Warning: Spoilers for DC Pride 2024 #1

Dating Superman comes with some real threats — including in the form of a classic superhero challenge that has even Batman quaking in his Bat-boots. But Jon Kent truly believes in his boyfriend Jay, and he knows Jay could totally handle Green Arrow’s famously dangerous chili.

When Superman Jon Kent visits the A-Town Food Festival with boyfriend Jay Nakamura in the DC Pride 2024 #1 story “Bros Down in A-Town” by Jarrett Williams, D. J. Kirkland, and Lucas Gattoni, the couple get a taste of real Thanagarian jerky. The chef informs them that the authentic jerky strips are meant to give warriors good luck on the battlefield. Jay is “in love” with the spicy alien snack. In this sweet moment, Superman tells Jay that he should try something that many members of the Justice League can’t handle – Green Arrow’s chili.

First mentioned in 1971, Green Arrow’s chili recipe has been a staple DC threat for decades. The iconic chili, sometimes a comfort, other times a step away from poison, was given a canonical recipe in 2002’s Green Arrow: Secret Files and Origins #1, which also shows the Justice League’s intense reactions. With even Clark Kent employing his super-breath to cool the heat, Green Arrow’s chili isn’t for the faint of heart.

Superman’s Boyfriend Is Brave Enough to Try Green Arrow’s Chili

Recipe Page from Green Arrow: Secret Files and Origins #1 by Scott McCullar, Patrick Gleason, Michael Bair, and Kurt Hathaway

Jay Nakamura, who has been canonically dating Jon Kent since 2021’s Superman: Son of Kal-El #5 by Tom Taylor, John Timms, Hi-Fi, and Dave Sharpe, is a Gamorran refugee who survived post-human experimentation. While he may not be half-Kryptonian like his boyfriend, Jay is a super-powered individual. His strength is revealed when he devours the Thanagarian jerky strips in this short story from DC Pride 2024 #1. Jay also enjoys sweet space dumplings and a series of Tamaranean street foods.

It should come as no surprise that Jay is up to these rare and alien challenges. Jay is also a journalist, and like his hero Lois Lane, he’s undergoing one of the greatest alien challenges of all time. Jay is dating Superman, though as he says to Bunker in A-Town, “it definitely helps that Jon and I both have powers.” Jay’s super-ability to deal with alien strangeness lends itself well to both the jerky and to dating Superman.

Jon Kent Offered Jay Nakamura a Legendary Challenge

Have a Little Green Arrow Chili, as a Treat

Jon being aware of the Green Arrow’s chili means one of two things: either he’s been subjected to it himself, or the chili has gained legendary status, with new League members warned ahead of time. In Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley’s Trinity #38, when Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman have ascended to godhood as pillars of reality, Batman is re-grounded in his original timeline by the mere memory of the chili’s “foul, scorched taste.” To suggest that Jay might enjoy this chili is either a terrible review of Thanagarian jerky or a serious commendation of Jay’s constitution.

Over the decades, Green Arrow has either lovingly or humorously exposed fellow heroes to the caustic dish. Ollie seems to take enormous pleasure in people being unable to stomach his cooking. Sharing the heat with heroes like Black Canary and Green Lantern, bringing it to poker nights, and feeding it to sidekicks, the Green Arrow chili has gained true infamy. Testing the Justice League’s strongest constitutions, the chili is no mere challenge. If Superman’s boyfriend Jay Nakamura is up to the task, he may have the strongest tastebuds in the DC Universe.

DC Pride 2024 #1 is available now from DC Comics.