Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
The comic book company announced Monday (in honor of National Coming Out Day) that Jon, who has taken the reins as Earth’s new Superman in theSuperman: Son of Kal-Elseries,comes out as bisexualin the upcoming fifth issue, available Nov. 9. The character finds himself striking up a romantic relationship with reporter Jay Nakamura. After Superman gets burnt out, physically and mentally, from trying to save the planet, Jay is there to care for him.
Cain, 55, played Clark Kent in the ’90s television seriesLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Supermanopposite Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane exploring their heterosexual romance. While appearing onFox News’Fox & FriendsFirstTuesday, he criticized the new storyline.
“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,” he said. “If they had done this 20 years ago, perhaps that would be bold or brave. 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 offense of being gay.”
Bob D’Amico/ABC/Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The actor — who also previously appeared on The CW’sSupergirland the 2014 filmGod’s Not Dead— alsowrote an op-ed aboutthe topic published on the website RealClearPolitics.
“I say they’re jumping on the bandwagon,” he wrote in the piece, published Thursday, “but they’re fighting the wrong issues. There is a clear agenda here. It’s globalist, it’s anti-America, but it’s not bold and it’s not brave.”
“A gay or bisexual superhero is not groundbreaking in 2021. It’s banal. I have zero issue with that. I’m all for inclusiveness and acceptance and tolerance,” Cain continued. “It might be more interesting, however, if they creatednewcharacters instead of retrofitting the identity of existing ones.”
He added, “Inclusiveness is healthy, but tinkering with the sexuality or political outlook of fictional heroes does not necessarily improve their character. Here, after all, was the initial description of the man from Krypton: ‘Superman, champion of the oppressed. The physical marvel who had sworn to devote his existence to helping those in need!’ That’s a hard mantra to improve on, in my view, and is quintessentially American — it champions both strength and compassion.”
In a November 2020 interview, Cain told theIrish Independentthat he was an independent and had cast his ballot for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, saying his was vote “not about Trump’s personality, it’s about the policies of Democrats and Republicans.”
Commenting on today’s political climate inanother appearanceon the network, Cain also claimed that Superman today “wouldn’t be allowed to say ‘Truth, justice and the American way.’ "
Taylor added, “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.”
RELATED VIDEO: Brandon Routh Says Having Two Supermen in the Room Was a ‘Weird’ and ‘Surreal’ Experience
Jordan Elsass currently plays a teenage Jonathan Kent in the CW television seriesSuperman & Lois, which sees the titular couple relocating from Metropolis to Clark’s hometown of Smallville, Kansas, with their two sons.
The iconic fictional character’s big news comes after fellow DC character Robin’s alter ego Tim Drakewas revealed as bisexualin the August issue ofBatman: Urban Legends.
source: people.com
