Former Superman actor Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) has been stirring up a lot of controversies lately. The actor appeared on Fox News recently, where he commented on a recent article calling on society to re-examine its glamorization of superheroes. Cain set off a flame-war in the DC fandom when made the claim that, “I promise you, as Superman, I wouldn’t today be allowed to say ‘truth, justice, and the American way.'” Naturally, that claim invited a flood of responses from DC comics fans and creators alike, many of whom are none too happy Cain’s statement:
Dean Cain: “I promise you, as Superman, I wouldn’t today be allowed to say ‘truth, justice, and the American way.'”
Ainsley Earhardt: “Oh my gosh. You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” pic.twitter.com/S7o7Zvq6Vs
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) July 2, 2020
One of the loudest clapbacks that Dean Cain received came from DC Comics writer Tom King, who reminded Cain (in no uncertain terms) that he recently addressed “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” in a scene between Superman and DC’s Sgt. Rock:
Mother fucker I put it in a comic this year. Smh. https://t.co/tplb5jtqtD pic.twitter.com/Cd2ACvfkYo
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) July 2, 2020
Dean Cain then tried to play peacemaker with Tom King, while side-stepping the obvious refute of his entire premise of Superman-censorship:
Well kudos to you! I stand corrected. I’m glad you did! What comic is that? (Also, the MF part of your tweet not necessary at all, but if it makes you feel tough, that’s ok) https://t.co/HzywfAJVfL
— Dean Cain (@RealDeanCain) July 2, 2020
“Well kudos to you! I stand corrected. I’m glad you did! What comic is that? (Also, the MF part of your tweet not necessary at all, but if it makes you feel tough, that’s ok)”.
It might have ended there – had Cain not added that last bit about King wanting to feel tough. That little jab provoked King to get real about the respective “tough guy” histories of both men, as well as another controversy Dean Cain was recently part of:
Ah the “MF” was an insult because you used your platform to discourage people from wearing masks, which will cost lives–the opposite of what Superman would do.
I don’t know if I’m tough but I did fight for my country overseas and didn’t just wear a cape in front of a camera. pic.twitter.com/58Dvi9s6Fx
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) July 3, 2020
“Ah the ‘MF’ was an insult because you used your platform to discourage people from wearing masks, which will cost lives–the opposite of what Superman would do. I don’t know if I’m tough but I did fight for my country overseas and didn’t just wear a cape in front of a camera.”
King is referring to a photo Dean Cain recently posted, showing the actor on a plane while wearing a face mask to protect against the coronavirus. In that post, Cain suggested that wearing a protective face mask was somehow more detrimental to his health than the threat of the virus. Needless to say, that commentary didn’t go over well with many fans or health officials, alike.
As many DC fans continue to point out, it’s never really very clear who “they”
are, when it comes to the people who have a major problem with Superman saying “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.” While DC Comics has taken the character down some divisive paths (like Superman renouncing his American Citizenship in 2011), the goal has always seemed to be trying to open the metaphor of Superman up to a wider and more diverse global audience that’s come to love the character. It’s definitely been a tricky little experiment (see: reactions to Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel), but there’s never been a major “Anti-American Superman” that’s ever taken hold.
Superman is still representing American ideals on the page and screen. Check him out.
Justin Morgan helped bring TeslaBel from a weekly newsletter to a full-fledged news site by creating a new website and branding. He continues to assist in keeping the site responsive and well organized for the readers. As a contributor to TeslaBel, Justin mainly covers mobile news and gadgets.
