Malcolm Henry
Jonathan Kent — son of Superman and Lois Lane — is entering his latest iteration of a backstory with a shift to being a bisexual hero. If you are an avid comic reader, you already know that Jon’s story has had way too many changes to it, but this latest shift is much more logical than, say, his rapid aging saga.
As an advocate, it is pretty good that comics keep inching towards a real character getting this designation. It still seems (to me) like they are scared to go all-in with a major character (though some will say Loki making his shift in the Marvel show is major), whether it is due to homophobic readers or stockholders, who knows… but these minor adds just seems like small steps versus a real rush to representative progress.
To date, the first DC character to be openly outed Green Lantern’s son, Obsidian in 2004. Green Lantern, Alan Scott, followed suit in 2012. Harley Quinn began her bisexual romance with Poison Ivy in 2015, and more recently was Aqualad in 2016. You probably didn’t hear much about that one since… well, it was AQUALAD. Recently Robin — not the original Robin — but Tim Drake, the third person to own that character, he also been outed. Batwoman has also been dabbling in the waters with her run in ‘The New 52.’
The move to Superman’s son is a continued elevation of roles — though they are all still sidekicks, or side stories and not the big deal that it eventually will be when something major pops (like Wonder Woman having a girlfriend and not just innuendo).
Marvel has had Kitty Pryde, Mystique, Hulkking, and a few others. he folks at GamesRadar.com.
If you are wondering the when and where of this, let me help you out: Jon is slated to come out as bisexual in Superman: Son of Kal-El #5, which was written by Tom Taylor and colored by John Timms. The issue will published on November 9th and will feature Jonathan and Jay, who was introduced earlier in the series, sharing a kiss.
For further background, Jon Kent is the first son of the titular character and had been going as Superboy since he was first introduced in 2015 — though he was quickly “reborn” in another saga during an alien invasion of Earth-0.
It really has been a strange journey for the character. If you want to know more about him, check the DC Wiki.
That said, I am ready for Moon Knight, who was really the first major (in my mind he is major) to have been LGBTQ+, to get his new show.
