“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” — Romans 12:2 (NRSVUE)
A champion of the oppressed
Clark Kent and his heroic alter-ego, Superman, debuted in the first 13 pages of Action Comics #1 in 1938. Described in this original appearance as a ‘champion of the oppressed,’ Superman exonerates an innocent woman, stops domestic violence, and exposes a corrupt senator — setting the blueprint for all superheroes to follow.
In 1946, the radio serial “The Adventures of Superman” broadcast a series of episodes known as “Clan of the Fiery Cross,” in which Superman battles the Ku Klux Klan for 16 episodes. The story demystified the Klan and exposed the absurdity of its rituals, significantly hindering recruitment and making the group’s inner workings widely known.
The TV show “Smallville,” which chronicles the life of Clark Kent before he takes up his Superman identity, further explores the theme of Superman being a champion of the oppressed. In a 2006 episode, Clark discovers his neighbor is enslaving undocumented immigrants and forcing them to work on his farm. As he helps one of the captive boys escape and reunite with his mother, Clark realizes that he is also an undocumented immigrant. Furthermore, the destruction of his home planet, Krypton, makes him a refugee.
To the man who could do anything, what matters is compassion. — Stewart Smith
In the press and hype leading up to the 2025 release of “Superman,” some conservative commentators (including Dean Cain, who portrayed Superman in the 90s TV show “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”) have attempted to denounce this new version of Superman as “too woke.”
They’re wrong.
Throughout the decades of his existence, Superman’s role as the “champion of the oppressed” across various iterations of comics, radio, film, and television demonstrates that the character is rooted in telling the truth, seeking justice for the oppressed, and selflessly seeking good for as many people as possible.
“Superman” carries on this tradition and history.
Be kind
The movie begins as Superman faces public backlash for interfering in a geopolitical crisis. In the first scene, Superman crashes into a frigid Antarctic landscape, heavily wounded after suffering his first defeat from the mysterious superpowered “Hammer of Boravia.” As the movie progresses, Superman’s reputation is dragged through the mud by his archenemy, Lex Luthor, as public trust in him erodes. We see Superman at his lowest, even as his friends, coworkers, and allies discover a more insidious conspiracy behind a rising conflict engineered by Luthor.
And yet, even during Superman’s “dark night of the soul,” he remains committed to his philosophy:
- Be kind always, especially in a world that may not value kindness, and regardless of how others respond.
- Do everything that you can with the power you have to help those in need, even if it is the littlest squirrel in a big city.
- The world doesn’t define you. You define yourself.
This ethic is strong enough to carry him through to the light at the end of the tunnel when he saves the world from an existential threat.
The theology of Superman
In this way, the newest version of Superman reflects directly what Paul writes in Romans 12 regarding how we ought to respond to the changes of the cultures around us with our new lives in Christ. Superman is compassion and kindness in a world that sees those values as out of touch. He does not allow himself to conform to the values society expects him to hold. He faces the challenges before him head-on and is renewed by his journey in his quest for truth, justice, and kindness. Through these challenges, he comes to know what it means to be human in a bigger, deeper way.
In an essay explaining why he loves Superman so much, my dear friend and cultural critic Stewart Smith writes:
“Fights don’t matter. Feats of strength don’t matter. Dominance doesn’t matter. To the man who could do anything, what matters is compassion. To the man who could rule the world, what matters is taking care of the people around him. To the man who knows no limits, what matters is being a friend…It is so much easier to harbor fear, resentment and hate, just as it would be so easy for Superman to lord his power over the world as a tyrant. But he chooses to help. He chooses to be a light to show the way. I can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, but I can be kind. In a world where I feel increasingly helpless at the darkness that encroaches, I can choose to follow that light.”
Kindness, compassion, and love are pretty badass.
“Superman” is a modern, relevant story using a timeless, enduring superhero with an unabashed defense and justification of kindness. It’s a movie that encourages us to be kind, no matter how helpless we feel or how bad the world gets, which makes this movie deeply theological as well. After all, Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew the entirety of the Word centers around two commandments: love God with all our hearts and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).
As Christians, we are called to show kindness, compassion, and love to one another recklessly, reflecting the unconditional kindness, compassion, and love God shows us continually. “Superman” reminds us that such kindness, compassion, and love for one another recklessly may be countercultural, but it is not out of touch.
In fact, kindness, compassion, and love are pretty badass.
