DC Comics confirms that their new Superman, Jonathan Kent, the son of Clark Kent, is attracted to men.
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The confirmation came after former DC Comics artist Ethan Van Sciver scooped that DC Comics would make Superman gay in their current Superman: Son of Kal-El series.
https://youtu.be/up0YE7A_WCk
In his video back in August, Van Sciver stated, “So anyway, Clark Kent is going bye bye and they are going to replace him with Jonathan Kent and then they are going to announce that Jonathan Kent is gay. So Superman is effectively gay.”
Jonathan Kent did indeed replace Clark Kent as Superman in Superman #32 after Jon and Superman defeated the Shadowbreed.
At the end of that story, Superman tells Jon, “But the next time you wonder if you measure up or if you ever think of yourself as just ‘the Son of Superman’ know that you’re the Superman against whom all heroes will be measured someday. The Superman that I aspire to be.”
In Superman: Son of Kal-El #5, which is due out in November, DC Comics confirmed Superman will be attracted to men by sharing preview images for the upcoming issue. One of them shows Kent kissing a reporter named Jay Nakamura.
In a blog post, DC Comics explains, “Just like his father before him, Jon Kent has fallen for a reporter. After initially striking up a friendship with reporter Jay Nakamura, he and Jon become romantically involved in the pages of SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL #5 from writer Tom Taylor (DARK KNIGHTS OF STEEL) and artist John Timms (HARLEY QUINN).”
They add, “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.”
Not only did they share an image of Kent kissing Nakamura, but they also revealed a cover by Travis Moore and Tamra Bonvillain with Kent leaning in to kiss Nakamura marked up with a DC Pride logo.
Another cover by Inhyuk Lee shows Nakamura and Kent sitting side by side. It also features the DC Pride logo.
The book’s author Tom Taylor stated, “I’ve always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes and I’m very grateful DC and Warner Bros. share this idea.”
He added, “Superman’s symbol has always stood for hope, for truth and for justice. Today, that symbol represents something more. Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics.”
Taylor added on Twitter, “Our Superman comes out. Happy Coming Out Day.”
He went on to tell IGN, “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.”
“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,” he added.
Not only did Taylor reveal that Jon is attracted to men, but that his new partner Jay Nakamura will actually receive powers that makes him invulnerable.
He explained to IGN, “Due to Jon’s shifting age and spending time in the future, Jon doesn’t really have any friends in the present day who are his own age. He doesn’t have his own cast. He has a best friend in Damian, who will remain integral in our series, but it was important to me that we gave Jon another close confidant and someone who can support him.”
“What was most important was making Jay Nakamura formidable in his own right. Finding the balance in their relationship so they could be equals rather than having Jay be too reliant on Jon. This is why Jay’s own powers are revealed in issue #4, and we learn he can’t be harmed,” he said.
Taylor elaborated, “That means, of everyone in Jon’s life, Jay is the only person Jon doesn’t need to protect. It means their relationship is an equal one built on mutual support.”
Artist John Timms also added in the DC Comics blog post, “I’m incredibly honored to be working beside Tom on the SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL series showing Jon Kent tackling his complex modern life, while also saving the world from its greatest threats, villains and menaces.”
Speaking to IGN Timms said, “It is a pretty big deal doing it with Jon Kent as Superman. 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.”
He added, “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.”
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DC Comics Chief Creative Officer and Publisher Jim Lee also noted, “We couldn’t be prouder to tell this important story from Tom Taylor and John Timms.”
“We talk a lot about the power of the DC Multiverse in our storytelling and this is another incredible example. We can have Jon Kent exploring his identity in the comics as well as Jon Kent learning the secrets of his family on TV on Superman & Lois. They coexist in their own worlds and times, and our fans get to enjoy both simultaneously,” he said.
Related: DC Comics Retcons Tim Drake, Shows Him Attracted To Men
This announcement that Jonathan Kent is attracted to men comes just a little over two months after DC Comics retconned Tim Drake and showed him sexually attracted to males in the pages of Batman: Urban Legends.
Homosexual acts are “acts of grave depravity” according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.”
The Catechism adds, “The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.”
“Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection,” the Catechism concludes.
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