Jonathan Kent has not developed powers on Superman & Lois, but the show’s third season is presenting another path for his character arc. From the beginning, one of the main focuses of Superman & Lois has been Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin) being a caring and devoted father to his teenage sons Jordan (Alex Garfin) and Jonathan (Jordan Elssas in seasons one and two, and Michael Bishop in season three). After revealing to Jordan and Jonathan that he is Superman, Clark’s trials as a father multiply when Jordan develops Kryptonian powers that Clark must train him to harness.
Though Jonathan briefly inched towards developing powers himself in Superman & Lois season two after experimenting with X-Kryptonite, he has otherwise never had the chance to fly alongside his father and brother. While lacking the Kryptonian powers has at times been hard for Jonathan, Superman & Lois is not leaving him without opportunities to be a hero himself. In fact, Superman & Lois‘s season three episode “Head On” is showing exactly how Jonathan could become a long-term hero without relying on the powers of his Kryptonian heritage.
Superman & Lois Sets Up The Solution To Jonathan’s Biggest Story
In “Head On,” Kyle Cushing (Erik Valdez) offers Jonathan weekend employment at Smallville’s local fire station, with Jonathan showing interest in what a career as a firefighter could be like. In the immediate future, this indicates that Jonathan and Kyle’s stories in Superman & Lois season three could be somewhat intertwined. Kyle is still building a new life for himself after his divorce from Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui) due to his marital infidelities, and this could take him on the path of growth from his mistakes by mentoring Jonathan as a firefighter.
More importantly for Jonathan is what that could mean for him in terms of his existential self-doubt in lacking Clark and Jordan’s powers. With Kyle taking Jonathan under his wing at Smallville’s fire station, Jonathan is entering a career path where saving lives is an inherent part of the job. Even without possessing Kryptonian powers, Jonathan can still be a hero like Clark and Jordan, and Superman & Lois clearly recognizes the importance of that by where it seems to be taking Jonathan’s story.
Superman & Lois Continues To Prove Jonathan Doesn’t Need Powers
Much of Jonathan’s arc in Superman & Lois season two was about him struggling with feelings of inadequacy, using X-Kryptonite to give himself a metahuman boost on the football field. Superman & Lois season three is showing Jonathan that his lack of powers does not define who he is and that he can do good for other people by helping them in whatever ways he can. Becoming a firefighter is giving Jonathan the confidence he needs, with Jonathan realizing that heroism is defined by selflessness rather than power.
Superman himself would never want any of the humans he protects to feel lesser than him because of his vast superpowers, and certainly not his own son. Superman & Lois is imparting that wisdom onto Jonathan by introducing him to a career that is predicated on the very heroism that he admires in his father. While Jordan Kent is on his way to becoming Superboy, Superman & Lois season three is teaching Jonathan that he can be just as heroic as Clark and Jordan without sharing their powers.
