Television
Superman & Lois' Live-Action Jon Kent Probably Won't Be Bisexual
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Superman & Lois' Live-Action Jon Kent Probably Won't Be Bisexual
Superhero comics might be making strides to be more inclusive, but their on-screen counterparts haven't been great at following suit, frequently declining to bring in canonically LGBTQ+ characters or simply ignoring their sexuality for their respective films.
And some fans are disappointed to discover a popular TV show might be about to make a similar decision.
When Jon Kent, son of the most well-known iteration of Superman, Clark Kent, came out as bisexual in the pages of Superman: Son of Kal-El #5 last year, fans of the CW's Superman & Lois series hoped that would translate over to the live-action show as well.
\u201cSuperman & Lois airs in 8 minutes and we get to see this bisexual king again\u201d— Clark (@Clark) 1641948790
But showrunner Todd Helbing recently suggested that wasn't likely.
"We're certainly not opposed to exploring it," he recently told TVLine. "But the way our character was set up, it feels like the comic book story and what we're doing are two separate stories. I don't think that we will, but we're certainly not opposed to it."
The idea that Jon -- or Jonathan, in the show -- shouldn't be queer on TV just because it's not following the same plot as the comics isn't exactly a smashing argument, and refusing to have characters be anything other than straight when that wasn't the intention from the very beginning is a recurring cause of frustration among TV (and movie) fans.
Still, the sentiment doesn't come as much of a shock, as Jordan Elsass, who plays Jonathan in the CW show, already suggested last year that his character would be straight.
"That is the comic version of the character," he told ComicBook.com. "This character is a different Earth, it's a different version. There's always that possibility, but it's looking like Jonathan Kent this version is most likely straight. We don't even know if he has powers at this point."
Although Superman & Lois may not have any interest at the moment in letting Jonathan step out of his straight comfort zone and have his sexuality line up with his comic book counterpart, they did recently have his brother Jordan's girlfriend admit that she once kissed a girl.
\u201cis superman & lois giving sarah a bisexual storyline after refusing to do it for canonically bisexual jonathan kent bc yikes\u201d— shawn | wakanda forever era \ud83d\udc9c (@shawn | wakanda forever era \ud83d\udc9c) 1642561803
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Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and the digital director of Out.
Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and the digital director of Out.