Superman comes out as bisexual, thanks to writer Tom Taylor’s “bold” new direction for the character. Thousands upon thousands of “fans” have taken to Twitter, with some notable celebrities weighing in with their opinions: And many simply do not like it. Dean Cain, notable for portraying Superman in the 90s classic ‘Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman!‘ has described the move as “bandwaggoning not brave”, while openly gay British television present Christopher Biggins declared, “Do something original, don’t take characters that already exist and make them into something they’re not,” on Good Morning Britain. At least GMB’s Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley were quick to point out Biggins‘ mistake, which seemingly fell upon deaf ears. The question is begged, however, how many of these angry “fans” are actually reading this comic?
Naturally, the media are enjoying the frenzy. While some journalists and presenters genuinely don’t know this is not Kal-el/Clark Kent, but in fact Jonathan Kent, the seventeen year old son of the aformentioned Superman and Lois Lane. Some journalists do know but are purposely using clickbait tactics to furnish their websites with extra clicks. Tom Taylor, writor of Superman: Son of Kal-El, was quick to defend the move, telling the New York Times, “The idea of replacing Clark Kent with another straight white savior felt like a missed opportunity.”
Jonathan Kent’s love interest is to be Jay Nakamura, who, in traditional ‘Superman‘ fashion, is a reporter. Nakamura is to fall in love with Superman in issue #5 of Superman: Son of Kal-El, which is due in November. Nakamura cares for a “mentally and physically [burnt] out” Superman who has tried too hard “to save everyone he can”. This iteration of Supes is notable for protesting against the deportation of refugees, putting out wildfires caused by climate change, and dealing with an all-too-real-looking school shooting. Not only has the character been written with a liberal flair, but he is also the 126th character to be added to Fandom’s ‘DC’s bisexual characters’ index, following in the footsteps of other prominant LGBT+ characters such as Harley Quinn, Renee Montoya and Batwoman.
At Soundsphere, we understand some things should not be messed with. Superman should always have a relationship of sorts with Lois Lane, that relationship is a fundamental, core aspect of the character. Should it really be that difficult for the suspension of disbelief to cover a half-Kryptonian, half-human being bisexual in the 21st century, though?
Superman: Son of Kal-El #5 will be pubished by DC Comics on the 9th of November 2021, with words by Tom Taylor and art by John Timms.
Words: Graeme Small
