Conservatives Bash New Superman as Too 'Woke'

For the latest exploration of the Man of Steel, Superman director James Gunn chose to emphasize Clark Kent's status as immigrant. "I mean, Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country," Gunn told the Times of London last week, adding the film places value on "basic human kindness," which we've "lost." The film isn't out until Friday, but right-wing commentators have seized on Gunn's comment, arguing he's unnecessarily politicized the superhero at a time when President Trump—a power-seeking billionaire like Superman's arch nemisis Lex Luthor—is leading a crackdown on immigrants without legal status, per NBC News.

Fox News labeled the movie "Superwoke" in a Monday segment, with host Greg Gutfeld accusing Gunn of trying to create a "moat of woke, enlightened opinion around him." "We don't go to the movie theater to be lectured to and to have somebody throw their ideology onto us," added contributor Kellyanne Conway, a former Trump aide. Conservative actor Dean Cain, who played Clark Kent in the 1990s TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, also takes issue with the apparently "woke" portrayal in a TMZ interview, arguing Hollywood is trying to change iconic characters to "exist for the times," per Comicbook.com.

Fans, however, argue Superman's history as an alien-turned-refugee who enters the US illegally and finds a home in Kansas is well-established. "It's such a core, foundational element of his character," comic-focused YouTuber Jack Deegan tells NBC. Superman defends a group of undocumented immigrants from a hate crime in the original comic series, and rescues another undocumented immigrant from police in the TV series Smallville, the outlet notes. "Yes, Superman is an immigrant" in a land of immigrants, Gunn's brother, Sean Gunn, told Variety at the premiere of the film, in which he plays supervillain Maxwell Lord. "People who say no to immigrants are against the American way."