Critics of the “Superman” approach
The release of “Superman” has become controversial. The return of the most American of superheroes to cinemas this Thursday (7/10) is dividing political opinions in the United States, as it presents a message of empathy towards immigrants. The director James Gunn himself described the comic book character as an immigrant in a recent interview, which generated an immediate reaction on the conservative program “The Five,” the most-watched talk show on Fox News.
The hosts dedicated a segment to attack James Gunn’s movie, labeling the production as “Superwoke” and accusing its narrative of seeking political indoctrination. During the debate, Kellyanne Conway was direct when stating, “We don’t go to the cinema to be indoctrinated.” Jesse Watters mocked the director’s reference to immigration, questioning the symbolism of the hero’s costume: “What is written on his costume? MS-13?” referring to an international criminal organization founded by Salvadoran immigrants in the United States.
The show mocked the script, inventing several situations, and even made insinuations of pedophilia against James Gunn, as if this were a characteristic of all Democratic voters. To top it off, Kellyanne also described the script as “ideology shoved in the face” of the audience and asked: “Do you think this will be a success”?
What causes the controversy?
Gunn states that the hero is an immigrant symbolizing the values of the formation of the United States and human kindness, which would have been lost in recent times. This, by the way, is faithful to the character’s origins created by children of immigrants. Superman, in fact, is an illegal immigrant from another world who entered the United States without documentation and without going through border services – a fact unquestionable in his history of almost a century, which today seems to surprise conservatives.
For the director, the character symbolizes the immigrant in search of a better life. “Superman is the story of the United States,” said Gunn. “An immigrant who came from other places and populated the country, but for me, it’s mainly a story that says human kindness is a value and something we have lost.”
In the interview that “shocked,” the filmmaker also stated: “Yes, it’s about politics. But on another level, it’s about morality.” Gunn also said: “Obviously there will be people who get offended just because it’s about goodness. Let them go to hell.”
Director has already criticized Trump and fascist heroes
The filmmaker, who has maintained a critical stance towards American politics for years, preferred not to go into details about the current situation, but in the past he publicly opposed Donald Trump, whom he called on Twitter in 2017 “an incompetent president forging a total attack on facts and journalism in the style of Hitler and Putin.”
At the movie’s launch event, Gunn pointed out to the press his desire to distance the new “Superman” from themes addressed in previous versions of the franchise, considered far-right. “Given how frequently contemporary superhero stories are examined as allegories for the polarized era we live in, there is an underlying concern,” he stated. “After all, previous versions of DC have been criticized for flirting with darker political tones and ‘fascist power fantasies.'”
In another interview, he added: “We all felt that we were doing something good… not a fascist power fantasy.”
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