Superman: Son of Kal-El #9 reveals that Jonathan Kent experienced a major trauma in his early years that still has an effect on the hero.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman: Son of Kal-El #9, now on sale from DC Comics.
Jon Kent’s promotion to the role of Superman has been interesting and largely entertaining. Even before he became the new Man of Steel, Jon had survived plenty of dark turns, including a lengthy stint on Earth-3 that might have had a greater effect on him than he’s ever admitted.
Superman: Son of Kal-El #9 (by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Wade Von Grawbadger, Adriano Lucas, and Wes Abbott) reveals that an important part of Jon Kent’s origins are still a major trauma for the hero, painting some of his heroism in an interesting new light.
Jon Kent’s encounter with Earth-3 was part of his extended trip through the universe with Jor-El during the overarching Superman: The Unity Saga storyline. While traveling through the cosmos, Jon and Jor-El were dragged into a dark vortex that deposited Jon onto Earth-3, where he faced off against the Crime Syndicate. Taking an interest in Jon, Ultraman (that world’s dark variant of Superman) dragged Jon away from a fight with the rest of the team and deposited him in a volcano. Jon spent five years imprisoned before he was able to escape, and although he told his parents about the overall experience, he left out the details of his imprisonment.
In the aftermath of the storyline, it seemed as if Jon had processed any lingering trauma from his experience and moved past it. But in Superman: Son of Kal-El #9, Jon opens up to Nightwing, who offers a supportive shoulder. It’s a sweet moment that not only codifies the relationship between the two heroes but also highlights the difficulties the new Man of Steel has endured over the last few years.
One of Jon’s defining characteristics in his tenure as Superman is his genuine kindness and empathy for his fellow man. Like his father before him, Jon Kent has a benevolent and altruistic nature and just wants to do the best he can to help others. However, it still makes sense that Jon would have some lingering issues from his early years, with his biggest trauma stemming from his time imprisoned on Earth-3. This layers the character and presents his empathy in a heartbreaking light, revealing that Jon fully understands how it feels to be in need of rescue.
The fact that a dark variant of his father was responsible for torturing him could explain some of Jon’s questions about Superman’s place in the world. Since stepping into the identity, the new Man of Steel has brought a modern curiosity and introspection to the role and responsibilities of being DC’s greatest hero. This trauma still being on Jon’s mind is an interesting way to consider his commitment to helping all sorts of people who are trapped in dangerous situations (such as the people fleeing Bendix’s nation of Gamorra). Jon retaining a serious piece of trauma adds to his empathic side as the new Superman, and gives the character a surprising (but interesting) element to his heroic persona..
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