In Action Comics #900, which came out yesterday, there is a short tale where Superman announces he is going before the United Nations to renounce his U.S. citizenship. Say it isn’t so Superman. The man of steel is turning his back on truth, justice, and the American way? This seems to be the conclusion a lot of people out there are jumping to, but within the context of the story it is not the case.
Superman - Ryan Amos (CC)
The story focuses on Superman deciding to support protesters in Iran, by standing with them for 24 hours. Not saying or doing anything, but standing there to support them and their cause. Iran takes this as an act of war on the part of the United States. So now Superman is being held accountable by our government for his actions.
Denouncing his citizenship is not a decision he makes because he is turning his back on the ideals he has always stood for, far from it. He just sees his thinking as having been too small, and that the the world today is too connected for him to be seen as a symbol of a single nation. Superman, in the story, is trying to come to grips with his role in the modern world and look at the bigger picture.
I need to disclose at this point that I work in a comic shop, and have collected comics fairly seriously for almost 30 years. I support the creators who made the bold decision to send Superman, the character, in this possibly controversial direction. I already had one customer call me today irate over hearing the news, and told him to give the story a look to see if it changed his opinion.
At the heart of the character, Superman has always been portrayed as a man, yes a super man, but as a man first, trying to do the right thing. He has always stood for “Truth, Justice, and the American Way”. Now he is just trying to make a stand for truth and justice on a global scale. More power to him, not that he needs it. He is Superman after all.
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