Superman 2025: The Real Punk Rock
If you're looking for the perfect movie to watch over Christmas, this is it.
Prince George, BC, December 21, 2025 - It is always interesting to look back on a year and reflect on the most memorable cultural moments.
A verbal exchange takes place in the 2025 iteration of Superman, a film that was surprisingly contentious. After debating their opinions of different punk rock bands, Lois Lane says to Superman, “You trust everyone and think everyone you’ve ever met is, like, beautiful.”
Superman replies, “Maybe that’s the real punk rock.”
There is something extremely profound in this statement. I have been a fan of punk rock since the mid 1970s, and I believe that this Superman movie is the greatest superhero film I’ve ever seen; even surpassing the 1966 Adam West rendition of Batman.
What I love about punk rock is its honesty. It is raw, it is loud, it is critical of what needs to be criticized, and the cardinal sin of punk rock is to sell out to the establishment. One may not be rich or famous, but a real punk rocker never sacrifices their integrity.
Another powerful exchange takes place between Clark Kent/Superman and his adoptive father. After learning for the first time that his biological parents wanted him to use his superior strength, his privilege, to dominate and control the world, Superman is despondent. His earth father points out that parents do not control their children, they only do their best to give them the tools they will need in life. He states, “Your choices, Clark, your actions. That’s what makes you who you are.”
Superman is principled and he always does his best to honour the sanctity of life, especially human life. The point is at times exaggerated for comedic effect, but these scenes leave no doubt about Superman’s character. Political loyalties take a back seat to morality, and this does not make Superman a popular figure to those who see the world differently. He is criticized, brutalized and even imprisoned, but he never wavers.
Despite their initial misgivings, good people cannot help but respect Superman. Other superheroes eventually come to his aid and help defeat those who do not honour human life. In the end, it is Superman’s moral integrity, not his physical strength, that saves the day.
It is puzzling that there has been significant criticism of this latest iteration of Superman. Those on the extreme right have called it “woke”. They deplore the idea that Superman would oppose the American-backed invasion of a small country, as depicted in the film. Others have said that the one-sided and heavily mechanized military conflict that is used as a back-story mimics the Israel-Palestine conflict. The film was written well before the most recent hostilities began, and the villains look and sound European. Any comparison to this real-world event is thus unfounded.
The point of the movie is that there is nothing wrong with kindness and courage. These are the qualities that Superman personifies, and I honestly do not understand why anyone would object to this. Having privilege does not mean that one is free to exploit others, but that one is responsible for using the gifts we have been given to serve others and make the world better.
What makes the Superman movie especially endearing is that the theme song, “Punkrocker,” is sung by Iggy Pop. I’ve always loved Iggy’s music. From his early days with The Stooges in the late 1960s to today, his sound has evolved but it has never lost its raw energy. Iggy has been a successful artist, but he has never sold out.
No one personifies punk rock music more than Iggy Pop, and there is no one truer to the principles of human decency than Superman. He demonstrates that being a true superhero simply means being a good person.
Superman teaches us to act with kindness and courage and never compromise our life-giving principles. He also speaks truth to power. That’s the real punk rock.