According to Superman director James Gunn, the latest iteration of the superhero classic is about “an immigrant that came from other places” and centers on a theme of “basic human kindness” that we’ve somehow lost along the way.
Critiquing the comments of a director of a fictional movie about an unrealistic out-of-this-world character might seem like a silly undertaking, especially given all of the other pressing real-world issues unfolding around us. But entertainment has long shaped and influenced culture – and propagandists never seem to grow tired of exploiting long-held brands to try and advance a personal or special interest agenda.
Superman, which stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent, the film’s title character and alter ego of the famed superhero, opens on Friday. The brand has been in the public conversation since 1938 when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster drew and released the first Man of Steel comic.
It all began with the looming destruction of the planet Krypton. Superman’s name is Kal-El and he’s placed in a spaceship as a baby by his father, who is a scientist named Jor-El. The baby manages to escape the doomed plant, lands on earth and is discovered by a “passing motorist.”
In the original strip, Kal-El is dropped off at an orphanage. Readers are led to believe he grows up there as panels of the comic show a grown-up man, now named Clark, lifting furniture over his head to show off his remarkable strength.
Subsequent reboots of the comic further develop the storyline. The “passing motorist” becomes Mr. Kent. Kent and his wife drop off the baby at an orphanage but wind up adopting him. Going forward, it’s clear that the nurturing and teaching of the Kents helped shape and influence the future “last son of Krypton.”
Over the years, some have suggested that the Old and New Testaments helped inspire the Superman franchise, specifically likening Kent to either Moses or Jesus. It’s sometimes pointed out that the suffix “El” in “Kal-El” means “of God” or “voice of God.”
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the strip’s original creators, were Jewish and were said to pull from some Old Testament heroes, but they didn’t have any spiritual agenda in doing so. Stephen Skelton, author of “The Gospel According to the World’s Greatest Superhero,” says Siegel’s main inspiration stemmed from the murder of his own father in the depths of the Great Depression and the world bracing for war.
“They were looking for a savior figure they could relate to, they could envision, something to give them hope, inspire them,” Skelton noted.
The vast majority of Americans who enjoyed the Superman comic strip or subsequent radio and television shows of the same name, along with the numerous big screen adaptations of the Man of Steel franchise, rooted for Kent because they like to see good overcoming evil. They like to see the underdog battle successfully against all odds.
Back when the original 1978 “Superman” film was released, The New York Times spoke with Christopher Reeve – the actor who portrayed Clark Kent in the movie. He told the reporter, “Before we started filming, we met with the guys who do the comic books —bright guys. We sat around a table and they said there are two things you have to remember about Superman:
“A. He’s an orphan, and that governs his emotional behavior;
“B. He’s an alien, and what makes him super is he’s got the wisdom to use his powers well.”
Reeve went on:
“The Man of Steel aspect is totally exaggerated. He’s only super because he happens to come from another planet. If he’d grown up back on Krypton he might have been a plumber.”
Reeve was partially right. It wasn’t merely Superman’s geographic location that made him who he was – it was his parents, who instilled in him a moral compass. That foundation allowed him to utilize his powers for good.
That’s the beauty and gift of adoption. Only in real life, boys and girls don’t grow up to become superheroes, but everything else. Children otherwise destined to suffer and struggle in a broken and unsafe environment hit the proverbial jackpot when they’re welcomed into loving forever homes.
Mothers and fathers may not possess otherworldly powers or “leap tall buildings in a single bound” – but they still might be viewed as superheroes of a sort by children they might foster or adopt.
Superman might well come from another planet, but thanks to his mother and father, that planet became home to him. Rather than politicizing the Superman franchise, its director would be wise to highlight how adoption made Kal-El – and how it can also save and make children’s and parents’ dreams comes true.
Those considering buying a ticket to Superman would be advised to read our PluggedIn team’s review of the film.