SMALLVILLE Showrunners Address SUPERMAN "Immigrant" Backlash; Reveal Black Cat Was Almost In SPIDER-MAN 2

Smallville creators and showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar have defended Superman and James Gunn after the "immigrant" backlash, and reflect on the time they spent working on 2004's Spider-Man 2...

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By JoshWilding - Aug 11, 2025 01:08 PM EST

Filed Under: Superman

Ahead of Superman's release in theaters last month, James Gunn described the movie's lead as "the story of America." He then elaborated on that point, saying, "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."

The filmmaker's comments were taken out of context and quickly weaponised against the DCU reboot (even FOX News and newly minted ICE agent Dean Cain got in on the action).

Talking to Josh Horowitz about Wednesday season 2, Smallville creators and showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar confirmed that they've yet to watch Superman. However, they're fully in agreement with Gunn and likened his vision to an early episode of the popular DC TV series, where they too faced pushback for exploring Clark Kent's immigrant status.

Miles Millar: It's also interesting, we always saw Superman as a great allegory for immigration, that he was the ultimate illegal alien. The fact that James said, and it's so controversial, was sort of like...I couldn't believe, I was like, 'That's so embedded in what it is.'

Al Gough: We did an episode in season 6 with, where we sort of talked about it directly. Clark finds a boy who's working on one of the farms. I remember, at the time, thinking, [because] this is, again, 2006, the network was like, 'I don't know...this feels a little political for the show,' and we're like, 'It's literally the Superman story [laughs,] what do you want?'

Miles Millar: The fact that it's still [this] controversial idea...that's [what] is so great about the Superman story, that I think that's why its legacy has been so powerful. It really speaks to what the American dream is, and all those sort of elements of Americana.

Superman being an immigrant to America from the planet Krypton has been a huge part of the character's story since he was introduced in 1938. However, when immigration is such a hotbed topic, it's hardly surprising that the usual suspects tried tearing down Gunn's vision for the hero.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Millar and Gough reflected on working on Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2, revealing the studio wanted more scenes with Peter Parker talking without his mask on. They also considered introducing Black Cat in the sequel, only to decide that she was one character too many.

There was talk of the anti-hero appearing in Spider-Man 4, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 would later introduce Felicity Jones as "Felicia." That never went anywhere, and neither did plans for a Silver Sable/Black Cat team-up movie, Silver & Black.

You can hear more from the duo on Smallville, Superman, and Spider-Man 2 in the player below:

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Reveals Why The Man Of Steel Isn't An Official Member Of DCU's Justice Gang

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62 Comments

1 2

Wahhvacado - 8/11/2025, 1:53 PM

Lisa89 - 8/11/2025, 1:54 PM

There is no "backlash", just some loud people wallowing in their wrongness.

Goldboink - 8/11/2025, 2:06 PM

@Lisa89 -
Fact. A vocal minority passing the cracker in a sad circle jerk.

McMurdo - 8/11/2025, 2:49 PM

@Lisa89 - yeah that backlash became a fart in the wind when everyone saw the film and realized its not even something that gets mentioned....like once even lol

foreverintheway - 8/11/2025, 1:55 PM

Bringing Supermans origins into this ridiculous culture war just proves these MAGA types don't read a single thing you put in front of them. It's literally the first thing you learn about Superman - he is not from this planet and did not ask permission before coming here, yet embodies the best of us. Literally.

Apophis71 - 8/11/2025, 2:03 PM

@foreverintheway - They also never did anything in the comics or any adaptions about him becoming legal until I think around the 80's when such things first realy started becoming an RL hot topic and the upshot of that was his adopted Parents lied on the paperwork so technicaly still an 'illegal' even if the sort of undocumented immigrant folk would tend to be OK with. For most of the prior decades there was never any delving into naturalisation type stuff, it was suffice he was a foundling from another planet that kept his real origins (and powers) secret from almost everyone.

Heck, didn't even need any paperwork to migrate to America until last century, same for most countries, not that I'm against immigration control cos I aint AT ALL but...

Bucky74 - 8/11/2025, 2:04 PM

@foreverintheway - Exactly, he didn’t break into our nation as an adult male and demand citizenship and benefits. This is the Show runners virtue signaling trying to remain relevant.

Superman is actually a true refuge who was sent here as a baby and adopted by midwestern parents (making him a fully legal citizen) before assimilating American values of truth and Justice.

He didn’t come here as a gang member, didn’t burn out flag while waving a Kryptonian flag, didn’t traffic, wasn’t a gang member, and didn’t scam our tax dollars. He became a proud American citizen.

Bucky74 - 8/11/2025, 2:05 PM

@Apophis71 - If the paperwork was done (especially back then) he would have a Social security number and be a legal citizen. He also contributed to the nation and assimilated to American values and became a proud patriot

Apophis71 - 8/11/2025, 2:12 PM

@Bucky74 - Still illegal if they lied on the paperwork, no way they admitted he was from another planet on that. The fact he is 'one of the good ones' doesn't negate legal issues related to him being initialy an undocumented immigrant upon first arrival nor does it remove the fact he IS an immigrant even if a legal one.

cham2119 - 8/11/2025, 2:20 PM

@Apophis71 - shuster and seigel literally said superman is supposed to embody the immigrant experience how wrong do you have to be before you throw in the towel?

Apophis71 - 8/11/2025, 2:25 PM

@cham2119 - To which I agree with them completely, however some seem to reject the entire idea he IS an immigrant and the whole legal or not is plain silly to be blunt cos the Kents literaly couldn't tell the truth on any paperwork so...

...they may have even claimed in some versions it was their own child, not a foundling at all, in fact feels more like what I did read back in the 80's but can't say for sure as such technicalities were never important to me so memory fuzzy on the specifics.

ObserverIO - 8/11/2025, 2:37 PM

@cham2119 - shuster and seigel had TDS.

Bucky74 - 8/11/2025, 2:50 PM

@Apophis71 - Absolutely not. An Avon domed baby can be adopted in the U.S. Even if it happened today someone would be able to adopt Kal, but a few decades ago it would have been simple. And one the paperwork is done he’s legal. Period. I know you want the square peg to fit on the round hole but it does not. Superman is a legal American citizen

McMurdo - 8/11/2025, 2:53 PM

@foreverintheway - he fits a refugee more than an immigrant but on technicality immigrant fits too. But it was the left that was stoking that fire. The dude from Variety who corners everyone on the red carpet for sound bites. That London Times reporter wanted a particular spin and Gunn gave it to em. Did it hurt the film? Maybe a bit initially but word of mouth takes over after opening weekend

Bucky74 - 8/11/2025, 2:53 PM

@cham2119 - Yes the immigrant experience. Not the illegal immigrant experience. They were both LEGAL immigrants who embodied American values and were not open boarder radicals. Legal immigrants tend to be the ones who value America’s sovereignty the most

lazlodaytona - 8/11/2025, 2:57 PM

@Bucky74 - he is a vigilante though

spr0cks - 8/11/2025, 3:07 PM

@Bucky74 -
RE : >>>>"Superman is actually a true refuge who was sent here as a baby and adopted by midwestern parents (making him a fully legal citizen) before assimilating American values of truth and Justice."

That's not how (acquiring) citizenship works.
Even when you're adopted as a child.
And especially when you're adopted as a child from abroad (or in this case,....from outer space)

There's a whole boatload of paperwork you have to file to make the child legal, and even then there's still a considerable length of time that goes by before they become fully naturalized (much like an adult on a green card).

It's a large part of the reason why not only in their show but most live action depictions of Superman that have actually bothered to broach the subject, they have gone out of their way to show that the Kents actually would have had to break the law (i.e. forge documents) to keep Clark's true identity secret
Because guess what all the paperwork and documentation you have to file to make a(n adopted) child a citizen actually does?
It reveals everything about who they are and where they come from.

And what have the Kent's been trying to do for the entirety of Clark's childhood?

It continues to astound me how many Americans are so ignorant about their own country's immigration and citizenship processes - even though they insist it's so important that they'll elect a bloviating buffoon into office to protect and preserve it.

That's how you end up with a Convicted Felon in the highest office in the land.

spr0cks - 8/11/2025, 3:11 PM

@Bucky74 -

RE : >>>If the paperwork was done (especially back then) he would have a Social security number and be a legal citizen."

Allow me to fix and CORRECT that for you.

"If the paperwork was done.....LEGALLY,....correctly and in FULL Disclosure,.....then yes, he would have a Social security number and (eventually) be a NATURALIZED citizen."

The language you're using here matters.

Also, play a little hypothetical game with me if you will.

You're a couple who've discovered a child that you want to adopt as your own, but suddenly realize he's not from here......as in, fully from....HERE (Earth), and has abilities and strengths and powers that people (like,....say,... I don't know.....the Gub'Mint?) might be interested in that could result in them taking said child away from you.

Are you going to honestly and truthfully fill in any paperwork that will reveal these facts?

I mean,....come on, dude.

Bucky74 - 8/11/2025, 3:14 PM

@spr0cks - Absolute nonsense. Child services jumps at the chance to place an abandoned child (what the Kent’s would say he was) in a willing home. Yes, there is paperwork, but it saves them from having to put a child into the system so they usually embrace it (after a background check of the parents). I know you want it to fit the “narrative” but it does not in any way

Bucky74 - 8/11/2025, 3:20 PM

@spr0cks - And your TDS is astounding. Yes a political persecution to stop the then leading candidate of the opposition party (talk about a threat to democracy) who was leading in all the polls for a non crime (with no victim) for a charge (basically the same exact charge 34 times to “get him”), by a Trump hating DA (who openly said he was going to get Trump for something, which is not how our justice system is supposed to work), for a supposed filing error (one that has NEVER been charged one in the history of our nation), for a personal non disclosure agreement where a business expense (that was paid for with personal funds) was rightly listed as a business expense. A soy ridiculous and only a brainwashed sheep wouldn’t see how obviously political it was

spr0cks - 8/11/2025, 3:22 PM

@Bucky74 -

It's patently OBVIOUS you've never dealt with the processes of adopting a foreign child or the citizenship and immigration processes of the US, based on a lot of the nonsense you're spouting.

I've dealt with BOTH.

And I'm telling you right now, there's no way you'd ever be able to "adopt" a child like Kal-El found abandoned near a crashed spaceship with whatever Child Services (....again....also not how it works. Child Services comes in at the END of the process after his status has been settled by ICE), without forging a whole boatload of documents and lying in a lot of others.

What would the backstory be?

That they found an abandoned child by the road?
And would they or would they not reveal the fact that the child was found near a spaceship-looking thingie (That they're now concealing at their farm).

Note that anything other than the full truth in this case would be considered lying on immigration papers which would invalidate his status the moment the truth is discovered.

You don't just become a citizenship by showing up with adoptive parents to 'Child Services', filling in paperworks (and lying all the way through them),...and then viola,..."Citizen".

How ignorant do you have to be to believe that this is how your own country's citizenship acquisition process works?

Geeezus.

Bucky74 - 8/11/2025, 3:23 PM

@spr0cks - With an infant child services is almost always glad to find someone willing to adopt the child so they wouldn’t ask questions. And once the paperwork is done he’s legal regardless. 1000 percent. The government does not go after infants

spr0cks - 8/11/2025, 3:25 PM

@Bucky74 -
Either laws matter or they don't.

I know that because Donald Trump said so.

So either those 34 Convictions count and matter because he was found so guilty in a court of law by a jury of his peers, or none of this matters.

STop trying t pretend that the law only matters only when you want it to and then when you don't like the verdict suddenly it wasn't valid.

Has he filed an appeal to get those convictions overturned? Yes or no?

Because that right here should be your answer.

Should be easy considering all the "Trump judges" he has in the Federal levels and the Appeals Court and Supreme Court, right?

What a joke you people are worshipping such a joke of a clown and yes,...A CONVICTED FELON.

Which he'll forever be known as whether you like it or not.

spr0cks - 8/11/2025, 3:26 PM

@Bucky74 -

RE : >>>"With an infant child services is almost always glad to find someone willing to adopt the child so they wouldn’t ask questions. And once the paperwork is done he’s legal regardless. 1000 percent. The government does not go after infants"

Absolutely 100% NOT how it works.
You have no clue what the hell you're talking about.

Just spouting nonsense and garbage at this point.

Bucky74 - 8/11/2025, 3:27 PM

@spr0cks - As far as anyone would know, Kal was an abandoned American infant. And I absolutely do know how the system works. I’ve been present at removals of children at homes where there was suspected abuse. Child services jumps at the chance to place a child in a safe home. No one would know Clarke was a space alien.

Bucky74 - 8/11/2025, 3:30 PM

@spr0cks - No, you say you found the child. You are aware you can abandon a child at a police station or hospital with no consequences and that child would be put up for adoption. No one would question the Kent’s like that. Again, you want it to fit so badly but it does not. Superman is an America citizen

spr0cks - 8/11/2025, 3:35 PM

@Bucky74 -
RE : >>>>" As far as anyone would know, Kal was an abandoned American infant."

Yes, and I told you that if you fill in the paperwork how you found him any information other than how you actually found him and the circumstances involved, then you've lied in this immigration and adoption papers and he is by definition....say it with me..... AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT.

Superman lore has established several times over the ages that the Kents made every effort to keep Kal-el's true Kryptonian identity and heritage a secret even from and especially from the government - which would automatically mean.....LYING in any documentation about him.

What about this are you having such a hard time getting through you thick skull?

Again,...NO, you don't know how the system works.
If you did, you'd know that filling adoption paperwork this way is LYING (by legal parlance...PURGARY) and automatically invalidating that child's status and making them an undocumented or illegal alien.

End of story.

spr0cks - 8/11/2025, 3:42 PM

@Bucky74 -
I've never seen someoen so desparate to crystalize this notion that Superman is a legal American citizen despite all evidence that he can't possibly be unless his adoptive parents lied.....REPEATEDLY....about his origins on Earth here,....which would automatically invalidate any "naturalized" citizenship he might have had.

As we speak ICE is busy deporting people right now (which I'm sure you fully support), who basically have discrepancies in their citizenship application papers and documentation papers from years or possibly decades ago - and which, by they way, they can legally do because that's how the law works.
If you lie or misrepresent anything on residency, citizenship application papers it can be grounds for your removal and deportation.

So in what universe is this thing that's an actual law being enforced this way right now not also applicable to Superman too who's own parents had to have lied repeatedly about his origins here?

it's laughable how a fictional movie and character like Superman reveals the total hypocrisy of the MAGA crowd when it comes to the whole immigration issue the way its doing with you right now.

radamo3 - 8/11/2025, 1:56 PM

Superman isn’t an “illegal immigrant.” Unless your definition of illegal immigration is “being a baby rocketed from a dying planet, crash-landing in Kansas, and getting legally adopted by two farmers.”

Congrats, you just made literal space orphans a political talking point.

Apophis71 - 8/11/2025, 2:08 PM

@radamo3 - The question is always define illegal, if you don't get the correct papers to enter the country by some definitions that is illegal, if you lie on paperwork by not saying he is an alien from another planer still by some definitions illegal. Baby washes onto the coast from another country it still needs to go through a legal process since that all came into being a thing last century prior to the creation of the character, lying during that, still illegal technicaly.

Even if, however, he IS legal it is STILL an immigrant story.

radamo3 - 8/11/2025, 2:35 PM

@Apophis71 - You’re really stretching to make “illegal” stick here. Superman’s story has been retold in dozens of continuities — and in many of them, the Kents did legally adopt him. More importantly, being adopted by American citizens as an infant isn’t the same thing as navigating modern immigration law.

Yes, you can call him an immigrant in the broadest sense — he wasn’t born here — but the heart of the story is about being raised as part of a community, not about border policy or legal status.

RolandD - 8/11/2025, 2:51 PM

@radamo3 - He’s an immigrant in the exact sense, not the broadest sense. What you said is the exact definition of an immigrant. It’s not difficult.

spr0cks - 8/11/2025, 3:16 PM

@radamo3 -

LOL!

He wasn't "legally adopted", my guy.

What paperwork did the Kents fill in to make this so (Which would have required them to reveal fully how where the child came from and under which circumstances they came to acquire him)?

And the show literally addressed this fact by revealing that Martha and Pa KEnt would have had to forge his documents to be able to keep him as a child.

Which in essence would mean that.....YES......Superman....or rather Clark Kent (or Kal-El if we call him by his actual and not "forged" name) is indeed an "illegal" or "undocumented" immigrant.
Or quite literally,....an Illegal alien.

In the most literal sense of the expression.

harryba11zack - 8/11/2025, 1:57 PM

not to get political or any of that jazz but the soup is not an immigrant, he is a refugee, a real one, not to be confused with the sh1t that is currently flooding Europe right now.

HashTagSwagg - 8/11/2025, 2:11 PM

@harryba11zack - Think you mean *invading Europe

harryba11zack - 8/11/2025, 2:13 PM

@HashTagSwagg -

spr0cks - 8/11/2025, 3:28 PM

@harryba11zack -

Refugees are by definition, immigrants (in process).

This is what's known as a distinction without a difference.

harryba11zack - 8/11/2025, 3:35 PM

@spr0cks -

No, refugees are not by definition immigrants, though they may become immigrants. Refugees are people who have been forced to flee their country due to a well-founded fear of persecution, conflict, or violence. Immigrants, on the other hand, are people who move to another country, regardless of the reason for their relocation. While some refugees may eventually become immigrants if they are granted asylum and decide to stay in their host country, the initial reason for their movement and the legal protections they are entitled to differ significantly. stop trying to blur the line son, it won't work with me.

AllsGood - 8/11/2025, 2:00 PM

Can we keep the Immigrant's and Depot the MAGA's?

SMALLVILLE Showrunners Address SUPERMAN "Immigrant" Backlash; Reveal Black Cat Was Almost In SPIDER-MAN 2

Smallville creators and showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar have defended Superman and James Gunn after the "immigrant" backlash, and reflect on the time they spent working on 2004's Spider-Man 2...

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Reveals Why The Man Of Steel Isn't An Official Member Of DCU's Justice Gang

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Hits Back At Claims The Movie Needs To Make $650M To Be Considered A Success

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