‘The film had one purpose: to brainwash the world’: James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ isn’t going down well in Israel

James Gunn’s Superman is shaping up to be the blockbuster of the summer. It’s received rave reviews, audiences are loving it, and it’s exceeding box office expectations. For Warner Bros., this is a dream come true, as they’ve been praying this would be the foundation of their upcoming Gunn-led DCU.

But there’s one nation feeling somewhat aggrieved. Without delving too deeply into spoilers, the core of the movie’s plot is a conflict between fictional nations Borovia and Jarhanpur. Borovia boasts a high-tech and heavily armed military and full U.S. support, with Jarhanpur its poorer neighbor whose civilians are being killed off by the Borovian military.

Borovia’s ultimate plan is to seize Jarhanpur’s territory and use overwhelming force to displace its people. And, at this point, along with pretty much everyone who’s seen the movie, you might have figured out the parallels.

Yup, the villainous Borovia (whose leader bears a distinct resemblance to Benjamin Netanyahu) is Israel, and their brutalized and helpless neighbor Jarhanpur is Palestine. Given the current political climate in the United States, it’s a bold move for Gunn to make a summer blockbuster that unabashedly supports Palestine, but hey, it’s a hit!

“A man boiling with rage”

But this is hitting differently in Israel, where audiences didn’t expect to see a superhero movie where they’re the villains. A post reporting the words of Israeli rapper Hatzel (aka The Shadow) (reposted by @Betar_USA) says he was “a man boiling with rage” when he left the theater:

🇮🇱🇮🇱I am a man boiling with rage.

Yesterday, I went with my son to watch the new Superman movie. Superman! The ultimate superhero, a character created by two Jewish immigrants, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, in the 1930s. The character is supposed to represent hope, justice, and… pic.twitter.com/Vvi5RXeVJi

— Betar Worldwide (@Betar_USA) July 14, 2025

“Instead of presenting a character who defends the weak and fights for justice, they turned it into a disgusting political caricature, where Israel (under a different name) is portrayed as a fascist state, a warmonger, and a close ally of the U.S., which supplies advanced weaponry to fight “poor and miserable farmers (the good Palestinians) with pitchforks and stones.”

I mean yeah, that does sound kinda familiar… Anyway, apparently after nearly a century in print, Superman is now over:

“I sat there, next to my son, watching how the film had one purpose: to brainwash the world. They took the ultimate childhood hero, who was supposed to represent absolute good, and turned him into a one-sided, distorted, superficial propaganda tool. They ruined my childhood, they ruined the experience for me, but not only for me, they ruined it for the next generation.”

He concludes by blaming “liberal Jews in America” and says, “There is no greater enemy to an Israeli than the progressive American Jew.” Sorry, Hamas and Hezbollah, I guess you’ve been bumped down the priority list, Hollywood is now the no. 1 threat!

If you know anything at all about Superman as a character, it’s a no-brainer that he’d be determined to protect and save innocent civilians, regardless of American political interests. And, if you become furious at watching Superman saving children’s lives, maybe take a step back, have a look in the mirror, and ask yourself whether you’re really on the side of the angels?

Superman‘s box office success indicates its pro-Palestine politics have clearly struck a nerve with audiences around the world. Here’s hoping this mirrors a wider shift in how regular Americans view Israel.