Ever since Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman in 1938, the Man of Steel has stood tall as a bright, shining beacon of truth and justice. And for much of his superhero career, "the American Way" was the final part of that equation. However, that's changing, as Superman's official mission statement is changing to fighting for "truth, justice and a better tomorrow," as revealed during DC FanDome 2021.
While Superman might best be known today as a champion of "truth, justice, and the American way," that specific phrase hasn't always been part of Superman's guiding credo, and now is the perfect time to change it.
When Superman Started Saying the American Way
Throughout Superman's history, the phrase "the American Way" has weaved in and out of the hero's vocabulary. In the early 1940s, the Superman's radio serial initially identified Superman as a champion of "truth and justice," and "the American way" was only added in 1942 after the United States entered Wolrd War II. By 1948, the phrase fell out of favor, and a film serial saw Pa Kent urge Superman to fight "...in the interest of truth, tolerance, and justice."
Amid the American anti-Communist sentiments of McCarthyism in the 1950s, "the American Way" became part of Superman's slogan in the iconic Adventures of Superman television series. The phrase was used once again in Christopher Reeve's Superman films of the 1970s and 1980s. Although the animated Superman of the long-running Superfriends cartoon fought for "truth, justice and peace for all mankind," the lasting cultural imprint of the live-action Superman productions tied "the American way" to Superman inextricably in the larger pop cultural consciousness.
Superman Has Given Up the American Way Before
In 2006, Superman Returns called the titular hero's ideals into question with the news of his return to Earth after a long five years away. During a meeting about the subject in the Daily Planet, the paper's editor-in-chief, Perry White, openly asks about what Superman's intentions are now that he is back. At one point, Perry explicitly asks "Does he stand for truth, justice... all that stuff?"
While there is nothing that implies this Superman doesn't still want to uphold American ideals, his absence being due to a search for his own people out among the stars does frame the hero outside of his more typical American trappings. After Man of Steel saw him openly skirmish with the U.S. military, Henry Cavill's Superman in the DC Extended Universe likewise seemed to hold the character's formerly persistent patriotism at arm's length.
In 2011's Action Comics #900, one controversial story by David S. Goyer, Miguel Sepulveda, Paul Mounts and Rob Leigh saw Superman renounce his U.S. citizenship in front of the Untied Nations. Although he did this to prevent the U.S. from being implicated in potential international incidents caused by his actions, that context was lost in the resulting furor, and the canonical status of the story was left somewhat unclear.
A Superman For Tomorrow
As has been pointed out time and time again, Superman is not from Earth. Superman has long been the subject of various studies surrounding his status as an intergalactic refugee, something that has fueled fears about the hero's true intentions on Earth. While most often it is Lex Luthor who stokes those concerns, that is a reality that has struck the Man of Steel quite deeply on more than one occasion. That fact has not been lost on Jon Kent, son of Clark and Lois Lane, who declared himself to be a more socially aware, proactive hero than his father and said he was fighting for "truth, justice and a better world" before his father in Superman: Son of Kal-El #1, by Tom Taylor, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb and Dave Sharpe.
As Superman readies himself to save the far-off planet Warworld from the tyrannical Mongul, Jon Kent has already started to live out that motto. When refugees from the nation of Gamorra are left adrift at sea, and Jon comes to their rescue. However, the refugees are placed in handcuffs when they reach American shores, which Jon cannot abide. When the decision to deport these desperate people comes in Superman: Son of Kal-El #3, the new Superman stands alongside throngs of protesters before forcing the police to arrest him like they would anyone else. This isn't exactly a shocking moment, but it is one that holds true the ideals which his father has always stood for and embodies the spirit of a mission that isn't defined by geopolitical borders. When Superman shows up to bail his son out of jail, the two share a heartfelt moment where the elder Superman is clearly impressed by his son's unwavering devotion to doing the right thing, no matter the cost.
While Superman has been linked to "the American way" for decades, it hasn't always been a core part of the character. And with both Clark and Jons taking more cosmic-level and international approaches to saving the day, now is the perfect time form Superman's credo to take a more expansive view.