In the upcoming issue number five of “Superman: Son of Kal-El,” we’re getting some very big news about its protagonist Jonathan “Jon” Kent: He’s bi.
ICYDK, Jon Kent is the son of the original Superman Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Formerly fighting alongside his dad as Superboy, he’s currently taking on the mantle of Superman. The newest Superman series written by Tom Taylor tackles Jon’s journey as he “bears the symbol of hope that has told the world who Superman really is.”
Now, back to Jon being bi. In previous issues, Jon met the pink-haired, glasses-wearing Jay Nakamura while he was saving Nakamura’s college from a school shooter. Nakamura, a budding journalist and huge fan of Lois Lane, quickly becomes close friends with Jon.
He may also become Jon’s boyfriend, totalling the number of journalist love interests that this family has amassed to two.
In the previews of the upcoming issue, coming out on Nov. 9, we see Nakamura and Jon sharing a kiss. “Following a scene where Superman mentally and physically burns out from trying to save everyone that he can, Jay is there to care for the Man of Steel,” DC Comics said in a statement where it described Superman as bisexual.
“Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics,” Taylor was quoted as saying.
Last August, Taylor spoke to Nerdist and hinted while talking about the comic’s supporting cast, “Some very big things coming up for Jon, which we can’t discuss yet.” It’s safe to say that this is what he was talking about.
Jon isn’t the first big DC superhero to come out this year. Last August, Tim Drake, the current Robin, also came out as bisexual.
While both of these news have been widely celebrated, they have their fair share of detractors. NPR points out that while it is a great thing that these superheroes are now more canonically diverse, the characters revealed to be queer are not the most popular and iconic iterations of these heroes. It’s not Clark Kent as Superman who’s bi, it’s his son. It’s not Dick Grayson as Robin going on a date with a boy, it’s his brother. And the big well-known wlw couple, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, are, well, villains.
Still, it’s a very big moment to see Superman actually kiss his male love interest, and hopefully that’ll be addressed in the future. Peter Parker has to be bi; it just feels right.
Photo courtesy of DC Comics
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