Fox News took a swing at pop culture this week, targeting Superman for being an immigrant story. During a recent segment, former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway criticized a new Superman storyline that emphasizes the character’s origins as an alien refugee from Krypton. After lamenting people who don’t stand for the National Anthem at sports games, she went on to preach, “We don’t go to the movie theatre to be lectured to and have somebody throw their ideologies on us.”
Her co-host Jesse Watters followed up with a joke that quickly drew backlash. “You know what it says on his cape? MS-13,” he said.
The comment was widely condemned across social media, with critics accusing Watters of using Superman to spread fear and xenophobia. The reference to MS-13, a gang often used in Republican rhetoric to stoke anti-immigrant sentiment, was seen as both inflammatory and detached from reality.
The irony, of course, is that Superman (now Ohio’s official superherorhero) has always been an immigrant. Since his debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938, Superman’s story has been that of a child sent from a dying world and adopted by American parents. He was raised in Kansas with small-town values and grew up to defend his adopted home. His story has long served as a metaphor for the immigrant experience in the United States.
What is likely to have upset viewers was not just the lack of understanding around Superman’s origin. The MS-13 joke touched a nerve because it echoed a recent controversy involving Donald Trump. Earlier this year, Trump falsely claimed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, was a gang member based on tattoos on his fingers. He posted a doctored photo that showed letters “M,” “S,” “1,” and “3” above the tattoos. Experts later confirmed that the original tattoos (a marijuana leaf, smiley face, cross, and skull) are common and not gang-related.
Despite the lack of evidence, the claim stuck in right-wing circles. Watters’ comment about Superman’s cape followed a similar pattern: taking a narrative about immigration and twisting it to fit a darker, more conspiratorial frame.
On Reddit one user wrote, “They’d love Superman if he was deporting immigrants.” Another added, “They don’t hate Superman. They just hate what he stands for.” Perhaps the most ironic quote jokes that Superman is “Not only an immigrant, but an illegal alien!”
Some compared the moment to the character Homelander from The Boys, a fascist parody of Superman who has become an unlikely symbol for parts of the far right. Others pointed out how common it is for certain audiences to miss the subtext of their favorite media. As one commenter put it, “They think Darth Vader was the good guy.”
DC Comics has not stated the incident, but fans haven’t been silent. Across social media and comment sections, many are defending Superman as an immigrant hero, not a political target.
Superman’s story has always been about someone from another world finding hope and purpose in America. What’s changed is how some choose to read that story… not as a symbol of unity, but as something to fear.
