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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
I’ll be honest in saying I’m not super familiar with Jonathan Kent. I mean, I grew up watching Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League - but, Jonathan Kent was more often than not a tertiary character, at best. That’s not to say he’s unimportant - it’s simply to preface this by letting it be known that I’m by no means an expert on the character.
Perhaps that’s why, when confronted with the version of Jonathan Kent from Man of Steel, I didn’t see any issue with him - and, quite frankly, I still don’t. I mean, my understanding of Jonathan Kent is that he loved his son Clark and wanted nothing but the best for him. And, quite frankly, I don’t see much of a departure in that sense. I think the difference here is the fact that cartoons like the ones I mentioned depict the love he has for his son in a way that’s easily accessible to children - which, makes sense, they are kids shows. That’s not to say adults can’t enjoy them - I literally just watched The Last Son of Krypton on HBO Max the other day.
No, the point I’m making is the way in which you depict things like support and love can vary depending on the audience you’re targeting. Which is why in today’s essay we’re going to discuss the character of Jonathan Kent in the movie Man of Steel; analyzing his comments and choices throughout the film and how, in many ways, they’re consistent with the overall theme of who Jonathan is supposed to be for Clark Kent on his journey to becoming Superman. However, before we get into the analysis itself - let’s take a moment to go over the plot of Man of Steel as it relates to Jonathan Kent.
Our initial introduction to Jonathan begins in a flashback, shortly after we witness Clark save a group of his classmates from drowning after their school bus careens off the side of a bridge, into a river. Jonathan and Martha are forced to contend with a concerned parent whose son informed her that Clark saved everyone by pushing the bus out of the water. During the conversation, Jonathan notices Clark outside and decides to go out and speak with him. The two have a conversation regarding what Clark did and the repercussions of him showing his abilities to people.
Their conversation changes locations as Jonathan takes Clark inside the barn and shows him the space craft that brought him to Earth. He also presents Clark with the Flash Drive that Jor-El sent him off with earlier in the movie. He tells Clark that he isn’t from Earth; and that one day, in the future, he may need to reveal this fact to the world. During their conversation Clark gets emotional - claiming that he just wants to keep being their son, to which Jonathan tells him, regardless of where he comes from, he is their son; but he follows it up by telling him that somewhere out there, he has another father.
The next time we see Jonathan is in another flashback; this one comes right after we discover that, in the present, he has died - and that he has been dead for several years (sixteen years - if we’re assuming this story takes place in the same year the movie came out). Lois Lane and Clark stand before his grave as Clark explains to Lois the circumstances surrounding his death. In the flashback we see the Kent Family driving somewhere - Clark is older now, and claims that he’s tired of “playing it safe” on the Family Farm and wants to go out into the world on his own. Jonathan, however, isn’t fond of the idea; as he is still fearful of the possibility that Clark might somehow expose himself.
During their conversation Clark makes an underhanded comment about not needing to listen to him because he’s not his real father. However, before they can reconcile they run into a gridlock caused by an approaching Tornado. Clark gets Martha to safety, but Jonathan stays behind to get the family dog. He manages to get the dog free, but in the process injures himself as the tornado closes in. Despite the dozens of people watching, Clark is more than willing to use his powers to rush over and save Jonathan - but Jonathan, ever fearful of how people might react to Clark’s abilities, chooses to die, rather than have Clark expose himself.
The next time we see Joanthan is in another flashback that shows a conversation between he and Clark, again, when he’s younger. This conversation stems from Clark choosing to hold back as a group of bullies try to antagonize and provoke him. Jonathan speaks to him regarding the man he will become; and how, good or bad, he’ll change the world.
The final scene with Jonathan is brief - a short flashback that stems from Martha telling Clark how Jonathan always knew Clark would accomplish wonderful things.
So, now that we’re all caught up - let’s take a look into how, despite the departure from other more optimistic iterations of the character - this version of Jonathan Kent is, in his own right, acts as a grounded, realistic version of who Jonathan ought to be for Clark.
Let’s begin by breaking down, perhaps, one of the most divisive scenes of the movie - wherein we see Jonathan and Clark speak about Clark’s actions in the river. While I can understand why people might have issues with it - especially with the idea of Jonathan suggesting that Clark should have let his classmates die - I can also completely understand why Jonathan would say something like that.
I want to remind you that, despite the character of Superman, more often than not, being accessible to younger audiences; this version doesn’t fit that mold. In a lot of ways you could argue that Man of Steel is to Superman 1978, as Batman Begins is to Batman 1966. This film isn’t meant to be easily accessible to children - it deals with themes that, quite frankly, may not be appropriate for children. For example, the fact that many of the heroes in this movie outright kill people in unambiguous ways; as we saw with Jor-El in the first act, Lois Lane in the second, and then Superman in the final. That’s not to mention the rampant death and destruction that’s wrought in that final act during the Battle of Metropolis. My point is - this isn’t a kid’s movie.
So, free of the restraints that come from being accessible to children, this movie is able to provide us with a version of the Superman mythos that’s incredibly grounded. So, I pose the question - how do you think people would react to the idea of a being with powers like this? The movie actually answers this question for you in this scene. And it would make sense for them to be afraid - someone with power like that could do truly horrific things if they wanted to.
But, even if we disregard what regular people would think - what do you think the United States government would do if it discovered that a being from another planet was hiding amongst us? I mean - the movie makes it abundantly clear how fear makes humans behave. They become inherently hostile - and, why wouldn’t they? I mean, Americans especially have a pension for violence towards those they designate as “Others” - hell, a significant portion of Americans are in favor of building a physical wall to keep “illegal aliens” out of the country - and those “aliens” are literally human beings. Clark Kent is not.
I get the idea that many of us love Superman - he’s one of the most iconic superheroes of all time; if not the most iconic of all time. But, with that being said, if this stranger from a different planet suddenly appeared, you can’t tell me that the United States government wouldn’t do everything in their power to find a way to neutralize him - especially if he didn’t comply with whatever they wanted from him. Now, neutralize may not necessarily mean kill; in fact, in all likelihood, they’d want to study him, experiment on him, figure out what makes him tick; what makes him weak, what makes him strong, what could, theoretically, kill him. Think Soldier-Boy from The Boys. Or, think Superman from Flashpoint Paradox.
In fact, if you want an understanding of the lengths the American Government will go to keep someone like Superman at bay then you need look no further than that story. Now, obviously the circumstances surrounding his life-long incarceration are different; as in that story he crash landed in Metropolis, totally leveling the city. But, even in discovering that it was an infant inside of the ship that landed, the government took no chances and immediately locked him up for his entire life; decades spent wasting away in a cage that sapped him of all his strength.
My point in mentioning all of this is, imagine this sort of existence for your child. Imagine the government knocking on your door one day and whisking your child away to places unknown; knowing that you would never see them again. Imagine the things the government would do to get answers out of your child; answers that, mind you, they can’t provide because they’re just a kid. Do you think they’d even view them as a kid, or just a “thing” that’s invaded our planet? The government wouldn’t see the sweet child you’ve known and raised all their life - they’d see an invader, something that has no reason being in this country, let alone on our planet. Even if the government didn’t try to torture your child; what do you think they’d try to turn them into? I can give you a guess.
Again, I understand the issue with a scene like this - a change in tone so drastic, it might as well be a new person. But, fundamentally, has Jonathan changed? I mean, really, at his core - has he? What does Jonathan want more than anything - what does any good parent want? For their child to be safe. And in this instance - being safe would have meant letting things play out the way they would have if Clark was just a normal kid.
It doesn’t mean he couldn’t have saved them - he saved the bully without using his powers. It was just the act of pushing the bus out of the water that made the situation so potentially problematic. And, don’t get me wrong, I get that it’s fundamentally fucked up - I’m not denying or excusing that. But, at the end of the day, you have to consider the ramifications of Clark’s actions. And not only what it means for Clark, but for the entire world if something like this were to get out.
Jonathan says it himself: “You’re the answer, son; you’re the answer to are we alone in the universe?” That’s such a big thing. Bigger than any of us can really wrap our heads around. It would literally change the way we think about everything; it’d be… tantamount to reinventing the wheel. It’s… it’s a lot. And The Kents are forced with the burden of making Clark understand just how inherently dangerous his being exposed would be - and that’s made even more difficult by the fact that, at the end of the day, he’s just a kid. A kid who wants nothing more than to be normal - and, yet, he now has the burden of one day being the voice of an entire Alien Civilization.
It’s not that Jonathan doesn’t want him to use his powers; he does - but not right now. Not recklessly as a child - not when he doesn’t even have a full grasp on what he can do. Clark needs time to grow up, to mature; to out himself now would be incredibly dangerous, and he needs to understand that.
I particularly like the end of this scene because, seeing Clark start to crumble under the weight of this newfound realization about who and what he is, Jonathan reassures him that, regardless of any of that - he’s first and foremost Clark Kent, his son, who he loves unconditionally. While where he comes from and what he’s meant to do is undeniably important - it doesn’t change the fact that he loves him and wouldn’t change a thing about him. It’s, honestly, beautiful - and speaks to how much love the Kents have for their son, despite the dangers that come from raising him.
We then see in Jonathan's next scene just how unwavering his love for his son is; as he makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure Clark has enough time to mature into the person he needs to be before revealing himself. If we assume that this movie takes place in 2013, it means that Jonthan died when Clark was only seventeen; which, let’s be honest, would likely be one of the worst times for Clark to reveal himself to the world. The moments leading up to Jonathan’s death make this abundantly clear as the seventeen year old Clark chooses to be spiteful and petty in his rhetoric as he rudely reminds Jonathan that he’s not his real dad.
Jonathan understands that Clark needs more time - a lot more before he’s ready to stand in front of the world and accept his role, and, so, he sacrifices himself to ensure Clark gets that time. While I’m not the biggest fan of the scene as a whole - finding it to be a little over the top - I can still respect what it’s meant to signify, and the effect it has on Clark afterwards. Because, it’s shortly after this that Clark heads out into the world; taking the time his father gave him to figure out what kind of man he wants to become. He didn’t let Jonathan’s death go to waste, and I can really appreciate that.
The next flashback serves to reiterate Jonathan’s belief in Clark, for better or for worse, is going to change the world. The scene comes almost immediately after Zod introduces himself to Earth, and right before Clark reaches out to a clergyman for advice on how he should handle the Zod situation. It’s meant to convey to us the internal struggle that comes from being someone with the ability to do anything - but the willpower to stop himself from giving into his darker desires. It’s basically the moment wherein he needs to decide whether or not he’ll be Superman, or, Homelander - or, that kid from Brightburn. However, it’s pretty obvious which way he goes… kind of. But, that’s a conversation for another time.
The final scene with Jonathan reinforces everything we’ve mentioned so far - showing us that, even before he donned the suit, Jonathan knew how special - how super - Clark was going to be. It reinforces the idea that Jonathan knew his son better than anyone else; definitely better than Clark’s other father - which, to be fair, makes sense, he did raise him.
All in all, while this character feels like a departure from what audiences are used to in regard to Jonathan Kent - I would say that, at his core, he remains the same. He loved his son more than anything else; and, like any parent, he would do anything to keep his child safe. While he was frustrated with the situation regarding the School Bus, he wasn’t angry at Clark - he loved the fact that Clark did everything in his power to save everyone. But, it didn’t change the fact that it was risky and that it could have cost him everything.
Jonathan always wanted Clark to reveal himself to the world as the hero he knew he would become; he just wanted to make sure he did it at the right time. That he was mature enough to handle the full weight of that responsibility; to be the voice of an entire Alien Civilization. It’s… unheard of; it’s an unprecedented and unfathomable amount of responsibility and all Jonathan wanted was for Clark to be ready when he did it. Because, in a situation like this (as corny and anticlimactic as it may sound) you only get one chance at a first impression.
And, well… we’ll talk about that first impression another time.
But, yeah. I get that this iteration of the character goes about it in a way that may not be as warm and kind as other iterations; but the core theme of wanting to protect his son, and also wanting him to be the very best version of himself so that he can help others - is there, as far as I’m concerned. But, yeah. That’s all for now. Until next time. See ya.
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