Former Superman actor Dean Cain has faced backlash after admitting he laughed at a social media post mocking the appearance of new Supergirl star Milly Alcock. The 59-year-old actor responded to a post comparing Alcock to a prehistoric character from the 1970s TV series Land of the Lost, writing: 'Dang it… I laughed.'
The controversy began when a user shared promotional artwork of Alcock, 26, and questioned how Supergirl could have pierced ears if her skin is bulletproof. Another user then posted a side-by-side comparison of Alcock and Chaka, a humanoid character from Land of the Lost, asking: 'And why does she look like this guy?'
Many fans accused Cain of joining in appearance-based mockery aimed at a woman young enough to be his daughter. Reddit users were particularly critical, with one writing: 'So an old washed up loser is bullying someone young enough to be his daughter publicly because she dares being the lead in a superhero movie.' Others pointed out that Cain had previously spoken about receiving racist nicknames for being a half-Asian Superman actor, yet was now endorsing similar behaviour.
The incident comes amid growing scrutiny of Cain's public comments. Last year, he criticised director James Gunn for describing Superman as an immigrant, calling it 'woke'. More recently, Cain announced plans to join US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a sworn officer, saying it was 'the right thing' and that President Donald Trump's immigration policies were delivering what voters wanted.
Alcock, who rose to fame playing young Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, has not publicly responded to the discourse. Her casting as Supergirl was announced as part of James Gunn's rebooted DC Universe, with the film expected next year.
