
Is Israel the real villain in Gunn's 'Superman'?
The film's depiction of a fictional war between two nations — Bovaria and Jarhanpur — has triggered a firestorm of commentary online, with political influencers accusing the film of being a veiled allegory for the Israel's genocide in Palestine.
In the film, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor sparks a violent confrontation between the two nations. Superman intervenes as Bovaria, portrayed as the aggressor, attempts to invade its defenceless neighbour. Since its release, commentators across the ideological divide have taken to social media and YouTube to dissect what they see — or don't see — as an unmistakable parallel.
Twitch streamer and left-wing political influencer Hasan Piker described the film as "two hours and like 10 minutes of f—k Israel the entire time," calling any denial of allegory "a lie." His viral video has since gained traction among pro-Palestinian voices online, many of whom hail the film as a bold and timely critique of Israel's recent military operations in Gaza.
On the opposite end of the political spectrum, conservative pundit Ben Shapiro dismissed the entire debate. "Only those with a left-wing brain would try to read this as a Gaza allegory," he said in a rebuttal, adding that the film "does not match up to the facts" of Israeli military actions and accusing viewers of "inventing a political agenda."
As per Variety, the film's perceived message has fractured audiences, with headlines asking, "Is the new Superman movie anti-Israel?" and "Is the new Superman movie about the Israel-Hamas war?" proliferating across digital platforms.
Gunn himself addressed the speculation in an interview with The Times of London prior to the film's release. "When I wrote this the Middle Eastern conflict wasn't happening," he said, referring to his completed script in May 2023 — several months before the current escalation in Gaza.
"It's an invasion by a much more powerful country run by a despot into a country — [that] has totally no defence against the other country. It really is fictional," he explained.
That disclaimer, however, has done little to contain the swirl of online discourse. The controversy arrives on the heels of earlier right-wing backlash, after Gunn referred to Superman as "an immigrant" — prompting accusations of "SuperWoke" politics from outlets like Fox News. Even the White House waded in with a tongue-in-cheek jab, photoshopping Donald Trump onto Superman's body in a mock poster touting "the American Way."
At the LA premiere, Gunn's brother and actor Sean Gunn defended the filmmaker. "Yes, Superman is an immigrant, and yes, the people that we support in this country are immigrants," he said. "If you don't like that, you're not American."
Superman is now playing in cinemas worldwide.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
Israel seeking to deport activists detained on Gaza-bound boat: NGO
PORT OF ASHDOD: Israel is seeking to deport pro-Palestinian activists who were detained and brought to shore when their Gaza-bound boat was intercepted by the navy, a legal aid centre advising them said on Sunday. The 21 activists from 10 countries were taken into custody late Saturday when the Handala was boarded in international waters as it attempted to breach an Israeli maritime blockade of the Palestinian territory. The Handala and its crew from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) were brought to the port of Ashdod in Israel, where, according to the legal rights centre Adalah, all but two – a pair of dual US-Israeli nationals – were being held under Israeli immigration law. New Gaza-bound aid boat leaves Italy 'Israel is handling the custody of the volunteers as though they had entered the country illegally – even though they were forcibly taken from international waters and brought into Israel against their will,' Adalah said in a statement after its lawyers were allowed to meet the detainees. 'The authorities presented them with two options: either agree to so-called 'voluntary deportation', or remain in detention and appear before a tribunal, to have their continued detention pending deportation reviewed,' the statement continued. According to Adalah, three detainees – an Italian, an American and a French member of parliament, Gabrielle Cathala – agreed to be deported and are expected to leave Israel in the coming hours. The US-Israeli nationals were interrogated by Israeli police and released, while 12 international activists – including another left-wing French MP, Emma Fourreau – refused to sign voluntary deportation orders and are still in Israeli custody pending legal hearings. The remaining four detainees, including a pair of Al Jazeera journalists, have retained private counsel. 'Peaceful' mission Adalah reiterated that the activists were engaged in a 'peaceful civilian mission', and maintained that both their detention and the Israeli blockade of Gaza were illegal. The Israeli foreign ministry has said the navy stopped the Handala to prevent it from entering coastal waters off Gaza, noting after its intecerption that all the vessel's 'passengers are safe'. Just before midnight local time on Saturday, video streamed live from the Handala showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. An online tracker showed the ship in international waters west of Gaza. The ship had been on course to try to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and bring a small quantity of humanitarian aid to the territory's Palestinian residents. The Handala's crew had said before their capture in a post on X that they would go on hunger strike if the Israeli military intercepted the boat and detained its passengers. A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters on June 9 and towed to Ashdod. It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Israel.


Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Israel announces daily pauses in Gaza fighting as aid airdrops begin
An airplane drops humanitarian aid over Gaza as seen from northern Gaza Strip July 27, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article Israel said on Sunday it would halt military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and allow new aid corridors as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies into the enclave, where images of starving Palestinians have alarmed the world. Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which the government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have broken off with no deal in sight. Military activity will stop from 10 am to 8 pm (0700-1700 GMT) until further notice in Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian area along the coast, in central Deir al-Balah and in Gaza City, to the north. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday in their first airdrop in months, a Jordanian official source said. Read More: Gaza bound aid ship intercepted as Israel announces partial humanitarian pause The official said the air drops were not a substitute for delivery by land. Palestinian health officials in Gaza City said at least 10 people were injured by falling aid boxes. The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6 am and 11 pm starting from Sunday. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the designated areas. Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through. In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window. — Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) July 27, 2025 "Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said on X. Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in the central Gaza Strip said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people and wounded 50 waiting for aid trucks on Sunday. Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. Also Read: UNRWA belittles Gaza aid airdrops proposal The ministry reported six new deaths over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total deaths from malnutrition and hunger to 133 including 87 children. On Saturday, a five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of malnutrition at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, health workers said. "Three months inside the hospital and this is what I get in return, that she is dead," said her mother, Israa Abu Haleeb, standing next to the baby's father as he held their daughter's body wrapped in a white shroud. The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying over 1,200 metric tons of food to southern Gaza on Sunday. A Palestinian official source said on Sunday afternoon that trucks were still being inspected at Kerem Shalom and had not yet entered Gaza. Aid groups said last week there was mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people and international alarm over the humanitarian situation has increased, driving French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognise a Palestinian state in September. Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 27, 2025. Photo: Reuters A group of 25 states including Britain, France and Canada last week condemned the "drip feeding of aid" and said Israel's denial of essential humanitarian aid was unacceptable. Israel, which cut off aid to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants. It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people. Israel and the US appeared on Friday to abandon ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying the militants did not want a deal. Hope, uncertainty Many Gazans expressed some relief at Sunday's announcement, but said fighting must end permanently. "People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza," said Tamer Al-Burai, a business owner. "We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to allow the entry of humanitarian supplies whatever path it took, and it was making progress on both fighting and negotiations. "We will continue to fight, we will continue to act until we achieve all of our war goals - until complete victory," he said. Read: Six killed, scores injured in Indian temple stampede Hamas denounced the Israeli measures to allow more aid into Gaza, saying Israel was continuing its military offensive. "What is happening isn't a humanitarian truce," said Hamas official Ali Baraka in a statement on Sunday. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the aid decision was made without his involvement. He called it a capitulation to Hamas' deceitful campaign and repeated his call to choke off all aid to Gaza, conquer the territory and encourage Palestinians to leave. A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a question about Ben-Gvir's comments. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive has killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced nearly the entire population.


Express Tribune
7 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Peacemaker season 2 trailer reveals John Cena versus alternate self and viral Dirty Dancing tribute
San Diego Comic-Con got a dose of peace on Saturday as John Cena appeared in full costume for HBO Max's Peacemaker Season 2 panel in Hall H. He was joined by series creator and DC Studios co-chair James Gunn, along with cast members Frank Grillo, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, Sol Rodriguez, and Tim Meadows. The panel debuted the new Season 2 trailer, which shows Peacemaker traveling through a portal to an alternate dimension where 'the grass is greener.' Rejected by Holland's Emilia Harcourt, he escapes into this new universe, triggering inter-dimensional chaos. Grillo's Rick Flag Sr., head of the covert A.R.G.U.S., searches for Peacemaker after he killed his son Rick Flag Jr. in The Suicide Squad. The panel also revealed changes to the series' iconic opening credits, which went viral in Season 1 for its quirky dance number. Gunn explained, 'We're not trying to one-up it. It's bigger and has a different vibe — new characters, new dancers.' Jennifer Holland shared that the Season 2 routine pays homage to Dirty Dancing. 'I asked the universe to let me do the lift,' she said. 'And I got to do it — it's amazing.' Grillo added with a laugh, 'I started off reluctantly dancing, and now I'm the best dancer on stage.' Season 2 of Peacemaker premieres Aug. 21 on HBO Max and will include eight episodes. It arrives more than three years after the first season, during which Gunn and Peter Safran became DC Studios' co-CEOs, rebooting the franchise with Superman and Creature Commandos. Cena reprises his role as the ultra-patriotic mercenary Christopher Smith, introduced in 2021's The Suicide Squad. Most recently, Peacemaker appeared in Gunn's Superman as a guest on a conservative talk show.