Today's Z-Lister is kinda different from most. He's a character in the most solid way, it almost feels like he's a real person. Because, well, he is supposed to be a real person. Put the coffee on, today we talk about DC Comic's Superboy-Prime.
In 1985's "DC Comic's Presents #87" writer Elliot S. Maggin and artist Curt Swan took Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's American icon and flipped him in a new direction. As a tie-in to DC Comic's first Crisis Event, we were introduced to a version of Superman from another world. Earth-Prime was a world very similar to our own, where DC superheroes were all just comic book characters. There, a couple named Jerry and Naomi Kent found a child in the woods and adopted it. They decided to name him Clark Kent, knowing full well that he'd share the name with the "fictional" character Superman. What they didn't know was that Clark was an alternate version of our Superman from Earth-Prime's version of Krypton. Krypton blew up as expected, but baby Kal-El was teleported to Earth instead of being sent via rocket. However, Clark Kent grew up without powers. On the night of a school Halloween party, Clark joined his girlfriend Laurie dressed as Superboy as he finally embraced the humor of his name. But after a passing comet awoken Clark's Kryptonian superpowers and our Superman traveled to Earth-Prime, Clark embraced his name further by helping Superman and an army of DC Comics characters fight The Anti-Monitor, a being determined to wipe out all universes.
After "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Clark's world was destroyed and he secluded himself in The Paradise Dimension with Alexander Luthor of Earth 3, and Superman and Lois Lane of Earth 2. It was in this dimension Alex coerced Clark into helping him recreate the multiverse by showing Clark what happened to his family after he came to the main DCU. His parents and girlfriend all died in a car accident he could have stopped. This caused Clark to LITERALLY PUNCH A HOLE IN REALITY. This breach of reality causes the multiple origins of Superman, Hawkman, Donna Troy, The Legion of Super-Heroes, and The Doom Patrol to fold into a single origin for each character. Oh, and it orchestrated the events that BROUGHT JASON TODD BACK TO LIFE. Clark-convinced by Alex and Earth 2's Superman's complaints-believed the then-current DCU to be beyond saving. That the DCU (2005) was too dark, slowed, and weak to preserve itself. Clark and Alex escaped The Paradise Dimension and caused more tragedies to befall the DCU, like the Rann-Thanagarian War, the formation of The Secret Society of Super-Villains, and the corruption of OMAC.
During "Infinite Crisis" Alexander would try to recreate the multiverse and Superman of Earth 2 would try to convert Batman, Power Girl, and a few other heroes to his side. Meanwhile, Superboy-Prime attacked Connor Kent, the clone known as Superboy. Prime was jealous of Connor and during their fight he would accidentally kill members of the Teen Titans with his immense power. The entire time blaming his actions on their universe. It took Jay Garrick (Earth 2's Flash), Wally West (The Flash II), and Bart Allen (Kid Flash) to push Superboy-Prime into The Speed Force Dimension where Barry Allen (The Flash) returned after a decade of absence to help Bart Allen hold Prime back. Superboy-Prime returned from the Speed Force hours later. Hours for us, for him it had been at least ten years as Bart also returned a full-grown adult. Superboy-Prime refused to help Alexander because he believed Earth-Prime to be the only "good" Earth. He flew to Oa (the base of The Green Lanterns in the center of the universe) to destroy it and spark a new Big Bang. Instead he was blocked by the Green Lantern Corps and flown through a Red Sun by the Supermen of Earth 1 and Earth 2. In a powerless fight, Prime killed Earth 2's Superman and was knocked out by Earth 1's Superman. Prime was then imprisoned on Oa in a Red Sun room, stripped of his powers and locked away forever. Well, almost forever.
This guy has a crazy backstory, so for the rest of the story tune in for tomorrow's companion post!
Thanks for reading!
After "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Clark's world was destroyed and he secluded himself in The Paradise Dimension with Alexander Luthor of Earth 3, and Superman and Lois Lane of Earth 2. It was in this dimension Alex coerced Clark into helping him recreate the multiverse by showing Clark what happened to his family after he came to the main DCU. His parents and girlfriend all died in a car accident he could have stopped. This caused Clark to LITERALLY PUNCH A HOLE IN REALITY. This breach of reality causes the multiple origins of Superman, Hawkman, Donna Troy, The Legion of Super-Heroes, and The Doom Patrol to fold into a single origin for each character. Oh, and it orchestrated the events that BROUGHT JASON TODD BACK TO LIFE. Clark-convinced by Alex and Earth 2's Superman's complaints-believed the then-current DCU to be beyond saving. That the DCU (2005) was too dark, slowed, and weak to preserve itself. Clark and Alex escaped The Paradise Dimension and caused more tragedies to befall the DCU, like the Rann-Thanagarian War, the formation of The Secret Society of Super-Villains, and the corruption of OMAC.
During "Infinite Crisis" Alexander would try to recreate the multiverse and Superman of Earth 2 would try to convert Batman, Power Girl, and a few other heroes to his side. Meanwhile, Superboy-Prime attacked Connor Kent, the clone known as Superboy. Prime was jealous of Connor and during their fight he would accidentally kill members of the Teen Titans with his immense power. The entire time blaming his actions on their universe. It took Jay Garrick (Earth 2's Flash), Wally West (The Flash II), and Bart Allen (Kid Flash) to push Superboy-Prime into The Speed Force Dimension where Barry Allen (The Flash) returned after a decade of absence to help Bart Allen hold Prime back. Superboy-Prime returned from the Speed Force hours later. Hours for us, for him it had been at least ten years as Bart also returned a full-grown adult. Superboy-Prime refused to help Alexander because he believed Earth-Prime to be the only "good" Earth. He flew to Oa (the base of The Green Lanterns in the center of the universe) to destroy it and spark a new Big Bang. Instead he was blocked by the Green Lantern Corps and flown through a Red Sun by the Supermen of Earth 1 and Earth 2. In a powerless fight, Prime killed Earth 2's Superman and was knocked out by Earth 1's Superman. Prime was then imprisoned on Oa in a Red Sun room, stripped of his powers and locked away forever. Well, almost forever.
This guy has a crazy backstory, so for the rest of the story tune in for tomorrow's companion post!
Thanks for reading!
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