Why Man Of Steels Controversial Jonathan Kent Works

Why Man Of Steel’s Controversial Jonathan Kent Works

Man Of Steel’s Jonathan Kent has been a lightning rod for controversy, but it’s a character that works as a father terrified for his young son.

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Why Man Of Steels Controversial Jonathan Kent Works

Man Of Steel’s Jonathan Kent has been a lightning rod for controversy, but it’s a character that works as a father terrified for his young son. Man Of Steel came out in 2013 and was the first entry in the DC Extended Universe. It tells a modern version of the classic Superman origin, with Henry Cavill’s hero being filled with self-doubt and unsure if humanity is ready for him. A lot of that indecision and doubt comes from Clark’s adoptive father, Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner), who is not the stock paragon of virtue he usually is.

This is a Jonathan Kent who is wracked with fear and anxiety over the prospect of the world finding out his son is an alien with amazing powers, and how they will treat him once they know. When a young Clark saves a school bus full of children, Jonathan shockingly suggests Clark maybe should have let them die rather than potentially reveal himself to the world. It’s generally held up as one of the movie’s low moments, of Jonathan teaching Clark a shallow, selfish lesson.

Yet any parent knows that when it comes to their kids, rational thought and moral codes can be easily compromised. Man Of Steel’s Jonathan is essentially a helicopter parent, terrified of what the world has in store for his sensitive young son. There’s no malice in Jonathan’s heart; his love of his son is simply all-encompassing, sometimes to the detriment of his own established values.

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In arguably the film’s most controversial moment, Jonathan forbids Clark from rescuing him from a tornado, willing to die rather than allow Clark to reveal his secret before he’s truly ready to face the world. The moment is made all the more tragic by teenager Clark’s “you’re not even my real dad” temper tantrum just before his death. And yet allowing Jonathan to die sends the message that he absolutely was his father, as he respected him enough to let him die on his own terms, to save Clark’s future for its true purpose. His inaction in the face of his father’s death was Clark affirming everything his father instilled in him, both good and bad, just like any real, loving human father.

Man Of Steel’s version of Jonathan Kent is a complicated man. He’s never quite able to reconcile his fundamentally decent, midwestern values with the combination of overwhelming fear and love he harbors for Clark. His legacy in the DCEU has been softened retroactively, but the conflicted, anxious man from Man Of Steel is an important part of this Superman’s DNA. The next iteration of the character will likely be less controversial, but probably far less interesting as a result.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/man-steel-movie-jonathan-kent-controversy-works/

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