Original ‘Superman’ actor says character should be used to ‘bring back the American way of life’

One of the stars of the first two “Superman” movies, Jack O’Halloran, told Fox13 Tampa Bay on Tuesday that he believes the legendary superhero should be used to help “bring back the American way of life” as he prepared to watch the newest iteration of the franchise.

O’Halloran claimed that, if used correctly, the Man of Steel could help bring back “the all-American way.”

“Having the statement of the all-American way, bringing back the American way of life and that’s what needs to happen,” he said. “If they use Superman correctly, they can accomplish that.”

The former actor and professional boxer played the towering villain “Non,” appearing briefly in the first “Superman” movie, and eventually emerging as one of the stars of “Superman II.”

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As noted by Bounding Into Comics, O’Halloran’s patriotic vision of Superman’s role in America may stand in contrast to recent remarks made by James Gunn, the director of the new “Superman” movie, and his brother, Sean Gunn.

Sean Gunn, who plays Maxwell Lord in the 2025 superhero film, defended his brother on Monday after the director took heat for insisting his movie was political and that Superman is an immigrant in an interview with The Times.

“Superman is the story of America,” James Gunn told the U.K. outlet. “An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me, it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”

He added, “Obviously, there will be jerks out there who are just not kind and will take it as offensive just because it is about kindness. But screw them.”

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While on the red carpet, James Gunn’s brother Sean defended the director from “MAGA” people — as Variety described them — being critical of his recent pro-immigrant statements. Neither the interviewer, nor Gunn, made any distinction between legal or illegal immigrants.

“My reaction to [the backlash] is that it is exactly what the movie is about,” Gunn said. “We support our people, you know? We love our immigrants. Yes, Superman is an immigrant, and yes, the people that we support in this country are immigrants and if you don’t like that, you’re not American.”

Sean Gunn added that “people who say no to immigrants are against the American way.”

In similar fashion, MIT professor Junot Diaz said in a guest essay for The New York Times that Superman’s “overwhelming all-American power” was disturbing, explaining the paradoxical identities associated with the iconic character as an immigrant.

“In fact, I was something of the neighborhood anti-Superman,” Diaz wrote in his essay, reflecting on his childhood.

“From Day 1, dude just rubbed me the wrong way. There was the obvious stuff, like how goofy Superman was as a hero, how ridiculously dated his star-spangled patriotism was — Supes loved a country I’d never seen. My landfill America was way more supervillain territory,” he said.

Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays and Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.