New Superman Movie Spurs Debate Over Political Themes

James Gunn’s new Superman film debuted this weekend, spurring debate across the political spectrum about immigration and possible parallels to the Israel-Gaza war. Others argue those interpretations say more about the viewers than the film itself.

Superman’s Origin: Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938. The character—born Kal-El on the doomed planet Krypton—was sent to Earth as a baby and raised by a Kansas couple as Clark Kent. The authors said Superman’s origin story drew inspiration from pulp-era science fiction and broader social and religious themes. Some scholars have drawn parallels between Superman and the story of Moses, noting the Jewish immigrant backgrounds of his creators. However, Siegel and Shuster have said they simply thought having a hero fall from the sky was a compelling idea.

An Immigration Film: Several outlets on the left wrote that Superman represented the immigrant experience, with themes of displacement and assimilation. A column from The Hollywood Reporter (Lean Left bias) quoted Gunn calling Superman “an immigrant story,” and argued that, “without birthright citizenship, Superman would never have existed.” The New York Post (Lean Right) wrote that while Gunn said Superman is an immigrant, he emphasized that “it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value.”

A Narrative on Israel-Gaza: Commentator Hasan Piker (Left) argued the film draws a clear parallel between the fictional nations Boravia and Jarhanpur and the Israel-Gaza war, interpreting Boravia as a stand-in for Israel. Conservative voices like Ben Shapiro (Right) and Tim Pool (Lean Right) rejected that interpretation, claiming the movie lacks a political agenda and that such readings reflect viewers' personal biases. Gunn has denied the movie is about the Israeli-Gaza war, though he has admitted it has political undertones.

‘Woke’ Hollywood: Outlets on the right viewed the film as another example of Hollywood pushing progressive views, with Breitbart (Right) spotlighting former Superman actor Dean Cain calling it “too woke.” Fox News host, Kellyanne Conway, said that audiences don’t go to theaters “to be lectured to” or “have somebody throw their ideology” at them. The White House also posted an image of President Trump as Superman, writing “Truth. Justice. The American Way.” in contrast to the film’s slogan: “Truth, justice and the human way.”

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