A Fox News contributor has been mocked after expressing outrage over the new, bisexual Superman.
DC Comics confirmed yesterday (11 October) that Jon Kent, the firstborn son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, will be in a relationship with a man in forthcoming issues of the long-running comic book. Jon took over the mantle of Superman following his father’s departure from Earth.
During an appearance on Fox News show The Ingraham Angle, guest Raymond Arroyo questioned why DC Comics are “sexualising superheroes”.
“I was a Batman and Superman and Spider-Man kid,” he said. “I loved those heroes. We just wanted them to get the bad guys, not a venereal disease.”
Arroyo’s comments were quickly lambasted online, with DC readers and observers mocking the Fox News regular.
“Guarantee this dude has never read a comic book in his life,” wrote one person.
Another person tweeted: “This is a take that demonstrates that our dude here hasn’t read a comic book in 30ish years or more. Also ignores the fact that male superheroes, at least traditionally, have ALWAYS had love interests. Like, since the beginning, some have had prolific love lives.”
DC says that Superman’s sexuality will be revealed in the 9 November issue of Superman: Son of Kal-El.
“We couldn’t be prouder to tell this important story from Tom Taylor and John Timms. We talk a lot about the power of the DC Multiverse in our storytelling and this is another incredible example,” DC publisher and CCO Jim Lee said in a statement.
“We can have Jon Kent exploring his identity in the comics as well as Jon Kent learning the secrets of his family on TV on Superman & Lois. They coexist in their own worlds and times, and our fans get to enjoy both simultaneously.”
Superman is the second DC hero to come out as LGBTQ+ in recent months, with the current incarnation of Robin calling himself “queer” in a recent issue of Batman: Urban Legends.
