Superman has always been an immigrant, but the American right just can’t handle it! The new film directed by James Gunn, which just hit theaters, has sparked a massive uproar among conservatives. Why? Because Gunn openly stated in an interview what everyone already knows – Superman is an immigrant! Yes, he’s an alien from the dying planet Krypton, adopted by a regular American family in Kansas, which perfectly symbolizes the refugee and immigrant story. But right-wing media immediately jumped to call the film “superwoke” and accused it of injecting liberal ideology into a national symbol.
In a Sunday Times interview, Gunn emphasized that Superman is a symbol of the American immigrant story – coming from another world and bringing the idea of human goodness, a value many feel is neglected today. But the right-wing backlash was fierce, with Fox News hosts mocking the idea of Superman as an immigrant, some even going as far as to allude to Latino gangs like MS-13, claiming Superman would now wear their insignia!
The truth is, Superman is literally an immigrant – a baby from the dying planet Krypton, adopted in America. His creators, sons of Jewish immigrants, designed the character to reflect the experience of adapting and hoping in a new country. In today’s political climate, where the term “immigrant” is almost exclusively used for people from Latin America or the Middle East, the idea that a blue-eyed American can be an immigrant is a real provocation.
On the red carpet, Gunn and his brother Sean, who has a small role in the film, commented on the right-wing reactions. Sean Gunn was blunt: “Superman is an immigrant. If that bothers you, then you’re not really American.” Actor Nathan Fillion joked that his character obviously needs a hug, because it’s just a movie.
Interestingly, Dean Cain, the former Superman from the “Lois & Clark” series, also admitted Superman is an immigrant but made a series of political claims that further fueled the debate. He claimed he can no longer say Superman’s famous slogan “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” although comic author Tom King denied this. Even the White House joined the “narrative war” by releasing a photoshopped poster with Trump’s face instead of actor David Corenswet’s, using the old slogan “the American way.”
While the slogan is often associated with Superman, it’s not original and has been reexamined over decades. Superman even renounced American citizenship in some stories to avoid being seen as a tool of U.S. foreign policy. In the series “Smallville,” Clark Kent’s character is directly compared to an illegal immigrant, while in the new film Lex Luthor uses Superman’s origin to dehumanize him and portray him as a threat to the nation.
The new film uses fictional countries Boravia and Jarhanpur, which have clear geopolitical parallels but are not directly linked to real states. Boravia is depicted as a militarized former Soviet republic, while Jarhanpur is a poor country under attack. Superman tries to help people even when he has to bypass political bureaucracy.
Overall, the film stays true to the message of compassion and doing good. The new Superman isn’t radically different – he clearly emphasizes core values: kindness, empathy, and fighting for the vulnerable. Denying these values as part of American identity, as some right-wing critics do, means consciously ignoring what Superman has always stood for – a symbol of hope for all, no matter where they come from.
If you think this story is too “political” for a superhero movie, maybe it’s time to rethink what it really means to be American. And if you have your own take on Superman as an immigrant, drop a comment – maybe you’ve got a better theory about who that blue-eyed hero from Kansas really is!
