Superman’s Boyfriend Is Becoming a Hero in His Own Right

Superman's most enduring love interests, especially Lois Lane, have long been established as uniquely human in contrast to the absurd heights of Superman's power and importance. And yet, a single committed human can give even someone with god-like power inspiration and hope. It was a role a new character's been filling for Jon Kent, but that might not necessarily be the case for much longer.

Superman: Son of Kal-El #12 (by Tom Taylor, Cian Tormey, Scott Hanna, Raúl Fernández, and Dave Sharpe) sets up Superman's boyfriend Jay to become a powerful superhero like Jon Kent. In the process, it could potentially cost him the kind of role he'd been set up to occupy as the new generation's Lois Lane.

Jay Nakamura has been one of the most important new additions to the DC Universe. A reporter for the Truth and a refugee from Gamorra Island thanks to the help of the Revolutionaries, Jay became a far more vital figure when he began a romance with Jon Kent. Jay's also been assisted by his superpowers, which allow him to phase through solid matter like Kate Pryde of the X-Men in Marvel Comics. All of this has helped him establish a public identity as Gossamer with the Truth. But his attempts to help Jon expose the connections between Bendix and members of the United States government on a live-stream result in Jay losing his mask -- exposing his true identity for the whole world to see.

This puts Jay in a unique position that previews for Superman: Son of Kal-El #14 have teased will see him become a more overt member of the superhero community. In effect, Jay is being elevated to become his own hero, likely gaining his own superhero identity. On the one hand, it's an exciting escalation for the character, pushing him further into the limelight. While he's had plenty of time with Jon, this also could be an easy way to introduce Jay into new dynamics with other superheroes. But at the same time, this development might have complicated something that worked well about Jay.

In many ways, Jay was designed to be Jon's answer to Lois Lane. Like with his father before him, Jon found himself attracted to someone defined by a pursuit of the truth. It was an interesting development for Jon, keeping him somewhat grounded. Although Jay was quick to discover Jon's identity, his place as Jon's love interest allowed for plenty of storytelling potential for the pair to keep their connection a secret to the world at large. Jay being a "normal" person capable of slipping into quieter situations could have allowed him to truly take Lois' place within Jon's orbit, investigating stories on his own.

But as a superhero, Jay will likely be a more recognizable and straightforward do-gooder. That's not a bad thing as it could help highlight the diversity currently in the DC Universe. But Jay loses something as a superhero instead of being a reporter. While Jay becoming his own superhero might be a good addition to the roster of young heroes in the DC Universe, it does take away something that made Jay unique among the newer generation. He was an inheritor of the important role that Lois has played over the years as a committed human believer in the power and importance of heroes, with or without a cape and costume.