Superman (2025) is not just another superhero reboot—it’s a thoughtful, light-hearted reimagining that returns the Man of Steel to his mythic roots while injecting a fresh moral urgency into his story. Directed by James Gunn, the film casts David Corenswet, the first Jewish actor to play Superman, not merely as a powerful alien, but as a man caught between worlds—between duty and doubt, hope and fear, exile and belonging.
What makes Superman (2025) feel distinct is its spiritual undertone. While it never explicitly names religious themes, the narrative arc strongly evokes the Jewish concept of Ben Adam Lechavero (laws that legislate the proper conduct “between man and his fellow”). Clark’s journey is, at its core, a diasporic one. Raised in Kansas by Midwestern farmers who taught him the value of kindness and trust in other people, Superman grew up with traditional American values. Yet his dual identity, rooted in the burden of his Kryptonian heritage, mirrors that of Jewish people in exile who are often assimilated, yet never fully at home.
The film also leans into Superman’s original subtext. Created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (two sons of Jewish immigrants), Superman was always more than just a superhero. He was a response to rising fascism, an embodiment of moral clarity in the face of global cruelty. In Superman (2025), that legacy is honored: Superman wrestles not with how to be powerful, but with how to be righteous. His dilemma isn’t whether to save people, but how to do it without becoming like the very tyrants he stands against. This ties into a major story change for the comic book character (minor spoilers ahead).
In most iterations of the Superman story, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, Superman’s biological Kryptonian parents, are portrayed as noble figures who, like Superman himself, embody hope. However, the film reimagines them as tyrannical rulers, complicating Superman’s legacy and his belief in his own heritage. Though his immense powers often leave him feeling alienated, a feeling that echoes the Jewish experience of assimilation in the diaspora, what truly keeps him grounded is the core Jewish value of Ben Adam Lechavero, the ethical responsibility between one person and another.
Superman exemplifies Ben Adam Lechavero by treating every person equally. He looks past politics, race, religion, or creed, seeing each individual simply as a human being. Early in the film, in a debate between Lois and Clark about Superman’s role in the world, Lois argues that he’s too trusting, always searching for the good in others. This trait is hammered in by the fact that, unlike other superheroes in the film, Superman refuses to kill. He’s so committed to preserving life that he won’t even let a squirrel die on his watch.
In spite of his Kryptonian heritage and biological parents, his adopted parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent raised him with these strong values of Ben Adam Lechavaro. While this concept may seem cliché, it’s rarely emphasized today, even within the Jewish world. In a time when people are quick to judge others based on political, religious, racial, or even trivial differences like sports team affiliations, the principle of empathy has been largely forgotten. Ben Adam Lechavero reminds us of the importance of seeing the world through someone else’s eyes.
Much like the plot and pacing of Superman (2025), the idea isn’t perfectly executed, but it carries a powerful message: there is immense joy and strength in kindness and tolerance for others. In today’s divided world, this message feels more relevant than ever.
In an era when comic book films often blur into noise, Superman (2025) dares to be something different: a meditation on identity, justice, and moral responsibility. And in doing so, it returns Superman to his roots—not just in Kansas or Krypton, but in the deeper soil of Jewish storytelling, where the true hero is not the strongest, but the one who asks, “If not me, who? If not now, when?”
Superman is a very enjoyable film that will put an ear-to-ear grin on your face. Because the story picks up three years after Clark Kent becomes Superman, it’s not a traditional origin story, and the opening act feels like it hits the ground running, which some critics have noted to critique the film’s pacing. If you’re willing to embrace its imperfections, there’s a lot to enjoy.
