SuperFriends Wiki
Don't have an account?
Register
Advertisement
Register
SuperFriends Wiki
SERVING ALL MANKIND!
11,899
pages
in: Conjectural, Super Friends comic book characters, Aliens,
and 6 more

Superman (Kal-L)

Revision as of 17:39, 24 March 2020 by Noah Tall (talk | contribs)
Edit
Alfred Pennyworth (09x04 - The Fear)
 Conjectural Information

The title or other information in this article is conjectural. The information here does not contribute anything canonical in the SuperFriends Universe. It has been conjectured based on information from the known DC Universe at the time. Please see the reasons in the "Background Information" section below, and/or the relevant discussion on the talk page.
(This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Conjectural" category.)






You may be looking for The Superman (1940s cartoons).
You may be looking for Superman (1988 animated series).
You may be looking for Superman (SuperPowers Figure).
You may be looking for Superman (SuperFriends/JLA Member).
Continuity-Related Comic Book Character
Superman
Supe (Kal-L)
Information
Real name: Kal-L
AKA: Clark Kent
Species: Kryptonian
Homeworld: Krypton (formerly)
Earth
Universe: Earth-Two
Hair: Black (later Grey at temples)
Relatives: Jor-L (father, deceased) (Comics only; in cartoon is not mentioned)
Lora (mother, deceased)(Comics only; in cartoon is not mentioned)
Kara Zor-L (cousin) (Comics only)
Occupation: Newspaper Reporter
Editor of the Daily Star
Base: Metropolis
Daily Star
Affiliations: Justice Society of America (Comics only; in cartoon is not mentioned)
All-Star Squadron (Comics only; in cartoon is not mentioned)
Voiced/Played: Bud Collyer

Justice Society Team Member

Superman (All Star Comics 64)

Image from All-Star Comics, #64 (February, 1977).

Kal-L and SuperGirl (ASC, Issue 69)

Image from All-Star Comics, #69 (December, 1977).

Citadel

Secret Citadel.


The Superman of Earth-Two was the alternate-universe counterpart of the Superman of Earth-One, who was a part time member of the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron. He has been an active superhero since at least the early 1940's. Early in his career, Superman was remarkably ruthless in his pursuit of justice, sometimes clashing with police and even the National Guard. While he was not a killer, he shed few tears when his opponents died at their own hands or from their own misfiring super-weapons. His adversaries were even more ruthless.

Background Information

In the parallel universe of Earth-Two (Earth-2A in the SuperFriends Universe), Kal-L was born to Jor-L and Lora on Krypton around 1918. Recognizing that Krypton would soon be destroyed by internal pressures, Jor-L tried to develop a spacecraft to carry his family to safety on Earth, but only a small model was complete by the time the end came. Lora chose to stay with her husband, but they rocketed baby Kal-L to life on a new world just moments before Krypton exploded. He landed on Earth and was found by John and Mary Kent. The Kents rescued the boy from the crashed ship, which destroyed itself later. The Kents took young Kal-L to a local orphanage, declaring him an abandoned child. Young Kal-L soon proved too much for the nurses there to handle, and when the Kents returned to adopt the boy, he was gladly released.[1] They named the boy Clark and took him home to raise on their farm near Smallville.[2]

Clark grew up a bright lad and farm hand to his parents in the 1920s and 1930s, with little suspicion of his fledgling super-powers (unlike his Earth-One counterpart, the original Clark Kent had no costumed career as Superboy). While Clark was still a teenager, he met the time-traveling Earth-One Superboy, who helped him master the use of his Kryptonian powers.[3]

The Kents died a few years later and Clark moved to Metropolis, where he managed to secure a job as a reporter with the Daily Star and began his heroic career as Superman. At the Daily Star, he would meet editor George Taylor, copy boy Jimmy Olsen, and "girl reporter" Lois Lane, who would become the love of his life. Early on, Lois had great contempt for Clark, who feigned timidity and even outright cowardice as a way of concealing his true identity, but her feelings for him softened as she began to suspect he was secretly Superman.[4]

In 1940, Superman joined a group of other costumed mystery-men in thwarting a Nazi attack on Washington, D.C., and stopped the attempted assassination of President Franklin Roosevelt. Afterwards, Superman suggested the assembled heroes form a permanent alliance called the Justice Society of America.[5] Despite this, Superman had only occasional involvement with the group until the late '60s.

In December 1941, Superman was among the heroes captured and imprisoned.[6] As a result, the Man of Steel was unable to intervene when the Japanese attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. However, he and his comrades were soon freed and defeated Degaton and his allies.[7] When freed, Superman and the other heroes then attempted to attack the Japanese fleet only to encounter the mystic "Sphere of Influence" created by the Spear of Destiny and the Holy Grail, then in the possession of Axis leaders. For the rest of World War II, the Man of Steel and other heroes vulnerable to magical energy were unable to enter Axis-held territory without immediately falling under a mental compulsion to fight for the Axis cause.[8] That limitation would cause great anguish for Superman, who could see the atrocities taking place in Nazi Germany, but was unable to intervene.[9]

Superman also served as a charter member of the wartime All-Star Squadron, helping to defend the U.S. from spies, saboteurs, and the Axis metahumans who ventured onto Allied soil. During this time he constructed his remote Secret Citadel (the Earth-One Superman had a Fortress of Solitude)[10] and had his first encounter with Captain Marvel, who was transported to Earth-Two from his native Earth-S. The Captain had fallen victim to the Sphere of Influence.[11] Later, Superman became friends with mystery-man, Batman and his sidekick Robin, whom he had met several times through the JSA and All-Star Squadron.[12]

In the 1970s,[13] a spaceship arrived from Krypton, sent by his uncle Zor-L. The ship contained his cousin, Kara Zor-L.[14] Superman trained Kara in the use of her abilities and she eventually took on a super-powered identity of her own as Power Girl (thereby becoming the Earth-Two equivalent of Supergirl).[15] Superman went into semi-retirement at this point, because but he continued to be active when needed with the Justice Society.[16] He always had time to contended with his longtime adversary Alexei 'Lex' Luthor.[17] Also during the 70's, Clark married in long-time girlfriend Lois Lane[18] and was promoted from senior reporter to Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Star when George Taylor retired. Kent was promoted to that post over fellow reporter, Perry White.[19]

As Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Star, he recovered a diary written by the Batman, implicating the JSA as pawns of Hitler during World War II. He printed the diary's contents in the Daily Star, which resulted in the indictment of the Justice Society. At the resulting public Congressional hearing, the JSAers discovered that Batman had written the diary to direct attention at longtime JSA enemy Per Degaton and his upcoming attempt to conquer time; as a result, the JSA was exonerated.[20]


Continuity from the Superman (1940s cartoons)

5) Crest, Superman 1940's Cartoon Shorts (2)

The Crest from the 1940's Cartoons

The adventures Superman encounters in these serials are mainly representative of events early in his career and end shortly into World War II. He was presented as the strong silent type. Early on, Superman mainly battled crooks, mad scientists, mechanical monsters, dinosaurs and natural disasters. Then as the War started, he battled the Japanese, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.[21] Lois Lane is a real go-getter and will do anything to get a story.[22] Perry White (not George Taylor) was the editor of the Daily Planet[23] and a young gapped tooth reporter (resembling Jimmy Olson) was Clarks friend.


Strengths and Abilities

Explanation

Exlanation of Earth-Two Kryptonian Powers on Earth.

Kryptonian Physiology: Kal-L's powers were attributed to his Kryptonian physiology, and NOT the radiation of a yellow sun, as all Kryptonians native to this reality did have superpowers in their original red sun system. Hence, Kal-L's powers did not fluctuate under the presence or lack of yellow sun light. This was the primary rationale used for his lower superpower levels to his other dimensional counterparts and his aging.


Weaknesses

  • Magic (Comics only; in cartoon is not mentioned): Kal-L had a higher than normal vulnerability to magical beings and devices.
  • Kryptonite (in 1940s cartoon it was not discovered): Since the destruction of Krypton, its remains (rendered radioactive by the explosion) have been spreading throughout the universe as kryptonite, a crystalline substance whose specific radiation is lethal to Kryptonians native to this reality. In Kal-L's original Earth Two dimension there was only one type of Kryptonite, Green, and its effect is directly poisonous to Earth-Two Kryptonians. The long term effects of other races being in close or direct contact with Earth-Two dimension Kryptonite was unknown.
  • Other-Dimensional Kryptonians: Kal-L was shown to be far weaker in scope to so called "infinite powered" other dimensional Kryptonians such as Superman (Earth-One), but Kal-L would never retreat from battle with them when he had to despite the large differences in their strength levels to himself.
  • Lead (Comics only; in cartoon is not mentioned): Kal-L could not see through lead with his vision powers.
  • Bio Energy (Comics only; in cartoon is not mentioned): Kal-L's will eventually weaken without rest as his body-generated energies are not inexhaustible. Unlike his other dimensional counterparts, Kal-L was not powered by normal (yellow) sun radiation. Kal-L was not effected by red sunlight and maintained his superpowers in red sun systems unlike the Earth-One and current reality Superman who lose their powers in a red sun system.


Gallery

Justice Society Team Members

Members of the Justice Society of America

Appearances

Superman (1940s cartoons)

Fleischer Studios:

  1. The Mad Scientist
  2. The Mechanical Monsters
  3. Billion Dollar Limited
  4. The Arctic Giant
  5. The Bulleteers
  6. The Magnetic Telescope
  7. Electric Earthquake
  8. Volcano
  9. Terror on the Midway

Famous Studios:

  1. Japoteurs
  2. Showdown
  3. Eleventh Hour
  4. Destruction, Inc.
  5. The Mummy Strikes
  6. Jungle Drums
  7. The Underground World
  8. Secret Agent

Super Friends Comic Book


Notes


External Links


References

  1. ↑ As revealed in Superman, #1 (summer 1939) and recounted with new details in Secret Origins, #1 (April 1986).
  2. ↑ As revealed in Superman, #61 (Nov./Dec. 1949).
  3. ↑ As revealed in the New Adventures of Superboy, #15 - #16 (March - April, 1981)
  4. ↑ Taylor and Lane appeared along with Superman in Action Comics, #1 (June 1938). Jimmy Olsen was introduced in Superman, #13 (Nov./Dec. 1941).
  5. ↑ As revealed in DC Special, #29 (September, 1977).
  6. ↑ As revealed in Justice League of America, #193 (August, 1981).
  7. ↑ As revealed in All-Star Squadron, #1–3 (Sept. – Nov. 1981).
  8. ↑ As revealed in All-Star Squadron, #4 (December, 1981).
  9. ↑ As revealed in the post-crisis story, Superman, #226 (April, 2006).
  10. ↑ As revealed in Superman, #17 (July, 1942).
  11. ↑ As revealed in All-Star Squadron, #36-37 (Aug. – Sept. 1984).
  12. ↑ As revealed in World's Finest Comics, #271 (September, 1981
  13. ↑ By the mid-to-late 1970's, he has a little gray in his hair and is semi-retired. By this time he had also modified his costume slightly, most notably having switched the background color of his chest emblem from black to yellow much like the chest emblem of his Earth-1A counterpart.
  14. ↑ As revealed in Showcase, #97 (February, 1978).
  15. ↑ As revealed in All-Star Comics, #58 (February, 1976).
  16. ↑ As revealed in All-Star Comics, #69 (February, 1976) and #74 (October, 1978).
  17. ↑ As revealed in DC Comics Presents Annual, #1 (1982).
  18. ↑ As revealed in Action Comics #484 (June, 1978)
  19. ↑ As revealed in Superman Family, #197 (October, 1979).
  20. ↑ As revealed in America vs. the Justice Society #1-4 (Jan. – April 1985).
  21. ↑ This may seem a little incongruent with respect to the comic books. In the late 70’s early 80’s retcon stories, Superman is prevented from entering Axis-held territory without immediately falling under a mental compulsion to fight for the Axis cause. The mystic "Sphere of Influence" created by the Spear of Destiny and Holy Grail, then in the possession of Axis leaders was a barrier he could not overcome. As revealed in All-Star Squadron, #4 (December, 1981).
  22. ↑ Lois Lane was voiced by Joan Alexander, who was another carry-over from the radio show.
  23. ↑ The version of Clark Kent in the comics at the time, worked for the Daily Star and his editor was George Taylor. Perry White was a reporter. As revealed in Superman, #19 (November, 1942).
  24. ↑ As seen in Super Friends (Latin America) #13.
  25. ↑ As seen in Showcase # 99 (1978) -- reprinted in Issue # 20 of Super Friends (1980).
  26. ↑ Go to DC Database for more on Action Comics, Vol. 1 # 1 (June 1938).
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement

Fan Feed

More SuperFriends Wiki