NEED TO KNOW
Some Superman fans have the feeling that Dean Cain has forgotten the plot.
On Thursday, July 10, TMZ shared a clip where they talked to the actor, 58, about director James Gunn’s new Superman movie.
Cain, who played the Man of Steel on TV in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman from 1993 to 1997, addressed Fox News host Jesse Watters’ recent joke about the superhero character, now played by David Corenswet, having “MS-13” displayed on his cape.
According to Cain, Watters’ point was, ” ‘How woke is Hollywood going to make this character?’ ”
He continued, “Superman has always stood for truth, justice and the American way, and the American way is immigrant-friendly. Tremendously immigrant-friendly, but there are rules. I think that was a mistake by James Gunn to say it’s an immigrant thing, and I think it’s gonna hurt the numbers on the movie.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
“I was excited for the film. I’m excited to see what it is. Because James Gunn seems to have a sense of humor and the last iterations of Superman didn’t have much humor and I love the humor in Superman. So I’m rooting for it to be a success, but I don’t like that last political comment.”
The conversation has since gone viral, and while some fans of the hero and the many tellings of his story agree with Cain, Lois and Clark fans point to a particular episode that illustrates the subject of immigration has always been part of Superman’s story.
In the season 4, episode 14 scene, Superman is stopped by an officer for “immigration and naturalization” who tells him, “We just need a quick look at your green card.”
“Green card?” Superman replies.
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
“You are an alien, are you not?” she counters, as another officer informs him, “Superman, I’m afraid until we get this cleared up, I’m gonna have to ground you.”
Later in the episode, Superman is encouraged to “reconsider cooperating with the new administration,” with the threat, “One never knows when one’s ‘wife’ will drive her car off a cliff, does one?”
After the clip went viral on X, one user commented, “@RealDeanCain wtf are you talking about then? You literally had a scene in the tv series where they recognized you were an alien and needed a green card??”
Another quipped, “dude doesn’t remember his own show.”
Fans have also pointed to a Smallville scene where Tom Welling’s Clark Kent argues with his mom about calling immigration when a friend believes the agency picked his mom up.
“I’m an illegal immigrant, Mom. You’ve been harboring me for over 17 years!” the frustrated teen yells.
