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Dean has accused DC Comics of ‘bandwagoning’ after the publisher announced Superman would be coming out as bisexual in the next issue.
To coincide with National Coming Out Day on Monday, it was revealed that the new Superman, Jonathan Kent, would embark on a romance with his friend Jay Nakamura in an upcoming issue of the comic book.
However, Dean – who famously played the superhero in 90s TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – is unimpressed with the move happening now.
Ripping into DC Comics, he said on Tuesday’s Fox & Friends: ‘They said it’s a bold new direction… I say they’re bandwagoning. Robin, of Batman and Robin, just came out as bi or gay recently and honestly who’s really shocked about that one? I had some thoughts about that a long time ago.
‘The new Captain America is gay, my daughter in [the CW series] Supergirl, where I payed the father, she was gay.
‘So I don’t think it’s bold or brave or some crazy new direction. If they had done this 20 years ago, perhaps that would have been bold or brave.’
The 55-year-old went on to offer suggestions of storylines he believes would be ‘brave’, such as Superman ‘fighting for the rights of gay people in Iran where they’ll throw you off a building for the offence of being gay’.
He continued: ‘They’re talking about him fighting real-world problems like climate change and the deportation of refugees and he’ll be dating a “hacktivist” whatever a “hacktivist” is, I don’t know.
‘Why don’t they have him fight the injustices that created the refugees whose deportation he’s protesting? That would be brave, I’d read that. Or fighting for the rights of women to attend school and have the ability to work and live, and boys not to be raped by men under the new warm and fuzzy Taliban. That would be brave.
‘There’s real evil in this world today, real corruption and government overreach, plenty of things to fight against. Human trafficking, real actual slavery going on… it would be brave to tackle those issues, shine a light on those issues. I’d like to see the character doing that. I’d read that comic.’
Dean played Superman for four years in the hit series alongside Teri Hatcher as his partner-in-saving-the-world and love interest Lois Lane.
Superman’s coming out was announced on Monday, with series writer Tom Taylor telling The New York Times: ‘The idea of replacing Clark Kent with another straight white saviour felt like a missed opportunity.’
Taylor added: ‘I’ve always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes and I’m very grateful DC and Warner Bros share this idea.
‘Superman’s symbol has always stood for hope, for truth, and for justice. Today, that symbol represents something more. Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics.’
DC publisher and CCO Jim Lee said in a statement: ‘We couldn’t be prouder to tell this important story from Tom Taylor and John Timms. We talk a lot about the power of the DC Multiverse in our storytelling and this is another incredible example.
‘We can have Jon Kent exploring his identity in the comics as well as Jon Kent learning the secrets of his family on TV on Superman & Lois. They coexist in their own worlds and times, and our fans get to enjoy both simultaneously.’
Jon’s sexuality will be addressed in the fifth issue titled Son of Kal-El, which will be released on November 9, after teasing his attraction to news reporter Jay in past instalments.
He took over as the new Superman in July after his father Clark decided to focus on other extraterrestrial events.
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