Batman & Superman: Battle of the Super Sons has brought Robin/Damian Wayne and Superboy/Jonathan Kent into the picture beside their legendary superhero fathers. With a newly discovered purpose and equally qualified abilities to match the wide-eyed ideology of saving the world, the young duo set off to battle, save, and retrieve their kidnapped fathers from the evil Starro. But there’s one hitch in the entire plot which had otherwise come along very nicely.
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, the slightly older and thorny son of Batman, who goes by the superhero moniker, Robin. After a brief and classic introduction, the duo later has to team up and set off together to save their fathers from the clutches of the evil alien baddie, Starro.
The completely computer-animated film brings in the teenage nuances of the characters in all their perfect and predictable glory. But what the audience didn’t expect was the plot to turn into a dialogue for American patriotism by its otherwise well-executed end. Battle of the Super Sons remains entertaining throughout its sweet 79-minute runtime, but it all comes crashing down in a pile of cringe-worthiness when Superman announces in his signature timbered voice — “Truth, Justice, and the AMERICAN WAY.”
The Story Behind “Truth, Justice, and the AMERICAN WAY”
It is not a matter of great 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 during Superman’s conception in the early 1900s. The only aspect that the righteous hero needed to top off his burgeoning superheroic image was the artist bringing in the colors of the American flag to ink the suit that famously symbolizes hope. It was not necessary for the cinematic world to put in him Homelander’s dangerous trait of accrediting America with heroism. We specifically have The Boys for that.
But the sad truth behind the motto extends way back into the past of DC Comics. Superman’s American ideal is not new to him. Rather his smashing motto of “truth and justice” was amped up with an added “the American way” in the aftermath of America’s involvement in World War II, amid the public’s dwindling morale. The later years in the aftermath of the war simply let the catchphrase remain due to the rising animosity toward communism during the Cold War.
In 2021, Jim Lee announced the Man of Steel’s new motto: Truth, justice, and a better tomorrow, after DC’s experimentation with other taglines like “Truth, justice, and all that stuff” and “Truth, tolerance, and justice”. Amid the rising cultural differences and chaos rippling through the world’s political climate at present, it seems America, yet again, needs a boost in the crowd morale to reassure them of their “heroic” identities.
Fans Confused About Superman’s Newfound Patriotic Arc
The DC fans, in the aftermath of Superman’s sudden declaration of “the American way” have been left confused about how to feel or react to that statement. Although the film hasn’t overtly represented patriotic ideals, the one aspect of the comics that has remained true all these years has been its distancing itself from political or nationalistic statements.
This was one of my two problems with this movie. pic.twitter.com/cRYCVShEoy
— Jalen (@jayjjalen) October 10, 2022
it’s not and hasn’t been for quite some time actually.
— Jalen (@jayjjalen) October 10, 2022
outdated + inaccurate motto
— Jalen (@jayjjalen) October 10, 2022
''But it's so accurate to Superman'' 🤓 pic.twitter.com/EbkaHvGbJ2
— Matt Murdock (Sinner/Saint/Public Defender) (@ZeroYear97) October 10, 2022
Something homelander would say 💀
— Lilaaloo (@Lilaaloo80) October 10, 2022
I think the phrase itself just takes away from Superman. I get what it means for past versions but he isn’t an American poster boy, he stands for everyone. I’m glad they’ve officially changed it now.
— SE🎃 (@SupermanEnjoyer) October 10, 2022
They really need to retire that
— Jason it's a Warning Ritter ⚡🦇🎥🕸️ (@Jimbo19934) October 10, 2022
The US is an inherent part of the geographical settings of the comics, but the century-long existence of these works of literature managed to stay relevant throughout the globe due to their universally applicable notions of heroism, not just the idealistic American way. It is interesting then as to how the Battle of the Super Sons made it all the way to the screens with that statement being deemed appropriate to be signed off on when clearly, the idea is to promote and release the film on a global platform.
Source: Twitter
