Truth, Justice, and the American Woke

Nerd Academy

Dean Cain, who played the Man of Steel in the Nineties office rom-com Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, has been whining to any open mic that James Gunn’s new Superman reboot (which kickstarts a new DC cinematic universe) is too woke.

I’m not sure what he thinks he means by that – it’s such a fluid word, wink wink – but he made some noise about Gunn’s emphasis on Superman’s status as an immigrant. Really hard to get around that aspect of the character, since he’s the universe’s all-time immigration record-holder, but we can see how the unwoke might be troubled by such a high-profile reminder that immigrants are, you know, people. And in a speech near the end of the movie, Superman makes that very point himself: alien, yes; human, even more so. Overly obvious in principle and a little clunky in execution, but Gunn is clearly very delightfully at home in Dean Cain’s discomfort zone.

It's actually a central theme of the movie, as Lex Luthor’s entire motivation in this instantiation of his legendary quarrel with the migratory Kal-El of Krypton is rooted in a woke worth examining. The megalomaniacal billionaire’s obsession with ending the big blue boy scout is presented in schoolyard terms that are uncomfortably familiar in our current political moment: how unsettling (and ironic) in these dark times, to hear an untethered tech billionaire confessing, “This unworthy immigrant is BETTER than me!”

But we digress.

We’ve invoked relevance, and yes, Gunn’s reimagination of what is perhaps our most cherished American mythology is relevant in all sorts of clever and unobtrusive ways: it touches on the utterly shallow vacuity of the social media generation; the fecklessness of the actual media; the craven worldview of Western leadership and the hollowed-out sterility of our national institutions; and, for good measure, the breathless idiocy and barrenness of today’s pop music. Every base is covered.

And yet – unlike the Zack Snyder interpretation of the legend – this romp manages to serve up all of this subtle commentary without once compromising the sheer fun and charm of the Superman story itself. Dean Cain can say what he will; woke or no, this movie has made the Man of Steel fun again.

The story is straight-up comic book adventure, Superman vs. Lex Luthor in the canyons of Metropolis, with all the familiar supporting cast: Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Ma and Pa Kent – plus a variation of the Justice League, Supergirl, and even cameos by Maxwell Lord and Peacemaker. The gang’s all here, and then some, and it’s appropriately chaotic, raucous, and deliciously self-deprecating.

Gunn revels in pushing all our fanboy buttons, serving up heaping helpings of treasures from every previous Superman incarnation. We get the glorious John Williams theme music, the Kryptonian crystal Fortress of Solitude, Otis and Miss Teschmacher, even the title fonts from the Donner film; the concept of metahumans, a black Perry White, and Kryptonian robots tending the Fortress from the Snyderverse; Cat Grant from Lois & Clark; Metamorpho, Krypto, Steve Lombard and Guy Gardner from the comics themselves; and even the Hall of Justice from Super Friends. As Gene Hackman’s Luthor once asked, what more could anyone ask for?

All this generous fan service might have skewed schmaltzy if not for Gunn’s surgically strategic casting choices. David Corenswet as the new Clark Kent/Kal-El is an inspired bid, mugging that Christopher Reeve cuteness and naivete while also channeling the indignant rage of Henry Cavill. Rachel Brosnahan brings all of Amy Adams over from the Snyderverse – the dogged, in-your-face reporter, the unshakeable principles, while adding some I’m-not-okay-with-it to her girlfriend role. The surprise standouts are Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern/Guy Gardner, who effortlessly captures the irritating wiseass at the character’s core – and Krypto, who never amounted to much in canon, but is elevated in Gunn’s keeping to beloved icon.

As for the story itself, it’s nothing to ponder over evening brandy, and is mostly special effects – but special effects to rival the Battle of New York in the MCU. The core conflict between Superman and Luthor isn’t anything really new, but the interpretations of both are fresh and fun. Corenswet’s Superman is inexperienced and even borderline inept, and has to pull himself up out of the dirt so many times it becomes a trope; Nicholas Hoult’s Luthor has none of Gene Hackman’s charm or Jesse Eisenberg’s millennial angst, but on the other hand has a Thanos-level strategic mind, plans within plans within plans, way out ahead of everyone – as the character has always been intended.

And as for Lois and Clark – we get all too little of them, but what we get is rich. Brasnahan's Lois is world-wise yet uncynical, patiently trying to navigate a romance with a godlike alien – who is himself alternately brash and childish. It’s almost a generational clash, as Lois is by far the more mature. Their one big scene is far afield of the fairy tale played out by Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder, or the Gen X wistful of Cavill and Adams; it’s warm and familiar (and hilarious), and will resonate with any couple in the theater over 30.

There are other treats – an explanation for Clark’s glasses disguise – and some real meat and potatoes for true DC nerds, including a surprise appearance by a mystery character from canon and a betrayal of canon that won’t go down well with some. And there is a cornucopia of quiet treasures, including a Clark/Pa Kent moment that calls back to Glenn Ford and offsets the Kevin Costner confusion, and a lovable recasting of Jimmy Olsen as a Dickensian Artful Dodger.

It's not just Dean Cain; the entire conservative universe is losing its mind over this version of Superman, who is supposed to embody all that the Right holds dear: country and flag, American moxie, and Iowa Caucus values. Yet here goes David Corenswet, tripping over himself with alarming authenticity, consorting with disrespectful ruffians, and catering to stay-at-home dad Metamorpho.

And this is finally the point: none of this would have seemed out of place 60 or 40 or even 20 years ago. Gunn has given us a Superman who is less politically time-stamped than Snyder’s, a Kal-El/Clark who reinvigorates the out-of-fashion concepts of kindness as a default, the humble deployment of power, and an unshakeable moral center. These concepts were still alive and kicking when the Supermen of the 20^th century were deployed; the fact that such a person now seems quaint and even silly to many today says a lot more about them, and the times we're living through, than it does about Gunn and his beloved hero.

Put another way, the cynicism of our era has drowned out what little optimism is left, and Gunn has thrown down, determined to bring it back. In your face, Fox News.

It's more than a woke liberal can stand…