Forget Lex Luther, “Superman” star Dean Cain has a new foe: John Oliver.
After the political satirist used part of his Sunday show to blast Cain’s recent decision to join the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, the actor hit back, accusing the comedian of plagiarizing his jokes.
Responding to a clip from Oliver’s show, Cain wrote in an Aug. 11 post to X: “He stole that mask joke from the internet – and he also laughed hysterically when Trump said he was going to run for President. Case closed.”
During his show, which focused on the larger impacts of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, Oliver, referring to a growing practice of ICE agents donning face coverings during raids, quipped: “No need for that guy to wear a mask because the chances of anyone recognizing him are … zero.”
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Oliver didn’t stop his career criticism there. He went on to argue that Cain’s decision to join ICE should raise alarm bells for the agency.
“Now, I’m not saying that ICE isn’t finding people,” Oliver joked. “I’m just saying, when you are reduced to pinning a badge on the 59-year-old star of ‘The Dog Who Saved Christmas,’ ‘The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation,’ ‘The Dog Who Saved the Holidays,’ ‘The Dog Who Saved Halloween,’ ‘The Dog Who Saved Easter’ and ‘The Dog Who Saved Summer,’ maybe you are in trouble.”
Every Superman actor, ranked (from David Corenswet to Christopher Reeve)
Cain, who announced his decision to join ICE earlier this month, pushed back on criticism of the canine franchise, adding in his post: “and those movies were sweet, by the way!”
Cain, who played Superman in the 1990s series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” revealed to fans that he enlisted as an ICE in an Aug. 5 video shared to his social media channels.
“For those who don’t know, I am a sworn law enforcement officer, as well as being a filmmaker, and I felt it was important to join with our first responders to help secure the safety of all Americans, not just talk about it,” he said. “So, I joined up.”
In a statement to USA TODAY on Aug. 7, ICE Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that Cain will be sworn in as an honorary officer “in the coming month.”
“Superman is encouraging Americans to become real-life superheroes by answering their country’s call to join the brave men and women of ICE to help protect our communities to arrest the worst of the worst,” McLaughlin said.
The move comes on the heels of Cain’s harsh criticism of the new “Superman” movie starring David Corenswet. The actor called the new movie, which portrays the superhero as an empathetic foil to Luther’s money-hungry tech bro, “woke” in an interview with TMZ.
“James Gunn and his decision to make Ma and Pa Kent the stupid rednecks. That’s a choice,” Cain added in a separate interview on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” taking aim at the movie’s director.
“Superman has to be saved, like, repeatedly? Look, don’t try and make it all woke and crazy,” he said. “Keep that character as the way I like him, as true justice and the American way.”
Contributing: Edward Segarra
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dean Cain hits back at ICE criticism from John Oliver
