I think they were just looking for an excuse to slam America in the enterainment section:
He's a metaphor for America, but an outdated, obsolete America: invulnerable to attack, always on the side of right, always ready to save the rest of the world from its villainy whether or not it wants to be saved.
Spiderman may be closer to the spirit of America because he learned the hard way to do the right thing, is despised for it, and has a whole set of typical American problems, including financial ones.