Conner Kent Earned the Superman Mantle Long Before Jonathan Kent
So far, the son of Superman has done a spectacular job stepping up for his father as DC Comics’ flagship hero. But before Jonathan Kent was even born, there was Conner Kent. And although the DC Universe may have forgotten him, the hero known as Superboy has long since earned the title of Man of Steel.
Created by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett, this Superboy first appeared in The Adventures of Superman #500 after Superman’s death at the hands of the monster Doomsday. Though it would be revealed years later that he was a product of Lex Luthor’s malevolence, Conner was ultimately created to replace Superman should anything happen to the Man of Steel. Fortunately, he hasn’t exactly lived his life in the way Luthor had intended, and in so doing, he’s more than proved his worth as a hero and as a Superman successor.
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During Superman’s absence, the Metropolis Kid does his best to protect Clark Kent’s city in his own obnoxious way. And once the Last Son of Krypton returns to the land of the living, Kon-El continues the good fight alongside Superman. But it is his time with his friends in Young Justice and later the Teen Titans that Conner really earns his stripes as a Superman. Not only does he learn the truth of his existence and overcome his brainwashing as a weapon of Lex Luthor’s, but he gives his life to save Nightwing, Wonder Girl, and all of reality in the pages of Infinite Crisis by Geoff Johns, Phil Jimenez, Jerry Ordway, and more. He even later follows in his mentor’s footsteps by being resurrected in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds by Johns and George Pérez to once again save reality. And returning from the dead to save existence is as Superman as it
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