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SYFY WIRE Superman

Superman just got a new mission statement: ‘Truth, Justice and... a Better Tomorrow’

By Trent Moore
Superman New Mission Statement

Superman’s mission statement has become a part of not just comic culture, but pop culture itself over the past few decades. But after all those years of standing up for “Truth, Justice and the American Way,” Clark Kent has a new rallying cry.

As part of DC FanDome, DC Chief Creative Officer and Publisher Jim Lee announced Superman has a new mission statement aimed at better reflecting the modern day. His new mission statement? “Truth, Justice and A Better Tomorrow.”

Lee explained the change is designed 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.” To do that, it means Superman’s motto is evolving. Lee added that “Superman has long been a symbol of hope who inspires people, and it is that optimism and hope that powers him forward with this new mission statement.”

Check out the new mission statement below:

Superman New Mission Statement

The “Truth, Justice and the American Way” motto first emerged in the 1940s as one of a few different mottos for Supes in the Adventures of Superman radio serials, according to The New York Times. It also stuck around when Superman came to television in the 1950s. But along with the “American Way,” Superman has fought “a never-ending battle for truth and justice” in the early 1940s cartoons. But that’s not all! Superman also battled “in the interests of truth, tolerance and justice,” in the 1948 live action serial.

Superman’s mission statements ebbed and flowed a bit for that decade or so, until the “American Way” motto truly gained steam and became a key part of the Superman mythos during the Cold War era as part of the Adventures of Superman TV series in the early 1950s. Of course, the phrase also popped up in Christopher Reeve’s 1978 Superman movie, which solidified it for a generation of superhero fans.

 As for the new “Better Tomorrow” mission? Who knows where it will turn up next, but DC has plenty of comics, films and Superman TV shows across the spectrum. So it stands to reason we’ll be hearing it out loud (or in print) soon enough.

Follow along with the DC FanDome live stream below: