PREDICTION: Superman’s Legacy Will Include a Super Son

On Saturday, July 19, 2025, I, Justin Tiemeyer, predicted that Superman (2025) sets the stage for Jonathan Kent, A.K.A. Superboy, A.K.A. Superman in James Gunn’s DCU. Below is my case—built on story cues, thematic resonance, and gut instinct—that this fan theory deserves your attention.

SPOILERS: Superman (2025).

Photo Caption: Cover image from Superman: Son of Kal El #2 by Tom Taylor, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb, Dave Sharpe, Diego Lopez, Jamie S. Rich, and Marie Javins. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.

Since Superman first flew onto the big screen in 1978, superhero films have belabored the same old origin stories—gunfire and pearls on a Gotham street, a spider’s bite and an uncle’s death, a rocket fleeing a doomed world. Superman (2025), on the other hand, breaks free. It trusts its audience, drops exposition in favor of motion, and introduces Lois and Clark not as strangers fated for more, but as partners on the brink of lasting love or collapse.

First appearing together in Action Comics #1 (1938), Lois and Clark didn’t tie the knot until Superman: The Wedding Album in 1996. Flashpoint rewrote history in 2011, swapping their married selves for a reset, single version—but Convergence (2015) restored their union and introduced their son: Jonathan Kent.

Photo Caption: An image from Convergence: Superman #2 by Dan Jurgens, Lee Weeks, Norm Rapmund, Brad Anderson, Sal Cipriano, Michael Kraiger, Brittany Holzherr, Marie Javins, and Bob Harras. This is the first appearance of Jonathan Kent. Photo courtesy of DC Comics. 

The leap from Superman’s seasoned Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) and Clark (David Corenswet) to a future with Jonathan Kent may seem bold, but hey—Superman leaps tall buildings in a single bound, right? What truly clinched it for me was Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and his smear campaign: a warning that Superman aims to seed Earth with Kryptonian offspring using a harem of human mothers. It’s absurd, but it’s also a narrative breadcrumb.  

When Superman suffers his first major defeat at the hands of the Hammer of Boravia, he retreats to the Fortress of Solitude and recites a message from his biological parents—Jor El (Bradley Cooper) and Lara Lor-Van (Angela Sarafyan). The message calms and centers him. But when Lex hacks Fortress databanks with the help of the Engineer, he recovers the full message: Superman wasn’t sent to serve Earth—he was sent to rule it.

The revelation kicks off a wave of paranoia in the form of the super-harem conspiracy. But beneath the surface, it plants a thematic question—what happens if Superman does have a child?

Photo Caption: Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Superman (David Corenswet) in James Gunn's Superman (2025). Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

Lois doubts—it’s kind of her thing—but what she doubts is her own worthiness. When Clark says he loves her, Lois believes. She knows there’s no breeding program. What she fears is far more tactical: if she bears a half-Kryptonian child, and that child is discovered, it might turn the public against them. The U.S. government already sanctioned Superman’s arrest, disappearance, and murder once. With the whole world against the Super-Family, they might succeed at killing Superman—and killing their child.

That last paragraph hits like a freight train. It’s the kind of emotional weight James Gunn excels at—personal stakes wrapped in cosmic tension. And it mirrors the narrative depth of Superman. Now factor in DC’s development of The Brave and the Bold, a Bat-Family film exploring Bruce Wayne’s relationship with his son, Damian, and the writing’s on the wall. The Super Sons are coming. Jonathan Kent is on his way.

So, what do you think? Does this theory hold water—or rocket fuel? Got more evidence to add? Want to challenge my logic? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

Photo Caption: Cover image from Super Sons #1 by Peter J. Tomasi, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez, Rob Leigh, Paul Kaminski, Eddie Berganza, and Bob Harras. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.