James Gunn’s Superman is getting ready to fly into theaters. Which means that everyone suddenly has an opinion on the Man of Steel. Including Fox News who fundamentally misunderstand the point of Superman as a character. And Clark Kent’s upbringing.
Superman and, by extension, Clark Kent, is an “illegal alien.” Meaning that he is an alien who literally crash landed in Smallville, Kansas and lives with Jonathan and Martha Kent. His story is, in its own way, a story of an immigrant coming to America and living out the American dream. That’s part of the point of the character.
Originally created by two Jewish men, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character was meant to represent hope in a hopeless time. His first appearance was in 1938, smack dab in the middle of World War II, and showed what hope could do for people. So call me surprised that everyone seemingly forgot Superman’s origins when they all started yelling about “woke Superman.”
It was revealed by Gunn that his take on the character is an “immigrant story.” Well, yeah. That’s part of Superman’s lore. It did, however, turn into a MAGA outrage moment with Fox News weighing in. On The Five, the hosts all started yapping about Superman being an immigrant.
Co-host Greg Gutfeld responded to Gunn’s comments by saying “Well, for one thing, it’s a terrible analogy. With Superman, they are sending your best, you know? That’s not escalator material.” Which, gross. But then Kellyanne Conway chimed in…
Later in the segment, Conway began to complain about David Corenswet. “He found himself unable to say Superman’s slogan — ‘fighting for truth, justice and the American way.’ He said, ‘truth, justice and all of those good things.’ He refused to say ‘the American way’ and he’s playing Superman.” Okay! That’s fine, Superman is Kryptonian! And Corenswet, who is from Pennsylvania, can feel that way!
Don’t worry, Conway then revealed that she doesn’t understand the point of movies anyway by saying “We don’t go to the movie theater to be lectured to and to have somebody throw their ideology on to us. I wonder if it will be successful.”
Superman has always been an immigrant’s story!
From its beginning, the story of Superman has been an exploration of the American Dream and being there for your fellow man. The “American Way” part of Superman’s legacy was rooted in what America could offer those who wanted to have a better life.
Kal-El’s parents sent him to Earth to give him a chance. While they might not have specifically chosen America, the idea behind this being that people DO specifically chose to move to America and try to have a better life for their children. So yes, it is an immigrant story and he is one of the best heroes that we could ever have. If you’re mad that Superman is “superwoke” now, you just never actually understood the point of Superman to begin with.
He is and forever will be an immigrant who is trying to take on the billionaires who want to ruin the country he loves so much and that’s why I love him.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
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