Superman is leaping forward with a new motto.
The hero will no longer refer to the “American way” in the DC comic books, and will instead use the phrase “Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow.”
“Superman’s new motto of ‘Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow’ will better reflect the global storylines that we are telling across DC and to honor the character’s incredible legacy of over 80 years of building a better world,” Jim Lee, publisher and chief creative officer of DC Comics, said in a statement Saturday.
“Superman has long been a symbol of hope who inspires people from around the world, and it is that optimism and hope that powers him forward with this new mission statement.”
The former motto, “Truth, Justice and the American Way,” is one several that has been used by Superman, and dates back to the early 1940s, according to Variety.
Superman debuted in 1938 in “Action Comics,” with the hero typically embodied by Kal-El, a hero from the planet Krypton who went by Clark Kent after arriving on Earth.
The new motto received mixed reactions.
“Changing Superman’s motto tells you that the American Way has just come to mean ‘for profit and with as little concern for humanity as possible.’ Fix that and maybe it’s worth fighting for,” tweeted comic book artist Tim Seeley.
Twitter user RJ Petrucci, meanwhile, wrote, “I think it is a disgrace … and of course for International $$$$$$.”
Earlier last week, DC Comics announced that the latest hero to take up the Superman mantle, Jon Kent, will come out as bisexual in an upcoming comic.
“Superman’s symbol has always stood for hope, for truth and for justice,” writer Tom Taylor said. “Today, that symbol represents something more. Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics.”
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