Why the new "Superman" movie became right-wing kryptonite
The big picture: The hero's origin story, arriving on Earth from a dying planet, has long been compared to the story of refugees or immigrants — a connection the film's writer and director, James Gunn, recently endorsed.
The film, which is set to release on Friday, has become a political flashpoint amid President Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown that has inspired nationwide protests and numerous lawsuits.
Context: For Gunn, the newest installment of the Superman franchise is "the story of America."
Speaking to The Times, Gunn described the story as one of "[a]n immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost."
Gunn, also the co-CEO of DC Studios, is far from the first person to draw that connection. DC Comics, honoring World Refugee Day in 2019, said the story of the superhero, created by two men born to Jewish immigrants, "is the ultimate example of a refugee who makes his new home better."
According to a DC timeline, the beloved hero's arrival on Earth was briefly described in his first comic appearance in 1938, where it was explained that a scientist on "a distant planet ... destroyed by old age" sent his son to his new home planet on a spaceship.
Friction point: But Gunn's take received swift backlash from the right.
Greg Gutfeld, in a Monday segment on Fox News Channel's "The Five" featuring the chyron "Superwoke," described Gunn's comments as a "terrible analogy."
Kellyanne Conway also weighed in, saying, "We don't go to the movie theater to be lectured to and to have somebody throw their ideology on to us."
And Jesse Watters added, "You know what it says on his cape? MS-13."
Podcaster Ben Shapiro, in a video titled "Superman is Going WOKE - You Know What That Means...," said Gunn was "fine" for a prior superhero film — Guardians of the Galaxy — but described Superman as "more serious property."
Shapiro criticized the "left in Hollywood" as out of touch with the everyday American.
Right-wing commentator Tim Pool also weighed in, by responding to Gunn's brother, actor Sean Gunn (who also stars in Superman), after he expressed his support for immigrants.
"We know when they say immigrant, they mean illegal immigrant," Pool said in an Instagram video.
He added the comments were another example of the Gunn brothers "insulting the right" ahead of film's release — though Pool said he'd still see the movie.
Widely followed X-account End Wokeness shared a screenshot of a headline featuring James Gunn's comments with the caption, "Hollywood literally never learns."
Zoom out: Gunn's Superman joins a group of new adaptations of classic characters who have been criticized as "woke," such as Disney's live-action versions of The Little Mermaid and Snow White, which also sparked a wave of racist reactions.
And this isn't the first time Superman — or other comic book characters — have angered those on the right.
In 2021, DC's announcement that Superman's catchphrase would be evolving in a more globally inclusive way to "Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow" (formerly "Truth, Justice and the American way") inspired similar ire.
That same year, the news that Superman's son would come out as bisexual in a comic was also not received well by voices on the right, though his was far from the first LGBTQ + comic-book story.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has also been the target of anti-woke backlash, with female-led films like Captain Marvel and The Marvels caught in the crosshairs.
The other side: James Gunn brushed off the criticism his comments spawned, telling Variety he thinks the movie is for "everybody," adding, "I don't have anything to say."
He added, "I think this is a movie about kindness, and I think that's something everyone can relate to."
Nathan Fillion, who portrays Green Lantern in the film, replied with a laugh and a smile, saying, "Somebody needs a hug. It's just a movie, guys."
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