In a recent interview with The Times, Superman director James Gunn said that his new blockbuster tells the story of “an immigrant.” He also explained it was a story about “basic human kindness.” But that first comment — about Superman’s foreign origins — is the one that set off some pundits on the right.

Fox News commentator Jesse Watters joked on air: “You know what it says on his cape? MS-13.” Ben Shapiro blasted Gunn and the Hollywood left for being out of touch with everyday American audiences: “The reality [is] that Hollywood is so far to the left that they cannot take a core piece of Americana and just say it’s about America.”

But, Grant Morrison — author of the seminal comic book series All-Star Superman — said the conservative backlash ignores the leftist origins of the world’s most famous superhero.

Not only was Superman created by the sons of Jewish immigrants, but those very first comics portrayed their character as a “socialist figure.”

In one comic published in 1939, Superman is seen shielding young thieves from police because he figured the kids were victims of poverty, then tearing down slums and forcing authorities to build low-rent housing. Before becoming the “Man of Steel,” Superman was “The Champion of the Oppressed.”

Gunn has said that All-Star Superman was a big influence on his new film. Morrison sat down with Today, Explained host Sean Rameswaram to talk about where Superman came from, how the character has evolved, and why he will endure.

Below is an excerpt of their conversation, edited for length and clarity. There’s much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify.

How did you get into Superman? What did this character mean to you?

I grew up on the west coast of Scotland next to an American naval and........

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