Could Jordan Kent become Superboy?
Superman & Lois is finally here and god! The twists in the episode hit all the right beats. Also, this is not a review by any means. This is about the big potential Superboy bombshell that got dropped regarding Jordan Kent, one of Clark and Lois’ twin boys. There is so much to talk about here and we cannot wait to talk about it.
The pilot episode answered so many of its own questions which is a really nice change. It also set up things that will addressed later in the series which is not usually done in a series premiere.
Before we proceed, we need to stress that this post does contain spoilers for the first episode of Superman & Lois so please read at your own risk.
The Imperfect Twin
When we meet Jordan for the first time, he is definitely not Superboy material the way his brother, Jonathan is. Clark explains in his monologue that the second of the twins was diagnosed at the age of thirteen with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Leading up to this, the teenager had grown up with behavioural issues where as a child he threw tantrums and experienced constant nightmares.
Meanwhile, Jonathan is the perfect child essentially. He’s always happy and easy to handle which is the polar opposite of what Jordan is. Given the significance of Jon’s existence in the comics, it was widely hinted at that he would become a version of Superboy, not Jordan.
This appeared to be the case when the incident in the barn occurs when Jonathan jumps to protect his brother after he falls 30 feet and poles fall them and Sarah Cushing who manages to escape the accident and runs to find help
When Clark becomes forced to reveal to the boys who he is, Jordan becomes upset that his parents lied to him and Jonathan all their lives. He refers to his brother as ‘Superboy’ given how good he is at everything he does. What’s more is he becomes more distraught at the idea that he is half-human half-alien.
Clark’s Reasons For Keep The Boys In The Dark
Throughout the episode, there is a constant back and forth between Clark and Lois about whether the boys should be told. Kent is deadset against his sons knowing about him being Superman and so is father-in-law, Sam. Meanwhile, his wife [Lois] wants the kids to know the truth.
Clark had his reasons for not telling the boys about his superhero identity. He didn’t want to upset Jordan because there might’ve been a chance only one of the twins got powers. He and Lois naturally assumed Jonathan was the one with the powers given his athletic talents.
It came a surprise when Jordan reveals to them later that he rolled on top of brother to protect him in the barn when the pole fell on them. This is also backed up earlier when Clark goes to pick up the boys from the party where the explosion happened and he finds his younger son’s eyes are swollen and red having used his heat vision for the first time.
One of Clark’s initial fears was losing Jordan all together given his mental health issues. The second twins was already distant from him and he didn’t want to further that gap.
How Could Jonathan Fit In If He’s Not Going Be A Version Of Superboy?
Jonathan might not be Superboy, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t still end up with powers. It would kinda defeat the purpose of the ‘Super sons’. Yes, we’re aware this term was used for Jon Kent and Damian Wayne in the comics.
It’s possible that Jon is just a late bloomer. He needs to have at least one thing he’s not great at. Jonathan is already really good at sport and he’s well liked apparently with a girlfriend. Since he was born a solo baby pre-Crisis, he’s probably the older twin. Given the way he jumped in to protect his brother in the barn all but confirms this.
What was established a great deal was the idea that the one person who can handle Jordan’s outbursts is Jonathan. When his brother explodes at their parents for keeping Clark’s Superman secret to themselves, Jon goes after him to calm him down.
It’s almost like Jonathan is Jordan’s version of Alex, the adoptive sister of their cousin, Kara. Whether he ends up with powers somewhere done the line is yet to be seen.
