Warning: this article contains major spoilers for Superman Unlimited #11!
DC Comics has made its fair share of controversial storytelling decisions over the years, whether it’s the infamous “fridging” incident or more recent developments like Wally West’s fall from grace in Heroes in Crisis. But for many fans, no plot twist in the modern DC era stings more than the decision to age up Superman’s son, Jon Kent, and eliminate the popular Super Sons dynamic between Jon and Damian Wayne.
For years, many DC readers have clamored for the company to undo that decision and restore Jon to his original age. And if Superman Unlimited #11 is to be believed, they may be in the process of doing just that.
Written by Dan Slott and drawn by Lucas Meyer, Superman Unlimited pits Jon against his self-proclaimed archenemy, Master Txyz. Similar to Superman’s foe Mr. Mxyzptlk, Txyz is a fourth-dimensional demon with a penchant for manipulating time itself. Txyz calls Jon a “nepo baby” and taunts him with the fact that he’ll never emerge from his father’s shadow. History remembers Kal-El, not Jon Kent.
In a rant clearly meant to break the fourth wall and echo many reader complaints, Txyz tells Jon that things have never been the same since his ten-year-old self was trapped in the future and he returned as a young man. Lois and Clark have never quite been able to accept the fact that they missed seeing their son grow up, causing their love to be tinged with a profound sadness.
True to his father’s example, however, Jon shoulders these criticisms and tells Txyz that he doesn’t care about glory or being remembered. He simply wants to follow his father’s example and help people in any way he can. Jon is adamant that he’ll write his own story, future be damned, and he dons a new identity as Tomorrow Man. Dumbstruck, Txyz realizes that he just caused his future archenemy to be born. Time travel is funny like that.
Txyz makes his retreat, but not before leaving Jon with a final gift. He opens a portal in time, and who should pop out but the younger version of Jon Kent? Txyz has seemingly rescued the younger Jon from his imprisonment, and now both versions of the character are standing side by side.
It remains to be seen how the rest of this story will play out, but it sure looks as though Slott and Meyer have contrived a way to put the classic Jon Kent back in the spotlight. Will both versions of the character coexist in the DCU going forward? Will the older Jon be wiped out of existence now that Txyz has mucked with his past? We’ll see, but Super Sons fans definitely have new reason to hope the classic Jon/Damian Dynamic Duo will return.
Are you happy to see the younger Jon Kent back in action? Should DC permanently undo that change or allow the two versions to coexist? Vote in our poll and let us know your thoughts in the comments below:
In other DC news, the latest chapter of Absolute Batman features some of the series’ biggest twists to date.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
