Jonathan Kent Sr. was the adoptive father of Clark Kent and the husband of the late Martha Kent.
Biography
Original multiverse
Jonathan was born and raised in Smallville, Kansas where his family owned the Kent Farm.[1] Jonathan later got married to Martha.
In 1979, when Kal-El arrived from the doomed planet of Krypton, he landed in Smallville, where Jonathan and his wife, Martha found his pod; being a kind-hearted couple with no children of their own, they raised him as their own son, naming him "Clark Kent". Jonathan and his wife, Martha taught Clark important lessons and strong moral values, which led him to deciding to use the extraordinary powers he gained on Earth from it's yellow sun to do good, fighting evil and protecting the innocent as Superman.[2]
It's implied that Jonathan could have passed away at some point before 2018; while doing some repairs to the Kent Farm before leaving Earth for more than nine months, Clark spoke like only "Ma" lived there now.[3]
New multiverse
In the rewritten history of Earth-Prime, Jonathan and Martha Kent found Kal-El's pod and adopted him as their own son in Smallville.[4]
When Clark was in the 9th grade, he wanted to try out for the baseball team, but Jonathan didn't let him. Despite asking him multiple times, Jonathan still said no. Despite Jonathan's reservations, Clark still showed up on the field, but one of the main reasons he wanted to try out wasn't there.[5]
Later, Jonathan died after hanging posters for an event in Smallville, presumably from a heart attack.[4]
Legacy
The lessons that Jonathan taught Clark Kent in how he used his powers stuck with him into adulthood and even when raising kids of his own. Clark's son, Jonathan Kent, was named after "Jonathan Kent Sr.".[4]
Appearances
Supergirl
Season 1
- "Pilot" (indirectly mentioned)
The Flash
Season 5
- "Elseworlds, Part 1" (mentioned; deleted scene)
Superman & Lois
Season 1
- "Pilot" (flashbacks)
- "Heritage" (mentioned)
- "The Perks of Not Being a Wallflower" (mentioned)
- "The Best of Smallville" (mentioned)
Behind the scenes
- In the DC comics, Clark's adoptive father is named Jonathan Kent, though in the Golden Age, he was named John Kent. In many versions of Superman's myth, both in comics or in film and television adaptations, the character passed away from a heart attack.