DC Is Saving a Fan-Favorite Superhero While Dooming Another

One of the most controversial changes DC Comics made in the last decade was aging Superman’s son, Jon Kent, aka Superboy. When he was first introduced as a kid, fans quickly fell in love with him and felt like he was a great addition to the Man of Steel’s mythos. And when he was suddenly aged into a fully-grown teenager, readers were understandably dismissive. Since then, Jon’s been in a state of stagnation. That all changed when, in the Superman Unlimited series, Jon not only finds his own identity as the superhero Tomorrow Man, but the original adolescent Jon Kent is finally back! However, while this new setup restores the young Jon, it may doom the older son of Superman.

In Superman Unlimited #11, the older Jon fought the Fourth-Dimensional villain Master Txyz in the realm of time. After being confronted with his failure to leave an impact on the world as the second Superman, Jon carves out his own identity as the superhero Tomorrow Man. When Master Txyz was beaten, he gifted Jon with his younger self before he had been imprisoned on Earth-3 and underwent his controversial age jump. Superman Unlimited #12 centers on the aftermath of this game-changing retcon. With the original Jon Kent restored, the question now is what happens to the older version who had been a part of the DC Universe for the past seven years?

There’s Only Room for One Jon Kent in the Superman Family

With Master Txyz relocating the younger Jon Kent in the time continuum to avoid undergoing years of torture on Earth-3, Tomorrow Man is left in a precarious situation. Since now there are concurrently two versions of Jon, the timeline is at great risk of alteration. To avoid this potential catastrophe, the older Jon’s new Tomorrow Man persona hides his identity, ensuring that neither his younger self nor other people discover this fact, which knowledge could threaten to wipe him from existence. However, Tomorrow Man’s now left in an immensely tragic situation. For while the original Jon Kent is given a second chance at life, Tomorrow Man let go of everything to preserve his own existence and ensure that his younger self receives the childhood he had initially lost.

With the young Superboy lost and confused in this new time period, Tomorrow Man takes it upon himself to calm his younger self down and help him find a home in this era. Tomorrow Man takes the young Superboy to their mother, Lois Lane, and she’s overwhelmed with joy at having her son restored to his original age. It’s an incredibly touching moment and one that readers have been waiting years to see play out. However, as Lois tearfully embraces Superboy, Tomorrow Man is left in a horrible position. Lois has no idea that Tomorrow Man is also her son. To preserve his existence and give his younger self the life he never had, Tomorrow Man deliberately decides to conceal his identity from everyone.

In a sense, the original Superboy is replacing Tomorrow Man’s place in the Kent family, making it so the older Jon is an outsider looking in on his own family. Although Lois shows Tomorrow Man kindness, she still has no idea that he’s also her son. For Jon to be forced into the position where his own mother looks at him like a stranger is incredibly tragic. By giving his younger self a better past, Jon has essentially destroyed all his present relationships with his friends and family. Jon has gone from a hero just beginning to form his own identity to being completely isolated, to the point where he can’t even show his face to his loved ones.

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Tomorrow Man’s Future Is a Mystery

Since his debut, Jon Kent has been defined by his relationship with his father and the rest of the Superman family. For all of that to be stripped away from him in an instant leaves his character in a precarious situation. As Tomorrow Man, Jon is already set up to be a significant player in the “Reign of the Superboys” story arc, but beyond that, everything about the future for both himself and his younger version is left entirely up in the air.

With no home, no friends, and no family, Tomorrow Man will likely be forced to carve his own place in the world or in some other world. Jon leaving Earth or traveling into the future is highly probable. For the first possible outcome, Jon could become an intergalactic hero. For the latter possibility, Tomorrow Man could potentially join a version of the Legion of Superheroes who were cured from Darkseid’s corruption. Jon Ken was initially aged up in part so that DC could have him become a member of the Legion, so his rejoining the Legion as Tomorrow Man could potentially bring his character full circle and give him the chance to make new connections with other teenage heroes.

If Tomorrow Man does stay on Earth in the 21st century, it could have disastrous consequences for either him or the younger Superboy. It’s highly unlikely that DC will have two versions of Jon Kent as a kid and a teen running around in the same location indefinitely, so if Tomorrow Man doesn’t find a new time or place to call his own, something will happen to remove one of the Jons from the equation permanently. Perhaps the younger Superboy isn’t the original Jon Kent at all, and instead an imposter with nefarious purposes who must be defeated. Alternatively, perhaps Tomorrow Man must sacrifice himself for the greater good so that the younger Jon can fully retake the spotlight. Either way, the world would be losing a Superboy.

Ironically, the moment the older Jon Kent begins to forge an independent identity, his entire existence as a character is in jeopardy. No matter how people feel about the decision to age Jon, his seclusion from the rest of his family to make room for the fan-favorite child version of him is immensely heartbreaking. One can only imagine how Superman’s going to react when he finally comes home from his multiversal voyage and sees his son seemingly de-aged. Whatever the case may be, the story of the two Jon Kents is far from over. It will undoubtedly have world-shaking developments in the near future.

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