Jonathan Kent, born at the intersection of collapsing worlds, is secretly raised in the main DC Universe and is none other than Superman and Lois Lane’s son. At age ten, he took on the mantle of Superboy, partnering with his father to combat crime. The public adored this fresh take on the Superman mythos, as Jon brought a breath of novelty to the established narrative that hadn’t been seen in years. Each scene featuring him held the promise of unearthing something completely new, a rarity in comic books. However, before young Jonathan Kent could fully blossom into his character, he was abruptly and irreversibly altered – aged from a precocious ten-year-old to a seventeen-year-old teenager. Unfortunately, DC has struggled to find their footing with him ever since, as they seem unsure of how best to utilize this evolving character.
The Jon Kent Problem
Jonathan Kent debuted in an unprecedented manner – as Superman’s son. He was a fresh character who brought forth unexplored aspects in the Superman family, particularly Lois Lane and Clark Kent. He was well-received by fans and had a remarkable chemistry with Damian Wayne. Their collaboration in “Super Sons” is still cherished for its lighthearted, buddy-cop style of young hero tales with low-stakes adventures. However, unexpectedly and without much prelude, the character who was just getting acquainted with fans, grew from a child into a very different young adult. Although this transformation may not be inherently bad – as it discards the potential stories for young Jon and alters his relationship with Damian – it presents numerous opportunities to delve into new and intriguing storylines.
The issue lies in the fact that they didn’t delve into this aspect at all. After growing older, Jon was left idle. This sudden development initially grabbed readers’ attention and injected some tension into Superman’s narrative, but it primarily intensified his father’s character while offering no progression for him. Instead of staying with his family to strengthen their bond and show us his rebuilding process, Jon was hastily sent to the future to join the Legion of Super-Heroes, a move that led to an unsuccessful run. Upon his return, it became evident that DC aimed to rapidly advance him into assuming the Superman role as part of the 5G relaunch, which would replace most of DC’s primary heroes with new characters inheriting their legacies. They squandered years’ worth of storytelling opportunities and significantly diminished Jon’s character just to push him into becoming Superman prematurely. Unfortunately, the 5G initiative failed and evolved into the Future State event, which eventually led to Clark leaving Earth and Jon taking on the main Superman role.
Jon’s solo Superman series didn’t succeed and Clark returned too quickly, which took away both his past potential and future promises. This left Jon in an uncertain state, like hitting a brick wall after years of build-up that upset fans but promised something great. Now, Jon shares the Superman role with his father, but because Clark is such a legendary superhero, Jon is often overshadowed. DC hasn’t figured out how to bring him into the limelight yet. Moreover, Jon’s supporting characters didn’t make a positive impact. Dreamer is generally liked, but Jay, who was meant to be like Lois Lane, was very dull for a long time. A character like Lois Lane should never be bland, but Jay was for a very long period.
Currently, DC finds itself in an unusual predicament with Jon. He’s been developed too far beyond his youth to revert, yet they haven’t taken the time to establish his identity outside of being Superman’s son, leaving them with few options for his development. To make matters worse, everything that happens to Jon seems predetermined, rather than him taking action himself. For instance, he was imprisoned by Ultraman for years, then thrust into the Superman role prematurely, only to have it taken away, then used as a weapon by Amanda Waller. They’ve set up Jon as the “rebellious son of Superman” who would challenge his father in ways he wouldn’t, but they haven’t allowed him to do so. In fact, they haven’t given Jon the chance to act at all! The first five issues of Nicole Maines’s Secret Six series have achieved more for Jon and Jay as characters than the past five years by focusing on how the world is pressuring Jon to become a monster or exceed what he believes is right, and even gives Jay a distinct personality.
Jon Kent shows tremendous promise as a character. He isn’t simply a duplicate of his father, but he embodies just as much optimism and can be a symbol of hope for a new era, while still embodying the essence of Superman. However, it seems that DC Comics is struggling to let him reach his full potential. It’s crucial they find a solution soon, because they are squandering one of their most compelling characters in years, and Jon Kent deserves a more satisfying portrayal.
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2025-08-04 23:17