The Superman movie is causing a stir. It’s not just for the action but for the big talk. Some fans think it’s a bold take on the Israel-Palestine conflict but Gunn says that’s not true. Why he says Superman isn’t about the Middle East and what’s really behind this hit movie.
James Gunn’s Superman comes out July 11, 2025 and fans are hyped. The movie is about Superman who is played by David Corenswet. He stops Boravia, a powerful country that’s friends with the U. S. , from attacking Jarhanpur, a poor country that seems helpless. For many people this looks like a comparison: Boravia is Israel and Jarhanpur is Palestine. The intense scene where Boravian soldiers breach a fence and charge into a group of Jarhanpurians feels like the 2018-2019 Gaza border protests. When you add in drones and missiles striking a desert city it’s clear why people are making this comparison.
Critics like G. Allen Johnson from the San Francisco Chronicle said the Boravia-Jarhanpur conflict is “very similar to the Israel-Hamas conflict.” Some people like the movie and think it’s a pro-Palestine message. One fan said it’s a “strong message about the senseless killing of Palestinians.” The movie shows powerful images like kids among debris and Superman saving people which feels very real and relevant. But here’s the twist: James Gunn says this isn’t true.
So what does James Gunn say?
He’s made it clear: Superman isn’t about the Middle East. In an interview with Comicbook. com he said, “I wrote this before the conflict in the Middle East started.” I tried to make small changes to keep it from being about that but it’s not about the Middle East. He started writing in 2022 and filming in February 2024 well before the recent events in Gaza. Gunn says the Boravia-Jarhanpur conflict which comes from DC Comics is a made up situation to look at bigger ideas not a real world problem.
Gunn told The Sunday Times that he thinks “basic human kindness” has gone out the window. The film’s message about immigrants ties into Superman being an alien refugee. The leader of Boravia is like a Trump-like dictator and the problems in Jarhanpur could be any number of global conflicts – Russia and Ukraine, power imbalances etc. Gunn says the film has some political themes but doesn’t directly represent the Middle East.
Why does the conversation keep going?
People are always looking for connections between art and real life especially when the pictures and themes are relevant to their own experiences. The film came out during a time of global tensions so those connections are hard to ignore. Superman is hope and fairness so fans see themselves in him. People relate to the story in different ways – Gaza or the immigrant experience. They connect with what speaks to them. Gunn may not have meant to comment on the Middle East but as critic William Bibbiani pointed out the images seem to “speak about” Gaza whether he meant to or not.
