Jesus Christ Superstar/Characters

Alternative Character Interpretation can apply to just about any of these characters and YMMV highly. There's a reason why this play was extremely controversial when it came out. All interpretations are welcome but treat others' interpretations with the respect you'd want them to give yours.

Judas

 * Alas, Poor Villain
 * Anti-Villain
 * Apologetic Attacker
 * Beauty Equals Goodness: Depending on how you interpret his character, his being played by a balding middle aged man who hasn't shaved recently in the 2000 version either subverts or plays it straight.
 * BSOD Song
 * Doomed by Canon
 * Driven to Suicide
 * Evil Costume Switch: 2000 film. After betraying Jesus to the Pharisees, Judas takes off his jacket to show off his black shirt, and when he commits suicide, he now wears red.
 * Ho Yay: With Jesus, turned Up to Eleven in the 2000 film...to the point where the last straw before his betrayal was catching Jesus and Mary Magdalene in a compromising position.
 * Jerkass Facade
 * Jerkass Woobie
 * Knight in Sour Armor
 * The Lancer
 * My God, What Have I Done?
 * Necessarily Evil
 * Sour Supporter
 * Supporting Protagonist
 * Tears of Remorse
 * Unwitting Pawn

Jesus
"If you'd come today you would have reached the whole nation / Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication"
 * Bishonen: Particularly Glenn Carter's Jesus.
 * Born in the Wrong Century


 * Break the Cutie
 * Celibate Hero
 * Doomed by Canon
 * Groupie Brigade
 * Heroic Sacrifice
 * Hurting Hero
 * Incorruptible Pure Pureness
 * Jesus Was Crazy: According to Pilate and Judas.
 * Jesus Was Way Cool: According to Mary Magdalene, Simon and Caiaphas.
 * Light Is Good
 * The Messiah
 * Too Good for This Sinful Earth
 * Unwitting Pawn
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: At least from Judas and the Council's point of view

Simon Zealotes

 * Bishonen: In the 2000 film.
 * La Résistance
 * Poisonous Friend
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist

Peter

 * Angry Black Man: Peter gets a bit of this in the 2000 film.
 * Karma Houdini: Judas: Betray Christ once, suicide and eternal damnation. Peter: Deny Christ three times, become the first pope.

Mary Magdalene
"Mary: "And I've had so many men before, in very many ways, he's (Jesus) just one more.""
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar:


 * Hooker with a Heart of Gold: She's the holiest of ho's, alright.

Caiaphas

 * The Chessmaster
 * Evil Sounds Deep: He's the only bass in the show.
 * I Did What I Had to Do
 * Large Ham: "FOOOOOLS! YOU! HAVE NO PERCEPTION! THE STAKES WE ARE GAMBLING ARE TERRIBLY HIGH!"

Annas

 * The Dragon: To Caiaphas.
 * Smug Snake

Pontius Pilate

 * Chewing the Scenery: Fred Johanson takes this to epic proportions in the 2000 film.
 * Dreaming of Things to Come
 * Large Ham/Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "What? Doooooooo you mean by that? Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat is nooooooooooooot! An aaaaaaaaaaaan! Swer!"
 * Out, Damned Spot!: I wash my hands of your demolition!
 * Putting on the Reich: In the 2000 film.
 * He ends up looking like a weird Expy of M. Bison.
 * A Taste of the Lash

Herod

 * Camp Gay
 * Large Ham
 * One-Scene Wonder: Especially when he's played by Rik Mayall.
 * Sissy Villain

God

 * The Chessmaster
 * The Plan / Gambit Roulette: For the highest of stakes and with his own son's life as the ante.
 * The Unseen