Dean Cain has returned to the spotlight again after the release of James Gunn’s Superman, and the online reaction makes it clear just how unpopular he’s become. That’s in spite of the fact he played the Man of Steel in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, from 1993 to 1997.

I grew up during the ’90s, and I freely admit that – for me – Dean Cain was the embodiment of Superman. The Christopher Reeve movies were great, but these were the days before streaming, and they weren’t on often enough to give me my Superman fix. All this means I should have a soft spot for Cain – and yet, his reputation has soured with time.

Dean Cain’s Performance Has Come In For Heavy Criticism

Just two days ago, The Times ranked Cain the fourth-best Superman. Their ᴀssessment described Cain as “heartthrob of a Superman,” but admitted he “perhaps didn’t deliver quite the level of nuance and versatility of some of the great Supermen in this list.“

That, I think, unwittingly gets to the core problem; The New Adventures of Superman was a curious TV show, frequently much more invested in the romance between Cain’s Superman and Teri Hatcher’s Lois Lane than it was in the Man of Steel’s adventures. It kind of worked – I loved it as a teen – but it hasn’t aged well.

You have to remember that this was long before the superhero boom of the present day. Superhero movies and TV shows were looked at with disdain by Hollywood, and Marvel was still struggling to get a movie off the ground. In this less confident age, networks felt they needed to “add” to the superhero genre to get viewers.

Dean Cain Has Become Known For His Political Views

Cain’s popularity has not been helped by the fact he’s become a constant fixture in the culture wars. He’s twice endorsed Donald Trump for president, and he seems to be a go-to guest on Fox News whenever there’s a controversy involving comics books, superheroes, and – especially – Superman.

Back in 2021, Cain criticized a plot that portrayed Superman’s son as biSєxual. “[DC Comics is] talking about having him fight climate change and the deportation of refugees and he’s dating a hacktivist — whatever a hactivist is,” Cain complained. He seemed particularly incensed at a plot where Superman championed refugees.

Cain also lashed out at a Captain America plot that he considered unpatriotic, because it featured a more world-weary Steve Rogers. “I agree with Senator Tom Cotton, who was on a couple of days ago, who said that perhaps Captain needs to be demoted to Lieutenant,” he observed, complaining about “wokeness.” As he explained (via Yahoo!):

“Today, the cool, the fashionable thing to do is to bash America, to hate America, and I am on the exact opposite side of the fence. I love this country. I’m a full, complete optimist as well; I believe the pendulum will swing back to openly appreciating American values, the Consтιтution, the Bill of Rights. As soon as people start studying them in school again, I think we’ll get people understanding and appreciating them.”

Now Cain has spoken up about James Gunn’s latest movie, criticizing Gunn for calling Superman an “immigrant.“

“How woke is Hollywood going to make this character? How much is Disney going to change their Snow White? Why are they going to change these characters [to] exist for the times? For Superman, it was ‘truth, justice, and the American way.’ Well, they dropped that… They came up with ‘truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.’ Changing beloved characters I don’t think is a great idea. If you want to create a new character go ahead and do that.”

Whatever your politics may be, you can surely see why Cain’s comments – and his decision to wade into every controversy – have generated something of a backlash. He’s become perhaps the most divisive Superman of all time, which explains why his latest Superman remarks haven’t gone down well.