Is Superman Still Our Hero or Just Another Pawn in the Culture War?
Written by Peter Boykin on July 11, 2025
Is Superman Still Our Hero or Just Another Pawn in the Culture War?
#GoRightNews Shared by Peter Boykin
American Political Commentator / Citizen Journalist / Activist / Constitutionalist for Liberty
Is Superman Still Our Hero or Just Another Pawn in the Culture War?
There’s a story I often tell when folks ask why I do what I do with #GoRight with Peter Boykin. It’s about Johnny Carson. In an age before algorithms decided who we were allowed to laugh at, Carson was America’s king of late-night. He had everyone: Democrats, Republicans, and the apolitical, tuning in every night because he never tipped his hand. He’d crack a joke about Carter one night, Reagan the next. But he never told you how to vote. He brought us together, one monologue at a time.
It’s been said Carson refused to pick a side because once you do, you lose half your audience. He believed entertainment was an island, one place where a divided Constitutional Republic could share a laugh without a fight. He was a uniter, not a divider. So it begs the question: Did James Gunn just make Johnny Carson’s mistake in reverse?
🎥 Entertainment & Culture: James Gunn’s Superman Sparks the Culture War
James Gunn, the bold new creative mind behind DC’s next Superman, has openly declared that Superman is an immigrant story. Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter and Variety that the Man of Steel is “an immigrant that came from other places and populated the country,” framing the legendary superhero as a stand-in for America’s immigrant backbone, a child from nowhere given a chance by good-hearted Americans to become a hero for everyone.
Gunn’s vision leans into an uncomfortable truth that some would rather ignore. Superman has always been the ultimate outsider. He was launched from a dying Krypton by desperate parents hoping he would survive. He crash-landed in Kansas, where Ma and Pa Kent raised him not as an alien but as their son. That is an immigrant story, whether the word offends people or not.
Gunn says his goal is not to drag Superman into political squabbles but to remind us of something simpler: basic human kindness. In his words, it is about a hero who is “uniquely good” in a world that has forgotten how to be good. He admits some people may twist that message to fit their talking points on both the Left and Right. But he insists the core message is bigger than any politician’s soundbite.
Yet the backlash was inevitable. Former Superman actor Dean Cain slammed Gunn’s comments as a “mistake” during an interview with TMZ. He warned that framing Superman as an immigrant risks turning the hero into a symbol of open borders and Hollywood rewriting timeless characters to please social media mobs. Cain argued, “We can’t have everybody, society will fail,” pushing the idea that leaning too hard into the immigrant symbolism risks losing the American essence that made Superman iconic.
He is not alone. A chunk of the fandom sees this as part of a bigger trend, classic heroes retooled to match modern ideologies, which they feel dilute the original charm. These critics point back to Superman’s golden age, WWII covers with Superman smashing swastikas, radio shows with the Man of Steel battling fascism, TV shows opening with that booming line, “Fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way!” It was straightforward, patriotic, and easy to rally behind in a divided world.
But here’s the irony they miss. That slogan itself has never been set in stone. Superman’s motto has evolved to match the moment. After WWII and through the Cold War, “the American Way” meant fighting communism and standing for freedom. By the 1970s, it shifted to “truth, justice, and peace for all mankind” to reflect a growing push for civil rights. In modern comics, the slogan is now “truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.” Why? Because Superman is no longer just an American hero. He is a symbol of hope that crosses borders, language, and politics.
And while the political pundits bicker, early reactions paint a different picture. Reviews so far show most fans did not see a “woke” lecture. They saw the Superman they remember, larger than life, moral to the core, and maybe what we all need right now. Crowds are clapping. Critics are praising David Corenswet’s Superman as authentic and heartfelt. Even skeptics like Tim Pool admit, “8/10. Not woke, not even remotely political.” And fans roared when Mr. Terrific showed up. They loved it.
So maybe Gunn did not start a culture war after all. Maybe he just reminded us that a good story does not have to pick sides. It just has to make us believe a man can fly and do the right thing when the world needs it most. And if that makes us uncomfortable, maybe that says more about us than it does about the guy in the cape.
📚 Where Did Superman Come From?
Superman was not born in a Hollywood boardroom. He was dreamed up in the hearts of two young sons of Jewish immigrants, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who grew up during the Great Depression watching fascism sweep Europe. They gave America a hero not to conquer the world but to protect it from itself. When they introduced him in Action Comics #1 in 1938, his tagline said it all: “A physical marvel, a mental wonder, Superman is destined to reshape the destiny of a world!” He was not just a patriotic mascot. He was a moral compass.
From the start, Superman was more than an American. He was an outsider, literally an alien, adopted into the American dream by humble Kansas farmers. He became a symbol of what happens when everyday Americans open their doors to the stranger, the orphan, the refugee, and help them become something greater. That immigrant parable was not radical. It was the embodiment of our Constitutional Republic’s promise: equal opportunity, liberty, and a duty to use our power for good.
By World War II, Superman’s mission was unmistakable. Comic covers showed him punching Hitler in the jaw long before the U.S. government officially stepped into the fight. He urged Americans to buy war bonds, conserve resources, and believe we could defeat evil if we stood united. He was an unapologetic piece of wartime propaganda, and Americans loved him for it.
As the Cold War dawned, Superman’s motto evolved. “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.” He was no longer just battling gangsters and mad scientists. He was a bulwark against communist tyranny, a bright red cape waving defiantly at the Iron Curtain. In a world gripped by nuclear dread, Superman reassured Americans that good could triumph over oppression.
In the 1970s, amid Vietnam and Watergate, Superman’s message softened again. TV cartoons and comics pitched him to the next generation with a wider lens: “Truth, Justice, and Peace for All Mankind.” The Civil Rights Movement had redefined America’s soul, and Superman adjusted with it, pushing kids to see that real heroism meant protecting all people, regardless of borders or color.
By the 2000s, Superman had become so universal that writers explored what it meant for him to be a citizen of Earth. In Action Comics #900, he famously renounced his formal American citizenship to show that his battles were not about U.S. foreign policy. They were about the dignity of human life everywhere. It stirred controversy, but the message was clear. Superman’s values were born in Smallville but belong to the world.
His slogan changed again in the 2020s. Now it is “Truth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrow.” Critics argue it waters down patriotism. Fans say it modernizes a hero whose fight has always been bigger than any flag. But one thing remains. Superman’s story has never been static. It has bent and shifted with America’s struggle to balance national pride with universal human rights.
If you want proof of how enduring Superman’s American roots are, just look at his ongoing tug-of-war between pop culture and politics. When someone calls him too global or too woke, remember, Superman punched Nazis before most people knew where Berlin was. He fought racists and warmongers in the pages of comics when it was risky to do so. And he did it not to divide America, but to remind us who we could be when we lived up to our founding ideals.
In the end, Superman’s home is Krypton. His heart is in Kansas. And his duty is to truth, justice, and whatever version of the American Way we choose to defend for the next generation. If that is not the perfect symbol for a Constitutional Republic built on liberty and personal responsibility, what is?
⚖️ What Does It Mean For Our Constitutional Republic
In our Constitutional Republic, we are supposed to stand up for all speech, even speech that rattles our comfort zones. The First Amendment is not just some relic for dusty courtrooms. It is the guardrail that lets us argue, disagree, mock, praise, and still walk away as neighbors at the end of the day.
A movie about an alien in a red cape should not send us into a civil war. But here we are, ripping at each other’s throats over whether Superman should be called an immigrant, as if that single word can rewrite the Constitution. It cannot. Words alone do not break our Republic. Ignorance does.
Gunn’s Superman reminds us that America has always been a story of immigrants. That is not radical. That is a historical fact. From pilgrims to pioneers, from Ellis Island to the southern border today, our greatness was built by people from somewhere else who dreamed bigger than tyranny would allow. Superman is an immigrant by design, an orphan from Krypton taken in by Kansas farmers. He grows up respecting America’s laws, its people, and its fragile balance of power. He does not replace our values. He embodies them at their best.
Truth. Justice. The American Way. These are the principles that hold up our Constitutional Republic. If you fear they are being watered down by Hollywood or misused for clicks, your solution is not rage-tweeting. It is standing firm for the real American way: freedom of thought, robust debate, equal application of the law, and the right to choose your heroes for yourself.
In a free Republic, you have the right to see Superman however you wish: a Kansas farm boy, a universal savior, or just a fun blockbuster escape from our daily chaos. But you do not have the right to demand everyone else see him your way alone. That is not conservatism. That is censorship.
So the next time Hollywood tries to spin a legend, or the next time the mob screams “woke” over a costume, take a breath. Ask yourself, is this the hill worth fighting on, or are they distracting me from the real corruption, the real threats to our freedoms, creeping in while we argue about a movie poster?
Superman’s story at its core reminds us that power must be accountable to the people. That is the same idea that built our Constitutional Republic in the first place. The day we forget that is the day truth, justice, and any American way, old or new, ceases to exist.
🗣️ #GoRight with Peter Boykin Commentary
Is Superman a Hero or Another Victim of Our Culture War, or Both?
Here’s my take: Superman is bigger than politics. He is bigger than Gunn, Cain, or me. He is not the property of the Right or the Left. He is a symbol of what we wish we could be: strong, honest, selfless, and unafraid to stand up for the little guy. If you want the “old Superman,” there are thousands of comics, shows, and movies waiting for you. But do not let your outrage keep you from seeing a new one. Maybe you will like it. Perhaps you will hate it. But at least watch it before you scream.
The real danger is not an “immigrant Superman.” The real danger is a society so addicted to knee-jerk reactions that we cannot sit together like Johnny Carson’s audience and share a laugh or a hero without tearing each other apart.
If Superman Fails Because We Made Him Political, What Hope Do We Have Left
If #Superman fails because both sides cannot stop screaming politics at a movie about an alien farm boy in a cape, then what hope do we have left for any part of our culture? Can we not appreciate things for what they are on the surface?
Remember this, my fellow citizens of this Constitutional Republic: everything leads back to politics. They all know it. Radicals, whether they wear a donkey or an elephant pin, know exactly how to push your buttons. They want you distracted, bickering about nonsense while they sneak through massive spending, secret surveillance expansions, or backroom deals that strip more freedom away from We the People.
Do not fall for it. Stay sharp. Stay focused. Do not be fooled. Is it not time to let entertainment be entertainment again? Without conflict, we do not get great storytelling. Marvel’s greatest arcs, mutants hunted by fearful governments, echoes of Nazi Germany, Civil War plots, came from exploring exactly these tensions. The same is true for DC’s new universe, Gods and Monsters.
Metahumans coming into the light. An alien like Superman is doing good, but terrifying the public when misinformation poisons the truth. Sound familiar? That is the real politics here: a world struggling to admit it is no longer in charge when power evolves.
Here is the truth from me: I have heard and seen that Superman is awesome. Just ignore the clickbait. Ignore the political saboteurs who wanted it to flop before it ever hit the screen. This film is truer to the comics than we have seen in a long time. Go see it. I know I will many times.
Too many people, like Dean Cain and the outrage mob, talk before they know the full story. Too many are fooled by clickbait headlines that they do not even finish reading. I did watch it, and I will tell you myself: it is not “woke.” It is not some leftist manifesto. It is a comic book movie about an immigrant from Krypton whose very existence rewrites the rules for humanity. That is it. And that is everything.
If Superman Flops Over Fake Outrage, What Does That Say About Us
If Superman fails because both sides cannot stop screaming politics at a film about an alien farm boy saving Earth, then what hope do we have left for honest entertainment? Here is the twist: it is not failing. Despite all the noise, the first wave of reactions shows the opposite.
Early word? The new Superman movie from James Gunn is out, and it is getting widespread acclaim. Real audiences, real ticket buyers, are praising the movie for being the closest thing in years to the hopeful, big-hearted Superman we remember. David Corenswet is getting praise for truly being Superman. People describe it as a mix of action, heart, and classic superhero energy that could reboot DC’s cinematic mess into something real again.
One fan summed it up perfectly, leaving the theater: “This is what summer blockbusters are all about.”
https://x.com/ResonantJustice/status/1943482475084234894
Tim Pool, not exactly Hollywood’s favorite critic, gave it 8/10: “Not woke, not even remotely political. Mr. Terrific was epic.”
https://x.com/Timcast/status/1943422611482120284
There were cheers in packed screenings. Crowds are applauding Superman. Warner Bros. is crossing its fingers for a half-billion-dollar box office. But what they need and what they seem to be getting is real fans who like it.
https://wsj.com/business/media/superman-james-gunn-peter-safran-dc-studios-6148aced
Even the White House dropped a line calling Superman the enduring “Symbol of Hope. Truth. Justice. The American Way.”
https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1943493150644777199
Yet here we are, some still yelling “go woke, go broke” like a broken record. Former Superman Dean Cain blasted Gunn for calling Superman an immigrant, claiming it will “hurt” the box office: “How woke is Hollywood going to make this character?”
https://x.com/Variety/status/1943303326134648898
Meanwhile, normal folks laugh that off. “Looool, but he is literally from outer space, not born in America. So, he is an immigrant. There is nothing woke about it.”
https://x.com/MUTVEric/status/1943541053484564689
One skeptic said, “To be honest, the movie is not woke at all. Any issues Gunn mentioned in interviews are glossed over or missing entirely. Not a woke movie, just a fun one.”
The “woke” excuse is wearing thin. When you have 200 million dollars banked in an opening weekend, that is not a flop. That is proof that people want Superman to win.
https://x.com/DMHunk1/status/1943444434315809016
🔍 A Call to Read Before You React
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Sources:
The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Action Comics Archives, DC Archives, TMZ, The Superman Encyclopedia, Wall Street Journal, X.com (Timcast, ResonantJustice, HomeOfDCU, WhiteHouse, Variety, VoltronsWorld, MUTVEric, DMHunk1).
Is Superman Still Our Hero or Just Another Pawn in the Culture War?
In this bold #GoRight with Peter Boykin special, we dig deep into why Superman, America’s favorite alien farm boy, is once again at the center of a political firestorm. Did James Gunn’s immigrant angle ruin him or revive him? Is Hollywood sabotaging hope or saving it? From Johnny Carson’s unifying comedy to modern outrage mobs who rage before they read, this piece exposes the real reason both sides keep weaponizing our heroes while the real threats to our Constitutional Republic slip by unnoticed. If you want to know what Superman really means for free speech, unity, and truth in today’s America, read this all the way through and decide for yourself.
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