Superman vs. Trump

Covered in blood, injured, alone in an icy desert: This is how the hero appears in the first scenes of the new, eagerly awaited " Superman " film starring David Corenswet.

"We see a battered Superman. This is our country," said director James Gunn at a press conference following the trailer's release. The battered hero represents an America that is battered but still standing and fighting for good.

Superman has long been considered the epitome of the American superhero : the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American dream. But Gunn's reinterpretation takes him in a different direction.

In numerous blockbusters, American heroes save the world – instead of this exceptionalism, this film focuses on a universal morality. Superman is no longer a national savior, but a protector of the weak worldwide – even if that gets him into trouble. "Yes, it's about politics," Gunn told the British Times. "But it's also about humanity."

The fact that this, of all things, is perceived as a provocation leaves the director cold: "Of course, there are people out there everywhere who can't stand it and feel insulted - just because it's about compassion. But honestly: let them."

Conservatives sense "wokeness"

Right-wing commentators in the US are in a state of outrage. The director has made Superman "woke," according to relevant channels.

Conservative media outlets are calling for a boycott of the film. Host Kellyanne Conway said on the Fox News talk show "The Five": "We don't go to the movies to be lectured or to have an ideology imposed on us. Let's see if the film even succeeds."

The accusation that superheroes are too political is not new - it is just more relevant than ever.

While blockbuster superhero films generally avoid taking an overtly political stance, a widespread theory circulates among fans: the film worlds of the two largest North American comic book publishers —DC and Marvel—are politically charged along the ideological fault lines of our time.

The DC Universe, which includes Superman and Batman , is often described as conservative and authoritarian. Superheroes are portrayed as the final authority—as an extension of the law that stands above humanity.

"Democratic participation doesn't seem to play any role at all in Batman's world," said US film critic AO Scott in the podcast "X Man: The Elon Musk Origin Story."

In contrast, there's the Marvel Universe , with characters like Iron Man, Captain America, Ant-Man, and the Avengers . These are described—in the same podcast—as a "team of do-gooders" who express a more liberal, Obama-like worldview.

Superman director James Gunn - a proven Trump critic

James Gunn was a longtime member of the Marvel universe as writer and director of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" series – and made headlines there himself in 2017. In tweets, he openly criticized Donald Trump: "I've never spoken politically, but we are in a national crisis. The president is attacking journalism and facts – Hitler and Putin style."

Conservative platforms subsequently unearthed Gunn's old, tasteless tweets. As a result, the Disney corporation, which owns Marvel, received pressure from social media to part ways with Gunn.

Gunn was initially dropped from the third "Guardians of the Galaxy" film, but returned after a public apology and discussions with Disney executives. Shortly thereafter, however, he switched sides for good: in 2022, he became co-chairman of DC Studios. Under his creative direction, the DC Universe was rebooted in 2024—with a whole slate of films, including the new "Superman."

Superman as a hero with a migration history

Superman's story comes from the Jewish Americans Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, both sons of Eastern European immigrants.

They created their superhero in the 1930s as a reaction to the rise of Hitler and the growing anti-Semitism in Europe - and made him a defender of the weak from the very beginning.

Kal-El, as Superman is known on his home planet Krypton, is sent to Earth as a baby before his world is destroyed. On Earth, an American couple takes him in and claims him as their own child.

So, strictly speaking, Superman is an "undocumented stranger," or in American parlance, an "undocumented alien." A term used derogatorily in political parlance—but here visible as part of a migration biography.

Stricter migration policy in the USA

This interpretation has been emphasized for years. In 2018, the UN Refugee Agency published a book titled "Superman Was Also a Refugee." As early as 2017, a comic book featured Superman protecting a group of migrants from an armed white supremacist—shortly after Donald Trump announced his intention to end DACA, a protection program for young migrants.

The DACA program enabled hundreds of thousands of migrants brought to the United States as children to live and work without fear of deportation.

The term "alien," which the US government officially abolished under Joe Biden , was reintroduced in early 2025 under the current Trump administration.

At the same time, the government is once again tightening its anti-migration measures - which is exacerbating concerns about the state of US democracy and its society .

Adapted from English: Silke Wünsch