Superman: Fascistic übermensch or champion of the oppressed?

In James Gunn’s new movie, there’s a little of both

David Corenswet as Superman

Superman: Fascistic ubermench or champion of the oppressed?

In James Gunn’s new movie, there’s a little of both

“Think about it. Are we supposed to take out Spider-Man and SpongeBob? They don't have any heroes. We have a country in front of us with a large population and a large landmass, but it doesn't have any heroes. All of their heroes are cartoon characters — they're all fictional."

That was how Iranian cleric Shahab Moradi responded to the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, suggesting there was no equivalent American national hero that wasn’t a fictional character. It’s an amusing quip, but it gets at something true. Who is a greater hero than that fighter for “truth, justice and the American way” Superman.

A fixture of American popular culture for nearly nine decades now, Superman has embodied contradictory political ideals- just like American society. Paul S Hirsch, the author of Pulp Empire: A Secret History of Comic Book Imperialism describes the character who appeared in 1938 as “essentially a violent socialist." Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of the character, were two Jewish men in the American midwest who grew up during the Great Depression. It’s unsurprising that the early Superman reflected their leftist sympathies. "Superman grew out of our feelings about life. And that's why, when we saw so many similar strips coming out, we felt that they were perhaps imitating the format of Superman, but something wasn't there, which was this tremendous feeling of compassion that Joe and I had for the downtrodden." Siegel is quoted as saying in Les Daniels book Superman: The Complete History.

The Superman of the late 30s took on racketeers and soulless business magnates, telling a factory owner in one issue (after destroying his car factory) “It's because you use inferior metals and parts so as to make higher profits at the cost of human lives."