Let's talk about the most controversial dad in superhero history. I’m not talking about Thanos or Omni-Man. I'm talking about the 2013 version of Man of Steel Jonathan Kent, played by Kevin Costner. If you’ve spent more than five minutes on a DC message board in the last decade, you know exactly what I’m getting at. People either think he’s a nuanced, protective father or a complete lunatic who taught Superman that kids on a bus are optional.
Honestly, the "tornado scene" is the "Martha" moment of 2013. You either get it or you want to throw your remote at the screen. But beneath the memes and the frustration, there is a very specific, very grounded reason why Zack Snyder and screenwriter David S. Goyer chose this path for Jonathan Kent.
The "Maybe" Heard 'Round the World
The moment that set the tone for this version of the character happens early. Young Clark is distraught because he saved a school bus full of kids. He's asking his dad if he should have just let them die to keep his secret. Jonathan looks him in the eye and says, "Maybe."
It's a brutal line. It’s not the "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" we grew up with. In the 1978 Superman movie, Glenn Ford’s Jonathan Kent was a font of pure, salt-of-the-earth wisdom. He died of a heart attack—a classic trope to show Clark that even with all his power, he can't save everyone.
But the Man of Steel Jonathan Kent isn't a symbol. He's a guy in Kansas who found an alien in a pod and realized that if the government ever found out, his son would be hauled off to a lab in a body bag. He isn't teaching Clark to be a hero; he's teaching Clark how to survive.
Why the Tornado Scene Happened (From a Character Perspective)
Let’s look at the actual mechanics of the death scene. The Kent family is stuck in traffic as a massive tornado approaches. Jonathan goes back for the family dog (Hank). He gets his leg caught. He’s trapped.
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Clark is standing right there. He’s about 17 years old at this point. He could move faster than the eye can see, grab his dad, and be back under the overpass before anyone blinked. We know it. Clark knows it. Jonathan knows it.
But Jonathan holds up his hand.
He gives Clark a look that says "Stay." And then he gets swallowed by the wind.
Zack Snyder has defended this for years. The logic is that if Clark had saved him, the secret would be out. And in Jonathan’s mind, a 17-year-old Clark wasn't ready to lead the world. He was still "just a teenager that could’ve made a mess of it," as Snyder put it in a 2024 interview. Jonathan died to protect a secret that he believed was more important than his own life.
The Conflict of Two Fathers
The movie sets up a fascinating tug-of-war between Clark's two dads.
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- Jor-El (The Idealist): He thinks Clark is a god. He wants him to lead humanity into a golden age.
- Jonathan Kent (The Realist): He thinks humanity is terrifying. He’s seen how people treat things they don’t understand.
Basically, Jonathan is the guy who looks at history and sees witch hunts. He’s convinced the world will reject Clark out of fear. And if you look at the events of Batman v Superman, he wasn't exactly wrong. People did freak out. They built statues, sure, but they also launched nukes at him and held Congressional hearings about his right to exist.
Was It a Mistake?
A lot of fans argue that this fundamentally breaks Superman. The logic is that Superman should be the guy who finds a third way—the guy who saves the dog and his dad and keeps the secret. By having Clark stand there and watch his father die, some feel the movie robbed him of his agency.
But if you look at it as a tragedy, it works. It’s the ultimate "forced choice." Jonathan didn’t die because Clark was weak; he died because Clark was obedient. He trusted his father’s judgment more than his own instincts.
Kevin Costner actually brought a lot of weight to this. He played Jonathan as a man burdened by a secret he never asked for. He isn't a philosopher; he's a protector. When he tells Clark, "You are my son," it’s probably the most emotional line in the whole film because it anchors the alien Kal-El to the dirt of Kansas.
What Most People Get Wrong
There's a common misconception that Jonathan Kent didn't want Clark to be a hero. That’s not true. If you listen to his dialogue, he says, "One day, you’re gonna have to make a choice... whether to stand proud in front of the human race or not."
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He knew Clark was going to change the world. He just didn't want him to do it until he was ready. He was buying Clark time.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Writers
If you're looking at Man of Steel Jonathan Kent as a case study in character writing or just trying to win an argument at the comic shop, keep these points in mind:
- Context is King: This Jonathan Kent exists in a "realistic" world where the discovery of an alien would cause a global existential crisis. His paranoia is a product of his environment.
- Theme of Choice: The movie is about the burden of choice. By choosing not to save his father, Clark makes the most difficult choice of his life, which shapes his restraint later on.
- Parental Protection: View the character through the lens of a father, not a superhero mentor. A father's first job is to keep his kid safe, not to make his kid a martyr for a world that might hate him.
Whether you love or hate the tornado scene, it successfully did something most Superman stories don't: it made Jonathan Kent’s death a choice rather than an accident. It turned a heart attack into a sacrifice.
To really understand the impact of this version of the character, it’s worth re-watching the "mountain top" scene in Batman v Superman. Clark has a vision of his father, and Jonathan tells a story about how he once saved the farm from a flood but accidentally caused his neighbor's farm to drown. It’s a messy, complicated lesson about the unintended consequences of doing good. That is the legacy of this Jonathan Kent: the world is complicated, and being a hero isn't as simple as just being fast.