UPDATE: James Gunn Doesn’t Just Omit “The American Way” In ‘Superman’ – He Changes It To “The Human Way”
At first, it looked like “The American Way” wasn’t making its way into the latest Superman film, but there turns out to be more to it than that. James Gunn isn’t leaving the old slogan out of the marketing, but he is changing it to fit those ‘modern sensibilities’.
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Chris Gore of Film Threat leaked the initial intel. Now, we have concrete evidence to corroborate. According to a description on some merchandise dug up by Cosmic Book News, Superman’s values of truth and justice are accompanied by a different “way”: “the human way.”
“Superman must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice, and the human way, he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned,” reads the box of a resin figure with a big head that looks like actor David Corenswet.
CBN’s Matt McGloin points out that this alteration has to come directly from Gunn, who as head of DC Studios, approves the toys himself. He admitted this was the case on Threads way back when there was concern merch listings would spoil the film, to which Gunn was unfazed.
The motto “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” goes back to the radio dramas of the 1940s, but is more closely associated with George Reeves and the character’s first foray into the new medium of television, The Adventures of Superman, a decade later.
Gunn might be distancing himself from the old verbiage upon his film’s release; however, there’s evidence he, or at least Warner Bros., originally wanted to use “The American Way.” A Deadline article from 2023 – when “Legacy” was still part of the title – uses those words in a slightly different synopsis.
“Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned,” it reads.
In contrast, Superman appears to have considerable political messaging that can be perceived as pandering to anti-American sentiments. Granted, this is nothing new, but it didn’t work out so well for The Quest for Peace. Whether it reflects “The Message” remains to be seen, but in the trailer, we see the Man of Steel intercede in a foreign conflict, which Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) chastises him for as a journalist.
Moreover, reports say the public turns against him because of fake news and an army of trolling monkeys typing away. There are also rumored “jabs” at The Snyder Cut, says McGloin, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, although we saw it once before in the Harley Quinn show on Max.
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