A cyclone of theories, rants, and condemnation followed in the wake of the announcements that writer and director James Gunn is now, in effect, the Kevin Feige of the DCU. He and producer Peter Safran have started work on building a new, cohesive cinematic universe that will undoubtedly mirror the juggernaut that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but with its own identity. While the announcement came with troubling news for the current lineup of DC heroes (including the cancelation of Wonder Woman 3 and the dismissal of Superman actor Henry Cavill), Gunn has assured the public that it is all in an effort to build a universe that honors the characters he loves. He also mentioned that Superman is a “huge priority” for them (via EW).
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The creative duo will likely decide to reintroduce their own version of Clark Kent, but an argument could be made that the last son of Krypton’s time on the big screen should be temporarily sidelined for a character who represents the struggle within all of us to make sense of the constant chaos that is current world affairs and defend the morals that should unite us, but for too long have been weaponized by greedy, power-hungry businesses and politicians alike. Of course, no one is saying Clark Kent couldn’t be used in this way, but the recent DC Comics have offered a dazzling alternative that could bring in new generations of fans: that is the son of Clark and Lois Lane — Jon Kent. Below, we will discuss all the reasons why selecting Jon as the mascot for the new DCU is both a smart business and a creative decision.
A New Origin Story
DC Comics
Whenever a superhero film franchise gets rebooted, there is the inevitable need to recount their origin story. By now, the entire world knows how Kal-El was sent to Earth and raised by the Kents in Smallville. Man of Steel tried to circumvent this by only revealing elements of Clark’s childhood in flashbacks, but it is essentially the same story told again. So far, the only people who know Jon Kent’s origin are comics readers. This means that the vast majority of the audience walking into the theater will be encountering Jon’s birth at the fortress of solitude for the very first time. It will be a new and exciting experience for them.
Also, since Jon is the son of Superman, this means the larger DCU will already be in place, and it won’t take several movies to set everything up. There’s no need to rehash anyone else’s backstory either, viewers will just come into a world where Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and others exist and have been heroes for years. Thus, nostalgia points are earned by pulling in familiar characters while the narrative focus will primarily be on this new character, preventing folks from begrudgingly sitting through yet another iteration of the same story.
The Batman Connection
Superman may be the big bang that birthed superhero comics, but Batman has definitely usurped him as the face of DC Comics. Bringing him into a story instantly brings more eyes to it because even people who don’t care about comics love Batman. Telling Jon Kent’s story requires Batman’s inclusion since Bruce Wayne’s own son Damian is Jon’s best friend.
Created by Grant Morrison, Damian Wayne has continued to grow in popularity since his introduction. The offspring of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, Damian was raised as an assassin for the first decade of his life and still retains that same killer instinct, despite his father’s attempts to lead him down another path. This angry, lethal Robin is colder and more distant than his father, but he has formed a strong, if reluctant, bond with Jon Kent over the years, thanks to all the time they spent as crime-fighting partners in the successful series Super Sons.
Even though the timeline has been somewhat altered since then, the two are still friends and look out for each other whenever they can. Allowing Jon Kent to enter the spotlight as the mainline Superman of the DCU, would also provide an opportunity to give Damian his chance to wow mainstream audiences on the big screen. Not only would such a decision naturally bring in Bat-fans, but it’s a sly way of opening up the DCU to more obscure characters.
Positive Representation
Like it or not, representation in media matters. We turn to movies and television for an escape, for consolation, or just to unwind at the end of a particularly tough day. If you’re someone who lives in a world where you are discriminated against, treated as “other,” or simply surrounded by people who don’t look, speak, act, or relate to you in any way whatsoever, seeing people in art who represent your life experience can be a Godsend. Not to mention, increased diversity onscreen is good for business.
One could argue that it’s smarter to make a Clark Kent film because he’s the one everyone recognizes. However, although he’s an alien, Superman is still a white, heterosexual, cisgender male. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but a growing number of communities have grown tired of rooting for the same, cookie-cutter icons for decades. Jon Kent is literally a child of two worlds: his mother is human and his father’s from Krypton. This reflects a growing demographic of biracial Americans and children of immigrants.
Then, there is the topic of Jon’s sexuality. He is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and in a relationship with a young man named Jay Nakamura. Depicting a same-sex love story with your flagship character would be an unprecedented level of positive representation that can only lead to a whole new audience turning out to finally see themselves depicted in a superhero movie as more than allusion or token way.
Not only does this kind of representation result in bigger box office, but it can also lead to real social change (via GBH). With the public demonizing anyone who isn’t a white, cisgender, heterosexual American (and male), showing a biracial hero saving the world while maintaining a relationship with his boyfriend could potentially inspire people to reevaluate their prejudices. We don’t lose anything by allowing our fiction to mirror the world around us, but the gains are boundless.
Genuine Hope in Dark Times
One of the many things that set the Jon Kent comics apart from many of the DC movies of recent years is a legitimate sense of optimism and hope. As previously stated, his world looks a lot like our own. He has to deal with school gun violence, climate change, immigration reform, the dangers of misinformation, and general prejudice. Yet, despite the chaos going on around him, Jon maintains his optimism and refuses to give up on people. He’s a little hard on himself, as most compassionate people are, but he constantly strives to see the best in everyone.
While some will likely criticize the real-world elements as being part of some “woke agenda,” it’s actually nothing new when it comes to Superman comics. When the comics were first hitting the newsstands during the 1930s, Superman was fighting against societal injustice just as much as he was protecting the world from super-powered threats. He wasn’t knocking out alien warlords, he was fighting greedy landlords and openly fighting for the Everyman. He wore his politics on his sleeve.
That aspect of the character may have evaporated over time, but tackling real-world issues is a tradition in DC Comics. Just read the seminal work of writer Denny O’Neil and artist Neal Adams, particularly Hard Travelin’ Heroes with Green Lantern and Green Arrow. They were telling “woke” stories decades before it was a trendy buzzword used by social conservatives to label anything that challenged their regressive politics.
A Kinder Man of Steel
If you’re tired of the same old good-vs-bad, where the hero simply resorts to punching the villain into submission, then Jon Kent is the guy for you. He can throw a punch with the rest of them, but his heart is his true superpower. As written by Tom Taylor in the pages of Superman: Son of Kal-El, Jon Kent would prefer to avoid violence whenever possible, seeking to understand the problem rather than bash it to bits.
The very first issue of his solo title sees him flying into a blazing wildfire. He sees a terrified person who is erupting into flames the more frightened they become. Instead of picking them up and dropping them in the ocean, Jon comforts them. He assures them that he will not hurt them, and they cannot hurt him (thanks to his invulnerability). He then wraps his arms around this person and holds them until they feel safe. It is a truly powerful image that would make for a crowd-pleasing opening sequence for a film and leave the audience in tears.
We have been inundated with superhero movies for over 20 years now, and they’re not going away anytime soon. The trend with many of them has been to either get aggressively dark or funny and sarcastic. DC could lead the way to an even brighter future by giving us hopeful, unironic stories that grapple with human foibles, and current societal issues, and bridge the gap between the old and new. Give us an earnest hero who shines like a beacon into a new age of progress and understanding.
