Republican Arizona state Senator Wendy Rogers has complained about the new Superman being bi-sexual and "woke," placing blame on Hollywood.
On Monday, DC Comics revealed that Jonathan Kent, the new iteration of Superman, is bi-sexual and will embark on a same-sex relationship with a friend in a new comic. Jonathan is the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
In a tweet after the announcement, Rogers said: "Superman loves Louis Lane. Period. Hollywood is trying to make Superman gay and he is not. Just rename the new version Thooperman so we can all know the difference and avoid seeing it."
"Say no to Woke Thooperman!!!" she said in separate tweet.
Superman loves Louis Lane. Period. Hollywood is trying to make Superman gay and he is not. Just rename the new version Thooperman so we can all know the difference and avoid seeing it.
— Wendy Rogers (@WendyRogersAZ) October 11, 2021
Twitter users were quick to point out that in this version of the comic, the new Superman is the son of Lois Lane, and that Rogers' joke seemed to play on the offensive stereotype of a "gay lisp."
Keith Olbermann, political and sports commentator, tweeted: "But best of all, the "Superman loves Louis" is a wonderful Freudian slip which explains soooooo much about @WendyRogersAZ"
He later posted a photo of him being blocked by Rogers, with the caption: "Oh wait there's more from @WendyRogersAZ who was, amazingly, following me until I pointed out her secret interest in Superman loving Louis."
Newsweek has contacted Rogers for comment.
Other Republicans also complained about Superman's sexuality. Josh Mandel, a Republican running for a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio, tweeted: "Bisexual comic books for kids. They are literally trying to destroy America."
Arizona Republican, Josh Barnett, who is running for the U.S. House, asked on Twitter: "Why does Hollywood have to ruin everything?" with a Superman hashtag.
Just like his father before him, Jon Kent has fallen for a reporter 💙 Learn more about the story to come in SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL #5: https://t.co/bUQAsos68o #DCPride pic.twitter.com/wfQPc3CEVD
— Superman (@DCSuperman) October 11, 2021
Since the Superman: Son of Kal-El series began in July, Jonathan Kent has put out wildfires caused by climate change, prevented a high school shooting and protested the deportation of refugees in Metropolis.
Tom Taylor, the series writer, told The New York Times: "The idea of replacing Clark Kent with another straight white savior felt like a missed opportunity."
Kent's new love interest is Jay Nakamura, a hacktivist who cares for him "mentally and physically burns out from trying to save everyone that he can" in an issue of Superman: Son of Kal-El #5, to be released on November 9. Like Superman, Nakamura, also has super powers. On Monday, DC Comics released art showing the two men share a kiss.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Dutton is a Newsweek Reporter based in Cape Town, South Africa. His focus is reporting on global politics and ... Read more
