Yes, Superman is an immigrant. He's also a gay icon.

Yahoo

10-07-2025

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an immigrant! And, a queer icon.
James Gunn's new Superman movie is just around the corner, and it's already igniting debate across the internet about superheroes and what they represent.
Starring David Corenswet as the titular Man of Steel, Superman tells the story of an alien from the planet Krypton who landed on Earth as a baby and now possesses incredible powers. It seems like a simple premise, yet the film is making headlines after writer/director Gunn pointed out something obvious: Superman is an immigrant.
"I mean, Superman is the story of America," he said. "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."
Fox News immediately dubbed Superman "Superwoke." Commentator Kellyanne Conway said, "We don't go to the movie theater to be lectured to and to have someone throw their ideology onto us."
"You know what it says on his cape? MS13," Jesse Watters added, referencing alleged gang tattoos a man named Kilmar Abrego Garcia had on his knuckles that were used as evidence he should be deported.
Dean Cain, a conservative actor who played Superman on the TV show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, has now added his two cents.
"Changing beloved characters I don't think is a great idea. I think if you wanna create a new character, go ahead and do that, but for me, Superman has always stood for truth, justice, and the American way," he said to TMZ. "And the American way is immigrant-friendly — tremendously immigrant-friendly, but there are rules."
Cain said, "It was a mistake by James Gunn to say it's an immigrant thing," and that he's rooting for the film's success, "but I don't like that last political comment."
Conservatives are angry enough hearing the fact that Superman was not born in the U.S.A., so what will they think when they realize that the character is also a gay allegory?
Here are four ways Superman is, and has always been, a queer allegory.
Gay people know intimately what it's like to keep a secret from everyone around you. Many also often understand what it's like to feel you have to live a double life.
The concept of a secret identity is a clear allegory for being in the closet and for the idea of "passing." Many queer people feel they have to "pass" as straight or cis while in public to protect their true identity and protect their safety.
"It is for many reasons we often hold onto our secret identities," trans writer Riley Chattin wrote in The Advocate. "Whether our secrets are self-imposed, or we are told that we should never disclose it, we learn that it must remain hidden behind the exterior that society accepts. Only in the dark of night, like Batman, do we go out with completely different clothes. Maybe even hide our faces in a webbed Spider-Man-like mask so those closest to us cannot recognize us."
When Gunn talks about Superman being an immigrant, he's talking about him being an outsider. Superman is not like most people. He's not like most men. He knows he is different and has to navigate the world and all his relationships, knowing most people will not be able to relate to significant parts of his life. These same things can often be said for queer people.
Queer people are often found in community with each other precisely because they are different. Most of the population is not queer and many people even find understanding queerness to be difficult. If queer people are outsiders, at least superheroes are too.
"More than any Superman film before, Man of Steel presents Kent as an outsider, struggling to find his place in a society where he does not see himself reflected," Jase Peeples wrote about the 2013 film. "It's a predicament not unfamiliar to many in the LGBT community -- especially those who grew up in an era before gay characters were commonplace in media, when others like us could be discovered faster than a speeding bullet through the internet."
Superman's name declares him as the ultimate man. Superman is handsome, strong, and has a body like the men you'd find in a Tom of Finland drawing. While straight men admire Superman's masculinity, gay men find it both aspirational and hot.
Spandex, a bright cape, and the underwear on the outside? Did I describe Superman's costume or an outfit you'd see at any Pride festival?
Of course, gay people are often drawn to the fashion sense of superheroes, and Superman's costume is one of the all-time greats!
No matter how much conservatives complain, Superman's story is an immigrant story, and it is a queer story. Queer people have always seen themselves in superheroes, and will continue to do so. If conservatives want heroes that don't represent the queer community, they need to look elsewhere.
James Gunn's Superman will be released in theaters on July 11.
This article originally appeared on Out: Yes, Superman is an immigrant. He's also a gay icon.
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