More Brit(ish) Than Ever

More Brit(ish) Than Ever

If Nazis hate it, I like it

And Superman is no exception

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Afua
Jul 21, 2025
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David Corenswet as Superman: credit Warner Bros / Everett Collection

Too often politics feels like a dark force in this world. So it’s right on brand that during its history, the character Superman has never been afraid of weighing into it.

His origin story is political to its core - his creators Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster created the superhero in a very specific context. Two socially awkward descendants of Jewish immigrants when they met in high school in Great Depression America, they infused the superhero’s narrative with the struggle of being descended from immigrants, the rise of the Nazis, and the terrifying persecution of Jews. These struggles called for a new Moses story – the son sent to a hostile land as a baby, where he rises to save the oppressed.

By the Second World War, Siegel and Shuster depicted Superman sabotaging the Nazis and bringing Hitler and Stalin to face justice for war crimes. This prompted

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