Superman loving and accepting his bisexual son Jon Kent in new DC comic has fans in tears
Superman embraces his son after a heartfelt discussion about sexuality. (DC Comics)
Superman’s son has finally come out to his father as bisexual in an emotional edition of the comic – and of course, he accepts him.
The heartfelt moment fans everywhere had been waiting for finally happened in issue 17 of Superman: Son of Kal-El in what was an incredibly well-written back-and-forth between Superman and his son, Jon Kent.
After returning to Earth from his mission on Warworld, Superman discovers his son is in a same-sex relationship with journalist Jay Nakamura.
While he accepts his son completely, the world-renowned superhero struggles with the idea Jon might not be ready to open up to him about his sexuality.
In the issue, the two eventually talk and when Jon opens up, Superman replies: “No matter what, I will stand beside you.
“I will defend you. I will love you, and I will always, always be your father.”
This week's issue of Superman Son of Kal El meant everything to me. As the bisexual kid who tried to come out to her parents and didn't get the warmest reception…to see THE HERO of comics give his son that love I needed, healed my queer little heart. Thanks @TomTaylorMade ? pic.twitter.com/ImkDhstFsv
— Mars!?️?✨? (@ThatComicGirl) November 12, 2022
The moment was met with a virtual ovation by comic fans who had anticipated the moment, with many saying it meant “the world to [them]”.
“As a cis gay male, whose parents were amazing when I told them, this issue still had me in tears,” one Twitter user wrote. “This comic always has hope. It’s in its DNA.”
Another wrote that Clark Kent’s acceptance of his son was a given, saying: “Did we really expect anything different?”
It was first revealed Jon was bisexual in a November 2021 issue of Son of Kal-El after the superhero developed feelings for Jay Nakamura.
The issue was met with overwhelming praise from fans, while still receiving ridiculous backlash from homophobes who claimed Superman was “going woke”.
Despite this, the series has been incredibly well received, with the romance between Jay and Jon becoming a fan favourite storyline.
Superman accepting bisexual son Jon was so obvious, Tom Taylor found it difficult to write
One of the biggest issues for Son of Kal-El writer Tom Taylor was the fact Superman’s acceptance of his son’s sexuality was a given.
Speaking to Polygon, the veteran comic book writer said: “The scene with Clark and Jon took me almost as long to write as a whole comic usually would.
“I spent days working and reworking and fine-tuning three pages. Of course the expectation is Superman will instantly accept and welcome his son, but I didn’t want to write a clichéd scene we’d seen many times before.”
Instead, Taylor decided to write the comic from the perspective of Superman’s struggle in finding the right way to let his son open up.
Taylor’s priority, he said, was to show “Superman’s care, assurance, and embrace” of his son.
According to the writer, artists Cian Tormey and Ruairí Coleman both came close to tears while reading the script.
“Cian and Ruairí both took so much care, and depicted these scenes beautifully,” Taylor continued. “I hope what the Man of Steel feels and how he acts in this issue resonates with other parents of queer children.”
