James Gunn’s Superman Immigrant Comment Was a ‘Mistake’ That Could Hurt the Film’s Box Office, Former Superman Actor Dean Cain Says

Former Superman actor Dean Cain has questioned recent comments from writer and director James Gunn, who had discussed his new take on Superman in relation to the character’s status as an immigrant.

In a profile piece in The Times, Gunn said he was well aware some people would take offense at his new Superman movie “just because it is about kindness.”

Superman, which launches today, July 11 and kickstarts the rebooted DC Universe, comes out “at a particular time when people are feeling a loss of hope in other people’s goodness,” Gunn said.

“I’m telling a story about a guy who is uniquely good, and that feels needed now because there is a meanness that has emerged due to cultural figures being mean online.”

The DCU steward added: “And I include myself in this. It is ad infinitum, millions of people having tantrums online. How are we supposed to get anywhere as a culture? We don’t know what’s real, and that is a really difficult place for the human brain to be. If I could press a button to make the internet disappear I’d consider it. And, no, I don’t make films to change the world, but if a few people could be just a bit nicer after this it would make me happy.”

But it was Gunn’s comment on Superman in relation to the character being an immigrant that sparked something of a conservative backlash. With some MAGA supporters now calling Superman “SuperWoke,” Fox News anchor Kellyanne Conway weighed in: “We don’t go to the movie theater to be lectured to and to have somebody throw their ideology onto us. I wonder if it will be successful.”

What did Gunn say, exactly, to fuel such a vociferous response? The story of Superman is “the story of America,” Gunn said in The Times profile, adding: “Superman himself is “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.”

Gunn then admitted his new Superman movie “plays differently” in different parts of the United States (The Times interviewer wondered how different it will play in New York and Kansas, for example). Gunn concluded that he expects some people will find his new Superman offensive, but he dismissed that reaction.

“But it’s about human kindness and obviously there will be jerks out there who are just not kind and will take it as offensive just because it is about kindness. But screw them.”

That was enough to set off Dean Cain, who played Superman in ABC show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman from 1993 to 1997. In an interview with TMZ, Cain said: “I think bringing Superman into it… I think that was a mistake by James Gunn to say it’s an immigrant thing, and I think it’s going to hurt the numbers on the movie. I was excited for the film. I am excited to see what it is because James Gunn seems to have a sense of humor, and the last iterations of Superman didn’t have much humor, and I love the humor in Superman. So I’m rooting for it to be a success, but I don’t like that last political comment.”

Cain also leaned into this idea that Gunn’s Superman is “woke,” accusing Disney of “changing beloved characters” and referencing the box office bomb, Snow White.

“How woke is Hollywood going to make this character?” Cain said. “How much is Disney going to change their Snow White? Why are they going to change these characters that exist for the times? For Superman, it was, ‘Truth, justice, and the American way.’ Well, they dropped that. In fact they let it go, they let that trademark on that go, so it’s out there. And they came up with, ‘Truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.’ Changing beloved characters I don’t think is a great idea. If you want to 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,” Cain continued.

It’s worth pointing out that Superman has always been an immigrant in America, in that he is literally an “illegal” alien. Indeed, Superman stories over the years have touched on this fact, which is central to the character’s backstory.

The conservative backlash to Gunn’s comments were a hot topic on the Superman red carpet earlier this week, where Variety asked Gunn directly for a response. “This movie’s for everybody,” Gunn insisted. “I’m not here to judge people. I think this is a movie about kindness and I think that’s something everyone can relate to.”

Similarly, Guy Gardner actor Nathan Fillion shrugged off the reaction, saying: “Aw, somebody needs a hug. Just a movie, guys.”

Sean Gunn, James Gunn’s brother and long-standing collaborator who plays Maxwell Lord in Superman, offered stronger comments, however. “My reaction to [the backlash] is that it is exactly what the movie is about,” he told Variety.

“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, then you’re not American. People who say no to immigrants are against the American way. They’re against what the American dream is all about.”

Cain’s suggestion that Gunn’s comments may hurt Superman’s box office hit just days before the movie launched in theaters. With Superman set to kick off the rebooted DC Universe for Warner Bros., clearly there is a lot riding on its performance, so Hollywood will be watching closely to see if the conservative backlash has makes any meaningful impact on the numbers.

But Gunn has said rumors surrounding exactly how much money Superman needs to make in order to be considered successful are wide of the mark. In a profile of Superman actor David Corenswet published on GQ, Gunn downplayed the box office pressure on the movie. “This is not the riskiest endeavor in the world,” Gunn insisted.

Gunn then called the $700 million figure that has been touted online as the minimum Superman needs to make during its theatrical run to avoid flop status as “just complete and utter nonsense,” but admitted there is of course some pressure on the movie to deliver for Warner Bros.

“Is there something riding on it? Yeah, but it’s not as big as people make it out to be,” Gunn said. “They hear these numbers that the movie’s only going to be successful if it makes 700 million or something and it’s just complete and utter nonsense. It doesn’t need to be as big of a situation as people are saying.”

This conservative backlash isn’t the only force pushing against Superman. Last month, mods looking after the SnyderCut subreddit deleted a post calling on fans to review bomb the Superman movie and issued a statement to their community members.

Gunn had responded to the post, which issued a call to arms to “stand up and fight for SnyderVerse on July 11” (the release date of Superman). “Gunn fired the first shot and killed the SnyderVerse and here is our chance to take the fight back to him,” the post said.

After a Threads user brought the post to Gunn’s attention, he replied to dismiss its impact on Superman’s potential success. “Lol I think we’ll survive,” he said. “I’m not sure the eight people that listen to that guy (I’m going to go out on a limb and guess it’s a guy) are going to impact the course of events.”

Be sure to check out our article, Superman and Why the Battle for Truth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrow Is Never-Ending, to find out more about the character’s history.

Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.