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.
https://twitter.com/TomTaylorMade/status/1447585138804604928?s=20
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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