Bisexual Superman creators get LAPD protection after threats
By Tribute on November 3, 2021 | 35 Comments
After DC Comics confirmed that Superman would reveal himself to be bisexual in an upcoming issue of Superman: Son of Kal-El, illustrators and production staff who worked on the comic received death threats from crazed fans and were provided police protection not only at their offices at Warner Bros. Studios, but also at their homes.
Thankfully, nothing has come from the reported threats so far, but despite the situation somewhat dying down, as the date draws closer to the issue’s November 16 release, police will continue patrol and surveille to the aforementioned areas with extreme caution.
Three weeks ago, comic writer Tom Taylor announced that the upcoming November 16 issue for the comic would reveal that the new Superman, Jon Kent, the 17-year-old son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, is bisexual.
I’ve always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes. Today, #Superman, the strongest superhero on the planet, comes out as bisexual. I chatted to @georgegustines at the @nytimes about what's coming for Jon Kent.https://t.co/rcIYLXl7FB
— Tom Taylor (@TomTaylorMade) October 11, 2021
After becoming aware of the harsh criticisms, Taylor defended the choice to have Jon Kent written as bisexual, arguing that Superman’s sexuality is a small detail that allows everyone “to see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics.”
In a statement released by DC Comics Taylor said, “I’ve always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes and I’m very grateful DC and Warner Bros. share this idea. Superman’s symbol has always stood for hope, for truth and for justice. Today, that symbol represents something more. Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics.”
Along with Jon’s sexuality, other creative liberties taken by DC for the current comic were not well received, as they also changed Superman’s old slogan of “truth, justice, and the American way” to “truth, justice and a better tomorrow.”
In an interview with Fox & Friends, Dean Cain, who played Superman for four seasons on the 1993 TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, expressed his views on the recent change to the Man of Steel, saying, “They said it’s a bold new direction. I say they’re bandwagoning.
“I don’t think it’s bold or brave or some crazy new direction. If they had done this 20 years ago, perhaps that would be bold or brave,” he added, “but brave would be having him fight for the rights of gay people in Iran where they’ll throw you off a building for the offence of being gay.”
In an interview with IGN, Taylor said, “I hope this kind of thing will not be seen as a big deal in the future.” He also revealed that Jon’s Superman would tackle Earth’s social issues more than threats from supervillains.
“The question for Jon (and for our creative team) is, what should a new Superman fight for today? Can a 17-year-old Superman battle giant robots while ignoring the climate crisis? Of course not,” he said, adding, “Can someone with super sight and super hearing ignore injustices beyond his borders? Can he ignore the plight of asylum seekers?”
Jon Kent’s Superman now stands alongside Tim Drake’s Robin, X-Men’s Kate Pryde, and a new Captain America, Aaron Fischer, as superheroes who are a part of the LGBTQ community. ~Sean Olegario
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“arguing that Superman’s sexuality is a small detail” he says while it’s the ONLY detail both mentioned and illustrated in tweet announcement. k
Fortunately, this woke madness is dying down… Too bad Supe had to be dragged down at the end of it.
you purposefully left out Northstar, the first hero to come out. Wgt? Because he’s a Canuck? Of course, all Americans are conditioned to erase Canada and hate us
I’m sorry, I’m not against anyones sexuality nor do I judge, but making Superman come out as bi-sexual is just wrong and stupid!!!
As a person with a deep faith in God, for religious and moral reasons, I honestly am disgusted, really turned off, and am strongly against making my favourite superhero Superman bisexual. Tom Taylor has chosen to jump on the popular gay bandwagon. How many kids will be able to understand that their favourite superhero now is gay?!!
I support a superhero who fights today’s social issues such as climate change, YES. But I don’t feel you need to make a superhero gay in order to accomplish this?!! Gay superheros don’t represent me. I’m not part of a SMALL minority of the population.
I agree when will this stupidity end , the percentage of people that are bi-sexual and non gender identifying is miniimal in this vast world , why to we have to drag comics and cartoons or otherwise already created medias into this need to justify this lifestyle , just find somewhere else to do this please.
Lois won’t like her “super” man cheating on her with a man. Its clear DC Comics are only interested in attracting attention in order to make money. What next. They will turn Superman into a drag queen. Less focus should be placed on his sexual orientation and more on the world issues Superman could address. I have no issues towards homosexuality, bisexual or being a drag queen. But its beyond stupid to turn the Superman character into bisexual.
Linda Sear
Want the best way to erase hate and violence in this world? eradicate all religions, they’re just cults designed to foster and feed an “us vs. them” mentality, hence you’re hateful comments (and use of religion to justify it)
A tough pill to swallow, but everyone knows it’s true.
Shane Madgett. The truth you speak is so refreshing!! Who will be the first to judge anyone other than the self righteous charlatans & so-called Christians of the world??? They manifest the HATE of the universe while spouting Bible quotes of “Thou Shalt not Judge”. LOLOL What a crock!! If they had their way, every one of us would be in Hell.
Will they be changing the name to Superthey?
Superman or SuperBoy etc is just a super human being with a few extra skillsets. He is not Mother Theresa or any kind of prophet that can or should take issues. His main theme is to fight crime, rescue people and to keep us safe from harm. If or when he gives a positive message such as defending gay people or minorities, that should be a side story not the main one. The easiest way to diffuse this would have been to create a New Character like Superman’s cousin or nephew BUT with a different title. We’ve all been conditioned to know Superman as a fighter against crime and keeping us safe. This new writer or creator is trying to capitalize on the Superman franchise which he shouldn’t. A new character should have been created with a new name, new identify and new skills. This would diffuse almost all controversy.
Leave Superman alone! His stories of being a “good guy and hero will outlive all of us. I’m a senior and don’t expect or want Superman to represent my age group. Have you not heard the saying – stop trying to fix something that is not broken. I’m surprised that DC Comics’ finance, marketing and sales departments are in agreement to losing money. If they used common sense, DC could design a hero for the bisexual, etc community. Leave our beloved Superman and Superwoman alone!
Clarification of previous comment- DC could design a hero for the bisexual, etc community that is a different stand alone comic book, not contained in the Superman comic.
I’m done with DC and if they mess with Batman then I’m going to hunt some people down like the League of Assassins..
Too many people of my generation speaking on this. They are ignoring that this is a different superman, a different generation, not their time. One even went so far as to say Lois Lane would be upset that her man is sharing with another man, rather than noticing that it is Lois Lane’s son who is identifying himself. Bravo DC. Now let’s get a mental health advocate out there so youth can know it is ok to talk about their issues rather than just be brooding and hurt themselves. Nobody needs to be the Batman of our day as well.
This is completely wrong and it’s quite apparent DC comics,is all about money.This is also very confusing for kids reading these comics.I cannot believe this was done for nothing but politics in gender equality.Leave Superman alone! This should never have been allowed to go forward.
I for one am disgusted and disappointed in DC Comics.
I truly hope the backlash is a gross loss of comic book sales and people in high places in that organization being removed from their respected posts.
Can’t wait for the next gay parade, I am sure all of them will be wearing Supernan costumes sporting Rainbow capes!
Why not show some actual creativity and make a new superhero? Wouldn’t that be better than changing one that has been around for decades without the slightest mention of having interest in anyone other than Lois Lane? But what do I know. I’m sure they are cashing in on the hype alone, they can afford the security.
If you are this bent out of shape over the orientation of a fictional alien, you need more to do.
I love comic books and graphic novels. I have collected since I was a teenager and I’m almost fifty now. The vast majority of the people crying like their puppy died have always seen themselves represented. I thought you were taught to share when you were a toddler. There’s room enough for everyone.
I think it’s wonderful that so many industries are recognizing the value of adding seats at the table. Maybe seeing someone else’s perspective represented will help to reduce the fear that is causing all of this anger.
There’s never been a work of fiction that has made me want to threaten another person. You have a broken ideology if that’s where the idea of inclusion leads you.
I don’t buy comic books any more. Gave that all up as a teen. But I see nothing wrong with Superman’s SON being bisexual. It is not Superman (Clark Kent) himself who is bisexual. It is just a comic book and you can stop buying them if you don’t like the story line. Is this going to translate over to the tv show as well? I hope the tv writers take a leaf from the reactions online of readers and decide from that whether to also make the kid on tv bisexual. I’m fine with it same as I have been fine with Supergirl”s “sister” to be gay.
This is a new superhero. This is the SON of Clark and Lois. New guy, same moniker. If showing someone, like the SON of a well known superhero, as part of the LGBTQ community gets you up in arms and feeing “attacked” due to you being human and not part of that community, you need help. And stop trying to say that Clark is changing. It is explicitly stated that it is his and Lois Lane’s son, not Clark. Stop trying to set up your own, exclusionary, agenda.
Reading comprehension seems to be very low…It’s Superman’s son….Also comics, like most art forms, will include politics almost always with many coded character’s appearing throughout history. A lot of people’s homophobia is showing for sure. Y’all are tired, and yawn worthy.
White and straight things have been shoved down people’s throats for the past century. Diverse characters are only going to grow with white being a HUGE minority now, and queer people estimated to make up 10% of the world’s population back in 2015.
By today with more understanding and language to describe who people love, we could have anywhere between 10-15% of the population being queer, and thats only for those who choose to share. That’s at least 780 million people up to 1 billion.
It’s clear by the number of comments that refer to Jon’s Superman as “their favourite hero”, refer to “Lois’ man” et cetera that DC is not doing a good job of pointing out that this is NOT Clark Kent, the person who’s been Superman for 80+ years, but his SON, and thus a totally different person.
I don’t mind having LGBTQ characters in the comics; I support Jon being bisexual…what I TRULY HATE is when they take a character with an established sexual identity and change it…recently the original Earth Green Lantern, Alan Scott, came to the realisation he was gay in his nineties, notwithstanding his character’s history of marriage, children, etc. There were many other JSA members with no relationship history they could’ve worked with – I would’ve LOVED it if Wildcat, the Boxing Champ, who projects as a “manly man”, but had no history of relationships, would have come out, instead.
Make new characters. Stop trying to change the genders or proclivities of every single thing that people have enjoyed as they are for decades. Most of the changes to existing characters have not improved anything and have resulted in a backlash from people who don’t want their heroes–fictional or not–messed with.
Even comics are sinful but then again is 2021 the year of soy, boys, betas, self entitled, cowards, cancel uncultured.
FATHER FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY NOT KNOW WHAT THEY DO.
I am a gay man and I think this is completely stupid. If you want to create a new comic character who is lesbian or gay, go for it. Don�t change an established character. Hey! Why not make Batman really really FAT?!! You know� so obese people can see themselves in a superhero. Oh brother!!!
Gay is a minority period , you want gay characters then start a new superhero . The woke will end when our gay govt changes in 24
Gay is a minority period , you want gay characters then start a new superhero . The woke will end when our gay govt changes in 24
I think this is an excellent idea. Jon Kent being bisexual and currently having a boyfriend, nothing wrong with that. If people have a problem with Jon Kent having a boyfriend, or him being a bisexual, just don’t buy this comic book, and don’t read it.
What are you all talking about?!!!!
Superman isn’t bisexual, his son (the new Superman) is. What is wrong with that? The character is 17, the time when people begin to express their sexuality. Get over it, gay and bisexual people exist and so should characters.
And by the way, one of the surest ways that outs one’s closeted sexuality is to so intensely deny it’s normalcy.
I don’t think the world is ready for this. I know I’m not. It’s time to stop pushing gay propaganda on the masses. It just blows back up in the faces of LGTBQ2WHY people. Did I get those letters right? Or have more been added to totally confuse us?
This is Superman�s son (from Clark and Lois). To the woman who wrote, create a bisexual super hero if you want, but leave our Superman alone!�
This is Superman�s son (from Clark and Lois). To the woman who wrote, create a bisexual super hero if you want, but leave our Superman alone!�
Uh very experienced & very cretive & excellent psychitrist told me once tht bisexuls ov “both sexes” were the helthiest people (I hve some keys tht dn’t work right now) I guess I m not ll THT helthy but I see his point (to some degree) You cun love someone without ever heving sex or without them being the right sex & my best prtner ever hd liked other women more thn men
This is Superman�s son (from Clark and Lois). To the woman who wrote, create a bisexual super hero if you want, but leave our Superman alone!�
I am OK and NOT OK with that decision and here is why.
First, I think that in the mind of many people there is confusion between Superman and his son. Superman is still heterosexual, it is his son who is bisexual. So I think it was a good decision to keep Superman hétérosexual.
WHY I AM OK
Currently in my 60s, there were no bisexual or gay heroes or models in the 60s who would have allowed me to positively identify myself as gay. As the religious pressure was very strong in those years where I live, I had no choice but to pretend to be heterosexual until my thirties when suicidal thoughts became more and more frequent. I had to go to psychotherapy where I was finally able to start accepting myself as gay and gradually find some happiness back in my life.
I think the idea of making Superman’s son a bisexual man interesting. Although self-acceptance as gay is much easier today than it was in the sixties, this bisexual character can help some young men to accept more who they are, especially in their teenage years when they find that they are a little different from most people. I think this also could help heterosexual teenage boys to accept that their friends may be bisexual or gay.
So the message in this decision is strong and important : anyone can be a good person, even a hero whether they are heterosexual, bisexual or gay, and also that a masculine man could accept and love his son, no matter what his sexual identity.
WHY I AM NOT OK
However, with Superman being for a long time a traditionally male and strong character, struggling to save the world and uphold justice, I understand that some people may feel shocked or disgusted by the idea that his son is bisexual. It shakes their belief that a masculine man or a man fighting for justice or a religious man cannot accept to have a bisexual or gay son, so it may be difficult for them to accept this new thing. No matter if those people are saying that they don’t have problem with gay people, this reluctance to accept this sexual identity to Superman’s son reveals that they would not be able to accept that their own son could be like that. I can understand this way of thinking and I respect it.
For this reason, I think the authors should have kept a heterosexual role for Superman’s son, but while making both of them (father and son) play a more important role in defending people and save life of all good people, no matter their sexual identity (hetero, bi, gay…). Of course people of very strong religious believes probably would yet have been against this idea, but perhaps it would have been easier for most people to accept it.
The message in that decision would have been different, but just as important : heterosexual men can remain strong, masculine and fighting for justice even if they respect and love their bisexual or gay son (and indirectly defend LGBT people).