What Does Superman Stand For?

I saw a Reddit post recently that got me thinking about Superman.

It asked why so many people today think Superman has “gone woke.”

Some commenters argued that James Gunn’s 2025 Superman movie feels like a critique of the Trump administration, especially because Superman’s origin story—an immigrant raised in Kansas—now gets framed as a refugee narrative. Others pushed back, saying Superman hasn’t changed. He still fights for “truth, justice, and the American way.”

Maybe it’s just that what we mean by the “American way” is changing.

So let’s pause. What is the American way, and what should it be?

To explore this, I went to the source. I pulled three of Superman’s most iconic monologues, spanning comics, television, and the film. And I noticed something: each one offers a lens into what Americans across the political spectrum aspire to be.

1. The Dream Speech

Action Comics #775

“Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear—until my dream of a world where dignity, honor, and justice becomes the reality we all share—I’ll never stop fighting. Ever.”

That’s a universal sentiment, not a partisan one. Whether it’s Barack Obama evoking “hope” in 2008, Donald Trump promising the “best is yet to come,” or Joe Biden declaring a “battle for the soul of the nation,” American leaders have always tried to sell a dream. The real question isn’t whether we should dream, it’s whose dreams are we including? Only landowning WASPS? Dreamers? Refugees? People around the world?

If the American way is just about personal freedom and individual ambition, we risk missing the bigger picture.

If it’s about building a society where dignity is shared, not just earned, then Superman’s “dream” becomes a blueprint.

2. The World of Cardboard Speech

Justice League Unlimited

Superman faces off with Darkseid, a villain so strong that for once, Clark doesn’t have to hold back. He says:

“I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard—always taking constant care not to break something… or someone. Never allowing myself to lose control, even for a moment. But you can take it, can’t you, big man? What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose… and show you just how powerful I really am.”

There are two key ideas here. First, humility in power. Superman could crush any opponent but chooses restraint. Second, reliance on allies. Before Superman fights, it’s Batman, a completely mortal man, who stands defiant.

For a country as powerful as the United States, that message matters. We’ve been the big guy in the room for a long time. Do we use our strength to intimidate or to protect? Do we wield power unilaterally or work with others in strategic alliance? George Washington, who warned against foreign entanglements, still relied on French support to win the Revolution. James Monroe said we should be hemispheric isolationists, but negotiated openly with Spain and Great Britain.

Superman reminds us that real strength involves holding back when you could dominate and choosing to uplift instead.

3. The 2025 Monologue

From the 2025 Superman film.

In a world fractured by war, Superman reflects:

“I miss. I love. I get scared. I wake up every morning and despite not knowing what to do, I put one foot in front of the other and try to make the best choices I can. I screw up all the time. But that’s being human. And that’s my greatest strength.”

Some critics have called this version of Superman too soft, emotional, and human.

But that vulnerability is the point. The American way is the courage to admit failure and commit to doing better next time.

The Civil Rights Act (1964). The Voting Rights Act (1965). The 9/11 Commission Report. The Rogers Commission. The Civil Liberties Act (1988). The War Powers Act (1973). The CFPB. The 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th Amendments.

Sometimes, I wonder which of our current policies are going to be most reviled by our children and grandchildren.

Anybody who tells me that NOTHING needs to (or will) change, I think, has slept through every American history lesson every taught.

Why This Matters

People sometimes confuse criticism of America with hatred of America. I don’t buy that. I think asking hard questions, especially about our country, is the most patriotic thing we can do. That’s how we refine our systems and expand the circle of who gets to benefit from this American Way.

In Jewish tradition, we have the Talmud, a centuries-long conversation of rabbis disagreeing, debating, trying to interpret ancient texts for modern life. That’s the American experiment, too. We argue. We adapt. We try again. And, ideally, we get better.

Plenty of countries have been around longer than we have. But few have kept the same form of government with this much self-sustained evolution. Through civil wars, global wars, injustice, and upheaval, we’ve endured. Not because we were perfect, but because we were willing to keep trying.

Most superheroes are normal people learning what it’s like to have godlike powers.

Superman is a godlike being learning what it is to be a normal person and to do what’s best for humanity.

Most countries did not have the luck to be surrounded by two oceans, enjoy massive and fertile land, avoid centuries of feudalism and warlords, and inherit the global lingua franca.

Are we squandering our opportunities to take our luck and do what’s best for humanity?