Prior to Superman's theatrical debut last month, James Gunn characterized the Last Son of Krypton's narrative as fundamentally "the story of America." He expanded on this perspective, stating, "An immigrant who arrived from elsewhere and helped populate the nation, but for me it primarily represents a story emphasizing that basic human compassion remains valuable and something we've seemingly lost."
This interpretation aligns seamlessly with Superman's established multi-decade mythology, yet controversy emerged swiftly. Various media outlets and commentators seized upon Gunn's remarks, deliberately misrepresenting his context while weaponizing them against the DCU revival.
Fox News personalities and former Lois & Clark star Dean Cain voiced objections to these statements. During a recent Josh Horowitz interview promoting Wednesday Season 2, Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar acknowledged they haven't yet experienced Gunn's Superman film, but enthusiastically endorsed his character interpretation.
The duo also revealed they explored identical themes throughout Smallville's run and encountered similar resistance. Miles Millar elaborated:
"What's fascinating is our consistent view of Superman as an exceptional immigration allegory—he represents the ultimate undocumented alien. When James expressed this perspective, the resulting controversy seemed absurd...I was astounded, thinking, 'This concept is fundamentally embedded in the character's essence.'"
Al Gough recalled a particular production experience:
"We produced a sixth season episode directly addressing these themes. Clark discovers a young worker on a local farm. I distinctly remember the network expressing concern during 2006, saying, 'We're uncertain...this feels somewhat political for our show,' and our response was, 'This literally represents the Superman narrative [laughs], what alternative do you expect?'"
Millar continued:
"The persistence of this supposedly controversial concept...that's precisely what makes the Superman story magnificent, explaining why its cultural impact remains so profound. It authentically captures the American dream's essence and all those quintessential Americana elements."
Since his 1938 introduction, Superman has consistently embodied an immigrant identity—a Kryptonian refugee who adopted Earth as home. This fundamental characteristic has remained central to his mythological foundation.
Given contemporary discourse, certain voices attempting to reframe this as political commentary rather than character truth shouldn't surprise anyone. However, as Gough, Millar, and Gunn unanimously acknowledge, Superman's immigrant heritage isn't controversial revisionism—it's his story's bedrock.