The 2025 reboot of DC’s “Superman” has come under fire recently by critics for being “woke” and claiming it has a deeper political agenda. But is there any basis to these accusations, or is the Man of Steel as bulletproof as ever? Before jumping building-sized conclusions in a single bound, let’s examine Superman’s historic journey through pop culture. 

Superman wasn’t always the iconic character we all know and love today. In fact, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the prototype character way back in 1932! First he was a bad guy, but he eventually evolved into a heroic character, before appearing in “Action Comics #1” in 1938 as a recognizable superhero. 

The comic was a massive hit, and Superman was the reason. He’s an empathic hero with a strong moral compass, and despite his alien origins he’s also just as flawed as the rest of humanity. Nevertheless, he was seen as a hero of the people, protecting the weak and helpless because it was the right thing to do. Needless to say, this struck a chord with depression-era comic book readers, but there may also be a deeper appeal: he shares traits with some recognizable icons. 

Some believe the Man of Steel was an allegory for Moses. Both were babies sent down the river in a basket (although in Superman’s case, the river was space and the basket was a ship) to bring hope and free the downtrodden. It’s a logical comparison considering his creator’s Jewish origins, although neither Siegel or Shuster were practising Jews, nor have they ever acknowledged the connection. Superman’s also been compared to Jesus, with Christian themes featuring predominantly in the 1978 “Superman: The Movie.” Either way, his messianic status called to something deep in humanity’s storytelling and belief systems, adding to his popularity. 

Unsurprisingly, it was only a matter of time before the Man of Steel was immortalized on the big screen, initially in a series of animated shorts in 1941. He went from strength to strength as it were, and no doubt you’ve heard about – if not seen – the latest movie, and maybe even stumbled on the controversy, adding fuel to the fire of the Superman curse. 

In case you haven’t heard about the so-called curse, some people say there’s a string of misfortune surrounding actors involved with the franchise, starting with George Reeves, the star of 1952’s “Adventures of Superman.” He was found shot dead next to a firearm, which was officially ruled a suicide; however, there’s controversy around the death. Apparently, Reeves was having an affair with the wife of an MGM exec and the gun was clean of the victim’s fingerprints. 

Christopher Reeve, who famously portrayed Superman in the aforementioned “Superman: The Movie” and its sequels, is another alleged “victim” of the curse. In 1995 he was thrown from his horse and paralyzed from the neck down; he died in 2004, the suspected cause being a bad reaction to a drug. 

A more recent actor people cite as being afflicted was Gene Hackman, who played Lex Luthor in “Superman: The Movie” and its two sequels. He died alongside his wife and dog under unusual circumstances in February 2025; apparently, his wife passed away first from a respiratory disease and Hackman a week later from Alzheimer’s disease-related starvation and cardiac arrest. 

There’s a number of other actors cited as “curse victims” to a greater or lesser degree, including Christopher Reeve’s late Lois Lane co-star Margot Kidder, who suffered from bipolar disorder. She wasn’t a believer of the phenomena herself, stating in a 2002 interview, “That is all newspaper-created rubbish. The idea cracks me up. What about the luck of Superman? When my car crashed this August, if I hadn’t hit a telegraph pole after rolling three times, I would have dropped down a 50ft to 60ft ravine. Why don’t people focus on that?”

Henry Caville, who portrayed Superman in the DC Extended Universe beginning with 2013’s “Man of Steel,” has had his own misfortunes, including a controversy surrounding his moustache being digitally removed from scenes. He doesn’t believe in the curse himself, putting it down to pure and simple bad luck. 

Cynics of the “Superman curse” have stated that because there’s been so many people linked to the franchise, some misfortune is to be expected. Regardless of whether you believe it or not though, there has been some tumultuous times involved with the character’s on-screen actors. As recently as 2018, Allison Mack – an actress in the 2001 Superman TV series “Smallville” – was sentenced to time behind bars for her role in a large-scale sex-trafficking cult. 

Is the alleged curse continuing with the recent movie’s “woke” label? For those of you confused with the definition – and many people are – Merriam-Webster has two definitions. The first is to be “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).” The second is to be “politically liberal or progressive (as in matters of racial and social justice) especially in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme.” 

Former TV Superman actor Dean Cain and Republican political consultant Kellyanne Conway seem to be using the latter definition when it comes to the 2025 “Superman” movie. Filmmaker James Gunn told The Sunday Times, “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.” Superman’s latest critics believe this level of social commentary is ironically crossing a border, with Cain stating, “there have to be limits.” 

Elon Musk seems to agree. He published a post of X saying, “Instead of presenting a character who defends the weak and fights for justice, they turned it into a disgusting political caricature, where Israel (under a different name) is portrayed as a fascist state, a warmonger, and a close ally of the US, which supplies advanced weaponry to fight ‘poor and miserable farmers’ (the good Palestinians) with pitchforks and stones.” Gunn rebuked this notion, saying the script predates the Gaza war, and stating the movie “doesn’t have anything to do with the Middle East.” 

Some argue that this kind of social commentary is the fertilizer for Superman stories. A. David Lewis, a professor and writer of comics and graphic novels, told New Lines Magazine in 2025, “I can say, without any hesitation, that Superman was an inherently political figure from his very first appearance. Those who criticize using the character to tackle real-life issues have a deeply flawed understanding of what made him such an iconic figure in the first place.” There is certainly historical evidence of this - Superman has fought against Hitler and Stalin before, and the Nazis have even called him out. It sounds like an urban legend, but myth-busting website Snopes found it was indeed true!  

Whether you believe it’s Superman’s place to address these issues in the modern era or not, one thing is certain: the Man of Steel has always had his red boot in politics, as Siegel himself stated in 1975 press conference. He said, “Hearing and reading of the oppression and slaughter of helpless, oppressed Jews in Nazi Germany… I had the great urge to help [the despairing masses] somehow. How could I help them, when I could barely help myself? Superman was the answer. And Superman, aiding the downtrodden and oppressed, has caught the imagination of the world.” 

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