Superman is a constant example of illustration responding to political and social upheaval since his creation in 1938. He has remained a symbol of American strength and idealism throughout the decades and the core values of his character can still be seen in his depiction in comics being printed in 2015. Mark Millar explores how this eternal beacon of "truth, justice, and the American Way" would develop had he grown up in Stalin's Russia, rather than cozy farmland Kansas. The story is for the character an exploration of nature versus nurture, and how different political ideals can shape a person's mind. It is interesting to see how in the regular DC Comics canon, the American people see Superman as an alien protector of humanity and hero, because he is one of them. But in this elseworld tale, the American government immediately labels him a "Red Menace", because he doesn't stand with them. While a lot of the comic is focused on the difference between a western dominated world and an eastern dominated world, Red Son is also an exploration of how geography and upbringing makes us perceive our heroes and villains. For example, the usually villainous Lex Luthor is the all American scientist hero to the American people, and the typically universally recognised as heroic Batman is a lunatic terrorist.
A connection to the real world I found while researching this is that of Che Guevara, hunted by the CIA as a terrorist and executed, but is now regarded by many disillusioned Western opinions to be some sort of socialist hero. While he did have triumphs for socialism, he was also primarily a soldier and killed a lot of people. The argument is basically the same as is presented in Red Son, and is one I want to get deeper into during my essay; what identifies a hero, and what constitutes a villain?
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