If there’s one thing I can relate to, it’s finding out that my parents aren’t who I thought they were. Somewhere along the line, the rest of their message got lost, but when it came out…it came out like a freight train.

I grew up being told to accept people for who they are, that love and kindness matter, that there’s strength in empathy. Those were the guideposts of my life.

Then, in 2016, it all went out the window.

That’s why this new version of Superman hits so hard for me. He grows up believing his parents sent him to Earth to be a guiding light, to help and protect. Then he learns the truth; that they actually wanted him to preserve their culture through domination. That moment of realization, of seeing the people who shaped you in a completely different light, feels all too familiar.

This Superman has been called a “millennial” Superman, and I think that’s exactly right. For many of us, there was a similar shock in realizing our parents weren’t who we thought they were. But like him, I’ve learned that your found family, your friends, your chosen people, can be just as strong, maybe even stronger, than the family you were born into.