Warning: Spoilers for Superman & Lois season 2, episode 12
Thanks to a big development in Superman & Lois season 2, the Arrowverse has a way for Jonathan to become a superhero without the character receiving any real powers. Due to the fact that Jonathan didn’t inherit his father’s Kryptonian abilities, he’s thus far been forced to stand on the sidelines while his twin brother goes on a path to becoming a superhero. However, there’s always been a possibility that something will happen to drastically alter his current course in the Arrowverse.
Frustrated with living as the ordinary son of Superman, Jonathan attempted to change his fate by giving himself abilities with X-Kryptonite. However, his new gifts were taken away when Clark and Lois discovered what he had been up to. Now, Jonathan is back to being normal again. While the ending of this story debunked the popular theory that his X-Kryptonite use would permanently unlock his latent powers, it hasn’t completely shut down speculation that the Arrowverse will eventually give Jonathan what he’s wanted since the beginning of the series. Though being Superman’s “human” offspring is a defining aspect of his Arrowverse story, it is at least possible that the show will offer a big twist with his character at some point down the road.
Superman & Lois season 2, episode 12, titled “The Lies That Bind”, set up Jonathan achieving his goal in a roundabout way. After building a new version of Steel’s suit, Natalie showed it off to Jonathan and Jordan. She claimed she had originally made it for herself, but has since decided that Jonathan should have it. Once they get the X-Kryptonite-powered Steel suit up and running, a pathway will be open for Jonathan to become an Arrowverse superhero in his own right, albeit without the Kryptonian abilities enjoyed by his brother and father.
In a sense, Jonathan getting his own Steel suit feels like a compromise, but it remains to be seen if it could actually work for the show. For a long time, there’s been a strong interest in seeing Jonathan develop powers and become a hero alongside his brother. The problem with that, though, is that this would risk ruining his Arrowverse journey. For the most part, his story has been about learning to live with the reality that he can’t be a part of Superman’s world in the same way that his brother can. Putting him in Natalie’s new suit will let the Arrowverse do just that without going as far as giving him super powers.
Of course, it may be that in spite of Superman & Lois season 2’s setup, the show has no intention of making Jonathan get powers or become a full-time superhero. Instead, the Arrowverse’s plan may be for Jonathan to don Natalie’s X-Kryptonite-powered suit for a specific battle in an episode. After all, Superman and Lois may be opposed to Jonathan wearing the suit on a regular basis. But even if that’s the case, Jonathan does have an opportunity to get at least one big superhero moment in the Arrowverse.
Superman & Lois releases new episodes on Tuesdays on The CW.