Twitch commentator Hasan Piker has yanked Superman’s cape straight into the political arena once again, and this time his sights stretch from David Corenswet’s heroic turn to James Gunn’s intentions. In a new conversation with Variety, Piker argued that Gunn had a very specific worldview baked into Superman, insisting:
James Gunn is a lot more woke than he lets on. And he lets on how woke he is all the time.
He claimed Gunn modeled the Boravian leader after David Ben-Gurion, saying:
Come on, man, you made the [Boravian leader] look like David Ben-Gurion. He just straight-up looks one-to-one like the first prime minister of Israel. We don’t even care what you say about this. We know exactly what we’re looking at.
Piker accused the film of echoing real-world imperialism, adding,
Lex Luthor is cutting a direct contract with Boravia to extract natural resources and then also have a testing ground for their weapons. I mean, that’s literally what we do. Gaza is a weapons laboratory. That’s how imperialism works.
Turning to David Corenswet himself, Piker offered a rare note of approval:
From what I understand, [he’s] Jewish, and he’s very cool. He’s not like pro-Israel or anything like that either, as far as I’ve seen.
He even dismissed Marvel discourse altogether, telling Variety, “I’ve always been a Marvel fan growing up, but I cannot stand the Marvel Cinematic Universe.” With Superman still igniting headlines, Piker’s commentary has thrown another match on a field already dry with debate.
Superman Controversy Explained: James Gunn Denies David Corenswet’s Movie Has Israel-Palestine Allegory
James Gunn’s Superman landed in theaters only a few months ago, yet the movie already feels like it’s living multiple lives at once: a blockbuster, a cultural talking point, a political test. What began as typical superhero discourse ballooned quickly when viewers began comparing Boravia’s invasion of Jarhanpur to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The director insists none of it was intentional. He has repeatedly stressed that he wasn’t commenting on the Middle East and noted he wrote the script in May 2023, before the current war erupted. In fact, Gunn even told The Times of London:
When I wrote this the Middle Eastern conflict wasn’t happening. So I tried to do little things to move it away from that, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the Middle East.
That hasn’t stopped either side of the internet from diagnosing hidden meaning. In short, everyone has a theory, and no one is backing down.
Hasan Piker Slams Gal Gadot as Dogsh*t Actress, Accuses Her of ‘Normalizing Israel’
The political firestorm didn’t stop with Superman. In his Variety interview, Hasan Piker unloaded on Gal Gadot when asked about filmmaker Mira Nair supporting a petition to rescind the actress’ Oscars invitation over her support for Israel. His first line was a scorching one:
I think she should be banned from the Oscars for being a dogs— actress.
He doubled down, saying she has no business at the ceremony “for the crime of what she has done to not only the DC franchise, but really any movie she’s been a part of.” He then addressed what he feels is Gadot’s political influence, explaining:
Gal Gadot serves an important role in normalizing Israel… and whitewashing it.
Piker contrasted her with Natalie Portman, saying Gadot would face less criticism if she possessed stronger acting chops: “If Gal Gadot could act like Natalie Portman, there’re probably less people yelling at her.” Gadot herself has weathered intense public scrutiny over her stance. Her Disney Snow White film faced boycott calls and collapsed at the box office, ending with a steep loss for the studio. Despite all this, the actress has stood firm.
She told Variety, “I could not be silent,” and added that she was shocked by “the amount of how much people think they know when they actually have no idea.” Well, do you think James Gunn’s movie carries political echoes, or are viewers reading too deeply between the frames? Drop your thoughts below!
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Superman (2025) is currently streaming on HBO Max.
