News and Commentary

Superman’s Finished With ‘American Way.’ Now It’s ‘A Better Tomorrow’

“Truth, Justice, and the American Way” will be replaced by “Truth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrow.”

   DailyWire.com
Superman
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

So much for Superman being an exclusively American hero.

On Saturday, Jim Lee, chief creative officer and publisher of DC Comics, announced at the virtual fan event DC Fandome that the famous motto of Superman’s, “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” will be replaced by “Truth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrow.”

Lee stated, “To better reflect the storylines that we are telling across DC and to honor Superman’s incredible legacy of over 80 years of building a better world, Superman’s motto is evolving. Superman has long been a symbol of hope who inspires people, and it is that optimism and hope that powers him forward with this new mission statement.”

Although the motto “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” did not accompany Superman when he was first invented by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the first comic books that were published in 1938, the motto was introduced in a Superman radio serial in the 1940’s as the United States entered World War II.

The motto was used again in the “Adventures of Superman” TV series in the 1950s in its opening narration, then reiterated in the classic 1978 film “Superman.”

But things have been changing in Superman’s world recently.

In 2011 Superman renounced his American citizenship in Action Comics #900.

The Daily Wire noted in 2015, “A new issue featuring Superman, created by Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder, finds our intrepid hero, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans and bereft of most of his superpowers, returning to Metropolis, where people are wary of him. When a party to celebrate his return prompts a supporter to become a problem, the police get involved, a riot ensues, and Superman punches a police officer in the face.”

Last week, The Daily Wire reported:

The Man of Steel is coming out as bisexual, DC comic writer Tom Taylor revealed Monday, saying that creating “another straight white savior” would be a “real opportunity missed.” In the upcoming “Superman: Son of Kat-El,” the current Superman, Jon Kent, starts a gay relationship with Jay Nakamura, and the pair share a kiss in issue #5, IGN reported:

Fans of the series probably won’t be surprised to learn Jon is entering into a relationship with Jay Nakamura, a hacktivist who idolizes Jon’s mother Lois and has already lent his new friend a helping hand. And as this image shows, the two friends will become something more when they share their first kiss in issue #5.

Taylor told IGN that he’s had “queer characters and storylines rejected” in the past but knew he didn’t want another straight white male as his superhero.

“I’ve always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes,” Taylor stated. “Today, Superman, the strongest superhero on the planet, is coming out.”

As all comic-book aficionados know, Superman’s origin story said he was Kal-El on the planet Krypton, then sent to Earth in a rocket by his father, Jor-El, moments before Krypton exploded. He was discovered and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent in Kansas; he decided to use his superhuman powers to help humanity, later moving to Metropolis, where he disguised himself as Clark Kent, a reporter for The Daily Planet.

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