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Superboy

Kon-El

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Superboy

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After Superman died in battle protecting Metropolis, four different heroes appeared each claiming to be Kal-El. One of these was someone who looked like a young, brash teenager, wearing a leather jacket instead of a cape. Revealing himself as a clone of the original Superman, this new hero exhibited similar powers to the Man of Steel, but there were several differences as well. The clone revealed his origins to the media, telling the Daily Planet that when Cadmus director Paul Westfield decided to replace the dead Superman, they attempted to make a clone directly from his genetic material. What he didn't know though is that he wasn't a true Kryptonian clone, as Cadmus kept failing to reproduce the alien DNA, so they combined the Kryptonian DNA with that of a regular human being. (It was later revealed that this clone was created by Lex Luthor).

They then recreated the bio-electric aura surrounding Superman's body, with which they were able to replicate some Kryptonian powers, such as a telekinetic field that gave the clone the ability to simulate powers such as flight, invulnerability, and strength, which they called "tactile telekinesis." This new hybrid clone was initially called "Experiment 13" since there were twelve previous attempts at cloning Superman that were unsuccessful. But with attempt thirteen, this new clone was given implanted memories and was rapidly aged to become a perfect copy of Superman. But by the time he had reached the biological age of a teenager, the clone escaped from his cloning tube early however, entering the world as the equivalent of a teenager.

After Superman came back to life, the clone hero took on the name Superboy, even though he didn't like being referred to as anything other than a man. Superboy moved to Hawaii, where he became the island's #1 Super Hero. He started working as an agent of his creators at Project Cadmus, and was paired with Cadmus' genetic creation known as Dubbilex as his chaperone. He entered into a relationship with TV reporter Tana Moon during this time as well. It was during this era that he learned that he was in fact Cadmus' 13th attempt at creating a Superman clone, and that the human donor of his DNA was Project Cadmus director Paul Westfield. Superboy briefly joined the cosmic heroes known as the Ravers, and also spent some time in the 31st Century with the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Superman formally brought Superboy into the fold when he invited him to his Fortress of Solitude, where he gave him the name Kon-El, making him an official part of his family. He also was given the human name Conner Kent, making him part of his adopted family as well. Superboy also found himself a new group of peers, when he teamed up with other protégé of famous heroes like Robin, Impulse and Wonder Girl in a new team called Young Justice.

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Character History

CREATORS: Karl Kesel, Tom Grummett / concept by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster

FIRST POST-CRISIS APPEARANCE: Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993)

FIRST POST-FLASHPOINT APPEARANCE: Superboy #1 (November 2011)