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The CW’s Superman and Lois is in its second season, and thus far, it’s been pretty wild. We’ve seen Jenna Dewan reprise her role as Lucy Lane, and we’ve seen Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) fight for her sister, who is under the influence of a creepy cult. We’ve also seen Clark Kent/Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) face the mysterious threat of Bizarro. However, Superman’s teenage sons remain a central focus of the show, and now viewers are wondering if we are about to see the birth of Superboy on Superman and Lois.
(Updated on August 8, 2024 – Updated links and formatting).
When the show premiered last year, people knew Jonathan Kent (Jordan Elsass) would be a character and reasonably expected the story to follow the comic lore with Jonathan becoming Superboy. However, the show took an interesting turn when it turned out that not only did Jonathan not have powers, but his twin brother Jordan (Alex Garfin), who is an original character on the show with no origin in the comics, was the one who had powers. Still, fans have theorized and hoped that Jonathan has hidden powers that are lying dormant and that he is still destined to become Superboy on Superman and Lois.
(NOTE: There will be spoilers for Superman and Lois season two, so click away if you aren’t caught up. Also, actor Jordan Elsass plays Jonathan Kent on the show, and his character’s brother happens to be named Jordan. To avoid confusion, the name Jordan alone will refer to the character Jordan (not the actor), and the actor will be referred to by either his surname or full name)
Jordan Elsass Has Been Spotted in Superboy Attire
Before we even get into the show’s storyline, there’s a large hint in the news suggesting Jonathan Kent is about to become Superboy. Jared reports that last week, Jordan Elsass was spotted on the Superman and Lois set, donning the Superboy attire that was introduced in 1993. This attire consists of a leather jacket, a black shirt with the House of El crest, red pants, a studded belt, leather gloves, and combat boots. While this could be a sign that Jonathan may be on his way to becoming Superboy, some things are going on this season that should be examined.
Jonathan is Manifesting Powers (But in an Unfortunate Way)
A major storyline of Superman and Lois’s second season is the dark road that Jonathan is heading down. Last season, Jonathan suffered some losses due to Jordan’s new powers manifesting, including having his hand broken while blocking Jordan from punching a former bully. This cost Jonathan the ability to play football for the rest of the season. Jonathan is now back on the field and is trying to stand out again, which has led to him taking performance-enhancing drugs. However, these drugs are made from X-Kryptonite, which can give people superpowers. Jonathan is now manifesting power, and given his genetics, these drugs could be acting as a means of awakening dormant powers. Or they could be a temporary side-effect.
The fact that Elsass has been seen in the Superboy attire and his character now has powers seems to suggest he’s about to take the mantle. However, given the nature of this storyline, there are some significant problems with that happening.
An Ugly Origin Story for Superboy
If this storyline is heading towards Jonathan getting his powers and becoming Superboy, it’s giving the iconic hero a bit of an ugly origin story. It’s bad enough that Jonathan is taking these drugs to cheat in football, but it only gets worse. In the most recent episode, “Girl… You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” Jonathan is crashing his brother’s secret training sessions with their grandfather (Dylan Walsh), and he decides to take the drugs and take a few hard punches at Jordan. He suggests that their grandfather is “training the wrong kid.” He later tells Jordan that he’s better than him and that he better get used to it. Not only is he cheating in sports, but he’s engaging in petty sibling rivalry with his brother. This is only worsened by the fact that Jordan’s response isn’t anger but concern, and even after all that, he still shows excitement and support when Jonathan’s eyes glow with heat vision and realizes his brother has powers.
And while we’re on the subject of Jordan, consider the fact that while learning to live with his powers has come with struggles, there’s been good that’s come of it. When the show started, Jordan was a lonely kid with severe anxiety who had a tough time bonding with Clark, who had an easier time bonding with Jonathan. By discovering he had powers, Jordan developed commonality with his father, and they built a deeper bond. He’s also learning how to be responsible and do good with his powers, and he’s taking the training seriously.
With that in mind, does it seem fair for his brother to get his powers in an unethical way and then become his father’s closest ally? Jordan has made mistakes with his powers, but he didn’t get them through drug use and envy. For Jonathan to pull these stunts and take a place Jordan has done more to earn is highly problematic.
This bad attitude on Jonathan’s part doesn’t exactly make for a glorious story of the rise of Superboy. And aside from that, there’s no way that Clark will trust him as a partner once he finds out about the X-Kryptonite.
Motivations like Jonathan’s would taint his Superboy status past the point of recovery. And it seems likely that the show’s writers already know that. Moreover, descriptions for the next couple of episodes tease that Jordan is about to find out about the drugs, and he will not be happy about it. These two have covered each other’s butts many times, but this seems like a situation where Jordan isn’t going to have his brother’s back, especially when these drugs, by their nature, are likely harmful considering Jonathan’s Kryptonian heritage. It’s only a matter of time, and it probably won’t be long before Clark and Lois find out what their son has been up to.
What’s with the Superboy Costume?
All of this begs a question: If Jonathan isn’t becoming Superboy, why was Elsass in the costume? He may temporarily take on the Superboy role alongside his dad. However, this is remarkably unlikely since all signs point to him getting caught very soon.
Another possibility is that this character is not Jonathan Kent at all, but Connor Kent, or Kon-El, who in the comics is a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor. This isn’t totally farfetched, considering that the outfit Elsass has been spotted in is the outfit Kon-El made famous.
A much stronger possibility: this isn’t the Jonathan Kent we’ve watched on the show, but one from the multiverse. In one of the photos from Just Jared, Tyler Hoechlin’s cape is torn up. As previously mentioned, a current storyline in this season of Superman and Lois is the arrival of Bizarro, who we learned this week comes from a different world. A notable characteristic of Bizarro, besides his pale scarred face, is a shredded cape. Perhaps Elsass is portraying an alternate Jonathan Kent, who is indeed Superboy and who fights along with the Bizarro version of Superman. Perhaps the writers intend for that alternate Jonathan to be the one with powers and for Jonathan Kent, as we know, to stay powerless.
Because, honestly, would that really be so bad? Maybe it would be to some comic purists, but there are some major benefits to Jonathan not having powers. His issues this season may be part of a journey he’s on to figure out that he’s not useless or less than his brother just because he has no powers. He may be learning that he has other talents and uses that go beyond being a popular football star or a superhero. He has taken an interest in the engineering work of John Henry Irons (Wolé Parks) and his daughter Natalie (Tayler Buck), so maybe that will be part of Jonathan’s future. Also, it’s probably nice for Lois to not be the only non-super in the family.
Jonathan Kent is a Highlight of Season Two
Wherever the story on Superman and Lois is going, it does not seem as though it’s towards Jonathan Kent becoming Superboy—at least not anytime soon. Those looking for a Superboy fix may have to wait for the live-action film.
But what is certain is that while Jordan’s insecurities and struggles were the focus of season one, Jonathan is now taking center stage and struggling with similar issues in season two. And even though his drug use is looking to be exposed very soon, his emotional issues aren’t going away so quickly. This writer predicts that Jonathan is heading towards accepting his place in the family and how he can aid his father without powers. Whether that’s the case or not, Jonathan Kent’s arc this season has been an invigorating watch so far, and actor Jordan Elsass is portraying the character brilliantly.
Those who want to see where this story is going will have to tune in to Superman and Lois on Tuesday nights on The CW.
