Unveiling the Untold Immigrant Origins of Superman in Adult Swim's My Adventures With Superman

Superman, who celebrated his 85th birthday this June, has held various significances for different people throughout the years. He has embodied American ideals, served as a universal symbol of American popular culture, and contributed to the ongoing debate of who would triumph in a clash between Batman and Superman. Despite all of this, one narrative that has remained integral to the Man of Steel is that of the immigrant. Clark Kent, a seemingly typical American, is actually not native to the United States. In fact, he was not even born on planet Earth, but rather on the crumbling planet of Krypton. As his parents faced the planet's demise, he was sent to Earth via a spaceship. This tale continues to resonate in the latest adaptation of Superman's adventures, namely Adult Swim's My Adventures with Superman.

Throughout history, Superman's character has undergone numerous changes, encompassing alterations to his attire, skin color, crash-landing location, and the specific year of his arrival on Earth. However, regardless of these modifications, his origin as a boy from Krypton who crash-landed on Earth remains a constant. He consistently embodies the essence of an immigrant, even when different stories have explored this aspect in unique ways, such as in Red Son, where his pod crashed into Russia instead of America, or in Flashpoint, where he was indefinitely imprisoned underground by the government.

My Adventures with Superman has discovered innovative ways to delve into this concept.

It is crucial to acknowledge that every individual who immigrates to the United States (or any other country) possesses their unique narrative, and no superhero tale can perfectly parallel those experiences. Thus, this should not be perceived as a substitute for recounting those stories. Nevertheless, Superman's identity as an immigrant has been closely intertwined with the character's development throughout history, rendering it both potent and relatable.

There is a wide range of experiences when it comes to growing up in an immigrant family in the Western world. In one scenario, the individual grows up straddling two different worlds. While at school, they adopt a Western identity with a corresponding accent. However, at home (whether it be their own household or the broader community), they speak the native language of the adults around them. In another situation, the parents immigrate to America with the hope that their child will fully integrate into American society. This is to ensure that the child has the best opportunities for advancement and is not perceived merely as a diversity token. In such cases, the child is likely to speak English both outside and inside the home, and the entire family will adopt Western customs, leaving their history behind in their home country.

Many can relate to Superman's experience. He arrived in the United States as an infant, adopted from a distant place and raised by American-born parents, who are unable to provide him with a connection to his original culture and ancestry.

The Man of Steel featured in My Adventures With Superman presents a different characterization compared to the traditional Supermen we envision. When he uncovered his powers during childhood, his emotions were mixed with both fear and excitement. The ship that transported him to Earth illuminated and revealed a daunting holographic figure. Initially, he didn't readily accept his abilities and actually distanced himself from them. Only after completing his college education did Clark Kent embrace his extraordinary powers, yet much of his true heritage remains a mystery to him, even as the first season concluded.

Throughout his journey of self-discovery, Clark encounters a hologram three times. This projection portrays a man adorned in Kryptonian armor and a cape, prominently displaying the House of El "S" symbol on his chest. With long, flowing white hair, the enigmatic figure communicates in an unfamiliar language. Providing translation through subtitles, viewers can infer that this is likely Jor-El, the biological father of Kal-El/Clark Kent.

In the 1978 film Superman, Clark discovers a green crystal following his father's death. This crystal leads him to the Arctic and becomes the foundation for his famous Fortress of Solitude. Inside the fortress, a holographic representation of his father, Jor-El, spends more than ten years educating Clark about his origins and abilities. While it's possible that the Jor-El in Adventures had a similar plan for his son, Clark chooses to bury the ship and ignore his true identity. In other versions of Superman, this information is often overlooked or casually dismissed.

As a result, we are introduced to a grown-up Superman who lacks a clear understanding of his own identity. When he encounters the same artificial intelligence later in life, it continues to communicate with him using an unfamiliar language.

However, Jonathan and Martha Kent, despite their love and care for Clark, are unable to provide him with the answers he seeks about his true origins. This becomes evident when a robot army, led by Brainiac, launches an invasion on Earth through a portal. Standing before his father, Kal-El, Clark is torn between his assumptions about Krypton and his inability to understand the language. Sadly, as the season concludes, Clark has only heard one comprehensible sentence from his father: "Kal-El, my son. Live." With the destruction of the spaceship that brought him to Earth, it remains uncertain whether Clark will ever uncover the truth about his own heritage.

If Clark wants to uncover the identity of Kal-El - his true self - he must make a deliberate effort to explore his heritage. This will involve actively seeking out information, perhaps by constructing the Fortress of Solitude and embracing the teachings of his holographic father. This journey of self-discovery is not something that is happening to him passively.

All of this serves as a constant reminder that Superman comes from a different place. Despite his outward appearance as an American, he is actually an immigrant and a foreigner residing in America, determined to safeguard his adopted home. While many Superman stories tend to overlook the significance of his immigrant status and focus solely on his alien lineage, My Adventures with Superman forcefully addresses and confronts this aspect.