Israelis call for the boycott of Superman 2025 after pro-Palestine scene
Despite its massive box office success, James Gunn’s Superman has been subjected to controversy over a specific scene depicting the superhero fighting to protect innocent civilians from a fictional occupation army backed by the US.
The scene sparked widespread debate on social media, with pro-Palestine users and activists pointing out its resemblance to the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. In response, Israelis are calling for the boycott of Superman, further describing it as “pro-Hamas and Al Jazeera propaganda.”
Israelis call for the boycott of Superman 2025 after pro-Palestine scene
A social media user wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “I was gonna see the new Superman movie but decided to skip. If I wanted pro-Hamas propaganda, I’d just turn on Al Jazeera,” following the hashtag “#boycottSupermanMovie.”
Ben Shapiro, a pro-Israel conservative political commentator, also shared his opinions about the movie in a 21-minute YouTube review, which received 12,000 dislikes, outnumbering the 10,000 likes. The review was flooded with YouTube users mocking the political commentator for his opinion.
A YouTube user wrote in the video’s comments section, “Ben would definitely say Boravia [the fictional occupation] has a right to defend itself.”
Another added, “Ben Shapiro disliking a film is the highest praise it could possibly receive.”
Superman currently sits at a respectable 7.7/10 on IMDB with over 120,000 reviews. According to IMDB, Superman has already broken even in profits after garnering $232 million worldwide in contrast to its estimated $225 million budget.
Before its premiere worldwide, James Gunn told Deadline during an interview that the movie is “lighter” in some ways compared to Zack Snyder’s rendition, but will also touch on heavy subjects. Additionally, Gunn revealed that he wanted to capture “the colour and the joy” of DC’s classic superhero in his rendition.
