James Gunn doubling down on Superman not referencing Gaza in now deleted instagram comment
Posted by tattooinenights
James Gunn doubling down on Superman not referencing Gaza in now deleted instagram comment
Posted by tattooinenights
25 Comments
“That particular conflict”
Also pretty cool that James Gunn started working on his Superman script in the 1910s
I get that the film cant solve world problems but it feels incredibly weak to lean on the script was done excuse for avoiding a conflict that’s been front-page news for so long.
I read a very cogent [article yesterday by Nadir Nahdi](https://nadirnahdi.substack.com/p/superman-isnt-a-pro-palestine-statement?triedRedirect=true) that really broke down why it’s so jarring (more generally than just the recent Superman movie).
>But let’s take him at his word — that it really has nothing to do with Gaza, or Palestine, or the real-world genocide we’re witnessing.
>That’s actually more disturbing.
>Because what that means is Hollywood can write a story about rebellion, justice, and stopping a technologically advanced oppressor from slaughtering innocents — and *still* not see the parallels.
It means the same studios who vilify real-world resistance have no issue romanticising it on the big screen.
People were always giving him way too much credit with that interpretation of Superman.
People who make superhero movies will never not be losers i’m sorry
Whether it was intentional or not, it’s so weird that he keeps saying it was written before it even began. Israel & Palenstine have always been in conflict, since at least 1948.
And if it wasn’t intentional, the parallels are clear as day, so I wish he’d at least admit that he can see them now.
what a coward
At this point it’s irrelevant what he intended or when he wrote it, the parallels are striking.
What isn’t irrelevant though is that he can write about a fictional people fighting for their very existence against a powerful oppressing force but ignore it in the real world.
He’s a hypocrite and his “art” is meaningless.
Let’s assume that he in fact did not have Israel in mind when writing this plot (which is disturbing, because how could you write this plot and not see the parallel?)
If that’s the case, it’s extremely telling that he’s now out here trying to *make sure* people know that it’s not a metaphor for Israel. If he gave a shit about Palestine or recognized that Israel is committing genocide, he would welcome the comparisons and not feel the need to distance himself from them.
Would’ve been better to just shut up James…ugh
No James please shut up you’re ruining one of my comfort films 😭😭
at this point he’ll never admit it. too afraid of being fired from another studio. loser coward
I don’t really care what Gunn says. A Hollywood blockbuster with a cartoonishly evil villain leading a close ally of the US while they invade & indiscriminately kill Indigenous people to annex/settle their land while the entire global north looks away and a billionaire colludes for economic gain *is* what Israel is (and always has been). Even Zionists saw the movie and believed it was about Israel!
It’s really not our fault Israel is so ridiculously over the top evil & violent that universally movie goers were like ‘yeah this made up country/leader is definitely a stand in for Israel & Zionism.’
TIL that James Gunn completed the Superman script in the 1800s.
Before the conflict began? But is referencing Nazi’s? I’m confused. Anywho I don’t have a dog in this fight now sure what this all is anyway
Coward and spineless. Superman was such a breath of fresh air in the superhero genre and it is dissapointing to see him doubling down and trying to erase any references towards Palestine or Gaza.
As I always say, the author has no control over how their work is interpreted.
I feel this is akin to the “Gwen is trans in Spider-verse” thing.
Was it *intentionally* written to serve as 1:1 that allegory?
No, I don’t believe it was
Does it fit? Are the parallels strikingly accurate?
Yes, I believe they are
So I don’t think Gunn wrote it *specifically* to bring to mind Israel/Palestine but it certainly calls that to mind.
Dude is so chronically online it’s crazy. His need to respond to every fanboy on twitter and IG is gonna be his downfall. Just like this- this is a bad look
Bro’s worked on this movie for 115 years.
My main gripe with Gunn is how chronically online he is. He just talks way too much lol There’s a reason people thought what they did, just keep it moving and leave some things up to audience interpretation
as if the conflict didn’t start decades ago.
That comment isn’t even implying it’s intentional, just that there’s obvious similarities. He’s such a coward.
I never forgot his weird ass tweets.
It was obviously inspired by Russia /Ukraine first and then he remixed it to be any authoritarian state with modern propaganda.