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This page may contain some of the same content as the DC Database article. A more complete and current article is at the DC Comics Database Superboy (Earth-One). |
History
Life on Krypton
Born as Kal-El on the distant planet of Krypton, Superboy was the natural son of the highly decorated scientific genius Jor-El and his wife Lara, a former astronaut on their home planet of Krypton. Like all Kryptonians, Kal-El had no superhuman powers or abilities on Krypton, but like his father was a very astute and intelligent boy who learned to speak and read in his native language by the time he was three years old.
About this time Jor-El made a startling discovery. He learned that solar flare activity from the planet's sun, Rao, had caused a great geological change in the core of the planet Krypton. Within a short period of time, Krypton's core would become unstable and it would explode. Jor-El addressed his fellow colleagues in the Kryptonian Science Council, but they ignored his concerns. Disbelieving Jor-El's prediction, the ruling council refused to warn their fellow Kryptonians, and forbade Jor-El to speak publicly about it too, for fear of widespread panic resulting from Jor-El's claims.
Jor-El returned to his apartment in Kryptonopolis and told his wife, Lara Lor-Van the news. As the forefather of anti-gravity technology, Jor-El had designed a rocket equipped for deep interstellar travel. He had invented Krypton's first lunar module, and even launched his son's pet dog, Krypto, into outer space in a test rocket. The time had come however when hard choices had to be made. The remaining rocket in Jor-El's possession was not large enough to accommodate all three family members, so Jor-El suggested that Lara only accompany their son on the journey to escape the doomed planet. Lara refused to leave her husband deciding that the rocket had a far better chance with only their son aboard. They placed their infant son inside of escape rocket, in the hopes that he might survive Krypton's ultimate destruction. Jor-El plotted a course for a planet called Earth and the Els tearfully waved goodbye to baby Kal-El as the rocket broke free of the planet's atmosphere. Moments later, Krypton exploded.
Voyage Through Space
When his rocket passed into the space-warp between Krypton and Earth, it fell into a parallel universe and landed on a planet populated by cave people. But radiations from his body propelled the inhabitants rapidly through social and technological advancement, until they were a space-age culture. Renamed Sonn, Kal-El grew up, married, sired a son, and became president of his world, until a virus of evil spread terror throughout it. Sonn’s son found his father at almost 100 years of age, scientifically reverted him to babyhood, placed him back in the refueled rocket, and sent it back through the space-warp on a course to Earth. The civilization Kal-El left behind went back to caveman ways, and only two hours had passed in the Earth-One universe since his leaving it.[1]
Crash Landing on Earth
After traveling through space for an indeterminate amount of time, Kal-El's rocket finally reached Earth. It crash landed in a farming community in Kansas known as Smallville. Farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent were driving down the road when they discovered the then smoldering space craft. Extraditing baby Kal-El from the ship, they took him to the local orphanage. (Some later origin stories state the Kents directly kept Kal-El, then turned him over the orphanage for fear of others keeping him once they discovered Kal-El's superpowers.)
Although they were not yet aware of Kal-El's alien heritage, they knew that he was not like other infants as this Superbaby began running amok throughout the orphanage displaying wild feats of super-strength. The administration had no means by which to control him, so the Kents volunteered to adopt the child as their son, naming him Clark after Martha's unmarried surname (as stated in Superman 145 (1961)).
Growing Pains
Raising a babe of steel was not easy for the Kents, but they committed themselves towards providing him with a healthy home and teaching him strong, moral values. Shortly after being adopted, young Clark began adventuring on his own in the surrounding neighborhood, often engaging in various unbelievable feats of strength and speed, mostly helping people. Miraculously, few people made a connection between these random bizarre acts of derring-do and the Kents adopted son, and the identity of Superbaby became something of a tabloid urban legend (See Superbaby for more information on Superboy's adventures as a toddler). During this time, the Kents sold most of their farm and relocated to the main town of Smallville as storekeepers and young Clark began to develop his powers in ever increasing levels and proficiency.
Superboy Appears
At age eight, young Clark began specifically performing as Superboy publicly and later formally began working with Smallville Police Chief Parker and other law officials. Within a few years Smallville would become publicly known as the home of the greatest public costumed hero, Superboy.
Kal-El would continue in this role until the deaths of his foster parents and attend Metropolis University and formally relocate to Metropolis and begin his adult career as Superman (Earth-One) and news reporter Clark Kent.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Kryptonian Physiology: Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, The average Kryptonian possesses the potential for the following power set:
- Solar Energy Absorption: Under optimal conditions, this is the main source of their super powers as they are contingent upon exposure to solar radiation from a yellow sun star system. Their biological make up includes a number of organs which lack analogues in humans and whose functions are unknown. It is believed that between one or more of these and their bio-cellular matrix, "yellow" solar energy is stored for later use. This allows for the use of these powers to fade when yellow solar radiation is not available instead of immediate failure.
- Heat Vision: Kryptonians can, as a conscious act, fire beams of intense heat at a target by looking at it. Typically, the power is seen as two beams of red light emanating from the eyes. These beams can be made invisible, allowing the power to be undetectable. The maximum temperature of their heat vision is said to be around that of a nuclear detonation. They can also consciously determine the area affected, down to the microscopic level.
- Super-Hearing: Kryptonian hearing is sensitive enough to hear any sound at any volume or pitch. With skill, practice, and concentration, they can block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency. As such, they can identify a person by their heartbeat, or pick out a single voice in an entire city.
- Enhanced Vision: Kryptonian vision processes the entire electromagnetic spectrum as well as allowing vast control over selective perception and focus.
This umbrella ability includes the following:- Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: Kryptonians can see well into most of the electromagnetic spectrum. They can see and identify radio and television signals as well as all other broadcast or transmitted frequencies. Using this ability, they can avoid detection by radar or satellite monitoring methods. This also allows them to see the aura generated by living thing.
- Telescopic Vision: This is the ability to see something at a great distance, without violating the laws of physics. Though limited, the exact extent of the ability is undetermined. In function, it is similar to the zoom lens on a camera.
- X-Ray Vision: This is the ability to see through any volume of matter except lead. Kryptonians can see things behind a solid, opaque object as if it were not there. They can focus this ability to "peel back" layers of an object, allowing hidden image or inner workings to be observed. The exact type of energy perceived—such as x-rays, cosmic rays, or some other energy invisible to normal humans—is unclear. This ability perceives an ambient energy source though, it does not involve the eye projecting a concentrated, possibly toxic, beam to be reflected back from objects.
- Microscopic Vision: This is the ability to see extremely small objects and images down to the atomic level.
- Infrared Vision: Kryptonians can see with better acuity in darkness, and to a degree in total darkness.
- Flight: Kryptonians are able to manipulate graviton particles, in an unknown and apparently unconscious manner, to defy the forces of gravity. Under one Earth gravity, they are capable of speeds of multi-Mach speeds in Earth's atmosphere. Their control of their flight is very precise and they can perform aerobatic feats such as hovering, flying backwards and even lifting great weights while flying.
- Invulnerability: The bodies of Kryptonians are nigh-invulnerable to extreme energy forces. In addition, their immune systems protects them from toxins and diseases. The most common explanations for this rely on the presences of a super-dense molecular structure, a supercharged bio-electric aura which acts as an invisible force field, or a combination of the two. A byproduct of the aura is that items close to the skin share their invulnerability. Using clothing as an example, loose fitting fabric would tend to shred or burn in adverse conditions, but skin tight outfits would not.
- Superhuman Stamina:: Kryptonians have the ability to maintain continuous strenuous physical action for an indefinite period of time. In theory they have unlimited stamina as their enhanced nourishment is produced from the yellow solar energy their cells process, which also provides the majority of the power for their superhuman abilities. However, their base physical structures do need to process food stuffs and they have a psychological need to eat and drink just as Earth humans do. They also require sleep on occasion so that they can dream. They can also hold their breath for an indefinite period of time.
- Superhuman Strength: A Kryptonian develops enhanced physical strength after absorbing a sufficient amount of yellow solar radiation. This radiation interacts with the greater than human density, resilience and biological efficiency of their musculature to trigger superhuman levels. While the exact magnitude of their strength is unknown, it is generally accepted that it is sufficient to lift 100,000 tons or more. The specific range is unknown as a their strength, like their other powers, may fluctuate over time. Their strength is also more an act of conscious will on energy fields than actual physical strength. It is this act of conscious will that enables them to perform physical feats that are beyond the mere application force, such as moving a mountain top without said rock crumbling under its own mass. At full power, their normal strength levels are well into the multi-megaton range.
- Superhuman Speed:: Kryptonians are able to move at incredible speeds by sheer force of will. They can match most other speedsters in super-fast movements, reactions, and processes. They can use this power to disarm opponents without heightened reflexes, catch bullets or shrapnel or cross vast distances in seconds.
This also confers: - Super-Breath: Kryptonians are able to create hurricane force winds by exhaling air from their lungs. They can chill the air as it leaves their lungs to freeze targets in a variation sometimes called "freeze" or "arctic breath". They can also reverse the process and pull large volumes of air or vapor into their lungs.
- Longevity: Kryptonians can live longer than regular humans, remaining at their prime as long as they was under the exposure of the "yellow" sun.
- Vulnerability to Kryptonite
- Vulnerability to Magic
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Transportation
- Supermobile: Usually just flies under his own power, but occasionally made use of a Supermobile to compensate for loss of powers or for protection against non Yellow Sun systems (mostly red sun) whereby Kal-El would lose all of his powers.
Notes
- The character of Superboy was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, trademarked under the name, Superman. Siegel and Shuster's original vision for the character was that Clark never became a costumed hero until adulthood, and they balked at DC's editorial decision to chronicle young Clark adventures under the guise of Superboy.[2]
- This version of Superboy (Earth-One), including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985-86 Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series. Even though versions of the character may have since appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.
Links and References
- 583 Appearances of Superboy (Earth-One)
- Minor Appearances of Superboy (Earth-One)
- Media Superboy (Earth-One) was Mentioned in
- Images featuring Superboy (Earth-One)
- 8 Quotations by or about Superboy (Earth-One)
- Character Gallery: Superboy (Earth-One)
- Superboy cover gallery
Footnotes
- ↑ This improbable series of events was described in Action Comics #370.
- ↑ Kal-El, the original Superboy at Wikipedia
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References
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  Superman Family member |
 Legion of Super-Heroes member |