Director James Gunn has very little time for MAGAs who manage to misread “Superman.”
Gunn courted outrage from the online (and televised) right with an interview in The Times of London. In that talk, published on Sunday, Gunn rightfully pointed out that Superman is both an immigrant and the American ideal.
“Superman is the story of America,” Gunn told the outlet. “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… It’s about politics. But on another level, it’s about morality.”
The call for kindness kicked up plenty of derision from conservatives, including Fox News host Greg Gutfeld.
For one thing, it’s a terrible analogy,” Gutfeld said on Monday. “With Superman, they are sending their best, you know? That’s not escalator material.”
Host Kellyanne Conway added that people like her “don’t go to the movie theater to be lectured and to have somebody throw their ideology onto us.”
“We don’t go to the movie theater to be lectured to and to have somebody throw their ideology onto us,” she said. “I wonder if it will be successful.”
Kellyanne on Superman: We don’t go to the movie theater to be lectured to—
Watters: You know what it says on his cape? MS13 pic.twitter.com/F1PBPeE9nf
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 7, 2025
Asked about the pushback from conservatives on Monday, Gunn refused to engage. The director told Variety that he didn’t have “anything to say to anybody” who approached his movie with negativity.
“I’m not here to judge people,” he said from the red carpet at the “Superman” premiere. “I think this is a movie about kindness, and I think that’s something everyone can relate to.”
Gunn’s brother Sean, who plays Maxwell Lord in the movie, was a bit more open with his criticisms of right-wing mania.
“We support our people, you know? We love our immigrants. Yes, Superman is an immigrant, and yes, the people that we support in this country are immigrants, and if you don’t like that, you’re not American,” he said. “People who say no to immigrants are against the American way.”
Sean Gunn on the MAGA backlash to Superman being called an immigrant: “People who say no to immigrants are against the American way.” pic.twitter.com/XgivaD34PE
— Variety (@Variety) July 8, 2025
