The new Superman – Jonathan Kent, the son of Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane — is coming out as bisexual on the pages of DC Comics.
Jon Kent, known as “the Superman of Earth,” will come out in the November 9 issue of “Superman: Son of Kal-El #5”, where he will start a romantic relationship with reporter Jay Nakamura.
He is not the first DC character to come out as part of the LGBTQIA community; earlier, Tim Drake — a.k.a. Robin, Batman’s sidekick — also came out as bisexual in August. DC’s Batwoman, Harley Quinn and Alan Scott (a.k.a. the first Green Lantern) also belong to the LGBTQIA community.
Nonetheless, the decision for Superman himself to identify as bisexual may be the most high-profile example yet of comic book publishers expanding the scope of LGBTQIA representation within their pages.
The “Superman: Son of Kal-El” series follows the story of Kent as he becomes Earth’s new Superman. While dealing with the immense pressure of this role, he falls for Nakamura after he “mentally and physically burns out from trying to save everyone that he can,” according to DC.
Tom Taylor (“Dark Knights of Steel”) wrote “Superman: Son of Kal-El #5,” and John Timms (“Harley Quinn”) is the artist.
According to Taylor, the evolution of this new Superman is aligned with the values the character Superman always represented, while also reflecting the experiences of many comic fans.
“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 said in a statement.
