James Gunn’s new Superman movie continues to garner acclaim around the world, with box office takings of over $20 million in various US previews. Donald Trump’s entourage must also have noticed the film’s success, deciding to ride the wave of the Metropolis hero’s comeback in a surprising way, to say the least.
Over the weekend, the White House’s social media channels published a modified version of the film’s poster, in which the US president himself is seen wearing the iconic Superman costume.
“THE SYMBOL OF HOPE. TRUTH. JUSTICE. THE AMERICAN WAY. SUPERMAN TRUMP”, reads the caption under the post, released on Twitter, where it received over 55,000 likes and 10,000 comments.
This is not the first time that the Republican leader has been the subject of these social media photomontages. On May 2, before the election of Pope Leo XIV, Trump posted on Truth Social, a platform he owns, an image of himself, generated using artificial intelligence, depicting him as the Pope, complete with mitre (ceremonial headdress) and golden cross. “I would be a great Pope, no one would do it better than me,” he said at the time.
And who knows what James Gunn, director of the new DC film, thought when he saw the president wearing Superman’s cape. Just a few days ago, before the film’s release, Gunn described the hero of Metropolis as “a classic American story.”
“I mean, ‘Superman’ is the story of America,” Gunn said, “An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”
The director’s words sparked a variety of reactions, with some of the president’s supporters claiming that it would be a manifesto of woke culture.
Sean Gunn, the director’s brother, who plays Maxwell Lord in the film, weighed in on the matter. He explained: “We support our people, you know? We love our immigrants. Yes, Superman is an immigrant, and yes, the people that we support in this country are immigrants and if you don’t like that, you’re not American. People who say no to immigrants are against the American way.”
