TEHRAN-The superhero of this story, Z, does not soar over imaginary skylines nor strike with an iron fist; his mission is different: to tear down the barricades of fake news and pull the truth from beneath the rubble of lies that Zionists pump daily into the media about Gaza. In “The Last Superhero: The Fight for Palestine”, Z searches for the roots of Zionism and the project of Israel in the twentieth century—a project that, through its propaganda machine, labels every Palestinian as “Hamas” in order to justify the killing of women and children.

In this inverted world, the media is no longer a tool of information, but a weapon to conceal Israel’s crimes and to blur the reality of Palestinian genocide.

Mark Urizar, the Australian author of the book, has crafted the work not as a mere piece of entertainment, but as a hybrid of narrative fiction and historical-political analysis. He employs the superhero metaphor to weave together the history of colonialism, references to the scriptures, and contemporary politics. 

“The Last Superhero”, published just ten days after the first anniversary of the October 7, highlights the false Zionist interpretations of the holy texts, portraying them as a religious cover for colonialism and genocide. The book’s form is a blend of Z’s narrative and the author’s direct commentary on media, Zionism, and the ongoing war in Gaza.

What follows is the Tehran Times’ exclusive interview with Mark Urizar about his work:

Your book combines direct historical-political analysis with the voice of Z. Why did you choose this structure?

How can you give people without a voice, a means to tell their story? The answer is not through documentaries, but through a storyline that captures all the vested nuances, interests, narratives, and the meanings we attach to concepts of good and evil, just and unjust, and moral and immoral. This story evolved from dry historical facts and was shaped by Western notions of fairness and justice, with the inclusion of a superhero—something we can all relate to.

This type of storytelling is exactly what Israel has done to gain Western support—but with biases and narratives not based on historical facts, but rather distorted by falsehoods and designed to appeal to the masses. The difference is that, in the end, truth will persist over lies and fabricated narratives.

What led you to use such wide-ranging historical comparisons, from scripture to Nazi Germany, in your book?

The search for truth requires a historical and religious context. By following this trail, we can uncover the elusive truth. What I found was that old Nazism had evolved into Zionism, which has kept its aim intact: to gain total control. With the added complexity of today, the onslaught that Israel has unleashed on Gaza needed a book to decipher.

As we follow this inverted trail with its narratives, we also see how evil has hidden itself through cowardice and cruelty, and how it has sought to recast religion and faith by diluting the truth with new rifts. This has allowed Israel to use God’s name to serve its agenda.

Power has been seized by wealthy minorities with vast fortunes. These groups form part of interconnected global secret societies that set the narrative and determine what is considered right and wrong. Democracy is used to justify their evil actions not only against other nations but also against their own people — those who demonstrate or protest against them.

By seeing the truth, we must break the spells cast by this evil with its inversion of reality. If we do not, then nothing — not politics, religion, or democracy — will help or save us.

Writing this book required you to study the Quran. Which part of it (perhaps in comparison with the Bible) did you find most striking or surprising?

The religious texts provide both prophetic and historical context, each offering insight into the meaning of existence and why things are the way they are. In deciphering these for the book, I was mindful that the Bibles, unlike the Quran, have had their messages rewritten over time, which has distorted and corrupted their truths.

An extract from the book noted that what is occurring in Gaza is not a just war. It is not what should be part of humanity or what it means to be human. The Jewish Talmud and the Quran state that whoever saves a life saves the world, and for each of us, our life is the world. None of us asked to be born, and no one should have to beg to live. This implies that we must all become part of the solution to dispel the problem — a solution requiring activism with tremendous courage and passion.

“Indeed, it is they who are the corruptors, but they fail to perceive it.” (Quran 2:12)

Ultimately, the true message within these scriptures is that we should strive for peace through forgiveness, something we have failed to do. This message has been overridden by narratives of separation, entitlement, hatred, and vengeance — all used to promote a divergent agenda.

You refer to the concept of the "The False Messiah". What motivated you to address the distorted apocalyptic interpretations of Zionist Judaism and Christianity?

We live in interesting times. Many in Israel and Christians in America believe that an apparent biblical prophecy is unfolding in the Middle East. This has led many in Israel and Christian Zionists in America to act as they do toward the Palestinians, believing that this will trigger the Second Coming. This, in turn, has set the stage to welcome the Antichrist and thereby enable what will follow: Christ’s return. Ezekiel, Chapters 38 and 39, prophesized a great war involving Israel and a confederation of nations led by a figure from the north.

For the true Messiah to come, the collective Jewry would have to be redeemed for their sins and evil, with punishment in the form of the whole world turning against Israel. For this to occur, the Israelis would need to engage in such blatant wrongdoing that it becomes absolutely obvious to all — which, according to this belief, they have done. And with the world turning against Israel, severe punishment would follow.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, together with Netanyahu, has ensured that Israel makes progress toward this goal. The date for this redemption has been foretold to be September 2027.

The Bible describes the "last days" as the period between Jesus' first coming and His second coming, starting with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and continuing until the final events of the "Day of the Lord." During this time, the Bible predicts increasing wickedness, a departure from faith, signs in the heavens, and the eventual return of Jesus, followed by global judgment, a new heaven, and a new earth.

There is, however, no rational basis for this cause or why it should be acted upon. It is unreasonable, destructive, and stems from Israel’s collective conduct and aggressive actions, which will have consequences. This is mass psychosis that has left reason out of decision-making as it waits for divine intervention.

If your book had been written after the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, would you have included that conflict as well? 

No. But if I had, I would have written something like this: the 12-day war was a political resurrection — a maneuver by Netanyahu, who solidified his position by bombing Iran. With the attack on Iran, he managed to temporarily overshadow the mounting challenges surrounding him. At the time, chief among these challenges were the ongoing war crimes in the Gaza Strip, while more than two-thirds of the Israeli population were calling for a deal with Hamas to release all hostages.

This was a period when domestic divisions had deepened, the anti-war movement had gained traction, and Israel had become increasingly isolated on the world stage.

You strongly emphasize the importance of the media in representing the truth. Do you consider this to be the central message of the book?

We are ruled by narratives that prevent salvation from reaching this world. What is narrated has penetrated deep into the human psyche. This is the propaganda and carefully crafted language we hear, influencing and reinforcing certain mindsets while ignoring and dismissing human value. It is reinforced through language, authority, control, education, doctrinal reinforcement, ritualistic formatting, and repetition — and if challenged, it brings the fear of external damnation. This narrative is predominantly controlled by the media. Messages are carefully crafted to set or change perception through persuasion, guilt reinforcement, moral confusion, and dependency. Yet this narrative is not used for salvation, but rather to influence and perpetuate a cycle of disempowerment.

On the global stage, such narratives are used to condition and indoctrinate governments and societies. This has given power to ruling minorities, who then freely condemn others — those they no longer recognize as human. This is relayed through media-broadcast propaganda with messages such as: only certain populations are worthy of care and sympathy, while targeted populations are to be regarded as vermin in need of extermination. This subverts our basic sense of human empathy, to the point that many are now unable to feel the same humanity toward targeted populations.

The false narratives that have inverted this reality are unleashing unimaginable cruelty and abominations upon the disenfranchised and the most defenseless — babies, children, and women. This is an evil that uses its beguiling tongue to convince and capture many, including the world’s most powerful leaders, who then forsake themselves and their souls for it.

What does Z’s journey in Gaza say about our own responsibility when no real superheroes will come to save us, and why did you choose to convey this through a fictional character?

Writing about Israel and Palestine is very controversial in the West, and anything to be published needed to be sanitized through a fictional character — one who could observe and record events from a distance. This approach was chosen because, like many, I did not want to become a participant or complicit in what was occurring. From this came a glimpse of the truth, with the message that we do, in fact, have a choice.

From this storyline emerged the character named Z, who first appeared in a children’s series featuring superheroes that dealt with issues such as COVID-19, climate change, the plight of the disadvantaged, the state of the environment, and the war in Ukraine.

For many, as for Z, Gaza became a clarifying and defining event that changed them. Z is part of the silent majority — those who cannot understand how the world has stood by while the onslaught of this genocide continued unabated and with full support from the West. As Z grappled with this dilemma, he sought answers and the truth, as we all must. And with the truth came the realization that there are no superheroes who will save us from evil; when we need it most, no one will come to help.

We have allowed a minority of powerful people and groups to place themselves above the law and set the agenda for us. The UN, ICC, and ICJ have no means to contain the evil that exists. We now all face the fear of becoming the next Palestinians — the presage of a new world order, should we allow this to continue.

AH/SAB