10 Moments When Superman Was A Real Jerk

4. When He Is Being Jingoistic

Yes, times have changed and Superman was created in an era marked by the prelude to World War II. It's not surprising that during the war he became an icon for America and the creators of the comic used his comics as propaganda. In the context of the early 1940s, it makes sense.

Still, it's probably off-putting to modern readers to see Superman happily punching out awful caricatures of Japanese soldiers on covers of comic books that were primarily sold to children. Now that Superman is a global icon and appears in media released all over the globe, DC Comics has sometimes tried to step away from the whole "American way" aspect that the character had in his early years.

It's not surprising that even during the height of America's War on Terror that DC didn't release any "Trounce a Terrorist!" covers.