(Jewish Group) Opinion: The new Superman is half Jewish. Here's why that's making waves

[Behind the Aegis]

Superman, the first superhero and by some measures, still America’s favorite, just celebrated his 85th anniversary, dating back to his debut in “Action Comics” no. 1 in June 1938. Auspiciously, the new movie, “Superman: Legacy,” set to premiere July 11, 2025, also found its leads in June; 30-year-old David Corenswet (“Hollywood,” “Pearl”) as Superman/Clark Kent, alongside Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) as Lois Lane.

The casting has been making some waves. Corenswet is half Jewish, which has prompted articles in pop culture sites like Inverse, Jewish press like The Jewish Chronicle and even a 1,400-word piece in Rolling Stone on why that matters.

In fairness, his Jewishness has been overstated. He’s Jewish on his father’s side, while Judaism is traditionally matrilineal, and it’s unclear whether he was raised or identifies as Jewish (Corenswet was unavailable for an interview).

But still, Superman is a reflection of America. He’s also always been Jewish.

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