On Coming Out Day yesterday, DC comics made a big announcement: Superman is bisexual.
The DC Universe is a complicated place, and the Superman in question isn’t the original Superman, the Clark Kent one, but Superman’s son Jon Kent. But still, it’s Superman, and thus a big deal, and most who heard the news yesterday thought it was, well, sweet. DC also released a picture of Superman and his new boyfriend kissing, and thousands of people, I’m guessing, saved it to their hard drives.
But not everyone was thrilled by the news.
Some, er, critics reacted with sarcasm. Perpetual media asshole Piers Morgan tweeted:
Meanwhile, over on The Daily Stormer, Andrew Anglin joked that he was “glad that someone is willing to teach our children about anal sex with men.”
Other commenters were roused to full-blown hysteria, with one Republican Senate hopeful declaring flatly that DC Comics is “literally trying to destroy America.”
Meanwhile, Arizona state senator Wendy Rogers was so addled by the news that she made a glorious typo that was a great deal more hilarious than her gay lisp joke.
Fox News responded in its inimitable way:
But what was most striking to me, as I scrolled through the reactions of an assortment of right wing media sites I track, was how many of the critics seemed to take Superman’s bisexuality personally, as if he had just planted a big wet kiss on their own personal lips. (Not that the gentlemanly Superman would do that without their consent.)
On RedState, Mike Miller explained that
a close friend called me this morning to break the cataclysmic news about (the demise of) Superman as we know him. Not only is the “news” emblematic of the Left’s drive to destroy America as we know it, it is insidious. These people never stop, and they never get enough. Like spoiled children.
And they are eating the American elephant one bite at a time.
They’re eating the what now?
Over on Townhall, Tom Tradup reported that
it was with no little sadness I noted media reports this week that DC Comics … is launching a “coming out” for a new, gay Superman. With storyline featuring Jonathan Kent—“son” of the original Superman (don’t ask)—as a woke superhero who fights climate change—ugh—protests deportation of refugees in Metropolis—double ugh—and finally, has a same-sex relationship with another male. Only thing DC is missing is having the new Superman fix the increasingly-ratty hairstyles of MSNBC’s Joy Reid.
What does any of this have to do with Joy Reid?
“At this point, they’re just trolling me,” wrote Rob Dreher of the American Conservative.
Who asked for this? Who asked for superheroes to have sex lives, or gay sex lives? What does it mean that the ideological colonization of the superhero genre, the modern mythology of our times, means that transgressive sexual desire is now a definitive characteristic of our pop culture god figures?
Meanwhile, TheRightScoop declared that
DC is doing everything it can to ruin everything. They’ve done it on their TV shows, making Supergirl’s sister and several other characters gay, and now they are doing the same thing to the original Superman, making his son gay.
This is nothing but LGBT indoctrination and it’s disgusting. I’ve completely abandoned shows that I would have continued watching because of this and you can be sure I won’t be going anywhere near the latest DC comics.
Jonathon Van Maren of Lifesite has been keeping track of all the queer comic heroes.
Back in August, I wrote a column about the queering of DC Comics, with the announcement that Robin, Batman’s sidekick since 1940, was coming out as bi-sexual. I noted that as the LGBT revolution progresses, not a single major entertainment franchise will go untouched. America has a bi-sexual Robin, a gay Archie character, a lesbian Jo March, two moms in Clifford, a homosexual Mr. Ratburn, and an entire panoply of LGBT cartoon characters on TV. It was only a matter of time before America’s most iconic comic book character followed.
Wait, Clifford has two mommies?
On American Thinker, Andrea Widburg started off by assuring her readers that she’s not a homophobe or anything.
I’m libertarian enough to believe that, whether it’s nature or nurture, some people prefer their own sex. What I am not okay with is the left’s relentless efforts to get children to embrace non-normative sexual behaviors. … The most recent example is that DC Comics, which owns the Superman franchise, has made him—or rather, his son and heir—bisexual.
Then she threw in some transphobia, just because she could.
What’s finally crossed the line for [parents] after 13 years of relentless indoctrination [starting in the Obama administration] is transgenderism. It’s one thing to recognize an ancient (although not particularly salubrious) behavior. It’s another thing entirely for schools and popular culture to tell our children that they can magically change their basic biology just by wishing.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure no one is saying this. It does sound like an awesome premise for a superpower, though. I eagerly await the coming of Transman. In part because that would be cool, but mainly so I could see all of these critics’ heads explode at once.
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Honestly, I’m surprised that nobody called attention to the elephant in the room: that this Superman was born from a relationship between a human and an alien, which I’m pretty sure they’d be against if said alien wasn’t indistinguishable from a human.
In other news, since when did Superman have a kid?
@ anonymous
Apparently it’s over on the buffet table.
Where were these people when Talia Al Ghul conceived Damian Wayne by drugging Batman?
Oh right, they don’t care about sexual assault if it’s heterosexual.
superman has wanted to bone batman through my entire childhood, I don’t know what these guys are talking about
@Mrs. Obed Marsh
I’m assuming Damian Wayne grew up straight, so it’s all good. If not, burn the witch!
And a note to Piers Morgan that actually he doesn’t know Lois Lane ISN’T pansexual as it is, since she could be without being distinguishably different from straight to the outside observer. Maybe she just loves Superman’s personality. It’s not like PM ever asked her (I mean, barring that she’s a cartoon character and all.)
@Anonymous:
Since at least as far back as 2006, when the little tyke mauled one of Lex Luthor’s goons with a grand piano. (Justifiable: he had kidnapped him and Lois and was about to brain the latter with a statue for having had the temerity to send a fax with their coordinates to get rescue on the way.)
It’s 15 years later in the real world; if comic-universe time tracks that, he’d be a young adult now in the middle of his college years.
@surplus
he also has Jon Kent (superboy) to be best friends with Damián Wayne, batman biological son. the comics are called supersons and its one of my favorite.
@big titty demon
the first 10 years he spent the time with Talia and was Ras punching bag.
There’s been trans characters in comics since forever. Popeye was already openly ‘amphibious‘ since ages ago
Piers Morgan accidentally had a good idea. A lesbian gender fluid Lex Luther would be iconic.
Rob Dreher:
AHAHAHAHA! Oh God, it’s like he has never been on the internet. Superhero slash is <i>inescapable</i>. Admittedly, most of it completely implausible, like Iron Man/Captain America (because we all know that Tony will never be able to take Steve away from Bucky.)
Tom Tradup:
I really have no idea what Tradup is trying to insinuate here. Jon is the biological son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, conceived and born in wedlock. Yeah, Clark is an alien, so there had to be some phlebotinum involved for conception to occur, but he is Clakr and Lois’ kid in every respect that people like Tradup tedn to require to consider someone “legitimately” the child of someone else.
Andrea Widburg:
Widburg here perfectly displays one of the things that I find most hilarious/infuriating about Libertarians: the common insistence that they are without bigotry, that they are “socially liberal,” and only “economically conservative.” They are, they insist, friends to oppressed groups and want to protect everyone’s freedoms.
Then they engage in bigoted rants that are completely indistinguishable from a Trumpist’s and vote a straight Republican ticket. If “virtue signalling” were not something that only The Evil Leftists do, I would be tempted to level such an accusation at them…
My favorite meltdowns have to be the ones from “true fans” that are apparently incapable of distinguishing Jon Kent from his father Clark, or Robin Tim Drake from his adoptive brother and prior Robin Dick Grayson. I expect they are the exact same “true fans” whose response to the upcoming “She-Hulk” TV show was “They’re turning Hulk into a girl! Stan Lee must be rolling in his grave!”
(Like Jon Kent from Clark Kent, or Timothy Drake from Dick Grayson, She-Hulk a.k.a. Jennifer Walters is a completely distinct character from the Hulk a.k.a. her cousin Bruce Banner. She-Hulk, this leftist invasion of wokeness into the sacred ground of comics, was co-created in 1980 by… checks notes… Stan Lee. Huh.)
It seems the people protesting have pondered this a lot more than I, actual bisexual, have. I was happy when I heard the news, but then thought, “Ehh, he’s a fictional character…” and then went on to think about other things.
And how would this teach children anal sex? Or any sexual details at all?? It’s not like “straight” pairings are automatically teaching children about penis-with-vagina sex!
@Alan – That meme is downright adorable!
I read the headline and thought, “no way, Clark is only LL-sexual”, but hey, his son? Sure, why not. Clark and Lois are modern, supportive parents who would take that in stride (The new “Superman and Lois” show is great; they have twin [hetero] sons in it).
Now everyone has a chance at a buff guy who can fly!
Lois has always been a tough worldly-wise lady, so for all we know she’s had a few girlfriends. And, let’s face, woman’s shagging a damn SPACE ALIEN, so that *might* be pansexual?
And a lesbian (or gender-fluid) Lex would be amazing. I would watch/buy.
I wonder what version of the comic Anglin is reading. Don’t recall any actual sex scenes illustrated in mainstream comics (And I’m always reminded of the gay friends who have commented “Republican politicians think about anal sex more than I do!”).
Clifford the Big Red Dog has an owner girl, who has a mom and dad.
All the trans people I know would be thrilled if they could have changed “just by wishing”. So much easier than hormones, surgery, hair woes, and endless legal crap.
If America can be destroyed by LGBT acceptance, then it deserves to be destroyed, and replaced by a better America.
“Who asked for superheroes to have sex lives, or gay sex lives?”
If Superman’s kid had a female girlfriend these guys would all be chortling about her bustline. Speaking of which, I’m sure none of rhem spent their early adolescence with their bedroom door locked and a copy of Wonder Woman ( a little femdom for our oh-so-masculine friends on the Right- and those of the feminine persuasion?)
Are these the same people who clutched their pearls when Wonder Woman told Superman that since Themyscira is an island of women, it’s not “gay marriage” to her, just “marriage”? (Diana was officiating at the marriage of two women in that comic, if memory serves.)
Probably not. Homophobia tends to get uglier when it’s focused on other men, because how dare gay/bi men exist in defiance of the patriarchy.
for my other comic fans of the dc world out there, do you guys consider Conner Kent superman child with Lex Luthor or is he just a clone?
So, when will Jon and Tim Drake double-date with their new SOs?
@Elaine
That’s an interesting question. I’m generally inclined to think of clones as siblings, but due to Conner’s being created by combining two people’s DNA he’s not so much a clone as an artificially conceived offspring.
So yes, I would say Conner specifically is more like the son of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor. Conner himself (since learning about Lex’s involvement with his creation) has definitely been written with a “turns out my dad is an asshole” view of it.
Only knowing Superman from the Christopher Reeve films I can’t really add to the comic debate; but I’ve always liked this.
OT: I’ve partially determined the cause of the blank (and sometimes just plain incorrect) Youtube embeds around here.
It seems to be caused by a WP plugin called “Lyte” for making YT embeds use less bandwidth until/unless clicked on. Obviously it doesn’t always work properly for Firefox end-users. I was not able to determine why, though.
A brute force fix would be for David to disable “Lyte”. YT embeds would cause a bit more bandwidth use for the site’s users, but not for David’s server, as the added bandwidth use would consist of client requests to YT infrastructure, not to WHTM itself.
They would also, I’m hoping, function normally for all users.
The fun part is the pearl clutching at how the Left is coming after children by making a character bisexual in a medium that is famously ridiculed as having completely given up on getting children to read it, courting instead 30+ year olds with nostalgia and/or collectors/speculators.
I used to read a comics critique who ironically superposed the old “Hey Kids! Comics!” slogan on top of the Sentry ripping apart <insert henchman> in a sea of gore as his graphic for all his blog posts discussing the completely insular world of comics collecting and its lack of trying to attract new blood.
@Galanx; @Victorious Parasol:
And let’s not forget that Wonder Woman, right out of the starting gate, was the creation of a man and two women living in a kinky polyamorous relationship.
@Surplus, that’s the same problem that’s been plaguing me, I think!
(speaking as a technoklutz/technosaur, I accidentally stumbled on something that seems to help – for absolutely no apparent reason, it’s essentially witchcraft as far as I’m concerned. I click on the, um, the url bar thingy at the top of my page – I mean, whatever is the name for that place where it says https://www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/ etc etc date and title of the post etc. This has the effect of “selecting” the whole url, don’t know if that matters or not.
And I go to the end of the line (first time I did this was just to check I hadn’t accidentally added something that shouldn’t be there) … and then press my carriage return key (yes it’s a carriage return dammit yes I know there have been no carriages returning anywhere for lo these many many decades; probably the enter key would do just as well, I dunno) and by arcane magics when I go back down the page to the missing youtube clip, there it is as large as life and twice as natural.)
I have zero idea why this happens. It makes absolutely no sense to me. But it’s happened quite a lot of times now, so maybe it’s not completely irrelevant …
Actually if anyone knows why this happens I’d be curious to know :-s