jesus and hey, the Burger King guy is called The King. Looks like the Oven Mitt (Arby’s mascot?) is the Judas. Aren’t there any more mascots out there? Anyway, the image is a from a t-shirt design by Stephanie Sachs.
Fast Food Mascot’s Last Supper
Soon after wondering if there weren’t any more fast food mascots that could be used, I stumbled upon this Last Supper version, with a full compliment of junk food disciples. I couldn’t find any attribution about the artist — if anyone knows, please leave a comment. Domino Pizza’s Noid is Judas to Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Colonel Sanders. It is important to Avoid the Noid.
Justice League Last Supper
Even comic artists like to indulge in a little da Vinci parody. This image appeared in the Countdown/Final Crisis series, with much speculation as to whether DC Comics is planning to kill off Batman sometime in 2008. I can’t speak to that, but I love Wonder Woman in the potential role of Mary Magdalene and how many of the parodies are placing a female figure to the left of the Christ figure. Green Lantern takes on the Judas role. I have no idea why.
Kevin Smith’s Last Supper
It was almost inevitable that someone would create a Last Supper out of director Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse. Artist Misha avoided using Smith as Christ (unlike the Tarantino version above) instead using Mooby the Golden Calf, a reference to the graven image worshiped in the Old Testament. Nice.
Here is how Misha described the painting, which was purchased by Smith himself, to MTV: “I did a lot of listening to [Smith] talk, a lot of listening to podcasts, voiceovers from the actual films, stories. It’s funny, because you’re painting Ben Affleck’s face and you’re listening to a story about him, so there are a lot of little jokes within it, wink-winks. You’ve got Rufus [the 13th Disciple], who has finally made it to the supper where he belongs. Kinky Kelly and the Sexy Stud — he brought a date — Hooper X pinching Banky’s butt, Dante and Randall, of course, overlooking Alyssa playing with her fingercuffs. Then Stan Lee. Stan Lee is God.”
Yoda’s Last Supper
Another take on the Star Wars, but using 16th-century Italian painter Jacopo Bassano’s Last Supper as inspiration, instead of the more common da Vinci version. Betray me, one of you will.
Battlestar Galactica’s Last Supper
Last Supper pop culture homages continue to surface, easily making it one of the most imitated images for satirists. What makes this image so popular is the back story is so well know that all anyone needs to do is plug in the appropriate characters and a new story emerges.
The latest version I’ve come across is Entertainment Weekly’s Battlestar Galactica Last Supper in their preview of season four. To my unending shame I have not been watching BSG, but happily executive producer Ron Moore explains the placement of the figures:
Gaius Baltar & Number Six: Even though Baltar seemed to be on a savior track, “that’s not really what the story is about,” explains Moore. “Baltar’s Six has proclaimed that she is delivering the gospel of the [Cylon’s] one true god, so it seemed natural to place her at the center of the photo.”
Lee Adama: “The brooding (Judas-like?) former pilot is still in his civilian suit. “He does not return to flight status,” says Moore.
Read about the other eight here.
Casino Last Supper
A painting at the Siena Hotel Casino and Spa in Reno, Nevada, take by Pamela Haynes. Funny. I suppose at a casino the dealer is king.
Scientologist’s Last Supper
I can’t believe it took me so long to check The Gallery of the Absurd for a version of the Last Supper and fourteen did not disappoint with The Scientologist’s Last Supper: “It clearly shows Tom Cruise as Christ, but leaves several other questions unanswered. For instance, who is the mysterious woman seated to His left and why is she smiling like that? Could she be his…gasp…wife? Is that a Jenny Craig-approved cupcake Kirstie Alley is grabbing? John Travolta is wearing loafers and he’s floating - what does this mean? How did Will Smith get mixed up with this bunch? So many questions, so few answers.”
Though painted in January 2007 it dovetails nicely with the extra craziness of Cruise’s feverish advocation of The Church of Scientology, leaked this January (2008) on all sorts of sites.
Comic Last Supper
Sadboy-Elchicotriste’s Last Paper Supper is a nice take on the comic book Last Supers, this one featuring a number of European characters. From the artist: “From left to right we can see a Peyo’s smurf, Spiderman, walt disney’s Mickey Mouse, Ibañez’s Mortadelo, Herge’s Tintin, Hugo Pratt’s Corto Maltese as the main guy, Uderzo and Goscinny’s Obelix, Segar’s Popeye, franquin’s Spirou, Morris’s Lucky Luke, Schultz’s Charlie Brown with Snoopy on the table too and in the middle the manga’s freak shin chan… manga hurted quite a lot the tradition of the european comic… guess who’s the betrayer?”
Well, Tintin is in the Judas seat, but once again I have no idea as to why.
X-Men Last Supper
Speaking of comic characters, Symphonic-Massacre’s X-Supper is made up of all X-Men characters. I can name half a dozen and recognize Jean Grey/Pheonix in the Christ position but I don’t know who the Judas character is. Any fans out there?
Darth Vader’s Last Supper
A Last Supper made up of evil robots from pop culture? Why not. So if Darth Vader is Christ and the Borg Queen is Judas, who does she sell him out to? The Federation or the Rebel Alliance.
From the artist, ABVH: Left to right - ED 209 (Robocop), Dalek (Dr.Who), Trade Federation Droid (SW), Terminator (T1), Borg Queen (Star Trek), Maria (Metropolis), Darth “He’s more machine than man now” Vader (SW), Cylon (BSG), Cyrax (Mortal Combat 2), Ash’s head (Alien), T1000 (T2), General Grievous (SW), Sentinel (Matrix)
Rock ‘n’ Roll Last Supper
Poncho-Juju’s Last Rock Supper explores the rock gods conceit. Instead of choosing Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain or John Lennon as the Christ figure, a Les Gibson takes centre stage. Marilyn Manson is placed as Judas (sure, why not?), but that figure is usually represented by the person second to the left of Christ, with their arm out, often holding a bag of money (or whatever the character took for their betrayal.) In this case it would be Pink Flyod’s Syd Barrett, or at least that’s who I think he was going for.
From the artist: (left to right) St Mick, St Sid, St Elvis, St Syd, Marylin (as Judas, in a kind of hommage), St Janis, the Holy Gibson, St Chuck, St Kurt, St John, St Jimi, St Jim, and St Freddy. People chosen mostly among the martyrs of rock, although some still living have been allowed (Mick Jagger for iconism, Marylin Manson for playing Judas, Chuck Berry for pretty much inventing Rock ‘n Roll).
Simpsons Last Supper
A fan art Simpsons Last Supper by Jabba the Slut, which doesn’t use any of the main family characters. I never would have guessed Otto as a Christ-figure but I could see Apu as a Judas. If it would help the Kwiki Mart he could do anything.
From the artist: (from left to right) Groundskeeper Willie, Lenny Leonard, Miss Hoover, Moe Szyslack, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Helen Lovejoy, Otto Mann, The Comic Book Guy, Chief Clancy Wiggum, Carl Carlson, Disco Stu, Herchel Krustofsky aka Krusty the Clown, Charles Montgomery Burns.
Mario’s Last Supper
AngstyGuy’s The Last Smashing take on a video game Last Supper is similar in theme to Donkey Kong’s Last Supper but with Nintendo’s all-stars standing in for Jesus and his Apostles and Mario in the centre seat. His Judas is Wario, Mario’s evil doppelgänger. How appropriate. The artist says there is a Da Vinci code in the painting. Head to his site to find out more.
Apple Last Supper
Another Apple-related Last Supper and a nice riff on the iconic iPod ads. Still, shouldn’t Judas at least be holding a Zune or even a Victrola?
Northern Exposure Last Supper
In an episode of Northern Exposure, local DJ Chris Stevens has a dream sequence where he imagines himself as Christ at a Last Supper while he tries to figure out how best to honour his mentor Tooley. It is from the Season Four episode, Heroes — best quality I could find. Thanks to Foolish Sage for the heads up.
Action Figure Last Supper
An odd assortment of disciples for Christ at this Last Supper. Looks like Larry of the Three Stooges, Wolfman, Spock Frankenstein’s monster, Bart Simpson, Marilyn Monroe, JC, Gilligan, Capt. Kirk, Dracula, Moe of the Three Stooges, Batman and Mickey Mouse. It looks like a collection of the creators figures, but quite nicely done.
Oxfam’s Last Supper
Cartoonist Gerard Alsteens created this Last Supper for Oxfam’s Dutch Fair Trade campaign. I can’t name everyone at the table, but here’s what I have: ?, Bart Simpson, ET, Tintin (as Judas), Mickey Mouse, ?, Che Guevara, Pope Benedictus, Spider-man, Charlie Chaplin, Jimi Hendrix (I think), John Lennon, Nelson Mandela (another guess). The version on the Oxfam site has a flash element, where all the items on the table have a fair trade link.
Final Crisis Last Supper
Another DC comics Last Supper, this one with villains. This is a promotional image for Countdown to Final Crisis and my comic knowledge fails me. But that is what the interweb is for and an excellent analysis from Foot2Mouth tells me the who’s who. From left to right: Granny Goodness, Eclipse, Mary Marvel, Joker (as Judas), Catwoman, Lex Luthor (as Christ), Kingdom Come Superman, Cyborg Superman, Return of Superman, Trickster, Dessad, Penguin.
Flying Spaghetti Monster’s Last Supper
The Flying Spaghetti Monster is an elaborate satire, meant to show the fallacies of Intelligent Design. From the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster’s Open Letter to the Kansas School Board:
“Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster… Some find that hard to believe, so it may be helpful to tell you a little more about our beliefs. We have evidence that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. None of us, of course, were around to see it, but we have written accounts of it. We have several lengthy volumes explaining all details of His power.”And so on. So of course it only seems appropriate that there be a Last Supper, with some of the disciples in the traditional full pirate regalia.
Zombie Last Supper
“This is my body, which is broken for you…” I don’t know why I held off on this zombie version for so long. If zombies don’t have a place in pop culture, who does? I’ve found multiple postings, but none that have led me to the original artist. Anyone know where it is from?
