If every film is preemptively dismissed as ‘woke’ or subjected to a political purity test, then conservatives become the ones destroying fun.

The latest cinematic iteration of Superman soared to a $217 million opening weekend internationally despite last-minute concerns from some conservatives that the film would be too “woke.” This panic was the result of a film industry that has given audiences little hope and a right-wing media ecosystem designed to feign outrage.

Conservatives have been primed by more than a decade of bad movies, including the all-female Ghostbusters reboot and a Star Wars trilogy that emasculated Luke Skywalker, to fear the worst from every new blockbuster. When director James Gunn said earlier this month that his Superman film was “about politics,” many on the right, understandably, reacted negatively. 

However, after having seen the film, I can say that it is not “woke,” and it seems that this whole firestorm could have been avoided had Gunn not said the film was political in the first place.

There are two plot points that some have pointed out as potentially politically charged: references to Superman’s status as an immigrant and a conflict between two foreign countries that resemble either Russia and Ukraine or Israel and Palestine. For the former, it’s pretty hard to make the case that Superman, given the circumstances of his landing on Earth, would not be considered an immigrant. The film does not dwell on this fact except for a few brief moments, though it almost certainly would have been a central plot point just a few years ago. For the latter, the script goes to great lengths to ensure that the foreign conflict cannot be seen as a commentary on any specific war. Unless basic assertions that immigrants or wars exist are considered wokeness, the film is not woke.

The movie is certainly better than what it could have been. Some forget that leftist journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates penned a script for his version of a Superman film that would have depicted a race-swapped Man of Steel fighting racism, but his version was deemed to be a bridge too far by Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav. It’s also worth noting that, in the comics, Lex Luthor becomes President of the United States. The Hollywood of a few years ago would be more than happy to depict Luthor as a Donald Trump–adjacent figure, while the Luthor we got seems purposely devoid of any Trump-like qualities.

Conservatives need to be wary of becoming the boy who cried “woke.” If every film is preemptively dismissed or subjected to a political purity test, then conservatives become the ones destroying fun. Nobody goes to see a superhero film to be lectured about social justice, but neither do they care to hear about a meaningless panic every time a movie is released. 

Gunn’s Superman film managed to dodge culture war kryptonite and serves as a reminder to conservatives that not every blockbuster needs to be a galaxy-spanning battleground.