Anthony Bergamini
In Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent, Tom Taylor and Clayton Henry have Jon unexpectedly end up in the Injustice universe after Jon is sent on a mission to stop Ultraman from killing multiversal Supermen. This results in a twist of fate for Injustice Superman, who quickly comes face-to-face with a version of his deceased son that has grown up to be Superman in his own right. Fans of the previous series, Superman: Son of Kal-El, will know that Jon has been a very different Superman than his father, choosing to use non-violence whenever he can, in order to solve problems in a new way. This is shown right away in Superman: Son of Kal-El #1 where Jon saves an out of control metahuman from himself after the authorities are quick to assume that he is a villain when he is just unable to control his abilities. Jon uses a friendly face and a calm demeanor to calm down this metahuman, setting off a chain of events that would ultimately lead to Jon saving the entire nation of Gamorra from its insane dictator. A fascinating aspect of this series is that Jon never throws a punch the entire time. He uses his powers to assist and help, but always acts in a pacifistic way to help the people in need. This theme continues over in Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent, albeit with a Jon who has learned and grown from not only his original series but also Dark Crisis.
A growing discourse has arisen online regarding the way that Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent ends. It is worth noting that a lot of the reactions to this are from people who have never read the final issue, the series, or any other parts of Jon’s story. That being said, a lot of people seemed to be upset with a panel where Jon uses some new abilities to move faster than Injustice Superman, choosing to give him a hug versus a punch. People saw this as blasphemous, confused as to why Jon would be hugging a fascist dictator, but as mentioned before, there is a lot more that happens before and after this panel that will greatly add context to this. Before making judgments about Tom Taylor, Clayton Henry, or the character of Jon Kent, and before reading the rest of this article, make sure to read the entirety of the Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent mini-series, there are huge spoilers to follow.
There is a distinct dichotomy between the way Tom Taylor and Clayton Henry open this series versus how it ends. The series begins with the hunt for Ultraman, where Jon is forced to confront and defeat the man who imprisoned him for years. The stakes here are drastic, with Ultraman, who is a sociopath, rapidly killing various versions of Superman across the multiverse. Jon is a smart character and knows that this is not the type of person who will respond to nonviolence. In addition, Ultraman never gives Jon this opportunity, immediately attacking him, leaving Jon to respond in a defensive manner.
This is directly contrasted by the end of the mini-series, where Jon has to confront Injustice Superman. Superman doesn’t kill, he always tries to find another way (unless he’s written in an alternate reality or by Zack Snyder). Yes, this is a fact about Clark’s Superman, but Jon very much shares that sentiment. Jon knows that he is more than capable of killing Injustice Superman, but he will never do that, seeing as though that kind of argument led Injustice Superman to where he is now. Jon also knows that this is not his own universe and he cannot stay in this one forever to keep Injustice Superman at bay. The best he can do is attempt to make Injustice Superman see the error of his ways, from the point of view of someone he may actually listen to. Unfortunately, Cyborg flashes Jon back to his main universe before he can fully convince Injustice Superman.
The main difference between the fights between Jon and Ultraman and Jon and Injustice Superman are that they are contextually very different circumstances. Ultraman is a sociopathic serial killer while Injustice Superman is a version of Jon’s dad who became a fascist dictator after he was tempted to use killing as a tactic out of anger. The main argument from fans who have been reacting poorly to the final issue of Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent is that Jon should be using violence against a fascist dictator, the same that he would against a sociopathic murderer. Taylor is no stranger to the Injustice universe, having written the ongoing Injustice series for years while the games were at the height of their popularity. Taylor knows Injustice Superman better than anyone at this point, and knows what makes him tick. When he first sees Jon, he almost has an out of body experience. Jon recognizes this and firmly believes that he is able to break through that shell and convince Injustice Superman to elect to end his reign of terror without having to end his life.
