Truth, justice, and a better tomorrow

Recently, my friends and I walked into the movie theatre to watch Superman with no expectations whatsoever. As this movie was directed by James Gunn, the filmmaker who made lighthearted superhero films like Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Super and others in the past, I thought this would be a repetition of something along those lines.

We were partially aware of the movie having touched, rather indirectly, on the issue of Israel and Palestine, so we were inquisitive about that. But after watching the entire movie, the lifelong comic book fan in me realised why this movie is being called a masterpiece by many, while conservatives across the globe are panning it as 'woke' content.

At the root of the controversy are Boravia and Jarhanpur, fictional bordering nations in Eastern Europe in the DC Comics. There is a debate around the depiction of these two nations in the movie.

Most members of the audience who have watched this Superman, starring David Corenswet, were quick to think that Boravia was Israel and Jarhanpur Palestine. However, others could say that Boravia is Russia while Jarhanpur is Ukraine. That is essentially the beauty of storytelling in comic books: most characters and entities are inspired by real life.

Still, the controversy has increased word-of-mouth for the movie. While comic book fans and pop culture aficionados are thronging the theatres to watch this movie, there are plenty of curious moviegoers who are watching it to understand if there is some truth behind the hype.

The movie is, in fact, a social commentary-sometimes a tongue-in-cheek critique about how governments across the globe are unethically dealing with immigration issues, conducting secret surveillance of their citizens, their detention techniques, as well as creating divisions within their societies through fabricated online narratives and propaganda, and curtailing the freedom of media.

In this version of Superman, Superman/Clark Kent is very human. He has a wonderful, trusting soul, who cares about the common man and wants to help anyone in need.

As he is constantly in the public eye and his every action is scrutinised by government departments and a billionaire named Lex Luthor (played by Nicholas Hoult), he is scared to divulge the identities of his foster parents in the US, as well as the story about how he came to planet Earth.

What I found intriguing was the interview scene between Lois Lane and Superman. Several times, Lois switches off the recorder, saying, "You can't say that!" or "This won't work." In the story, Lois Lane is a fearless journalist. Still, she understands that some of the things being said frankly by Superman will be twisted and used against him.

There is also a part about online trolls spreading rumours against Superman. The depiction of the trolls later in the movie was quite witty. Gunn tried to show that though the cyber trolls are possibly not very intelligent in real life, their agenda is solely to vilify their targets by spreading lies and misinformation against them.

At one point, the villains break into Superman's Fortress of Solitude, hack into his system, and obtain valuable information about his childhood. They mix half-truths with lies to create a narrative that paints Superman as an invader. The host in the TV talk show looks uncannily similar to Tucker Carlson. As soon as the news spreads, the people who were cheering Superman begin to hate and doubt him.

The intention of the man who sacrificed his life to save theirs is instantly questioned as soon as they see the news on TV. At this point, I saw the resemblance between Superman's frustration and the denigrations being faced by a certain Zohran Mamdani now in New York City, mostly because he is a Muslim.

Superman is arrested for "questioning" and taken to an unknown location as he is an 'alien.' Sound familiar? We were used to such incidents in Bangladesh less than two years ago! Anyone who had a different opinion could be taken and locked up in unknown locations for any amount of time.

The best bit was how Gunn portrayed Luthor using the government in the story to achieve his own goals and objectives. He becomes so swayed by hate and lust for power that he puts the fate of entire cities at stake. Pause for a moment and think about all the corporate leaders who stood by at the most recent inauguration of the U.S. President. Or, for that matter, think about all the businessmen in many countries around the world who have increasingly involved themselves in political parties-coughing up hefty donations to election campaigns in return for promises like seats in parliament, and so on.

There are many other things that work for the movie: the introduction of lesser-known DC Comics characters, the breaking of usual superhero movie tropes like the male hero always saving the female lead, the non-verbal expression of love between father and son, and more.

But the political and social messages that the movie puts out will make most moviegoers sit up and think. Instead of leaving such messages at the theatre, they should carry and embrace them-using this knowledge in public discourse, thus aiding policy-building and implementation.

These aspects of the movie are salient features and are likely to stand out, given how superhero movies are usually convenient routes for escaping reality. As such, Gunn's Superman has successfully taken the previous DC motto from "Truth, Justice and the American Way" to "Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow".

Syed Tashfin Chowdhury is a communications professional. tashfinster@gmail.com