Dean Cain, the actor who rose to fame as the star of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, has blasted DC Comics over the publisher’s decision to allow Jon Kent, the new Superman in the comics, to come out of the closet as bisexual.
“They said it’s a bold new direction,” the former Man of Steel said in an interview with Fox & Friends. “I say they’re bandwagoning.” Cain further added that he didn’t think the move was “bold or brave or some crazy new direction.”
“If they had done this 20 years ago, perhaps that would be bold or brave,” Cain elaborated. “But brave would be having him fight for the rights of gay people in Iran where they’ll throw you off a building for the offense of being gay.”
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DC Comics announced that Jon Kent–the son of Clark Kent/Kal-El and Lois Lane, would officially come out as bisexual as part of National Coming Out Day. Jon Kent will also begin a same-sex relationship with his close friend, reporter Jay Nakamura.
Somehow, we’re not surprised by Cain’s remarks. Despite appearing in The Broken Hearts Club as a gay man, the actor has taken an increasingly right-wing stance in recent years, campaigning for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, as well as becoming an occasional guest on Fox & Friends. As an actor, his most recent work has seen him gravitate toward holiday films for The Hallmark Channel, as well as several right-wing and Christian-faith-based projects.
Gadfeal
Honey, Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Did you not benefit from the gay role in “The Broken Hearts Club”? Did his ratings when he was a pulchritudinous youth not benefit from gay fans?
On a more metaphysical note, would he recommend that Eurasian actors who can “pass as White”, like he did as a youth, put their non-European origins in the closet as it would “hurt their career in acting”? Since we have multiple universes of fictional superheroes, there is nothing written in stone about sexuality of 2D characters.
Bengali
Great point. He’s now “mister conservative asshole” who is selling get rich programs. He needs a green kryptonite dildo.
wikidBSTN
Before replying and hurling insults, actually read the article. He said nothing that is anti-gay. He merely said that DC was late in the game so there was nothing brave or bold about the move. He said it would have been if DC comics had done this 20 years ago, but now they were just following the lead of other comics who have already had bi and gay characters. There is NOTHING anti-gay about what he said.
Gadfeal
A second review may just be that he was a) misinterpreted, b) insensitive or out of touch with the target population discussed, c) lacking media intelligence where appearances can be more/as consequential as as words. The recommendation, hire a good PR, avoid known channels of prejudicial disinformation, keep opinions about which you have no/little direct experience out of the public sphere. The consummate expert in sustained success in managing one’s public perception in Dolly Parton.
Just reading the text, he basically said that introduction of bisexuality into a superhero character was not a sign of courage, but simply joining a bandwagon. I don’t watch Faux News, so I don’t know if that belittling statement was “under his breath” comment, or a front for an underlying resistance to doing things differently from one’s grandfather.
However, for a person working in Hollywood milieu for decades, he must be intelligent enough (having gone to Princeton) that the following are likely to be interpreted as disguised hostility by the general progressive players in TV/Movieland:
1. Agreeing to appear on a network that is intimately involved in promoting disinformation without contrition, with explicit anti-gay political policies. Fox News was at one time banned from broadcasting in the UK by the media ombudsman, OFTEL, for not respecting the deontology of news reporting only “with reasonably verifiable information” – even if there is also an editorial political stance.
2. He should be experienced enough to realize that one has to parse one’s words very carefully so that they don’t, however unintended, come back to bite you in the ass. With the Internet, everything is now saved forever (i.e. for as long as there is available digital storage capacity).
3. As a part “minority” actor who could pass as White in his youth in a then minority-exclusionary, or minority-pigeonholing role distribution Hollywood of a generation ago, he has much more “cred” in pointing out that the 6% of Asian American demographic is grossly underrepresented in entertainment and general media; the few Asian success stories are either in minor roles (shopkeepers, recent immigrants who speak like demented cookies, Yakuza, Triads, visiting Asians), or marginal off-the-wall characters. Even the few roles for Asian characters recently scripted are disproportionately filled by Eurasian performers. At least the last time I saw an Asian (from Asia) character portrayed by a non-Asian actor (Joel Grey) with pulled eyelids was 35 years ago when he played the acerbic, tiny, Asian martial arts sage in “Remo Williams”. You couldn’t even tell it was Joel Grey, but it was yet another stereotype of the impassive, wise, frail-looking, asexual Asian character.
rand503
Faded looks, faded start. Who cares, indeed.
Max
he seems to be eating well somehow…
cuteguy
I hate to agree with this d-bag but in a way he’s sort of right. If this had been done 20 Yrs ago that would be brave. But I think he’s missing the point that representation matters, even if you’re late to the game. Anyways, I suspect he’s a closet case just like Aaron Schmuck was. He’s never been married and hasn’t had a gf in a long time. Regardless if he’s gay or not, he is a GQP supporter and that is truly deplorable
Bengali
I respect your opinion but I don’t agree with it. The purpose of the gay character and his relationship is to normalize the fact that gay people are everywhere. Some are heroes. Some are superheroes. I think the lgbtq+ angle was to be inclusive. And who knows what they’ll do with the character. Even in Smallville(series) Clark wasn’t a hero from the beginning.
jayceecook
I agree that 20 years ago, or even 30, it would have been more “brave” and “bold”. However the comic book industry moves at a snail’s pace because a vocal majority of it’s readers are like Dean Cain. So while yeah it is great to have this kind of representation it does feel a little late (?). Especially when there have been comics with LGBTQ heroes as it’s main “cast” for a long time. That said, I don’t believe for a second that he actually cares. It’s simply attention seeking on his part.
ducdebrabant
He isn’t wrong, though. They waited a long time, until the blowback would be negligible. I don’t know whether they will show the kid fighting the Imams in Iran or not, but I’d be supportive of it.
chat fisher
Well he’s gotten too old and too fat to play Superman, or a gay character whoever.
LumpyPillows
He isn’t wrong in what he said. I have more difficulty with where he said it, and that he supported Trump twice. Once again, however, Queerty has a lying headline.
THEcreeper
He’s not wrong. DC does this shit all the time. Robin “came out” as Bi back in August. Anyone remember that? and BTW, something people dont seem to notice, this is NOT Clark Kent Superman, this is his son Jon. Whos taken up the mantle of his father. OG Superman? still straight, still in love with Lois.
I feel like DC Comics does this shit for attention. Really? National coming out day? u think some closeted homo in Wisconsin felt comfortable coming out because a comic book character did? um nah.
Fahd
Cranky has-been complaining about change, but make it seem you’re not by saying “doesn’t go far enough”. Laughable.
Reminds me of some of the children of Cuban immigrants in Florida complaining about “”all these immigrants being allowed into the country”. I remember a lot of hubbub about him only getting the Superman part because he was mixed race, but I guess the diversity stuff stops with him.
Not to be mean, but frankly, I’m surprised he still has a career, and his politics, just sad!
ChrisGMN
I’m so sick of divisive, misleading headlines like this one. It is simply false. He didn’t “slam” the coming out, he just said it wasn’t bold or brave, and he’s not wrong. Queerty, STOP being part of the problem of false news in this country. While I hate Dean Cain, lying to make his comments worse is despicible.
jayceecook
The headline isn’t fake. DC didn’t praise the move to have Jonathan Kent’s Superman being bi. He critisized it. Looking at the dictionary one of “slam” is “to criticize harshly”. So where’s the lie?
Mister P
After 80+ years it is time to write some new story lines.
mastik8
More yellow journalism from the pink press. Superman didn’t come out his son by Lois Lane did and he didn’t slam it, he made a valid observation. Why didn’t the writers have Superman saving gay men in Iran?
jayceecook
Except his son is now Superman. And they already did a one shot story of Superman going to Iran. It’s the story where he gives up his American citizenship after officials criticize him for joining a million protesters in a peaceful anti-Ahmadinejad vigil in Iran. And given that the US (and the world) is seeing a rise in anti LGBTQ crimes maybe Supes *should* focus on the problems at home.
mastik8
@jayceecook – Good points all. I’m not up on my Super Heroes. Odd that it wasn’t in the article already as it would have contextualized the current facts better.
powersthatbe
Was hot. Now not. Boy. Bye.
Hank31
So he 1) is not against Superman’s son being bi, 2) expresses a wish that something like this had been done 20 years ago, and 3) argues that a really brave use of the character would be to show him fighting against anti-gay oppression in theocratic dictatorships like Iran.
What exactly is wrong with any of those points? And how does any of the above make him “right wing”? Those are all pro-gay rights, pro-gay liberation points.
IWantAFullBeard
Without knowing much context, I agree with the actor. Bravery is doing something no one else will do; marketing is jumping on a popular social issue to make money.
Is it really not obvious what they are doing?
David
Has-Been says what?
ThinkPIease
I think if we looked up “has been” in the dictionary your picture would be right there. Unlike Obama, Biden and Clinton who said “a marriage is between man and a woman.” Dean Cain has always supported gay marriage and his gay brother.
BoomerMyles
Dean Cain has been against gay marriage and still is.
wikidBSTN
What he said was not anti-gay. He merely said that it wasn’t very bold or courageous in that it was kind of late. He said it would have been both brave and bold if Marvel had done it 20 years ago. Nothing in this is anti-agy whatsoever.
Wayne_in_NYC
You showed us all how much of a dedicated fan you are! Superman is a DC comics character as is Batman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman! Marvel is the other guys like Thor, Ironman, Captain America, Spider-Man, etc. With all of them in muscle rippling spandex, to regular people who don’t follow the comics, it can get confusing!
wikidBSTN
I stand corrected 🙂
Jim
Has been’s gotta get attention some way.
Do you think he was subject to the casting couch??
James
TRUMP SUPPORTER. WHO CARES ABOUT HIS STUPID OPINION.
redzebra1
He’s the one that doesn’t care about LGBTI rights, he’s a Trump supporter!
BoomerMyles
He looks like he swallowed an air inflation hose.