<
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/8/5/remembering-the-original-superman>
"Even before the latest Superman film premiered, it was already deemed
controversial. A rather innocuous comment by director James Gunn referencing
Superman’s backstory as an “immigrant that came from other places” was enough
to spark a backlash among conservatives who called the movie “woke” and vowed
to boycott it.
Why all the anger when this is indeed Superman’s origin story? He is sent to
Earth as a refugee from a planet that is about to die.
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who created Superman in the 1930s, were both sons
of Jewish immigrants to the United States and Canada, respectively. The two
projected onto Clark Kent, Superman’s alter ego, their experiences, fears and
longing as two shy young men of immigrant backgrounds who struggled to fit in.
Like them, their hero does not quite feel he belongs – neither as Clark, who is
timid and lacks the confidence to speak up or approach others, nor as Superman,
who is feared by some for being an alien.
Growing up, reading the comics, I saw in Clark Kent someone I knew too well – a
hesitant, modest man, shrinking himself to fit in. I saw myself. I too was an
immigrant, and I too had had to leave my country before it started falling
apart.
And so, I looked forward to seeing the new Superman film, hoping to see a
return to the original premise. My children and I counted down to the premiere
together, watching trailers and reading interviews. We went to see the film,
and I felt a genuine sense of recognition. It was great to see the core of
Superman’s story pushed to the fore once again.
But why did some see the immigrant backstory in Superman as a threat? As an
attempt to make their favourite superhero “woke”?
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that for a long time, Superman was
whitewashed into a pliant superhero who worked with and represented American
power. How did it get to that?"
Via Frederick Wilson II.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
