Superman Renounces US Citizenship in ACTION COMICS #900

Superman has renounced his US citizenship, and for a character long-known for "truth, justice, and the American way," that's big news.

Though DC's promotion of this week's 96-page Action Comics #900 centered around the main story — the conclusion of the year-long "Black Ring" saga starring Lex Luthor — it was a back-up written by David S. Goyer and illustrated by Miguel Sepulveda that's making headlines.

In the story, Superman is scolded by a member of the president's security staff for appearing at a protest in Iran, with the notion that Superman's actions reflect the positions of US government as a whole. As a result, Superman chooses to renounce his US citizenship, rather than have his deeds be construed as a statement of any one entity's policies.

Unsurprisingly, the story has been picked up by several national news outlets since the issue's release on Wednesday. The New York Post called it a "shocking pronouncement," and quoted DC Entertainment co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee as stating, "In a short story in Action Comics #900, Superman announces his intention to put a global focus on his never ending battle, but he remains, as always, committed to his adopted home and his roots as a Kansas farm boy from Smallville."

In a Fox News article on Superman's proclamation, "GOP activist" Angie Meyer is quoted saying, "Besides being riddled with a blatant lack of patriotism, and respect for our country, Superman's current creators are belittling the United States as a whole. By denouncing his citizenship, Superman becomes an eerie metaphor for the current economic and power status the country holds worldwide." In contrast, the same piece quotesWired's Scott Thill, saying, "Superman has always been bigger than the United States. In an age rife with immigration paranoia, it’s refreshing to see an alien refugee tell the United States that it’s as important to him as any other country on Earth -- which, in turn, is as important to Superman as any other planet in the multiverse."

It's unclear at this time whether or not the move will be followed up on in the pages of Action Comics or elsewhere. Goyer, the screenwriter of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, is not currently regularly working on any comic books for DC.