Amid 'Superwoke' controversy, James Gunn defends Superman's immigrant narrative: 'It is mostly a story that says...'

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19 hours ago

Director James Gunn's Superman, which released yesterday at the box office, grabbed headlines before hitting the screens for being unapologetically embracing the political and emotional core of the superhero character.
Gunn, who now co-heads DC Studios alongside Peter Safran, dismissed critics offended by Superman's immigrant symbolism and said, 'Screw them.' 'Superman is the story of America,' Gunn told The Times, adding, 'An immigrant who 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.'
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While it is influenced by policies like President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration crackdowns, Gunn is not backing down as he said, 'Obviously, there will be jerks out there who are just not kind and will take it as offensive just because it is about kindness,' adding, 'But screw them.'
Former Superman actor Dean Cain also shared his opinion on Gunn's comment and said, 'I think bringing Superman into it… I think that was a mistake by James Gunn to say it's an immigrant thing, and I think it's going to hurt the numbers on the movie. I was excited for the film. I am excited to see what it is because James Gunn seems to have a sense of humor, and the last iterations of Superman didn't have much humor, and I love the humor in Superman. So I'm rooting for it to be a success, but I don't like that last political comment.'
'How woke is Hollywood going to make this character?' Cain asked adding, 'How much is Disney going to change their Snow White? Why are they going to change these characters that exist for the times? For Superman, it was, 'Truth, justice, and the American way.' Well, they dropped that. In fact they let it go, they let that trademark on that go, so it's out there. And they came up with, 'Truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.' Changing beloved characters I don't think is a great idea. If you want to create a new character go ahead and do that.
'But for me, Superman has always stood for, 'Truth, justice and the American way,' and the 'American way' is immigrant friendly, tremendously immigrant friendly,' he shared.