Is Superman Woke?

Or are conservative media talking heads failing with media literacy?

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Superman is one of the most iconic characters in the DC and Warner Brothers arsenal. He’s been featured in comic books, movies, TV shows and has even been featured on cereal boxes. And in light of the popularity of superhero movies and other content, he has been even more prolific than usual.

Each iteration keeps his origin story the same. Per the DC Comics blog, his parents know that their planet, Krypton, is doomed. So, they send their son in a rocket ship to Earth. He ends up in a town called Smallville, where he is adopted by Martha and Jonathan Kent. They name the baby Clark.

Some stories with the character are darker than others.

But most of them ground the story in Clark’s pursuit of truth, justice, and the American way. These stories usually have the superhero rescuing people and ensuring that the bad guys get their comeuppance.

It has been this way since Superman was introduced in 1938. This is not something that should be a surprise. There are comic book covers from the 1940s that show the character punching Nazis.

Clark Kent, when not in Superman mode, is shown to be a savvy reporter. Someone who finds corruption and tries to expose it. This usually dovetails into his identity as the superhero.

But there are some people who are very displeased with the characterization. Or at least they are not pleased with the way he is being portrayed in Superman (2025).

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As promotion for the new film began ratcheting up, some people were trying to find issues with the story. Many claimed that the franchise had been rebooted too many times in a short amount of time. A fair complaint.

Then James Gunn, the new movie’s director and writer, began talking about his take on the character. He wanted the story to be rooted in positivity and going back to the roots of Superman.

He told Variety: “I mean, ‘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.”

This set off a wave of criticism from Republicans, especially those who identify themselves as part of MAGA.

They claimed that Gunn made the franchise too woke. Superman should not be an immigrant, they argued. He is an American. To say otherwise is to ignore the history of the character.

Which is… something.

Those same people also take umbrage with Gunn making kindness a cornerstone of the character. They just want to see their superheroes beating people up and causing as much chaos as possible.

Fox News host Greg Gutfeld said, “He’s creating a moat of woke, enlightened opinion around him. He’s got a woke shield…”

Gutfeld also grumbled about the “pro-immigration” themes of the story. There was an insinuation that this was a response to Trump’s immigration policy. Which makes no sense, given that the movie was written and put into production starting around August 2022.

So is this a case of them not having media literacy or something else?

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Members of the MAGA media cycle have been accused of being media illiterate for a while now. They often ignore the history of a character, as is being done with Superman, in an effort to craft the narrative that fits their views.

Doesn’t everyone do that?

That answer is yes and no. Some people will cherry-pick elements of the media to prove their point, even if the overwhelming evidence suggests otherwise. Others will just go off an emotional reaction to hearing what something is about.

Fox News hosts and other MAGA influencers tend to focus more on the emotional side of things. They don’t care what the facts are; all they want to do is create outrage to increase their ratings and views.

And yes, liberal media and creators do the same thing.

But specifically, Fox News has made it a cornerstone of their network to bait their audience into outrage. They are usually very successful in doing it, to the point that they have told the courts that they’re not actually a news station; they’re entertainment and opinion.

To answer the titular question, is Superman woke?

Yes. The character and franchise has always been what modern-day conservatives call woke. This is not something new or something shocking; most people understand what Superman stands for.

What is new is the outrage cycle that accompanies anything that doesn’t fit into the narrative that MAGA wants to set.

That’s not media illiteracy; it’s a form of fascism. And there is no doubt that Superman would punch some of these people in the face. On a comic book cover, that is.