Superboy (Kon-El)

"This looks like a job for Superboy!"

- Superboy.

"Y'know... sometimes a pitcher throws a ball... and the instant he lets it go, he knows it was the wrong pitch. That he's going to get pounded. And he'd do everything he could t'call it back. So... here. We're going to pretend... that this was a pitch that got away. Next pitch... up to you."

- Superboy to Suzanne King-Jones.

Superboy, also known as Kon El and Conner Kent, is a superhero in the DC universe and comics. He is the clone of the Kryptonian superhero, Superman and his archenemy, Lex Luthor, and was created by Project Cadmus to replace Superman after his apparent death by Doomsday. Superboy accomplished many feats during his early career, and later founded Young Justice with Tim Drake and Bart Allen.

He was created by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel, and first appeared in Adventures of Superman # 500 in June of 1993.

Creation
After Superman's apparent death by Doomsday, Superboy (known as "Experiment 13") was created by Project Cadmus to replace the Kryptoninan superhero. He was artificially aged to his mid-teens and implanted with a high school education, and was set free by the Newsboy Legion before any safeguard programs could be implemented. Upon setting foot into the city, Superboy encountered Sidearm, a villain who was attempting to steal money from an ATM.

Becoming a Hero
His arrival to Metropolis coincided with three others who took on the mantle of Superman, Cyborg Superman and The Eradicator, who told the public that they were the real Superman resurrected, and John Henry Irons (Steel), who made no claim that he was the real Superman. Superboy didn't claim himself to be the real Superman to Lois Lane, whom he told about his origin of being a clone, but he referred to be called Superman than Superboy.

Superboy became interested in Tana Moon, a reporter that he granted an exclusive on WGBS, a station led by Vinnie Edge. Vinnie arranged for the hero to go into the Suicide Slum, and Superboy arrested Steel Hand, and encountered Guardian, who gave him advice. Despite the advice, Superboy was blinded by the attention he received, and his recklessness caused the death of a pilot. He was criticized by Steel for his reckless behavior, and lost most of his arrogance as a result, and later saved Steel from a fire.

Superboy was later approached by Supergirl, the cousin of Superman, and was asked to work with her at LexCorp. Superboy originally agreed, but was seduced into a contract by Rex Leech and his daughter, Roxy. Edge later hired an assassin named Stinger to attack Superboy on television to boost his ratings, but the hero was aided by Supergirl, and the two rescued as many people as they could from the building.

Stopping Cyborg Superman
After hearing that Coast City was destroyed, Superboy was duped by Cyborg Superman, and tricked the Justice League on doing an investigation around the world. Upon learning from the Cyborg's servant, Mongul, that they wanted to destroy Metropolis, Superboy escaped and returned to Steel, Supergirl and Lois Lane to warn them. Suddenly, a Krypotnian warsuit emerged from the water, and it was revealed that the real Superman was resurrected, but was still weak. Though skeptical, Superboy and Steel worked with him to attack Engine City, and Superboy altered the Engine City missile before it could reach Metropolis. Upon returning, Superboy acknowledge that the "man in black" was the real Superman, and Tana visited him, telling him that she was leaving town.

Finding his Identity
Upon the real Superman's return, Superboy relinquished the rights to the name and symbol, and decided to leave Metropolis. He went across the world to establish himself as an individual, and first went back to Cadmus, where he learned that is one of the many human clones created to act and mimic Superman's abilities by tacticle telekinesis. Cadmus eventually agreed to stop trying to bring Superboy back to the project, and Director Westfield attempted to defeat Superboy having a DNAliens to fight Superboy. Dubbilex became Superboy's chaperone, and after packing his things from Superman's apartment, left to tour the world.

He and Dubbilex made it Hawaii, and were joined by Rex and Roxy Leech before running into Sidearm. Superboy decided to stay on the island, notably after he learned that Tana had moved there herself, and nicknamed himself as "The Hero of Hawaii". However, Superboy found himself fighting supervillains Knockout, a former Fury, and Scavenger over the Spear of Lona. During a fight against Silver Sword, Superboy fell ill, and was rushed to Metropolis as the Navy took Silver Sword into custody.

Superboy was suffering from the Clone Plague that was infecting most Underworlder's and Cadmus clones, and was cured due to Cadmus' efforts. Superboy also fought Team Luthor when they tried to steal the cure. He later joined Superman and Supergirl to apprehend Lex Luthor, and also tried to minimize the damage across Metropolis. Superboy decided to stay in Metropolis, and fought Parasite, and was caught in a skirmish with an alternate Earth.

Continued Heroics
On his way to Hawaii, Superboy stopped in Smallville, where he met Jonathan and Martha Kent, the adoptive parents of Superman. He also met with a Superboy from another reality, who was there because of a time disruption, and the two worked together on Zero Hour. Afterward, Superboy learned that Westfield was the DNA donor, and that he was the thirteenth attempt by Cadmus to clone Superman. Dr. Teng's "Bizarro" technique was used on the first, and Bizarro Superboy was kept into the lab until it escaped, but died afterward. In Hawaii, Tana threw him a birthday party, making him officially one years old.

Back in Hawaii, Superboy fought King Shark, B.E.M., the Silicon Dragons and Techno on numerous occasions, and became one their constant foes. One of the Silicon Dragons attempted to kill Superboy, but instead killed a look-a-like of him in the process. Later on, Superboy clashed with Aquaman, but was defeated and put into his place. In addition, Dr. Emil Hartman made Superboy a visor that simulated Superman's vision, and this help the hero defeat Sidearm once again. He also fought against Copperhead, an assassin that was hired to collect a debt from Rex.

When Agent Sam Makoa decided to stop the Silicon Dragons by using Amanda Waller's task force, Suicide Squad, Superboy forced himself onto the team. He worked with Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Knockout, Sidearm and King Shark to defeat the Silicon Dragons. The team succeeded in destroying the Dragons' lair, but Lady Dragon managed to escape. Also, around this time, Superboy and Tana became an official couple. Afterward, Superboy was informed that the law required him to go to school, and enrolled and met Hillary Chang, who became a close friend of his.

Superboy, Supergirl, the Eradicator and Steel were recruited by the Alpha Centurion into the Superman Rescue Squad, after Superman was kidnapped by an alien Tribunal. Superboy, however, didn't trust the Centurion, and believed that he was Cyborg Superman, and his suspicion became true when Cyborg Superman showed up when the Centurion left the battle. The Cyborg defeated the team, and turned them over to the Tribunal, and the team became prisoners. Superboy was locked into the same cell with the Centurion, and refused to believe that the didn't betray the team. After breaking free, Superboy admitted that he made a mistake after seeing the Centurion fight Cyborg Superman, and the Tribunal exonerated Superman for his "crimes".

Superboy later helped Valor when the Legion of Super-Heroes were seeking him in the past, and freed him from the Phantom Zone once again, and cured him with an anti-lead serum. The Legion rewarded Superboy by making him an honorary member, and giving him a Flight Ring. Upon returning to the past, he found Knockout waiting the compound, and she told him that they should pair up together. Agreeing to do so, Superboy and Knockout fought Killer Frost and the Technician, and later fought the Female Furies, who revealed that Knockout is one of their lost sisters. With the help of Emil Hartman, the Female Furies were driven off, but Superboy's high school was nearly destroyed, and it was considered that the young hero should be homeschooled. Knockout also taught Superboy how to better use his powers, teaching him how to use his tactile telekinesis to shield others.

When Knockout killed a police, the SCU attempted to have her arrested, but Superboy refused to believe the evidence. The two went on the run form the law, and Superboy decided to break up with Tana for her own safety. Supergirl and Knockout fought each other on a beach, but Sparx separated the two, and Superboy's S symbol on his shirt was ripped off by Supergirl for his lawlessness. Superboy eventually came to his senses when Knockout wanted him to kill Victor Volcanum, and Superboy arrested her, realizing that she didn't love him the way he did.

The Ravers
Superboy was invited by Sparz to the Event Horizion, an intergalactic rave party that was hosted by Kindred Marx. He met Hero Cruz and got into a fight with Kaliber, and they were teleported to distant asteroid where InterC.E.P.T. attempted to place the two under arrest. Superboy and Kaliber were transported back to the Event Horizon before they could be arrested, and another brawl broke out that spilled out onto Earth.

While leading the Ravers, Superboy and Tana rekindled their relationship, but Roxy revealed that she was in love with him. Despite her confession, Superboy didn't reciprocate her feelings, but she wouldn't allow her feelings to be dismissed.

The Agenda
While helping Dubbilex, an organization called The Agenda sent Amanda Spence to kidnap Superboy, and the organization used Superboy to create a clone they referred to as Match. Agenda planned to create an army of enhanced clones, but Superboy managed to defeat Match and destroy the Agenda's lair, as Spence and heads of Agenda were taken into custody.

However, the organization secretly infected with Superboy with a virus that would break down his DNA, and it laid dormant until Superboy fought Copperhead once again. Symptoms began to manifest, and S.T.A.R. Labs were unable to cure the virus, and Superboy was rushed back to Cadmus, who were only able to slow down his condition. Superman, Supergirl and Steel did what they could, with Superman attempting to have Match donate, but he wasn't interested in helping Superboy. Spence made a suggestion, which was they could re-zip Superboy's genetics if they had a DNA donor, and Roxy volunteered for the procedure. Despite the success of the procedure, the main side effect what that he would never age beyond sixteen years old, crushing the young heroes dream to assume the role of Superman.

Despite Superman comforting Superboy, he was troubled by the thought of never aging beyond sixteen, and was plagued with nightmares. When he discovered a magic atoll where "lost boys" never grew up, he decided to leave them and continue stopping threats. The Legion returned to Superboy, but were angry that he gave his Flight Ring to Roxy, and Superboy managed to ease things while they fought Silver Sword. Despite this, Tana ended her relationship with Superboy due to his constant flirting and attitude, and the fact that he would be a teenager forever. He decided to travel to clear his head, and went on a date with Natasha Irons, who decided to not enter a relationship with him, as she knew he still loved Tana.

Superboy eventually defeated Silver Sword with the help of Kyle Rayner, and learned that the villain was serving a being known as Pele. During the battle, Silver Sword realized that Pele wasn't a Hawaiian Goddess, and turned against Pele, which led to his death. Despite defeating Pele, Superboy didn't feel heroic, and eventually disappeared without a trace while flying back to Hawaii, and was caught in a storm. Superboy suffered from amnesia while in the Wild Lands, but regained his memory, but feared he was in the distant future. Superboy befriended the Wild Men, and they quickly learned that they weren't in the distant future, but that Superboy was only gone for a few months.

The group learned that the island was created by a precursor to Project Cadmus known as "Project Moreau", and Superboy returned to Hawaii and learned that most of his friends were gone. He decided to rejoin Cadmus and work as a field agent, and worked with Dubbilex and Guardian in stopping the Agenda and Director Alpha. Though he was originally happy returning to Cadmus, meeting the new director, Mickey "The Mechanic" Cannon, Colonel Winterbourne, and Dr. Serling Roquette, he was distraught when Mickey fire the original Newsboy and their clones.

Young Justice
Superboy became best friends with Tim Drake, the third Robin, and Bart Allen, who was a speedster named Impulse. The trio decided to "camp out" in the old Justice League of America's cave, and decided to form a superhero team called Young Justice. Superboy one of the three founding members of the new superhero team, and the trio ran into the Red Tornado.

Later on, Superman invited Superboy to the Fortress of Solitude where he was able to see Krypton by virtual reality. Superman explained that he considered Superboy part of his family, and offered him the Kryptonian name, Kon-El. Superboy accepted in tears, having finally got a real name, and Superboy adopted the name "Connor Kent" to use in society, and posed as one of Clark's cousins from that day forward.

Film

 * In The Death and Return of Superman, he was portrayed by Matt Bennett.
 * In Reign of Superman, he was voiced by Cameron Monaghan.

Live-Action

 * In Smallville, he was portrayed by Lucas Gabriel, Connor Stanhope young, and Jakob Davies as a child.
 * In Titans, he is played by Joshua Orpin.

Animated

 * In Legion of Super-Heroes, a clone of Superman is called Kell-El, and was voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.
 * In Young Justice, he was voiced by Nolan North.
 * North would voice the character again in Young Justice: Legacy.
 * In Robot Chicken DC Comics Special 2: Villains in Paradise, he was voiced by Zac Efron.

Video Games

 * In DC Universe Online, he was voiced by Greg Miller.
 * In Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, he was voiced by Scott Porter.

Radio

 * In the Death of Superman adaptions, he was voiced by Kerry Shale.

Love-Interests

 * Cassie Sandsmark
 * Tana Moon

Quotes
"Okay – tryin' to kill me is one thing – but that was my only jacket! This means war!"

- Superboy.

"He said I wasn't the real Superboy... he was wrong. I just forgot for a little while... we all forgot... don't let them forget again."

- Superboy.

"Superman doesn't kill. Didn't Kal tell you that? Didn't you learn? Superman doesn't kill!"

- Superboy to the Kon-El Clone.

"can't say this to anyone, but there's a part of me that thinks they're all going to die — and I'm going to get kicked up into the big leagues, like it or not. I know. Thinking about promotions while they knit together Green Lantern's ribs — stepped in shallower puddles, right? But I can't help it. I keep seeing me and my guys on that front line, but the kick of it is — we don't come back either."

- Superboy.

"I did not ask to be created. But I will decide the time and circumstance of my termination."

- Prime-Earth Superboy.

Trivia

 * His favorite tv show is Wendy the Werewolf Stalker.
 * Superman named him "Kon-El" to show that he was part of the El family.
 * He adopted the name "Connor Kent" as a secret identity, and posed as a cousin of Clark Kent.