Warning! This story contains SPOILERS for Superman
Supermanfans have responded in kind to an image posted by the White House following the release of the latestDCUmovie. The social media furor comes at a time whenSupermanis dominating online discourse, with both super-fans and detractors weighing in onSuperman’s latest live-action romp.
The consensus, however, is glowing.PositiveSupermanreviewsfar surpass the negative, with the DCU’s debut movie setting the rest of the franchise in good stead as projected box office figures look set to far exceedevery solo Superman moviethat came before.
The White House, it seems, has opted to capitalize on this hype byposting a baffling image of aSupermanpromo poster toXwith US President Donald Trump’s face edited to replace Superman’s, ostensibly equating the two. The post itself reads “THE SYMBOL OF HOPE. TRUTH. JUSTICE. THE AMERICAN WAY. SUPERMAN TRUMP.”
The White House additionally edited the poster, which originally read “Look Up,” to include “Truth Justice and the American Way.” These words are a traditional catchphrase of Superman, though not one thatSupermandecided to lean into. Regardless,the head-spinning image has garnered some strong reactions.
X user@jayjjalencalled back to a moment inSupermanwhere the titular hero recalls pinning the warmongering President of Boravia, Vasil Glarkos, to a cactus to “convince” him to call off his invasion of Jarhanpur. The user asserts that Superman would do the same to Donald Trump, contradicting the idea that Trump embodies Superman.
@LatinoIrkenpoints to a prevalent motif inSupermanand points out that the hero is an immigrant who is “of the working class,” whereas President Trump “throws tantrums when Americans and other countries dont [sic] bow down to him,” ending with “Hes [sic] no Superman.”
@DarrenWheelsis more overt in their response, directly comparing Donald Trump toSuperman’s secondary villain, the “morally corrupt” President Vasil Glarkos, and accusing Trump of “fantasising” about being the debonair hero.
User@karlykingsleypoints out that Superman was created by the American sons of Jewish immigrants, namely Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and is himself a refugee who protected a country that distrusts him, suggesting that he embodies the “immigrant that Trump demonizes.”
A more curt reaction is offered by@RobertGarcia, who suggests that Trump is more Lex Luthor than Superman.
@flash1213315933offers a similarly short response, posting “Anyway” with an image of Superman holding two Ku Klux Klan members by the scruffs of their gowns.
@nance_ethanresponded by evoking a Superman pastiche from another franchise,The Boys’Homelander, who boasts a similar array of godlike powers as Superman but uses them as the show’s violent and tyrannical arch-villain.
What DC Fans' Responses To The White House’s Superman Art Mean
Fans Are Pointing To The Movie’s Pro-Immigrant Messaging
The responses speak to a controversial facet of theSupermandiscourseregarding its underlying political message. Part of this includes some audiences interpreting the President of Boravia, not Superman, as a pastiche of Donald Trump. Others, like above, have also drawn parallels to Superman’s ultrarich arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor.
This to-and-fro has no doubt been supercharged by the Superman director’s admission that, yes, the movie is political.
The conversation has given rise to a deluge of accusations thatSupermanis “woke” for leaning into the message that the titular superhero is an immigrant (by literally being an alien refugee), reviled bythe movie’s arch-villain, Lex Luthor. These social media posts, meanwhile,express the notion that the White House is likewise acting on, and even stoking, anti-immigrant sentiment.
It should be noted thatSupermandetractors are pointing to a distinction between legal and illegal immigration, with the White House asserting that its focus is on the latter.
This to-and-fro has no doubt been supercharged by theSupermandirector’s admission that, yes, the movie is political. Speaking toThe Timeson theSupermanpress tour, James Gunn confirmed:
“Superman is the story of America; An 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’s confirmation aboutSupermanbeing the story of an immigrant in America has no doubt fed into the reactions above. Fans are pointing to this factin response to the notion that the same President deporting thousands of migrants in the US mirrors Superman himself.
Our Take On DC Fans' Responses To The White House’s Superman Art
Superman’s Focus Is On Rescuing Individuals Regardless Of Their Background
Wherever one may fall on the debate, it is clear that the comparison makes little sense.The US administration’s focus on deporting undocumented immigrants contrasts Superman’s underlying message, which culminates in Superman’s emphatic response to Lex Luthor derisively calling his nemesis an alien, asserting instead that he is every bit as human as Luthor.
Although the current US administration is focused on deporting undocumented immigrants,Superman is more concerned with protecting individuals regardless of their background or status. This is embodied by his extrajudicial intervention in a foreign war to prevent escalation and loss of life, and how he spends the kaiju battle darting around saving lives.
Whether Lex Luthor and Vasil Glarkos are pastiches of President Trump is a matter for debate. What seems clear, however, is that the White House’s controversialSupermanimage has certainly stoked ample online conversation - which may have always been the intention.
