Superman is a Socialist

from 1952

link
http://calamityjon.tumblr.com/post/8501329457/the-man-of-steel-schools-a-tea-party-fink-june

And the Socialist Way!

Supes was founded during the FDR era, and Luthor was very much a characterization of the mad, greedy capitalist. It was only in the 80's that they tried to turn him right wing. For example, in the upcoming superman movie, Supes was supposed to renounce his US citizenship, but Fox news raises a holy stink.

It wasn't the movie it was the comic book, specificly Action Comic #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.


Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/04/27/superman-renounces-us-citizenship/#ixzz1UnT131s4
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/04/27/superman-renounces-us-citizenship/

Back in the Golden Age, Luthor was a fairly generic mad scientist. He became a corrupt capitalist in the early eighties as a way of keeping the character relevent and then he became a corrupt politician (and briefly president). These days, he's all three: A corrupt corporate exec who financed his corporations with his early inventions and sometimes dabbles in politics.

The entire DC universe was rebooted in 1985's "Crisis On Infinite Earths". Anything prior to that is no longer in continuity. DC are planning to do the same at the end of the current "Flashpoint" arc. Why yes, I am a great big geek.

That said, Supes has always been fairly liberal anyway.