#using they/he pronouns for kon bc i have been gifted with divine visions considering their gender expression

[boyfridged]

kon's desire to be the next superman is only so valuable because as the reader you know that it will never happen. i would even propose it as his character thesis.

kon already has every trait that makes superman a superman (minus the authority and the trust of the people); but it will always be out of their reach. it was first explained by his immortality and forever-a-teenager status, and then it became even further pushed away from them by being literally misplaced in the multiverse. and on the meta level, it just wouldn't be sensible to even consider a progression in which he ascends into his dream role; because he was written to be someone aspiring, which means someone lesser.

in a way, this limbo status is what prevents them from any other character development. in-universe he was created for something he will never get to be; and it's a set-up that will never let them find a proper place for themselves. the only relief he gets is from affirmation from the rest of the superfam; it's something that he desires, and the only sense of home they can get. but staying in this position means that they will never truly get rid of the crushing guilt complex & people-pleasing tendencies, because there's no other choice but to forever pretend that it's enough. so a good understanding of their place in the narrative means, unfortunately, that these traits will be endlessly fed into.

i don't think it's a bad thing, btw. i think it's brilliant. it's one of the most melancholic and subversive stories that dc has ever invented. most superhero content focuses on humans leveling with the inescapability of their own greatness, their fate, being forced to live a myth or forging oneself into one. kon, on the other hand, was born a myth that is confronted with their own smallness, the painful humanity, being easily forgotten unless marketed and advertised for others' entertainment. there's no great destiny for him, no place to grow. and their story is, in essence, about learning to accept it and settling for less.