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After recently undertaking a journey to walk -- not fly -- across the United States in the "Grounded" storyline and reconnect with the country and everyday Americans, Superman appears to be taking another step that could have major implications for his national identity: in Action Comics #900...

...Superman announces that he is going to give up his U.S. citizenship. Despite very literally being an alien immigrant, Superman has long been seen as a patriotic symbol of "truth, justice, and the American way," from his embrace of traditional American ideals to the iconic red and blue of his costume. What it means to stand for the "American way" is an increasingly complicated thing, however, both in the real world and in superhero comics, whose storylines have increasingly seemed to mirror current events and deal with moral and political complexities rather than simple black and white morality.

The key scene takes place in "The Incident," a short story in Action Comics #900 written by David S. Goyer with art by Miguel Sepulveda. In it, Superman consults with the President's national security advisor, who is incensed that Superman appeared in Tehran to non-violently support the protesters demonstrating against the Iranian regime, no doubt an analogue for the recent real-life protests in the Middle East. However, since Superman is viewed as an American icon in the DC Universe as well as our own, the Iranian government has construed his actions as the will of the American President, and indeed, an act of war.

Superman replies that it was foolish to think that his actions would not reflect politically on the American government, and that he therefore plans to renounce his American citizenship at the United Nations the next day -- and to continue working as a superhero from a more global than national perspective. From a "realistic" standpoint it makes sense; it would indeed be impossible for a nigh-omnipotent being ideologically aligned with America to intercede against injustice beyond American borders without creating enormous political fallout for the U.S. government.

While this wouldn't be this first time a profoundly American comic book icon disassociated himself from his national identity -- remember when Captain America became Nomad? -- this could be a very significant turning point for Superman if its implications carry over into other storylines. Indeed, simply saying that "truth, justice and the American way [is] not enough anymore" is a pretty startling statement from the one man who has always represented those values the most.

It doesn't seem that he's abandoning those values, however, only trying to implement them on a larger scale and divorce himself from the political complexities of nationalism. Superman also says that he believes he has been thinking "too small," that the world is "too connected" for him to limit himself with a purely national identity. As an alien born on another planet, after all, he "can't help but see the bigger picture."

Do you think the shift to a more global role makes sense for Superman? If he really is going to renounce his U.S. citizenship in order to function as a more international figure, how do you think it will affect the character?

I'll admit at first I was a bit pissed about this. But there's a valid point here. Superman's actions, even his innocent, non violent ones even up has being seen as a reflection of US policy (by the damn way, if Supes is in Tehran why would he let the Iranian government violently smash the protesters? How is that anything but cowardice?). This can cause trouble. Hell this can cause wars.

As a responsible person, Superman does have a obligation to ensure that either there is a understanding of separation between his actions and US policy or that he works with the US government to ensure there is no contradiction. Both of these courses have problems, the problems with the second one is that Supes will find his actions constrained. He may have to support or allow bad things to happen. That's simply not acceptable to him. That said,while most people will take him at his word (IT'S FUCKING SUPERMAN PEOPLE! He's saved the entire world more often then some of you bathe!) various governments will only be more convinced that Superman is indeed a US agent. That aside, Supes can't control that and only do his best. I have to say that this course of action does in fact make sense and most importantly is in character for Superman.

So I am going to have to argue that this isn't inherently an anti-American thing. If I wanted to be an asshole I would make snide remarks about the author, but I honestly don't know anything about the writer, so any such remarks would be groundless. So I would encourage anyone reading this not to see any dark anti-american conscirpies... As are already being screamed about in the comments section in the link *sighs* *looks right* (come on guys, you're embarrassing me).

That said, this still stings. Superman is in and out of universe an American production. His creators were an Canadian Jew whose family moved to the US when he was 10 (Joe Shuster) and the son of a Lithuania Jew immigrant who was born on US soil (Jerry Siegel). His creators, being 1st and 2nd generation Americans were themselves an representation of an essential part of the American story and were reflected in Superman's story.

Born on a strange and distant planet, raised in the heartland of Kansas (seriously Kansas, the only way to make him more American is to inject his veins with apple pie) Superman shows that anyone can end up an American, no matter how much some of us scream about it. That kids with strange birthnames (Jor El, Barrack, Einstein) can become part of the mainstream and rise to importance... Or fail for that matter there are no guarantees in America. Superman, who is arguable not even human is still one of the most recognizable Americans or symbol of in and out of fiction.

And now while I don't think that's what meant to be said, it feels like in some part that I'm being told that America's no longer good enough for Superman. No, that's putting it wrong. That's not what's being said, but it's what being heard.

I didn't even know Clark actually was officially a US citizen.
And I can't say the idea that 'America isn't good enough for Superman anymore' is all that new (whether that was the intended message or not).
Clark has always been about America as it should be, not America as is. The guy went up against a legally elected president once he thought it was necessary. No hearings, no speaking to the senate, no tries to impeach him the ordinary way-we went and forced our way into the White House so it's not like the guy is above trying to forcefully change the US if they aren't what he thinks they should be.
And no offense intended, I can absolutely see where the current US might be something Clark doesn't want to be associated with.

The Last Kryptonian (other than his cousin, approximately a million Phantom Zone inmates, the people of Kandor, and countless other Kryptonians that were offplanet as it happened I mean) always stood for the ideal of America, not the inevitable mess any real world country is going to be most of the time.

I wish the Man Of Steel all luck in his move to a citizen of Earth, and forgive him all the mistakes he made when he was a British lad and tried to stay in the system.

Forgive me for not being completely all knowing of Superman/Comic history here but wasn't there a similar storyline back during the Regan or Nixon administration where Supes gave up citizenship? Or am I remembering incorrectly here?

And Bats, I think Clark and Supes both have US citizenship. And I saw nothing stating Clark would give up his, just Supes. I'm going off the idea that he's still trying to keep his two identities separate with his fool proof disguise glasses...

@Nit
You know perfectly well that was an Elseworlds and never actually happened
Neither did any of the stuff in the rest of continuity. We're fiction, remember?
Well that one was even more fictional than usual then.

And sorry, I tend to refer to Clark as Clark in both of his identities. Clark Kent would, as an adoptive child of the Kents, presumably have US citizenship, but I honestly wasn't aware Superman had.

Superman was given US citizenship once by act of Congress.

frigidmagi wrote:I'll admit at first I was a bit pissed about this. But there's a valid point here. Superman's actions, even his innocent, non violent ones even up has being seen as a reflection of US policy (by the damn way, if Supes is in Tehran why would he let the Iranian government violently smash the protesters? How is that anything but cowardice?). This can cause trouble. Hell this can cause wars.

I know what you mean about being pissed about it. But then again, Superman is always doing crazy stuff like this: erasing his powers "permanently", dying, renouncing his citizenship, etc.

As for allowing Tehran to smash the protesters, that kind of thing is part of the problem with trying to keep the history of these superhero settings as close as possible to our own. They do that presumably so that readers can relate (because for some reason, they think that's not possible if the politics of the setting is any different from ours. ). The side effect is that there are inexplicable problems with the superhero world that they should logically be able to fix without any problems. I think Warren Ellis or someone wrote a rant at some point called "Mr. Fantastic is useless" or something like that.