“Superman: Legacy” opened in theaters this weekend, and with it came a bit of history: for the first time, the Man of Steel is played by a Jewish actor.
David Corenswet, 30, may not be a household name yet, but his debut as Superman marks a milestone that feels long overdue. It also happens to be deeply personal — not just for Corenswet, but for anyone who’s ever seen Jewish echoes in the original story of Kal-El, the alien refugee raised under an adopted identity who hides his otherness while saving the world.
Superman was created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the American-born sons of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. They gave him a Hebrew name (“El” means God), a Moses-like origin story and eventually, a mission to fight Nazis in the comics. As many have pointed out for decades, Superman isn’t just a superhero — he’s a Jewish metaphor in a cape.
Now, with Corenswet in the suit, that metaphor has an actual Jewish face.
A New Orleans legacy
Corenswet was raised in Philadelphia, but his family story runs through New Orleans, where generations of Corenswets have been tied to Temple Sinai, the city’s oldest Reform synagogue. His grandfather, Sam Corenswet Jr., helped lead the congregation and also served as longtime president of the Sugar Bowl committee. His uncle Jay is a past synagogue president.
“David’s family is well known and loved here,” said Rabbi Daniel Sherman of Temple Sinai, in a 2023 interview with JTA, noting that the community is proud to see one of its own taking flight on screen.
A private mensch, public hero
Corenswet has kept most of his personal life out of the spotlight. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and toddler daughter and prefers quiet over red carpets. But bits and pieces of his Jewishness show up, if you look closely enough.
He once appeared in a 2018 web series in which his character corrects a friend who got the date of Passover wrong: “You realize I’m half-Jewish?” he says. In a 2020 MTV interview, he described his aunt’s “famous” matzah balls — which turned out to come straight from the Manischewitz box.
In real life, Corenswet’s dad jokes come from, well, his dad. John Corenswet, an actor-turned-lawyer who died of cancer in 2019, raised David on classic films instead of cable. They were incredibly close. Corenswet told People that he keeps one of his dad’s old NYC subway tokens in his pocket during auditions for luck.
Before becoming a father himself, he told the magazine, he was always “the dad” of the friend group — reliable, awkward, full of bad jokes no one laughs at. Which might be exactly the right energy for a hero like Superman.
A Jewish Superman
Corenswet may not wear his Jewishness on his sleeve, but the symbolism doesn’t need to be spelled out. With a Jewish actor finally portraying the ultimate American superhero, it’s a full-circle moment — one that honors Superman’s immigrant origins and reclaims a piece of cultural history.
He may not leap tall buildings in a single bound just yet. But Corenswet is, without question, our Superman now.
