Since the Superman radio show of the 1940s, the Man of Steel has been known for his never-ending fight for “truth, justice, and the American way.” That slogan also appeared in the 1950s Superman TV series, and eventually was repeated so much it became as synonymous with the character as the fact that he’s faster than a speeding bullet and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

But now DC Comics is changing Superman’s mission, at least officially speaking. At DC FanDome, DC publisher and chief creative officer Jim Lee announced that “to honor Superman’s incredible legacy of over 80 years of building a better world” the company was evolving his decades-old “truth, justice, and the American way” slogan.

“Superman has long been a symbol of hope who inspires people,” Lee said during DC FanDome. “And it is that optimism and hope that powers him forward with his new mission statement.”

From now on, Superman fights for... truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.

Lee announced the change with this piece of artwork.

DC Comics
DC Comics
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The news will surely not be received warmly by some circles on the internet. Any change to longstanding comic book characters is almost always greeted harshly, but even more so when it’s something as iconic as that “truth, justice, and the American way” slogan. But I think the idea here is that Superman and what he fights for is bigger than any one country, and that those “American” values — freedom, decency, tolerance — are universal. Hopefully that’s something everyone can agree on. (And you can still say Superman fights for “truth, justice, and the American way.” It’s just that DC’s not going to be putting on the covers of their comics for a while.)

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