From hero to zero: 'Superman' star Dean Cain slammed for joining ICE
From hero to zero, that's the fate of Dean Cain, seen here with Teri Hatcher, who played Lois Lane in the 'Superman' television series.
Image: File
From swooping across the skies to save the world, Superman has now traded his red cape and underpants worn on the outside for ICE riot gear in a move that has left his fans gobsmacked and let down.
Dean Cain, known for his role as "Superman" in the 1990s television series "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman", has revealed that he is joining US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), telling "Fox News" that it was "the right thing" to do.
United States President Donald Trump has vowed to ramp up his deportation of immigrants to one million per year, sparking protests in cities across the US over raids his critics deem unlawful.
Within hours of posting an ICE recruitment video on social media, Cain's account "went crazy", prompting him to sign up himself.
In the interview on Wednesday, the 59-year-old actor shared: "I'm actually a sworn deputy sheriff and a reserve police officer. I wasn't part of ICE, but once I put that out there, and you put a little blurb on your show, it went crazy."
He further told the outlet that the country was built on "patriots stepping up" and that, whether it was popular or not, "I truly believe this is the right thing".
But fans of the TV series felt his move was inadvised, saying that he'd fallen from hero to zero.
"Reddit" readers had a field day poking fun at the actor, with one posting: "Fake tough guy becomes fake tough guy again." Another wrote: "He thought they said 'ice cream', so he signed up."
Quoting from Cain's post, where he said: "So, if you want to help save America, ICE is arresting the worst of the worst and removing them from America's streets. I like that. I voted for that", jamiestar9 retorted: "Really? The worst of the worst? That’s cool if true.
"But from here, it seems ICE is all about being cruel to workers with no criminal record. And arresting kids with cancer."
A five-storey replica of a stamp of Superman in 1998 in Cleveland, home of the superhero’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, but Dean Cain who played the superhero back then is in trouble with his fans.
Image: AP Photo/Tony Dejak
Alurimperium had this to say: "He's been a hardcore Trumpist for like a decade. It's no surprise he's out here parroting the felon's hate speech."
"ABC News" reported that the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Cain's ICE commitment, announcing that ICE had waived age limits for new applicants.
"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," the statement read.
In late July, ICE announced it was aiming to recruit an additional 10 000 new personnel, doubling the agency's headcount as it ramps up deportations across the country.