The Man of Steel is living his truth. The new iteration of Superman, Jonathan Kent, is coming out as bisexual, DC Comics announced Monday, Oct. 11, which also marks National Coming Out Day.
The 17-year-old son of Lois Lane and Clark Kent is taking the mantle from his father and putting on the red cape to navigate the responsibilities of being Earth’s hero.
Jon will also usher in a new era for the comics by exploring a relationship with young "hacktivist" reporter Jay Nakamura. To see the boy hero come out, look for issue No. 5 of Superman: Son of Kal-El, written by Tom Taylor with art by John Timms, to be published on Nov. 9.
Writer Taylor confirmed Monday that Jon’s character would deal with societal and intergalactic threats, simultaneously.
"It is a pretty big deal, doing it with Jon Kent as Superman. ... I hope this kind of thing will not be seen as a big deal in the future," artist Timms told IGN.
"It will be interesting to see him not only trying to find himself as a person but a global superhero in the complex atmosphere of modern life," he added.
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"The question for Jon [and for our creative team] is, what should a new Superman fight for today? Can a 17-year-old Superman battle giant robots while ignoring the climate crisis? Of course not. Can someone with super sight and super hearing ignore injustices beyond his borders? Can he ignore the plight of asylum seekers?" Taylor noted.
He continued: "Jon is the son of the fiercest, most effective journalist on the planet. With that comes a strong sense of right and wrong, an instinctive dislike of corruption and a strong desire for the truth to win over misinformation."
Taylor says he believes this is a huge turning point for the comics.
"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," he said.
"Today, Superman, the strongest superhero on the planet, is coming out," he added.
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Earlier this year, Batman’s iconic sidekick, Robin, came out as bisexual.
Additionally, both the current and previous lead characters on the CW series "Batwoman," played by Ruby Rose and Javicia Leslie, are proud members of the LGBTQ community.
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