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<\/p>\n23 July 2025 | 08:30 CAT
\n3-minute read<\/p>\n
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The new Superman film has sparked global debate by portraying a fictional occupation that closely mirrors Israel\u2019s presence in Palestine, marking a rare moment in mainstream media where the Israeli state is symbolically cast in a negative light. Analyst Hafidh Ibrahim says the shift in narrative reflects changing global attitudes, but warns that cultural moments like these don\u2019t yet translate to political change.<\/p>\n
In the latest DC Comics film, Superman finds himself defending a fictional country called Jahanpur \u2014 a thinly veiled reference to Palestine \u2014 against a colonising power named Buravia, styled as an Eastern European occupier. The choice of allegory is not subtle, and neither is the response.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis movie is seen as, in a sense, groundbreaking,\u201d says Hafidh Ibrahim. \u201cSuperman himself is… what you\u2019d call an immigrant,\u201d he adds, pointing to the film\u2019s pro-immigrant tone as a major shift from previous narratives that championed US militarism and colonial expansion.<\/p>\n
With over $200 million spent on production and another $100 million budgeted for promotion, the film is no small indie project. Backed by Warner Bros., its message seems to have evaded the usual gatekeeping that protects pro-Israel narratives in Hollywood. Historically, US media \u2014 with active support from the Pentagon\u2019s liaison offices \u2014 has shaped foreign policy perceptions through movies, often casting America and its allies in heroic roles.<\/p>\n
\u201cCulture is actually used to shape narratives, to shape how people view other places, other people, other populations,\u201d Ibrahim explained. The new Superman, however, may be one of the first blockbusters to invert that formula.<\/p>\n
Predictably, the film has not been met with uniform applause. Right-wing media in the West, typically anti-immigrant and staunchly pro-Israel, have criticised the film\u2019s message. Some have gone as far as accusing the producers of manipulating review scores with artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been attempts to actually try and debunk the movie… by pointing to the fact that Superman and the DC company actually used AI to get its rating up,\u201d Ibrahim said.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s remarkable, says Ibrahim, is not just the content of the film but the fact that it hasn\u2019t been buried.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been no attempts to actually constrain the movie… no real statements being issued about Israel-Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n
This relative silence from institutions usually quick to condemn anything critical of Israel suggests a shift \u2014 if not in power, then in tolerance.<\/p>\n
The timing of the film\u2019s release is also significant. It follows a year and a half of escalating violence in Gaza and the West Bank, leading to growing international condemnation of Israel\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael’s behaviour over the past year and a half has been so despicable that it’s difficult to [suppress criticism],\u201d Ibrahim noted.<\/p>\n
This film joins other recent media productions \u2014 such as BBC documentaries about the Israeli occupation \u2014 that are gaining traction despite past suppression. Ibrahim believes this signals a broader shift in the public\u2019s willingness to question long-held myths about Israel being \u201ca democratic island in a hostile Arab sea.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the movie may represent a turning point in cultural representation, Ibrahim is cautious about overstating its impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently we need to stop a conflict where hundreds are dying every day. It doesn\u2019t make an on-the-ground difference at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, culture has long-lasting consequences. \u201cThe enduring narrative of Israel as this… state born out of the Holocaust… actually shapes behaviour for generations,\u201d he explained. If Superman can help disrupt that narrative \u2014 even slightly \u2014 it may help shift perceptions in the long term.<\/p>\n