For millions of 90s TV viewers, Dean Cain embodied the ideal man.
With his movie-star looks, Princeton education, and starring role opposite Teri Hatcher in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Cain became one of the decade’s biggest heartthrobs, helping turn the Man of Steel into appointment television for an entire generation.
At its peak, the show attracted more than 15 million viewers per episode and made Cain a household name.
Three decades later, however, the actor’s public image looks very different.
What did Dean Cain say about Milly Alcock?
This week Cain found himself at the centre of fresh controversy after appearing to endorse a social media post mocking new Supergirl star Milly Alcock.
The backlash began when an X user questioned how Supergirl could have pierced ears if her skin was bulletproof. Another user then replied with an image comparing Alcock to Cha-Ka, a character from the 1970s TV series Land of the Lost.
Cain responded: ‘Dang it… I laughed.’
Backlash quickly followed, with many fans pointing out how disappointing it was to see a former Superman actor appearing to join in with a joke at the expense of a 26-year-old actress about to inherit one of DC’s most iconic roles.
Many ritics accused Cain of participating in misogynistic appearance-based mockery and undermining a younger performer, with one writing on Reddit: ‘She is like the most conventionally attractive woman ever. We can’t win,’ while another replied: ‘THIS. RIGHT. HERE. They just hate women. Period.’
And the backlash did not prove to be a learning experience for Cain.
Since Sunday, the MAGA-supporting actor has replied to or reposted at least 30 posts related to the Supergirl controversy, interspersing them with messages attacking Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner and praising President Donald Trump’s appearance at Monday’s NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden.
The incident is only the latest chapter in a long and increasingly divisive transformation.
How did Dean Cain become famous?
Before Hollywood came calling, Cain looked destined for an entirely different career.
Born Dean George Tanaka in 1966, he excelled academically and athletically, playing football at Princeton University before briefly signing with the Buffalo Bills. A knee injury ended his football ambitions and pushed him towards entertainment instead.
After a series of commercials and guest appearances, he landed the role that would define his career in 1993.
As Clark Kent in Lois & Clark, Cain embodied a softer, more romantic Superman, becoming a fixture on bedroom walls and magazine covers throughout the decade.
The role remains his most famous achievement, despite subsequent appearances in projects including Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and later a return to the Superman universe in Supergirl.
He also became a major heart throb and source of tabloid intrigue, including a six-month relationship with fellow ’90s sex symbol Pamela Anderson at the beginning of her Baywatch run.
He also, famously, dated Brooke Shields during his time at Princeton.
In recent years, however, Cain has become almost as well known for his political views as for his acting.
What are Dean Cain’s political views?
The actor, who has publicly supported Donald Trump, has increasingly used television appearances and social media to weigh in on culture-war issues.
He said in an interview with Variety: ‘I love President Trump. I’ve been friends with him forever. Trump is actually one of the most empathetic, wonderful, generous people you’ll ever meet.’
He also joined the board of the National Rifle Association, a pro-gun lobby widely accused of preventing gun-sense legislation aimed at halting school shootings, and became a regular voice in conservative media circles.
Did Dean Cain really join ICE?
Perhaps the most controversial moment came in 2025 when Cain announced he was joining ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
In a video posted to social media, he encouraged others to sign up too, saying the agency was helping to ‘save America’ and support immigration enforcement efforts.
He said: ‘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. So, I joined up,’ he said.
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‘Since President Trump took office, ICE has arrested hundreds of thousands of criminals, including terrorists, rapists, murderers, paedophiles, MS-13 gang members, drug traffickers…you name it. Very dangerous people who are no longer on the streets.’
He then went on to encourage others to sign up too, pushing how people could ‘earn lots of great benefits and pay’.
As the theme music of Superman played, he told followers: ‘You can defend your homeland for great benefits’. He then cited a $50,000 (£37,000) signing bonus, student loan repayment, enhanced retirement benefits, and special pay.
Dean then added that ICE was ‘helping save America and remove the worst of the worst from America’s streets’.
‘I like that, and I voted for that. They need your help to protect our homeland and our families. Join today if that’s something that’s tickled your fancy…because we need you.’
The move generated widespread criticism online, with many pointing to what they saw as a contradiction between Superman’s long-standing status as an outsider seeking acceptance and Cain’s support for an agency frequently criticised by immigration advocates.
Some critics also highlighted Cain’s own experiences with racism after he was cast as the Man of Steel in the 1990s.
In a previous interview with Variety, the actor recalled being targeted with racist abuse shortly after landing the role.
‘It was 1993 and I remember a fan going, “We wanted Superman, not Sushi Man”,’ Cain said, referencing a comment about his Japanese heritage.
Cain’s biological father was a Japanese-American serviceman, and the actor has previously spoken about navigating prejudice throughout his career. Despite the remark, he insisted he wasn’t offended.
‘For the love of God, he’s a Kryptonian. He could be green. Does it matter,’ he said.
For some former fans, those comments only deepened the irony. As one social media user put it: ‘To make it worse, he’s literally talked about receiving backlash and being given racist nicknames for being a half-Asian Superman actor. And yet here he is endorsing and actively participating in those same systems of bigotry and shaming.’
What did Dean Cain say about new Superman films?
Ironically, some of Cain’s most controversial comments in recent years have centred on the very character that made him famous.
Ahead of the release of James Gunn’s Superman reboot last year, the actor criticised the director’s description of the character as an immigrant story, accusing Hollywood of making the iconic hero ‘woke’.
Speaking to TMZ, Cain asked: ‘How woke is Hollywood going to make this character?’
He continued: ‘How much is Disney going to change their Snow White? Why are they going to change these characters [to] exist for the times?’
The comments came after Gunn described Superman as ‘the story of America’ and ‘an immigrant that came from other places and populated the country’.
While Cain acknowledged the character’s origins, he argued there needed to be limits to the comparison.
‘We know Superman is an immigrant – he’s a freaking alien,’ he said.
‘The “American way” is immigrant friendly, tremendously immigrant friendly. But there are rules.’
He added: ‘There have to be limits, because we can’t have everybody in the United States. We can’t have everybody, society will fail.’
The remarks sparked backlash online, with critics pointing out that Superman has long been interpreted as a metaphor for the immigrant experience, dating back to the character’s creation by the sons of Jewish immigrants in the 1930s.
The remarks prompted debate among comic-book fans, many of whom pointed out that Superman has always been, quite literally, an immigrant from another planet.
Now Cain finds himself embroiled in another DC-related controversy just weeks before Alcock’s debut as Kara Zor-El in the upcoming Supergirl.
Whether it’s supporting ICE, embracing polarising political causes, or laughing along with jokes aimed at younger actors, Cain has spent much of the last decade alienating sections of the audience that once adored him.
And for some former fans, the sight of yesterday’s Superman taking shots at tomorrow’s Supergirl feels like the saddest twist of all.
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