Former ‘Superman’ Dean Cain claims James Gunn has made the superhero too “woke”
Dean Cain, who played Superman in the 1993-1997 TV show Lois & Clarke: The New Adventures of Superman, has lashed out at the new Superman movie, which he considers too “woke.”
In an interview with TMZ, the vocal Donald Trump supporter commented, “What cracks me up is that people don’t like Superman — he was traditionally called the Big Blue Boy Scout. And Superman’s inherent weakness is his goodness,. I mean, sorry, those are great values, in my opinion, and I root for that.”
The new comments were in response to an interview that director James Gunn gave to The Times, in which he said, “Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”
Cain reflected on these remarks, considering them too large a foundational change to the Superman character he was once attached to. He said, “Changing beloved characters, I don’t think is a great idea. I think if you wanna create a new character, go ahead and do that, but for me, Superman has always stood for truth, justice and the American way. And the American way is immigrant-friendly — tremendously immigrant-friendly, but there are rules.”
He than claimed “it was a mistake by James Gunn to say it’s an immigrant thing,” as those comments will “hurt” the box office. Cain added, “I was excited for the film. I’m still excited to see what it is, because James Gunn seems to have a sense of humour, and the last iterations of Superman didn’t have much humour. So I’m rooting for it to be a success, but I don’t like that last political comment.”
Since the new comments, videos of Cain’s Superman have circulated on social media, in which his character is branded an “alien” by immigration officers. This highlights a fault in his argument, as it shows this is a character arc Superman has always dealt with.
Superman is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on July 11th, 2025. The film stars David Corenswet as Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.
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