Batman & Superman: Battle of the Super Sons brought Robin/Damian Wayne and Superboy/Jonathan Kent to the picture alongside their legendary superhero fathers. With newly discovered purpose and equally qualified abilities to match the wide-eyed ideology of saving the world, the young duo go into battle, rescue and recover their kidnapped fathers from the evil Starro. But there is a catch in the whole plot which had otherwise gone very well.
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Superman’s Rhetoric Sounds Like Homelander In New Movie
Battle of the Super Sons begins with Batman and Superman bringing Jonathan Kent, the latter’s son, into the Batcave for the first time. There, Jonathan discovers Damian Wayne, Batman’s slightly older and prickly son, who goes by the superhero nickname, Robin. After a brief and classic introduction, the duo must then team up and set off together to save their fathers from the clutches of the evil alien, Starro.
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The fully computer-animated film brings the teenage undertones of the characters in all their perfect, predictable glory. But what audiences didn’t expect is that the plot turns into a dialogue for American patriotism by its otherwise well-executed ending. Battle of the Super Sons remains entertaining throughout its sweet 79-minute runtime, but it all crumbles into a heap of cringe when Superman announces in his signature woodsy voice – “Truth, Justice, and the AMERICAN WAY.”
The story behind “Truth, Justice and the AMERICAN WAY »
It’s no big surprise or shock that the symbol of the world’s greatest power, aka the strongest man in the universe, aka the man of tomorrow – the savior was built in the image of the ideal American hero when designing Superman in the early 1900s. The only aspect the Righteous Hero needed to complete his burgeoning superhero image was the artist bringing in the colors of the American flag to ink the costume that symbolizes hope. The film world didn’t have to put in him Homelander’s dangerous trait of accrediting America with heroism. We have specifically The boys for that.
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But the sad truth behind the motto goes way back in DC Comics’ past. The American ideal of Superman is not new to him. Rather his resounding motto of “truth and justice” has been amplified with an addition “American style” in the aftermath of America’s involvement in World War II, amid declining public morale. The final years after the war simply let the slogan stick due to growing animosity towards communism during the Cold War.
In 2021, Jim Lee announced Man of Steel’s new motto: Truth, Justice, and a Brighter Future, after DC experimented with other slogans like “Truth, Justice and All That” and “Truth, Tolerance and Justice”. Amid the growing cultural differences and chaos currently impacting the global political climate, it seems that America, once again, needs a boost in mob morale to reassure them of their “heroic” identities.
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Fans Confused About Superman’s Patriotic New Arc
DC fans, following Superman’s sudden statement “American style” were left baffled as to how to feel or react to this statement. Although the film did not overtly represent patriotic ideals, the one aspect of the comic that has held true all these years has been its distancing from political or nationalistic statements.
That was one of my two issues with this movie. pic.twitter.com/cRYCVShEoy
— Jalen (@jayjjalen) October 10, 2022
it’s not, and it hasn’t been for quite some time in fact.
— Jalen (@jayjjalen) October 10, 2022
outdated + inaccurate currency
— Jalen (@jayjjalen) October 10, 2022
”But it’s so accurate for Superman” 🤓 pic.twitter.com/EbkaHvGbJ2
— Matt Murdock (Sinner/Saint/Public Defender) (@ZeroYear97) October 10, 2022
Something the homeland would say 💀
— Lilaaloo (@Lilaaloo80) October 10, 2022
I think the sentence itself just takes away from Superman. I understand what this means for past releases, but this is not an American poster boy, he represents everyone. I’m glad they officially changed it now.
— SE🎃 (@SupermanEnjoyer) October 10, 2022
They really need to retire
– Jason it’s a Warning Ritter ⚡🦇🎥🕸️ (@Jimbo19934) October 10, 2022
The United States is an integral part of the geographical settings of comic books, but the centuries-old existence of these literary works has managed to remain relevant around the world because of their universally applicable notions of heroism, and not just in the idealistic way American. It is then interesting to know how the Battle of the Super Sons has made it all the way to screens, with this statement deemed appropriate to sign when clearly the idea is to promote and release the film on a global platform.
Source: Twitter
