Pop culture includes a surprising number of explicitly Catholic characters. Some of them are obviously and emphatically Catholic: Daredevil, for instance, or Zorro. Others, though canonically Catholic, don’t mention their faith very much, to the point where it might come as a surprise. But in each case, once you know their faith, you can see it at work in their actions. It adds a whole new dimension to the character.

Here are five famous characters that you probably didn’t realize were Catholics, and how their faith helps make them who they are.

1. Robocop

Officer Alex Murphy’s devotion to duty and his commitment to doing the right thing was the only thing that kept him alive (and sane) after being transformed into the ultimate law enforcement machine. And both of these are explicitly stated to stem from his Irish Catholic upbringing.

Murphy’s courage led him to brave the warzone of dystopian Detroit, ultimately getting him killed in the line of duty. When he was brought back as a crime-fighting cyborg, his moral compass gives him the strength to fight against his programming and reclaim some level of his humanity.

Even when he can’t overcome his mechanical aspects, he is able to find a work around to do the right thing, because doing the right thing is at the core of his being, put there and anchored by his Catholic faith. The demands of justice, the defense of the innocent, and the upholding of the law are all part of who and what Robocop is, even more than his machinery.

“It’s true. I am a cop.”

2. Hercule Poirot

Agatha Christie’s celebrated Belgian sleuth doesn’t explicitly mention his faith very often, but makes no bones about it when he does; he is a “practicing Catholic,” as he states in Murder in Mesopotamia.

Being a practicing Catholic clearly informs Poirot’s work. Again and again he reiterates that the truth is the most important thing for him. Regardless of whether he can get a conviction and regardless of who is affected, he believes the truth is beautiful for its own sake and must always be uncovered where possible. He is also adamant on the sanctity of life: no matter how horrible the victim, Poirot insists that “I do not approve of murder.”

To take another human being’s life on your own private judgment is always wrong, partly because it opens the door to more killing (once a person makes the choice to kill another human being, he’s likely to do it again), but also because it is not the right of individuals to stand in the place of God or society by passing judgment over their fellows.

One story has Poirot discovering a missing antique cup being used as a chalice in a monastery. He advises his client (a very rich and not very scrupulous man) to let the nuns keep it in exchange for saying regular prayers for his soul.

“To judge another human being unworthy of life is to usurp the prerogative of le Bon Dieu.”

3. James Bond

Though obviously not an especially, ah, observant Catholic, Bond at the very least comes from a Catholic family. As revealed in the movie Skyfall, his ancestors were recusants who hid priests during the reformation and had a chapel on their estate.

And though he doesn’t seem to be practicing, there are occasional glimpses throughout the series that the faith has not quite left him. He even goes to Confession at one point! Granted, it was so he could meet with Q…and it was a Greek Orthodox Church, but still, he seems to know the procedure.

If he gained nothing else from his family faith, Bond at least seems to have retained the ability to know that he’s a sinner. He doesn’t offer any moral justification for what he does; only that it’s how his business works. Bond’s messy, sinful life is exactly the kind that calls for the merciful ministrations of the Church. Given that he’s been able to maintain something like a moral perspective despite everything he’s done, I like to imagine that, if he ever retires, he’ll eventually find his way back to the faith.

“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.”

“That’s putting it mildly, 007.”

4. Lieutenant Columbo

Like his fellow sleuth Poirot, this famous detective didn’t mention religion very much. However, from his Italian heritage and a few casual references to his home life, we can deduce that Columbo too was Catholic.

He certainly has a Catholic ability to see past earthly wealth and consequence to know that such things don’t ultimately matter compared to one’s moral character, and the wisdom to understand that the evil a person does need not define them.

It is less the crime of murder itself that invites Columbo’s scorn, but pride and pettiness and hypocrisy. He likes murderers who are unpretentious, friendly folks and he despises the arrogant ones who feel no remorse for their crimes.

Yet he never lets any of them get away, because however nice or kind or amusing they are, they still killed someone and must face the consequences as they would for any other sin. He offers respect to everyone, be they a senator or an artist or a burglar or a foolish old woman, but he knows that part of that respect involves holding people responsible for their actions, especially when those actions involve another human life.

“Even with some of the murderers that I meet, I even like them too. Sometimes I like them and even respect them. Not for what they did, certainly not for that. But for that part of them which is intelligent or funny or just nice.”

5. Mario

Okay, this one’s a bit of a cheat; obviously Nintendo would never explicitly state that its mascot is any particular religion, so it might be a matter of debate whether he counts.

That said, in the 1993 Super Mario Brothers Movie, there is a brief shot in which Mario can be seen to be wearing a crucifix and Miraculous Medal around his neck. And since the film is at least partially canon (in regards to the brothers’ last name for instance), we can probably take this as a safe indication that Mario, like any good Italian, is indeed Catholic.

Maybe that’s why he’s so willing to play games and go go-kart racing with his arch nemesis, and why he so well embodies the distinctly Christian virtue of chivalry by being both a very humble and kindly working man and a dangerous warrior at the same time (and in his unswerving, apparently chaste, devotion to Princess Peach).

And if we can assume Luigi shares his brother’s faith, that would help explain why he never resents being in his bother’s shadow; he understands humility. Of course, Mario himself never puts on airs either, and seems just happy to do the right thing with or without reward. Someone did a good job on those brothers!

“Mamma mia!”