Warning: spoilers for Superman: Red and Blue #1 are ahead.
In Man of Steel, a young Clark Kent saves himself and a group of children from drowning after their school bus plunges off a bridge into a body of water. Clark had been advised by his adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, to never use his powers so that his secret would not be discovered. When the families of Clark's classmates call his intervention "an act of God," Jonathan doubles down on his rule, citing the danger that this discovery poses. When Clark asks if he should have let his classmates die in order to protect his identity, Jonathan replies, "Maybe."
Understandably, Jonathan Kent's actions are controversial, considering everything that Superman fans know about his character. But a new Superman comic, Superman: Red and Blue #1, offers a direct counter to the version of Jonathan Kent in the DCEU. In a story entitled The School of Hard Knock-Knock Jokes, five year-old Clark Kent worries about how he will fit in with his human peers at school. After making some friends, Clark notices a girl no one ever plays with, prompting him to wonder how he can make her feel included while also not jeopardizing his existing friendships (written by Marguerite Bennett, illustrations by Jill Thompson, letters by Troy Peteri). After telling his parents about the situation, Jonathan tells him, "Clark, if you see a problem, especially if it affects another person, you must also always see yourself as someone who can help solve that problem... Your responsibility is to give what you can to help others."
This moment from the Superman: Red and Blue comic contradicts the essence of Clark Kent's relationship to the public in Man of Steel. While the stakes of the Red and Blue story are not nearly as high as they are in the life-or-death scenario in Man of Steel's bus scene, the ethos of Jonathan Kent's advice differs dramatically from the film. In Man of Steel, Jonathan's hesitancy for Clark to help in situations where he is needed reflects the DCEU's image of Superman as a god-like figure whose presence poses an existential crisis to humanity. The cinematic version of Jonathan sees Clark's power and potential impact on humanity as something to fear, contrasting with how Jonathan directly encourages Clark to help in the comic. Here, Jonathan celebrates Clark's potential to change humanity for the better, citing it as a responsibility he has.
Superman: Red and Blue #1 showcases a problem that has always been at the heart of Superman comics: how can Clark Kent balance both the reality of his powers and the reality of the world he lives in? The Kents have always understood that Clark was not like other children, and the comic interprets this to show that they have always been aware of his capacity to help others, whether or not that requires the use of his powers. From Man of Steel to Superman: Red and Blue, it is clear that there is no easy answer to this central question for Superman.
