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

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.