The upcoming issue of Superman: Son of Kal-El will see Jon Kent come out as bi -- but his new boyfriend won't need any protection from the young Man of Steel.
Writer Tom Taylor spoke to IGN about the issue, which will see Jon come out and get romantic with a Gamorran refugee named Jay Nakamura. But unlike many of the people in Clark Kent's life, Jay will have superpowers of his own. And according to Taylor, his powers will play a specific role in the pair's relationship.
"Due to Jon’s shifting age and spending time in the future, Jon doesn’t really have any friends in the present day who are his own age," Taylor said. "He doesn’t have his own cast. He has a best friend in Damian, who will remain integral in our series, but it was important to me that we gave Jon another close confidant and someone who can support him. What was most important was making Jay Nakamura formidable in his own right. Finding the balance in their relationship so they could be equals rather than having Jay be too reliant on Jon. This is why Jay’s own powers are revealed in issue #4, and we learn he can’t be harmed. That means, of everyone in Jon’s life, Jay is the only person Jon doesn’t need to protect. It means their relationship is an equal one built on mutual support."
Taylor went on to discuss how Jay will have his own missions, not as a superhero but as a journalist and asylum seeker. "Jay has his own fight," Taylor said. "He’s obviously an effective journalist, and Lois Lane is his hero. But Jay is also a refugee from Gamorra, so his experience also reflects Clark’s. While this has fortunately changed over the years, historically, Lois has often fulfilled a damsel role. Jay Nakamura will never be that. He and Jon will tackle many things side-by-side."
Thanks to Jay's powers and perspective, he will find plenty of common ground with Jon, which will make the couple an effective team.
"It’s important to acknowledge that Jon isn’t just the son of Kal-El, he’s also the son of Lois Lane," Taylor 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. But Jon is young and passionate and sometimes how he tackles things will be a bit heavy-handed. And just like we see in our world, when young people speak truth to power, it ruffles the feathers of certain older people who are used to being the loudest voice in the room."
Superman: Son of Kal-El #5, by Tom Taylor, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb and Dave Sharpe, goes on sale Nov. 9 from DC.
Source: IGN