SUPERMAN: DC Comics' New Man Of Steel, Jon Kent, To Come Out As Bisexual

SUPERMAN: DC Comics' New Man Of Steel, Jon Kent, To Come Out As Bisexual

In some news that's sure to gain a lot of attention from comic book fans, DC's new Man of Steel, Jon Kent, is set to come out as bisexual in the upcoming Superman: Son of Kal-El #5. More past the jump.

By MarkCassidy - Oct 11, 2021 07:10 AM EST
Filed Under: DC Comics

It's now been confirmed that the son of Kal-El, Jon Kent, will come out as bisexual in the pages of DC Comics.

IGN reports that the character, who inherited the mantle of Superman from his father following the events of Future State, will embark on a relationship with hacktivist friend Jay Nakamura in the upcoming fifth issue of Superman: Son of Kal-El.

"Over the years in this industry, it probably won’t surprise you to hear I’ve had queer characters and storylines rejected. I felt like I was letting down people I loved every time this happened" explains writer Tom Taylor. "But we are in a very different and much more welcome place today than we were ten, or even five years ago. When I was asked if I wanted to write a new Superman with a new #1 for the DC Universe, I knew replacing Clark with another straight white savior could be a real opportunity missed. I’ve always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes. Today, Superman, the strongest superhero on the planet, is coming out."

The comic book industry has been making a conscious effort to increase LGBTQ+ representation over the past few years, and making Superman - or at least, this new incarnation of Superman - bisexual is a pretty big step forward.

"It is a pretty big deal doing it with Jon Kent as Superman," adds artist John Timms. "As we have seen Jon grow up in front of our eyes, it will be interesting to see him not only trying to find himself as a person but a global super hero in the complex atmosphere of modern life. On the other hand, I hope this kind of thing will not be seen as a big deal in the future. You could visualize how it could pan in the future when the most powerful man in the world is part of the LGBT community. So many things are on the horizon and beyond."

Have you guys been keeping up with Jon Kent's adventures? What do you make of this news? Superman: Son of Kal-El #5 is set to hit shelves on November 9, and you can check out the cover and a preview of Jon and Jay's first kiss below.

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PantherKing
PantherKing - 10/11/2021, 7:51 AM
Why does she look like Tom Holland in the first cover?
TheBlueMorpho
TheBlueMorpho - 10/11/2021, 7:51 AM
OH Shiiiiiiiiiiiii
BraveNewClunge
BraveNewClunge - 10/11/2021, 7:52 AM
@TheBlueMorpho - 🤣 u and this gif
Kyos
Kyos - 10/11/2021, 7:55 AM
Cool, good for him. :)
ElricReturns
ElricReturns - 10/11/2021, 4:49 PM
@Kyos - exact post I was gonna make.
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 10/11/2021, 7:57 AM
*rolls eyes*
Gizmoduck
Gizmoduck - 10/11/2021, 8:00 AM
@Shivermetimbers - It's fine, at least it's not them retconning Clark to be bi. Mess with new characters all you want, leave the OGs alone
KWilly
KWilly - 10/11/2021, 8:05 AM
@Gizmoduck - You do realize the OG's are next tho right? Lol
Origame
Origame - 10/11/2021, 8:06 AM
@Gizmoduck - I'll give them credit, since this is a character with any established relationships to ruin.

*cough*robin*cough*

But considering the state of comics at this point and the backlash they've been getting for these headlines, I think it's better for the industry if they just focus on getting better stories as opposed to checking boxes.
The1st
The1st - 10/11/2021, 9:12 AM
@Gizmoduck - Yeah, that was my only take away from this. It's a relatively new character, so it makes sense. It feels better than the Iceman thing, although I could see that one too I guess. This new love interest is essentially his Lois anyway.
Slotherin
Slotherin - 10/11/2021, 9:58 AM
@Origame - wasn't Robin just made bi?
Origame
Origame - 10/11/2021, 10:09 AM
@Slotherin - yeah but the story that had him come out as bi also had him break up with his long time girlfriend off panel.
obarium
obarium - 10/11/2021, 11:30 AM
@Gizmoduck - Clark is an alien, so regardless of sex he's being shown attracted to a species other than his own...
HulkisHoly
HulkisHoly - 10/11/2021, 11:58 AM
@Gizmoduck - 👍🏼
Demigods
Demigods - 10/11/2021, 12:58 PM
@Shivermetimbers - Honestly, I feel like if they just made it less gimmicky and it just happened fluidly, without all of the hubbub and hype behind it, it would be so much more genuine.

It's all about the PR though, instead of the storytelling.
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 10/11/2021, 1:22 PM
@Demigods - 100%. I’m all for gay or bi or whatever characters, but the comic houses keep doing this stuff purely for headlines. Do they think this actually increases readership? I would imagine not, but I’m not expert.
rdb2099
rdb2099 - 10/11/2021, 1:28 PM
@Demigods - with all due respect, why is it whenever an industry tries to catch up with the times, it’s always a “gimmick?” Gay and bisexual people have been around since the dawn of time. Yet there was only one known gay character that I could remember in the 1990s, and it was some unknown in the Marvel universe. Comic book writers have tried to introduce gay characters before, as the author himself even said, only to be turned down. If 6-10% of the population is truly gay/bi, that means a nice chunk of superheroes would be. But here we are in the year 2021 and we’re just now starting to get more mainstream characters being written as LGBTQ. It’s long overdue.
ElricReturns
ElricReturns - 10/11/2021, 4:53 PM
@KWilly - oh [frick] off with that shit. You know how many covers I've seen of Batman kissing Catwoman or any of his female rogues really, or Superman kissing Lois, or Peter kissing Mary Jane.

There is a long history of straight romances or relationships being featured in comics. Everyone gets representation. If you cringe at the other team getting the same attention your team gets, your just a piece of shit.
ElricReturns
ElricReturns - 10/11/2021, 4:56 PM
The low key attempt at "subtle" homophobia in this one thread alone, and the overwhelming number of likes they've gotten... I'm not even gonna read anymore comments on this page.
Slotherin
Slotherin - 10/11/2021, 10:52 PM
@Origame - oof
Demigods
Demigods - 10/13/2021, 7:42 AM
@rdb2099 - I hear you and I'm actually stoked that Bi men are getting more characters. The Bi community actually has it pretty rough because it's one of the harder sexualities for the community to grasp, for some reason. I've been told that they're not accepted by either queer or straight, because of the zero-sum nature of human understanding. So I'm glad that a Bi character is being presented without being the "Slut" of the story, as so often happens.

It's Gimmicky because they release this big bomb drop ahead of time. It's gimmicky because they make 2 characters come out as Bi within 2 months of each other? DC has had gay characters in the past, and it's nothing new. Hercules went both ways in Marvel. Alan Scott was made gay in DC a few years back. In Hercules' case, they just sort of had it happen. It wasn't something they wanted to announce ahead of a comics release to hype up sales.

I've been out of the comics for a bit because they got too gimmicky with everything, not just the new emphasis on rights. It was long before that. by the 4th or 5th crisis retcon, I was done.

That being said, it would be different to develop a relationship over a bunch of issues. It would be better to consult someone in the Bi community to get an idea for the struggle that someone going through this would go through and put it to paper in a meaningful way that hi lights the problems someone faces as they come to grips with their sexuality and the fear that they won't be accepted. Instead they gave this issue to one of the most powerful beings on the planet, who there is virtually no chance of getting bullied.

It's similar to movie producers wanting to make superman (Clack Kent) black for the next movie. It's not bold. It's gimmicky. It's pandering. And it's straight up hubris. Like their decision is going to have some profound consequence that makes the world better without actually discussing the issues that the community faces. It's trying way to hard to mold a story to a narrative for the sake of being woke, without actually putting in the effort.

I would love to see an Icon movie, where the hero legit works on the problems of race.

And it is WAY long overdue that the Bi community had a hero. But it needs to be done RIGHT.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 10/11/2021, 7:58 AM
The1st
The1st - 10/11/2021, 9:27 AM
@BlackBeltJones - As most people will see the tree I wonder if this is about the forest too. If I'm not mistaken the comics have alluded to Jon snapping in the future. I wonder if he ends up having an Injustice like moment, where this guy is killed.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 10/11/2021, 6:28 PM
@BlackBeltJones - 🤣🤣🤣
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 10/11/2021, 7:58 AM
It will definitely be interesting to see him develop as a character in ''the complex atmosphere of modern life.'' This is a step in normalizing coming out, but as we're far from there I do hope they also consider that.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 10/11/2021, 8:53 AM
@Waddles - same. There has to be some interesting way of exploring that (without making a homophobe super powerful, because that would definitely sent the wrong message)
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 10/11/2021, 10:14 AM
@Waddles - okay maybe not so extreme, but maybe beating up is something I can see happen
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 10/11/2021, 10:36 AM
@Waddles - "fine I won't fire him, hustle him out of his contract and take his care. Guess I'll just talk to him with my fists"
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