Conner Kent

Superboy

Conner Kent

## Biography

### Background

On March 21st 2007, Cadmus revealed to several of their top-bidders that they had acquired something very rare and very valuable - a DNA sample of Superman, acquired from the Star City battle with Trigon. After a shadowy bidding war, Cadmus allowed use of the DNA to an unknown outside company. Supervising the project was Doctor Emil Hamilton.

The company instructed Hamilton to use Superman’s DNA through their genomorph program and create a clone of Superman. Hamilton informed them that they had tried this, with two projects, B-Zero and Match-One, both of which failed.

As such, the parent company shared a DNA sample and suggested the DNA be spliced with Superman’s. Hamilton tried it - and it worked. Project Kr was born. Another genomorph named Kraig psychologically nurtured the clone, programming him with everything a boy of his physical appearance would need to know.

### Superboy

On July 6th 2008, Kid Flash, Aquagirl, Robin, and Cyborg broke into Cadmus Labs and found the clone, accidentally liberating him from his chambers in the process. While the clone was initially against them, he turned on his attackers when he discovered their treatment of John Diggle and of thier experimentation on a wolf. After collapsing the lab, the Justice League intervened, and “the Superboy” (and the wolf) were taken to the Fortress of Solitude.

After a series of extensive (and invasive) medical exams and psychic sweeps by the Titans’ resident Martian, Superboy was cleared and found to not be a mole, as his Cadmus programming was removed. Superboy spent a few weeks in the Fortress of Solitude, learning about his Kryptonian history from Kal-El and the holograms of his parents. During this time, he bonded with the wolf, calling him Krypto, and cut up one of Clark’s old suits - becoming his first costume.

He eventually would meet the Titans who rescued him and join their team. While in the field, he became quite a sensation. However, he was not much of a master of disguise, and was constantly recognized while out and about in Jump City - where he was gifted a leather jacket by a group of starstruck fangirls, which he continued to wear for the rest of his missions.

After spending a summer with the Titans, it was time to figure things out on paper for the boy. Vic Sage was able to fake legal documents to give him an identity of a 14 year-old homegrown Kansas boy, and with some help from his friends, he picked the name of Conner Kent and moved to Smallville, Kansas to live with the recently widowed Martha Kent.

Conner helped Martha through a difficult time in her grief, proving very helpful in the chores she could no longer keep up with. It gave her another shot at being a mother, as she used a lot of the same lessons on Clark on Conner. Aware of his status as a semi-celebrity, she gave him a pair of glasses and taught him how to act a little more bumpkin. Apparently, he even adopts a slight southern twang while with her. He started going to Smallville High School, where he was not exactly popular - but he found a nice group of friends in the form of Marvin White and Wendy Harris.

He spent his summers living in Jump City, where he struck up a very serious romance with Miss Martian. The two were deeply - annoyingly - in love. He became a valued member of the Titans - but he struggled a lot with unchecked aggression, and more than once had to be kicked into place by Black Canary.

On the day of his high school graduation, Conner felt a little overwhelmed following the ceremony and decided to go for a walk around the town. While walking down a dirt road, a limousine pulled up to him, and Lex Luthor offered him a ride. Conner was familiar with Lex’s less-than-favorable status with the League and was hesitant to accept it, but Lex managed to convince him.

On the car ride, Lex revealed to Conner that he was the one responsible for the half-human part of his DNA, and he wanted to recruit him to be a public superhero sponsor for LuthorCorp. Conner was bewildered and blindsided by this information and was so upset that he tore the car door off its hinges and flew away - uncaring of possible surveillance.

He returned to Kent Farm that night and shut everyone out - not revealing to anyone what he had been told. The next morning, he told Martha he was leaving town, rejecting his college plans, and taking some time to “find himself.” He broke things off with M'Gann and disappeared with Krypto in tow.

### Hero of Hawaii

Conner used his savings to skip around for a little bit, but eventually settled down in Hawaii. In a sort of self-imposed exile, he constructed his own Fortress of Solitude in the form of a bachelor pad he nicknamed “the Compound”, where he started taking a number of women (seriously concerning amounts), including an Apokolyptian sleeper agent and an Atlantean general. During his time on the island, he couldn’t seem to stray too far from superheroics - as he tussled with King Shark and Sidearm, both of whom would come back to haunt him on a Suicide Squad recon mission.

A few months into his exile, Kaldur came to his home to tell him that Jason Todd had been murdered, which sent Conner into an even greater spiral - believing that had he been there, his friend wouldn’t have been killed. Kaldur tried to coax him back to Metropolis, but once again shut his friends and family out.

Conner decided to become Hawaii’s resident superhero - operating on his own with a simplified costume. Conner took up a job as a reporter as well - so the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He began dating reporter Tana Moon (again - seems familiar) and befriended an FBI Agent stationed there, Sam Makoa, who was on the lookout for metahuman activity.

After the ending of No Man’s Land and the repealing of the Keene Act, Superman himself came to give Conner the long-needed heart-to-heart about identity. Conner decided it was time to finally come home. He bid goodbye to Sam and broke things off with Tana and moved to Jump City.

Conner continued serving on the Titans, and became a mentor to the younger members. He tried to pursue things with M’Gann again, but found that she and Lagoon Boy had grown pretty serious about each other in this time. Conner would have retreated into himself, were it not for Tim Drake, Cassie Sandsmark, and Wally West. The four became a good pair of friends during this time. So, it was heartbreaking for Conner when Wally seemed to retire and Tim disappeared for a while to go undercover into the League of Assassins.

Following the OMAC Crisis, upon the opening of the Young Justice Academy, Conner was asked to be a teacher, and he agreed. He started working with ARGUS’ Sanctuary program to work through his rage and trust issues. M’Gann eventually broke things off with Lagoon Boy to do her own bit of soul-searching, and she and Conner appear to be on the path of trying their romance again. He’s taken up a part-time internship at the Daily Planet as well.