Dean Cain, who portrayed Clark Kent/Superman in four seasons of the 1990s TV series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” took aim at “cancel culture” in an interview with Fox News, stating that Superman wouldn’t be able to fight for “Truth, Justice and The American Way” in today’s world.
Cain’s rant on “Fox & Friends” comes on the back of a recent Time Magazine op-ed which calls on a reexamination of TV and film superhoes and police officers, with writer Eliana Dockterman stating, “We’re Re-examining How We Portray Cops Onscreen. Now It’s Time to Talk About Superheroes”.
“Superheroes have dominated popular culture for the last decade—they are fixtures of the highest-grossing movies and icons to more than just our children,” writes Dockterman. “They are beacons of inspiration: protesters dressed as Spider-Man and Batman have turned up at recent Black Lives Matter demonstrations. And yet what are superheroes except cops with capes who enact justice with their powers?”
“This stuff all just drives me insane,” responds Cain. “I promise you that Superman – I wouldn’t today be allowed to say: ‘Truth, Justice, and the American way.'”
Dean Cain is wrong. Superman made it very clear that he still stands for “Truth, Justice and The American Way” in a recent 2020 issue of the “Superman: Up in the Sky” digital comic book series written by Tom King.
this is a joke, right?…
you claim Superman stands for “the American Way”, and yet the only proof you give is a comic panel where the sergeant- not Superman- says “i believe in the American way”…
This guy has lost his mind. I mean he was a good superman on tv but man he has just lost it for real.
No, the Mr. Cain is absolutely right. Not only has “Truth, Justice, and The American Way” has been eliminated from the movies (most notably, as it has been pointed out, in Superman Returns), but the woke comic book writers have been trying to do that with the comic. Remember a couple of years ago whe one of those writers had Superman say he wanted to renounce his american citizenship? I do. Remember also the reaction of fans all over when that happened? The pc/cancel culture mentality doesn’t want anything to remain “american”, and we have people like the author of… Read more »
Excellent and 100% correct. (happy 4th as well. at least while we still have it to celebrate)
The reason he did that in that issue of Action Comics (which I liked, BTW) is because he didn’t want to be seen by the Iranians as favoring the United States over them; it was for that reason he was given ‘global citizen’ status by the UN a while back. As for you and other neocons, if you don’t want said ‘PC/cancel culture’ to put down the United States, perhaps you should not act the way you do and you should also not be electing incomptent dumpster fires like Donald Trump to the position of POTUS. And with regards to… Read more »
Well…..that’s all YOUR definition(s). It isn’t Trump supporters that are parading around like animals destroying what they feel like. Obviously you perfer listeming to the sheep squad on laughable CNN and M-BS-NBC.
Oh Dean, bless his little heart. He’s a good dude, but his political takes are… somewhat juvenile, to put it mildly. At least, he can always rest in the knowledge that he hasn’t gone full Sorbo.
In fairness to him, Superman probably wouldn’t say “American Way” for appeal to the international market. Being part of the international market, that’s fine by me. Bring back the “champion of the oppressed” title instead.
His take about super-heroes being cops is questionable as well, but it’s not an uncommon take.
With all due respect NeoRanger, I respectfully disagree. I believe Superman would say the American way along with saying Truth and Justice. When Superman said “ I believe in Truth, Justice, and the American way” in Superman the movie or in Lois and Clark the new adventures of Superman, I took that as he meant that he stands for freedom. Because the hart of America has always been about freedom. Superman stands not just for one political party or another, but for all people who want and cherish freedom. He may not have been born on earth in America, but… Read more »
The problem with this is that this implies the United States (not even America as a whole) has dibs on the concept of freedom. My civilization goes back a few thousand years and despite trials and tribulations throughout all of them, when the 250 year old country comes along to brand freedom as American, I *have* to roll my eyes. Like, it doesn’t anger me or anything, I just find the line juvenile in this context. I don’t mind if the line is used, for the record. The “American Way” goes beyond simply freedom, as it has been explained to… Read more »
But freedom is required for the pursuit of happiness. For without freedom, how can anyone follow their dream of being happy if there are obstacles preventing them from pursuing those goals? I don’t find The American way to be a juvenile thing for Superman to say. I find it to be inspiring. He’s an immigrant who was raised to believe in freedom. Not just for himself, but for everyone. Including those who aren’t American. Yes he is a champion of the oppressed, but that falls in line with what he is saying about the American way. If someone is oppressed,… Read more »
That is a mighty broad definition of freedom. His original “champion of the oppressed” tagline was specifically aimed at the forgotten of society; the poor, the downtrodden. They were also, technically speaking, free, but they had no power to exercise that freedom in any meaningful way to better their lives. You can broaden the definition to include all of that, but if you broaden it that much, it’s no longer a uniquely American concept.
I would call it a basic definition. But like I said before, the concept of freedom in America has been an evolving one. And without freedom, it is really hard to pursue any kind of happiness. Maybe not impossible but really hard.
But a lot of those immigrants who came to Ellis Island weren’t free because they came from countries that suppressed their desire to be free. For example Lithuanians were being oppressed by Russians, so they had to travel to the United States to escape oppression and be free.
NeoRanger, it was the idiot lady writing the article for Time who said that.
Yeah… What happened to him?! I don’t begrudge my Republican or conservative brothers and sisters (I’m an independent and it really depends on the issue), but one doesn’t have to have a persecution complex to make their point.
Superman #27-29 (published 2017) are about Clark and Lois taking their son on a celebratory trip in America; including Gettysburg on the 4th of July.
To take his point of “Superheroes dominating our culture” for the last decade a little further; the highest grossing film of all time’s second male lead is Captain America!!
I think he’s right for movies and television. But in comics Bendis uses Truth, Justice and the American way a couple of time in his Superman run.
The success of superheroes in media and movies also makes them a bigger and easier target for either side and sadly Superman is always a huge target. As for the “American Way” I guess that while I sure as hell do not think America is perfect and that we have problems that go beyond “a few bad apples” I’ve just never read into the presence of that line as an endorsement of the actions of a particular administration or necessarily saying America is never wrong about anything or other the “way” of other countries and cultures sucks or anything like… Read more »
Oh for Pete sake… does not anyone remember the controversy in Superman Returns where they deliberately avoided him saying “Truth, justice and the American way…” and instead have Perry White allude to it by saying “Truth, justice, all that stuff…”. And it has not been said since in the movies. The comics may be another matter but in terms of his recent depictions in film and TV, no it’s not there… on purpose. At least it was with Returns.
I think it’s important to note here that there was a lot of Americana in Man of Steel. Superman outright said that he’s “as American as it gets” and the film depicted the US military in a fairly positive light. Meaning that they seem to be avoiding the line in itself, but not the American sentiment behind it. I think that’s interesting.
Well said. I also believe (strongly) that that, and the fact that Clark actuually consults a priest in his time of crisis (something that makes a LOT of sense if he was raised as a farmer in the middle of Kansas) were a big part of the reasons critics seemed to hate one of the best Superman movies ever made.
Thank you for pointing that out Mike. I just mentioned that.
Dean Cain is not proven wrong by that Comic Panel, dude. You literally just posted Superman not saying The American Way, but Sgt. Rock.
Super El, who are you talking to and can you please be specific on what you mean by Sgt. Rock?
Sgt Rock is the one making the monologue about Superman in Tom Kong’s issue. Not Superman.
I’m responding to the author of the article.
I see.
Thank you for clarifying. I wasn’t sure if it was me you were talking to.
Please excuse me on how I asked you about who you were talking to Super El. I hope that it didn’t come out as being mean. And I’m thinking that maybe I could have worded my question to you a bit better. Sometimes it’s hard for me to know if someone is talking to me or not. I hope that there wasn’t any misunderstanding.
Even in ’78, Reeve was speaking it and was soundly, cynically and rightfully mocked by Lois (“You’re gonna end up fighting every elected official in this country”) in a cynical post-Watergate America. But Superman’s deal is his earnestness. He means things in the most earnest way possible. Not from some exclusionary perspective but one of his broad ideals and his caring for humanity as a whole (with America happening to be home). It’s why I’ve always liked him and Cap: They both have a strength of character and humility I wish my country and its government would display. No abject… Read more »
“Even in ’78, Reeve was speaking it and was soundly, cynically and rightfully mocked by Lois (“You’re gonna end up fighting every elected official in this country”) in a cynical post-Watergate America. But Superman’s deal is his earnestness. He means things in the most earnest way possible. Not from some exclusionary perspective but one of his broad ideals and his caring for humanity as a whole (with America happening to be home).“ Exactly! It’s one of my favorite lines from the movie as well. He also says” I never lie.” When Lois said she didn’t believe him. That’s such a… Read more »
Dean isn’t wrong. Removing “…and The American Way” has been a slow process, but it’s certainly happening. To deny that it isn’t happening is silly. A better question would be to examine why it’s happening, and then to ask ourselves if it is a good idea. I think this issue really first became a conversation piece with the release of Superman Returns. “All that stuff…” was particularly bad, and an obvious way to remove “…and The American Way” from the slogan. I remember huge debates about it on the DC Message boards back in the day. If a writer is… Read more »
‘Truth and justice’ and ‘Truth, justice and peace’ work well too.
Not with the liberal mob you support.
In all this discussion, there has been no definition of what the “American Way ” is. I rarely get into political discussions, but I thought I would chime in. Can we define the American way as what we see on the news accounts where police use excessive force as to kill a suspect? News stories about police killings sparking riots looting. Is the “American Way” about doing away with history that dosen’t agree with the narrative that is popular these days. Is it about canceling programs that show the every day lives of police officers and what they do in… Read more »
I think, Wogaman, it’s a spirit.
Current news events, political movements, etc.. That’s just cherrypicking one thing. It can be done with anything. For example, a guy trips and falls, nobody helps him… That’s the American way. Or maybe, a guy trips and falls, someone helps him… That’s the American way.
It’s hard to define a spirit or sentiment, but I think obviously, Superman embraces the good of America, Americans, and the American way of life. Maybe what that is is different for everyone, but that’s part of what makes it such an interesting phrase.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the phrase “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” came from the original George Reeves “Adventures of Superman” TV show of the 50’s, which now being 66, I remember watching it in the 60’s on local TV after school. Given that the show was on during the Eisenhower Administration, I always thought it was added to “the truth and justice” part to be patriotic in much the same way that “Under God” was added to the pledge of allegiance in those days. As a Baby-Boomer, George Reeves has always had a special… Read more »
To the SupermanHomepage, it’s staff, it’s members, and to all my fellow Superman fans in the USA who are celebrating 4th of July this weekend. I wish you all a Happy and safe Independence Day. 🙂
Same here from Canada.
Thanks Neville600! 🙂 Great to hear from a fellow Superman fan.
Dean Cain is basically now one of the scientists that didn’t listen to Jor-El.
Dean Cain is one hundred percent correct. If these people out there are coming after George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Mt. Rushmore, even Jesus Christ, you can bet they’d be coming after Superman. They already have with that Time Magazine article and it will only get worse as long as the crap we’ve been seeing going on is tolerated. Everything we’ve been seeing is straight out of the marxist/communist playbook and it’s clear these people want to destroy America under the guise of social reform. They’ll be burning books in the middle of the streets soon enough. “The fascists… Read more »
100 % CORRECT !!!! But we shouldn’t worry, Babbling Biden will fix it all!!
lol Heaven help us if that happens.
I believe in this day and age that there’s not ONE part of, Truth, Justice and The American Way. that wouldn’t be mercifully picked apart and applied to some groups over the top “definition” of how if any body sponsors that saying, your somehow for oppression, racist or any other ridiculous twisted version of their left field values. And you watch, Hollywood will respond to this garbage in their favor.
Hmmm… Having now read the article, I noticed that Superman was not even mentioned. Just the tittle Batman V Superman is the only time the name Superman is written. And it was more about Batman being a vigilante. There was no Superman bashing in the article, and no specific mention of “Truth Justice and the American way”. So the whole thing was about politics, and even the author of the article seems to agree with what some of the posts here said…Keep Superman out of politics….Period.
Agreed. Problem is now a day certain groups in order to get their over bearing platforms in the media use every twisted trick in the book. And like sheep with big hoops through their noses, they’re easily led around. That’s how they got their following. If they zeroed in on this, they’d ruin it as well. Just like everything else they put their miss-guided efforts into.
I agree as well. Superman and politics just doesn’t mix.
First off, a happy fourth of July to all members, American or otherwise. Hope you all had a nice weekend. The American way is seen from 3 perspectives. What good hearted and hard working Americans think and view it to be. What bad intentioned and opportunistic Americans think and take advantage of it. And how the curious world think what the American Way really stands for. Way of life. Culture. History. It’s an ideal and a spirit to strive for. And it always depends on real Americans how they view it to be in their hearts and in their minds.… Read more »
Thank you for your Fourth of July wishes Kal-Ed. It’s very much appreciated. 🙂
You’re welcome my man. Some Americans in Germany do celebrate the 4th of July in their own communities. And I have a few friends living in and around Germany. I like them and respect them. They’re salt of the earth people.
I hope that you and your friends have a safe and happy celebration Kal-Ed. It’s always a honor and pleasure talking to a fellow Superman fan like you. 🙂
Stay healthy and safe my friend.
Dean is 100% right. And most comments here agree. The site can only cite one comic panel and Superman himself doesn’t even say it. Just admit Dean is right and stop being so politically correct.
With all due respect towards Dean Cain, the “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” argument is nothing new at all. I have some Bronze-Age Superman comics from the 1970s where the wording was changed to “Truth, Justice, and the Terran Way”. I had to actually look up what “Terran” even meant (I came to the conclusion it meant he was fighting for people all over the world, not just America). That was the 1970s. We’re talking 40+ years ago, DC was already removing “American Way” here and there. If I’m not mistaken, some versions of the animated cartoons over the… Read more »
I can’t speak to the cartoon, but if it was Justice League T,J and the American Way was never in their tagline so it’s less of an issue there. As for the comics in the 70s, much like today, the political climate was very divisive and young people in general were “anti-American” with the Watergate Scandal and the tail end of the Vietnam conflict all going on.
I just wanted to mention that on Brandon Routh’s twitter page he mentions #American way. And he did recently play Superman again for the CW 2019 winter crossover event. So technically Superman did say the American way.
And WB, please give Brandon a Superman series. 🙂
Dean Cain, I don’t know if you read my comments but I just wanted to let you know that I wasn’t disrespecting you or anything like that. I met you once a few years back at a comic con in NJ and you were really nice to me. I just wanted to clarify what I meant. I hope that you know that I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful to you, or embarrass you and be political when I said that I believe that Superman would still say the American way. And that when I gave an example of Brandon Routh… Read more »
Your heart is in the right place amigo. Don’t ever give up. And every member knows how passionate you are when it comes to our favourite big blue boyscout. Every one here is entitled to comment, discuss….heck….even argue about many superman related issues. We might always agree to disagree, but we still respect everyone’s opinions.
Thanks Kal-Ed. What you’ve said really means a lot to me.
I really appreciate it. 🙂
Anytime dude.
He is the biggest joke. POS trump supporter.
That’s your definition chum. At least Trump supporters aren’t out destroying and acting like deranged lunatics.
Cool yer jets fellas.
uhhhhhh… I believe Mr. Cain’s comment was taken outta context.
You see, he did not claim that Superman WON’T be allowed to say “Truth/Justice”, he only stated that he wouldn’t be ALLOWED to speak of it, else he’d be called out on so-called “Cancel Culture”.
Superman would still say his “Truth/Justice” moniker, it’s just that the SJW’s who voted for Hillary would be all Butt-Hurt about it & call him an “ist-phobe”. ;p
Man…I come to this site to escape all the craziness going on. I avoided hitting this article for awhile. Dean has a political leaning and I don’t appreciate him using a beloved character as his pawn to spew his own views. He played the part. He doesn’t own it. From what I understand he is only out to make a buck off the name anyway. I think Brandon is a much better ambassador than dean is. I can’t stand when Superman or Captain America get dragged into real life political garbage. I. only got through maybe 20 of these comments… Read more »
Don’t lose hart sundevil82. There’s plenty of good topics to talk about. There’s the upcoming Superman and Lois series we could talk about. If you’re a fan of the Snyder JL cut we could talk about it. There’s the topic of Bendis leaving Superman. Who will the next writer be? That’s an excellent question and topic to discuss. We could talk about that DC fandom website. I’m wondering if we will hear anything Superman related come August. So don’t lose hart my friend. Please reconsider and stay.
Don’t ever change, Spidey!
That’s advice I’ll gladly take any day. You’re a cool dude sundevil82. I’d be disappointed if you left.
Stay cool my friend.