Warning: contains spoilers for Infinite Frontier #0
It’s no secret that DC Comics has been hinting that Jon Kent would be their next Superman for some time now, however Infinite Frontier just revealed that DC’s most powerful beings, the Quintessence, will never support him. Though many have had their doubts about Jon, no one has ever been so thoroughly against him claiming the mantle of Superman as the Quintessence is, and their reasoning could prove ominous for the next Man of Steel.
In the Superman portion of Infinite Frontier #0 by writer Phillip Kenedy Johnson and artist Jamal Igle, Wonder Woman is joined by Spectre of the Quintessence on a tour of the new DC Omniverse. Wonder Woman is worried about a threat she was warned about at the end of Dark Nights: Death Metal and so Spectre takes her to see what he thinks is the universe’s biggest obstacle. They teleport to Metropolis, where an extra-dimensional creature known as an Empyreal Maw is terrorizing the city’s people. Diana asks if this is the darkness Spectre wanted to show her to which he responds that no, he was referring to Jon Kent.
Confused, Diana wonders how Superman could concern the Spectre so much. With utter contempt, he tells Diana that Jon is not Superman and can never be Superman. Despite all of the ways Jon is equal to his father, the Spectre is adamant that Jon is not worthy of the mantle of Superman. When Jon flies into the Empyreal Maw and travels back in time though, Spectre’s tune changes. Jon finds the Maw when it was young and lost. Showing the compassion that’s essential to Superman, Jon takes the frightened creature back to its family, guaranteeing that it would have no reason to rampage back in the present. Though this feat at least earns him the title of Superman from Spectre, the agent of God’s wrath is still adamant that Jon’s tenure as Superman can only bring ruin to the DC Universe.
One thing that makes the moment odd is how mean it all feels. The Spectre doesn’t ever justify his hatred of Jon beyond mentioning that Jon had a strange and tough childhood. He even goes so far as to suggest that Jon would become a tyrant as Superman, despite no evidence suggesting that. It especially feels hollow because readers already know what Jon would look like as Superman. Future State saw Jon filling his father’s role across several different titles. While Jon certainly made mistakes during his time as Superman, they were far from unforgivable and all of them came from a good place.
Still, the certainty with which Spectre asserts that Jon is lost is reason enough to give readers pause. Spectre is one of the DC Universe’s most powerful being so it’s unlikely his hatred amounts to some inexplicable grudge. The primary purpose of this zero issue of Infinite Frontier is to tease DC’s upcoming comics, meaning Spectre’s distaste for Jon will hopefully be resolved in a future Superman book. Still though, if the Quintessence doesn’t have faith in DC’s next Superman then readers have reason to watch his every move in Infinite Frontier.
