Superman is political. Comic books are political. Pop culture is political.
That’s because their creators are human beings who are shaped by the political, cultural, and religious forces of that era. As such, art both reflects and informs what constitutes the zeitgeist.
James Gunn, writer and director of the current Superman movie, accurately described Superman as an immigrant who reflects the best of America. He is an alien from the destroyed planet Krypton who is granted refuge thanks to the kindness of an American couple in Smallville, Kansas. He chooses to use his superpowers to help people and protect the innocent, even though he can easily abuse them to become a murderous tyrant. His archnemesis is a sociopathic billionaire who uses his privileges and wealth for power and control. This is the story of Superman as created by two Jewish kids who were children of refugees. Superman has taken on fascists, Nazis, the KKK, and generally any entity, whether human or alien, that seeks to spread corruption, pain, and death.
Naturally, MAGA and bad-faith right-wing actors would misread Superman, a global, iconic ambassador for kindness, truth, and justice, as a symbol of “wokeness” to help fuel their endless culture war. This is both a distraction from MAGA’s bankrupt ideas and numerous scandals, such as the Epstein files and the disastrous GOP bill, and a driver of the 24/7 outrage and grievance news cycle.
After seeing the movie, I can tell you the movie is political AF and will greatly enrage all the worst people on Earth. There is a celebration and endorsement of kindness as a superpower; an evil billionaire who works with the government; the deliberate creation of disinformation to cause confusion and political crises; the torture of individuals without due process in a foreign prison; a Muslim immigrant who becomes a hero by risking his life to save Superman; and, a very clear anti-occupation storyline that parallels what’s happening in Ukraine and Gaza.
Film critic Zaki Hasan and I broke down the politics of Superman in this current moment and gave our respective reviews, with minor spoilers.
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