A report has emerged claiming that James Gunn is suing the White House for $1 billion for its “unauthorized” use of Superman in an image presenting Donald Trump as the DC superhero – but is it true?
Superman is off to a flying start, drawing in $217 million at the box office over its opening weekend and serving as a launchpad for Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DCU.
While it’s no surprise Gunn’s return to the traditional Man of Steel has created division with the Snyderverse fanatics, no one expected the discourse to grow quite so political. This reached new heights on July 11 – the day of the new movie’s release.
The White House tweeted a picture of the POTUS’s head superimposed on the Superman poster, with the caption, “The symbol of hope… Superman Trump.” This isn’t fake news, but the lawsuit claims are.
Is James Gunn suing the White House?
No, Gunn isn’t suing the White House over the Superman Trump post. The $1 billion lawsuit claim originates from a viral fake news article, and it’s completely untrue.
The report is from USAmidia, an outlet that has been known to share fake news in the past. According to Media Bias/Fact Check, it’s “a clickbait entertainment site that publishes sensationalist and often false news with no transparency and no editorial accountability.”
USAmidia published the piece on July 12, writing, “Acclaimed filmmaker and DC Studios co-head James Gunn has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the White House and former President Donald Trump.
“The legal action, lodged in federal court, centers on allegations of copyright infringement stemming from an unauthorized political poster featuring Trump depicted as Superman.
“The bold imagery, which has sparked widespread controversy, is claimed to have violated intellectual property rights tied to the iconic superhero character owned by Warner Bros. and DC Comics.”
Don’t beat yourself up if you were duped. The article contains no disclaimers that it’s fictitious, it’s written exactly like a real news report, and it even uses fake quotes from experts.
It also makes no reference to any verifiable legal filings or official statements from Gunn, Warner Bros., or DC Studios – all of which would be standard in a real report of this scale.
Superman Trump lawsuit fools DC fans
Despite being completely made up, the story quickly spread across social media, fooling plenty of people – especially given the real-world backlash to the Superman Trump post.
Over on Threads, one replied to the fake news, “It’s about damn time.” Another said, “Yay! I hoped this would happen,” while a third added, “Copyright infringement is the least of Trump’s misdeeds, but I’m all for it, James.”
Some did spot the ruse, with one writing, “This is fake, you gullible doorknobs,” but another pointed out, “I mean, he is tarnishing the brand. If he is doing it without permission, he is at fault for copyright infringement.”
Of course, there’s no billion-dollar courtroom showdown in the works. But if a lawsuit really were to go ahead, it would certainly get the stamp of approval from many DC fans, and even some of those involved in the production.
Lindsay McAllister Pritchard, the co-department head of hair styling on Superman, shared a screenshot of USAmidia’s post on Instagram, writing, “The best birthday present ever hahaha.”
Superman is in cinemas now. Find out where Superman will be streaming, how long it is, details about its post-credits scenes, and our ranking of the Superman movies.
Lancia Ypsilon vende poco? Risponde Napolitano: ogni modello venduto equivale a due vecchi