A new Superman is coming, and even he’s not immune to today’s cultural pressures.
On Monday, DC Comics announced the next iteration of Superman — Jon Kent, the son of Clark Kent — will take a “bold new direction” by coming out as bisexual. Much like his father, who fell in love with reporter Lois Lane, Jon Kent strikes up a romantic relationship with male reporter Jay Nakamura, who “is there to care for the Man of Steel.”
Tom Taylor, the writer of the comic, said “everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes,” adding he’s “grateful DC and Warner Bros. share this idea.”
“Superman’s symbol has always stood for hope, for truth, and for justice,” he continued. “Today, that symbol represents something more. Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics.”
The series’ artist, John Timms, said he is “honored to be working” alongside Taylor by “showing Jon Kent tackling his most complex modern life.”
According to The New York Times, the latest Superman is much more politically progressive. From the newspaper:
That same-sex relationship is just one of the ways that Jonathan Kent, who goes by Jon, is proving to be a different Superman than his famous father. Since his new series, Superman: Son of Kal-El, began in July, Jon has combated wildfires caused by climate change, thwarted a high school shooting and protested the deportation of refugees in Metropolis.
“The idea of replacing Clark Kent with another straight white savior felt like a missed opportunity,” Tom Taylor, who writes the series, said in an interview. He said that a “new Superman had to have new fights — real world problems — that he could stand up to as one of the most powerful people in the world.”
This marks the most famous superhero to come out as something other than heterosexual.
In May, Disney announced it would be revamping its erstwhile animated series “The Proud Family.” The forthcoming version of the show will center on two multiethnic, gay dads as they raise a teenage daughter who is a racial activist.
Set to stream on Disney+ sometime in 2022, the spinoff will be titled “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.”
