James Gunn Clarifies ‘Superman’ Isn’t About Israel-Palestine, But Debate Rages On With Hasan Piker, Ben Shapiro, and Other Political Voices

The new “Superman” movie has been out for just a few days, and while it’s breaking box office records, it’s also stirring up some big online arguments. Some people think the film is making a statement about the real-life Israel-Palestine conflict, while others say that’s nonsense. James Gunn, who directed the movie, says it’s not about the Middle East at all, but the debate keeps growing.

Before the movie was even released, Gunn and the film were already getting attacked by right-wing groups, including the MAGA movement. This all started when Gunn said Superman is an immigrant. Because he literally is. He’s an alien from another planet. That comment caused some backlash from conservatives, with Fox News calling the movie “SuperWoke.”

Now that the film is in theaters, a whole new controversy has taken over. In the movie, there’s a story about two made-up countries, Boravia and Jarhanpur. Boravia claims it needs to “free” people living in Jarhanpur, even though no proof of oppression is shown. Boravia has better weapons and technology, and it’s being openly helped by billionaire Lex Luthor, who is giving them weapons nearly for free just so they can invade.

Superman steps in to stop the invasion, seeing that Jarhanpur doesn’t stand a chance. Lois Lane finds out Luthor’s real plan and exposes him.

Because of that storyline, some people online are saying the film is really about the Israel-Palestine war. Left-wing streamer Hasan Piker posted a video on YouTube that went viral. He said the movie is “two hours and like 10 minutes of f*c* Israel the entire time.” He also said that anyone claiming the movie isn’t about Israel and Palestine is “lying.”

Piker made that video as a reply to conservative YouTuber Ben Shapiro. Shapiro argued that the film isn’t about the real-world conflict at all. He said, “Only those with ‘left-wing brain’ would attempt to view ‘Superman’ as a commentary on the Israel-Palestine conflict.” According to Shapiro, the film doesn’t match real facts about the war in Gaza and doesn’t have a political message.

Since then, news outlets have been flooded with articles asking if the movie is anti-Israel or if it’s secretly talking about the Israel-Hamas war. Many pro-Palestinian influencers on social media are calling the movie a clear criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza. However, it’s also been pointed out that the timeline might not fit, as James Gunn finished the script in May 2023, which was before the latest war in Gaza began.

Gunn himself addressed the issue in an interview with The Times of London right before the movie came out. He said, “When I wrote this the Middle Eastern conflict wasn’t happening. So I tried to do little things to move it away from that, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the Middle East.” He explained that the movie is about “an invasion by a much more powerful country run by a despot into a country that’s problematic in terms of its political history, but has totally no defense against the other country. It really is fictional.”

Still, his comments haven’t stopped the arguments. More and more people online keep debating whether the film is secretly political. Some are praising the film as anti-Israel, while others say it’s just a superhero movie.

As mentioned, even before the movie hit theaters, “Superman” was in political debates. Gunn’s statement that Superman is an immigrant led to conservative backlash. At the film’s premiere in Los Angeles, Gunn’s brother, Sean Gunn, defended him. He told Variety, “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. People who say no to immigrants are against the American way.”

Former Superman actor Dean Cain didn’t agree. He told TMZ that Gunn “made a mistake” by calling Superman an immigrant.

Even the White House got involved, making a joke by photoshopping Donald Trump’s face onto Superman’s body in a fake movie poster, with a caption referring to “the American Way,” which is part of Superman’s famous catchphrase.

If anything, the fictional conflict in the movie, and the fact that Gunn wrote it before the current events in Gaza makes it much more similar to the Russia-Ukraine war. But common sense doesn’t usually stop online grifters. People are still somehow angry that Superman dared to tell them to be kind to others and maybe not commit war crimes.

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