Superman's motto is 'evolving' to 'Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow,' chief creative officer and publisher of DC says.
Jim Lee, chief creative officer and publisher of DC, announced on Saturday during the virtual fan event DC Fandome that the Man of Steel's motto will be"evolving" from the well-known mantra that he fights for"Truth, Justice and the American Way."In a press statement, the company said the decision is meant"to better reflect the storylines that we are telling across DC and to honor Superman's incredible legacy of over 80 years of building a better world.
In reality, Superman has followed several mantras over the decades, all of which involved variations on"truth" and"justice" as central to the iconic superhero's identity. In fact,"Truth, Justice and the American Way" did not originate with the first Superman comic books by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Instead, the saying came from a"Superman" radio serial in the early 1940s, as a way to cheer on American military efforts in World War II. The"American Way" motto was revived for the"Adventures of Superman" TV series that aired in the 1950s -- during the first days of the Cold War and the height of McCarthyism paranoia.
By the 1960s, the motto shifted to"truth, justice and freedom" on the kids cartoon series,"The New Adventures of Superman." But arguably the most well known"Superman" adaptation -- the 1978 feature film starring Christopher Reeve -- revived the"American Way" version, with the Man of Steel speaking the words himself, further cementing it in the cultural consciousness as the superhero's credo.