Over here at The Nerds Of Color, Mike Manalo has done an astounding job covering the James Gunn version of Superman and, like him, our opinions are aligned that this is a Superman film for the ages. While there were many things to nitpick, there was undeniable energy and hope that coursed through the film, driven by the excellent David Corenswet. But while watching the film, I could not help but notice that the central conflict between the fictional countries of Boravia and Jarhanpur bore a striking resemblance to that of Israel and Palestine. We’re going to talk about this allegory exclusively, so come with me on this journey!

Before I begin this op-ed, a big shoutout to Green Galactic PR and Alamo Drafthouse for the wonderful invite. It’s been over a decade since I went to an Alamo Drafthouse but this establishment does a bang up job creating a fully realized atmosphere unlike any other cinema complex. Plus, having a dine-in experience with some fantastic food before and during the show certainly adds to the enjoyment of the film (although your experience may vary pending on whether you want to just focus on watching). Okay, back to Superman and a spoiler heavy analysis so make sure to watch the film first before reading any further.

There have already been numerous publications and influencers that have made the parallel connections between Boravia/Jarhanpur and Israel/Palestine but I’ll go one step further: there’s no getting around it, I absolutely believe James Gunn had every intention of making this political statement. Especially when in the film, Boravia is an ally of the United States and that Jarhanpur has “unfavorable elements” that would make it difficult for the world’s governments to outright condemn what Boravia is doing.

While Gunn has personally stated that the film was not based on anything involving Middle East current situations, we live in a world where merely stating that you don’t want babies to die or remotely criticizing the Israeli government has landed many to be harassed, doxxed, or fired/blacklisted from their jobs and the industry they work in.

There is also a strong argument that one of the villains may have been changed before filming as I remember last year when actor Bassem Youssef claimed that he was cut out of the film because of his support for Palestine. His reported role was that of dictator Rumaan Harjavti, which could have been the original villain that is now portrayed as the Boravian president Vasil Ghurkos (played by Zlatko Burić).

James Gunn cleared the air with Youssef by telling him the whole story to which Youssef responded that everything was good between the two after that. It is now very clear what this whole story ended up becoming so if this is the case, I am so very glad that this script change happened and Gunn went for the route of not having the people of the Global South (particularly Southwest/West Asians) be the villain for once.

It must be noted that David Corenswet is the first Jewish actor to ever play Superman, fitting considering that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman, were also Jewish and created the superhero based on their experiences as Jewish immigrants. It might be a major coincidence that you have a Jewish actor portraying a superhero who is intervening in the affairs of two countries, one that is the oppressor with U.S. backing and superior firepower (cough, Israel) and the other being the oppressed people in the desert (hello, Palestine).

With all of the actors being of the Global South portraying the people of Jarhanpur, you can’t help but think this is what we’re seeing and that this film is anti-Zionist in nature with such casting.

On that note, there are for sure problematic things to address with one being that there is a strong white savior case to be argued by having Superman (or at least the Justice Gang) needing to rescue the people of Jarhanpur without acknowledging that the people might have resistance of their own. But if Gunn was definitely aiming for an allegorical commentary, we all know that anything that even whispers “resistance” especially when it comes to Palestine will be met with huge red tape and a gag order. So a white savior complex it is.

But it is absolutely crucial to remember that resistance, especially when folks of the global majority do it, is not reserved just for the white heroes on the silver screen to be the only ones deemed acceptable (i.e., the First People fighting against the white settlers, Nat Turner’s Rebellion, Nelson Mandela being deemed a terrorist by the United States until 2008, the Black Panthers movement, etc. etc.)

One thing for sure, Gunn is right in that he made a Superman film that is inherently political. Because after all, one can’t help but feel a strong burning desire that this world of ours does need a real-life Superman, especially when all the western governments refuse to take action against an actual genocide that is being live streamed before our eyes for the past 20 months. So when Superman balks at Lois Lane that he couldn’t let people die, I was right there with him. When the young Jarhanpurian kid was desperately raising the flag for Superman to come save him and his people? White savior complex observation be damned, my heart was pounding in my chest for the miracle to happen, not only in this film but in real life as well.

When all is said and done, Superman is still a film and like any film that dares you to dream big, the biggest whiplash is coming back down to earth and remembering that we are living in truly harrowing and turbulent times. But one doesn’t need to be a superhero, one needs to be like Malik Ali (portrayed by Dinesh Thyagarajan), the bystander food vendor who went out of his way to help a downed Superman despite the extraordinary circumstances they were in.

And with the tragic death of Ali, one also needs to be like Metamorpho (played by Anthony Carrigan) and shatter your own forced loyalty to a person, an ideal, a country, a government that tries to convince you that it’s for your own good to cause harm to others. There is no such thing as too late. There is only the now to speak up, and do something for good.