This Underrated DC Series With an 89% RT Score Gave Fans the Best Superboy (& He'd Fit Well in the DCU)

Generations of DC Comics’ followers are keen to fulfill David Corenswet’s Superman in the new DC Universe. James Gunn populated this world with many lively superheroes, however there are a lot extra to return. Whereas Titans is one among the most uneven DC sequence, the means it launched the Kon-El model of Superboy is the gold customary for adapting the character into live-action. Best of all, Superman doesn’t should die for it to occur.

Whereas the Arrowverse was in full swing on The CW, DC turned to super-producer Greg Berlanti for a set of exhibits for its personal mixture streaming and digital comedian service. DC Universe earned spectacular viewership from Titans and a 3rd season of Younger Justice. Apparently, each sequence featured Conner Kent as a serious character, despite the fact that he’s not keen on the title “Superboy.” Extra just lately in live-action, Superman & Lois launched new variations of Superboy, first Jordan Kent and, later, his brother Jonathan. In the comics, Lois and Clark’s son Jon Kent additionally briefly took on the Superboy title. Provided that James Gunn’s DCU contains a youthful Lois and Clark in the very starting of their relationship, Jon Kent is years away (barring time-travel or multiverse shenanigans). Gunn teased a forthcoming venture round the Teen Titans, too. So, if the DCU may have a Superboy, Conner Kent is the probably possibility and Titans proves it may possibly skip yet one more adaptation of “The Demise of Superman.”

Superboy’s Origin and How It Modified After Disaster On Infinite Earths

Just a few months after Superman’s debut, Jerry Siegel pitched a sequence of childhood adventures when the character known as himself “Superboy.” Two years later, he submitted a script for the story that ultimately turned the first look of the character. The sequence ran for many years, introducing Krypto the Tremendous-Canine and Lex Luthor’s historical past with the character in childhood. Superboy was additionally a fixture in the Legion of Tremendous-Heroes comics. But, when DC Comics rebooted its continuity after Disaster On Infinite Earths, the Superboy continuity was erased.

Like with Superman, the estates of each Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster filed a number of lawsuits for the copyright to Superboy, however the courts dominated DC Comics had full rights to the character.

In the Submit-Disaster continuity, a villain generally known as the Time-Trapper created a pocket universe with a model of Superboy separate from Superman. This was completed to keep up the continuity of the Legion of Tremendous-Heroes tales, and “Superboy-Prime” even crossed over with the trendy Superman. This model of the character died in Legion of Tremendous-Heroes Quantity 3, #38 in 1987. There are additionally a number of different “Elseworlds” variations of the character, together with a Kon-El from the New 52 detour and some villainous ones. In the Submit-Disaster continuity, the first true Superboy was Conner Kent who first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500, after Doomsday killed Kal-El.

Conner Kent was created by Lex Luthor, who created him as the alternative Superman below his management. Initially possessing a telepathic subject that mimicked Superman’s powers, the comics retconned his origin as a genetic hybrid of Kal-El and Lex. He labored alongside Superman, was a founding Younger Justice member and joined the Teen Titans. He lived in Smallville with the Kents as Clark’s cousin and took the Kryptonian title Kon-El. He died in the Infinite Disaster and Ultimate Disaster sequence, however Starman makes use of Kryptonian know-how to heal him. After a multiversal detour, Conner returned to DC’s predominant universe as a part of the Superman household.

Titans Launched a Reside-Motion Conner Kent, and His First Episode Is Improbable

HBO Max / Courtesy Everett Assortment

Superboy first appeared in the Titans Season 1 finale post-credits scene performed by Brooker Muir, however Joshua Orpin assumed the position in Season 2’s episode “Conner.” In contrast to different diversifications, Conner awakens and frees himself just because he “heard somebody howling in ache” and “wished to make it cease.” Earlier than they might clone a human-Kryptonian hybrid, the Cadmus scientists first tried it with a canine, Titans’ model of Krypto. The episode solely focuses on Conner and his “mom,” geneticist Eve Watson (Genevieve Angelson), explaining his origins. The remainder of the season offers with Cadmus and Lex Luthor attempting to manage him and Conner’s seek for his personal id.

Whereas Titans arguably had a Superman downside (particularly, that he couldn’t seem in the present), that’s what made this tackle Conner’s story so attention-grabbing. The Man of Metal existed in the universe, however Conner didn’t meet him or Lex Luthor till the sequence finale. Superboy wasn’t a alternative created after Superman’s demise, nor did he fixate on connecting with Kal-El like in Younger Justice. As a substitute, the present used the idea of “epigenetic reminiscence” to offer Conner out-of-context data about his fathers. Together with explaining how and why he was created to viewers, the extra essential a part of Eve’s story was to inform Conner what viewers already knew about Lex and Superman.

Regardless of Conner’s relationship to Superman in the comics, Titans made his connection to the titular group extra essential. It’s simple to think about a model of this story with out Conner needing them to interrupt free from Cadmus’ management and the Luthor aspect of his nature. Eve Watson each understood the place Conner got here from and that didn’t outline his id. Arguably, a “common” human serving to Conner perceive that is extra poignant than different heroes filling that position. Ultraman was revealed as a clone of Kal-El created by Lex Luthor in 2025’s Superman. This lays the groundwork for Kon-El to reach in the DCU, and Titans proved the story can stand by itself with out David Corenswet suiting up.

Titans Was an Uneven Series General, however Featured Moments of Sheer Brilliance

There isn’t any denying that Titans suffered from inconsistent writing and questionable narrative decisions. Nonetheless, all through its four-season run there have been moments of unquestionably cool comedian moments and sensible subversions of acquainted tales. Season 2’s “Conner” is maybe the single most well-executed episode in the complete sequence, and the remainder of his arc that yr didn’t disappoint. To the writers’ credit score, they remained fully unafraid to remix fan-favorite tales, and introducing Superboy with out killing Superman was impressed. This sequence and the character’s introduction in Younger Justice give James Gunn’s DCU a roadmap to comply with.

The plan for the DC Universe is to launch a number of movies and tv sequence in each dwell motion and animation every year. Conner Kent works as a personality in each animation and live-action, and the tv sequence he’s featured in proves it may be completed on a funds. Whereas David Corenswet will seem as Superman in different movies than the character’s personal, a live-action Conner Kent can deliver the Kryptonian warmth (imaginative and prescient or in any other case) to tv. Utilizing the mannequin Titans established with “Conner,” Superboy’s journey can work properly on his personal, maybe with Krypto. In his personal sequence and, presumably, different exhibits, the DCU can set up this character with out worrying about Superman.

Given how each Titans and Younger Justice dealt with Conner’s relationship with Clark, the DCU additionally has an opportunity to enhance on what these exhibits did. Delaying his first assembly with Superman serves each dramatic pressure and shapes the character into his personal man with out Clark’s affect. Typically, huge figures like Superman or Lex Luthor serve tales higher with their absence. This may construct to a very satisfying second when Conner lastly does meet his maker. Whereas Titans could have didn’t ship on its full potential, the DCU may nonetheless be taught from what it acquired proper.

The whole Titans sequence is offered to stream on HBO Max, and Superman is offered to lease and stream on demand.