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Kal-El // Clark Kent // Superman

Neutral Good

Official records state that Clark Kent was born on a small farm in the city of Smallville around thirty years ago. The truth, however, is a little more complicated than that— Clark Kent is not human.

// EARLY LIFE (1988-2008) //

The planet Clark Kent was originally born on was known as Krypton, a planet that was on the verge of collapse. His father, Jor-El, was a scientist who had been attempting to prepare a route to safely save his species but even through his support by his brother, Zor-El, and their closest friend, Dru-Zod, they found themselves at an impassable point as the ruling government of Krypton continued to deny that their planet was dying— enacting laws to censor the El brothers whilst they controlled Commander Zod through his obedience to planetary law. The survival of Krypton would be a challenge. The El brothers continued their labors as they realized what they could achieve, even together, would not be enough to safeguard their whole species; but they could save the future generation, at least in part. The two slaved in the coming solar weeks as they crafted interstellar vessels, researched former Kryptonian outposts, and integrated archives of their civilization. Kara and Kal, their children would be sent away before the Kryptonian Genocide had taken it’s full course.

But only one of them arrived on Earth uninterrupted.

The Kryptonian spacecraft containing Kal would crash land on the outskirts of the city of Smallville, located in the mid-western state of Kansas in the United States. Before government officials can investigate, a lone truck stops on the nearby road as one Jonathan Kent arrives on the scene; himself discovering the infant boy inside the crashed vessel. Taking initiative Jonathan takes the boy into his care and returns to his farmstead to share the discover with his wife, Martha. The two decide to “adopt” the boy and decide to name the child Clark. The two Kent’s would then confide in their close friend, Dr. Gabriel Sullivan, about making Clark’s paperwork legitimate in fear of the government knocking on their door some weeks or years later. Agreeing that the government has no place in raising a child, no matter of his “origin”, Dr. Sullivan agrees.

So as it was: Clark Jonathan Kent was born on April 19th, 1984 to Jonathan & Martha Kent.

Throughout his childhood, Clark knew he was different than the other kids in Smallville. His closest friends in Chloe Sullivan, Lana Lang, Peter Ross, and Fred Danvers would help him cope with the alienating feelings he felt throughout his childhood. However, as his Kryptonian powers began to develop he begins to believe that he is a metahuman, fearing that if he revealed this fact to anyone that he would lose the people he cared about. He would often confide in his parents about his developing powers, hoping that he would find some answers or at least reassurance about what he was. Whilst Jonathan Kent didn’t feel Clark was “ready” to know the whole truth until he was older, this would begin a series of conversations where Jonathan shared stories to keep the young Clark at ease; stories about the heroes of The Invaders and the Justice Society of America. Captain America, Liberty Belle, The Flash, and Starman served as inspirations to Clark to not be afraid of being “special”. But in time Clark began to wonder about these heroes— where did they go?, why did they leave? It was a thought Clark couldn’t shake; to think heroes just stopped in the face of adversity and danger was one to was unfathomable to him, even at twelve years old.

Clark Kent’s time in his high school years were decidedly average, and Clark wasn’t sure what he was going to do with his life. Even with his developing powers aside, he had no real “career” aspirations. He fancied himself curious about investigative journalism, meta-biology, and forensic science— but the harsh reality of life in a rural city was apparent and while he was bright enough to get a scholarship to several colleges of his choosing there came a roadblock in his senior year of high school as he was sitting in his Literature class with Lana. Clark was pulled aside by a teacher, but he already knew what they were going to tell him; he heard it as soon as the teacher picked up their phone. Jonathan Kent had been hospitalized. For the first time in his life, Clark felt weak. His father had always seemed unable to be fatigued, injured, or ailed but here the news had come— his father had just dropped out working in the fields, and not for the appearance of Jonathan Kent’s friend and neighbor, Benjamin Hubbard, nobody would’ve caught it. Clark blamed himself; here he was worried about College and he couldn’t hear his own father drop. He was too distracted, too focused. He told himself he wouldn’t let that happen. After he graduated, he would stay in Smallville, he could not allow himself to value himself over his father.

Clark graduated High School in the 2006-2007 semester, but unlike his friends who went off to college in Metropolis, Keystone-Central, Gateway City, and Gotham City Clark stayed in Smallville at the family farm helping his father recover and working around the farmstead. Several months into his time, his father who was attempting to recover approached him and told him they had to “talk before he kicked the bucket”. Clark found himself scared, but he listened— he always listened to his father, after all. It was here that Jonathan Kent dragged him to an old tarp-covered truck. The truck Jonathan Kent had found Clark in nineteen years prior and told the true answers that Clark had been craving since he was twelve years old. He wasn’t a “mutant”, he was an alien. Clark’s genetic code allowed him access to what Jonathan Kent had salvaged with Clark’s synthetic cradle and answers suddenly came to him. Clark’s curiosity told him to pursue answers and find answers to what he was. But for now he had to focus on who he was. Despite his father’s badgering to get him to live his own life and stop worrying about him, Clark stayed as he had not only promised his mother but himself. Up until Jonathan Kent’s last words, Clark stayed in Smallville.

Clark was twenty years old when his father lost his battle due to a lifetime of stress; the doctor’s citing “natural causes”. Jonathan Kent was fifty-nine years old. At the funeral, Clark reconnected with his friends who had flown back to Smallville for the engagement. Clark wanted to tell Lana about a flustered mess of feelings he had been holding right there since they were kids, but he was too afraid; too distracted. They parted for the second time in their lives as friends as Clark looked towards the world outside of Smallville for the first time since his senior year of high school. The clues he had to continue his quest for answers were out there— he said his goodbyes to his mother before he left. But he would always be listening in case his mother needed him.

His time as a child in Smallville was over.

// LOST HERITAGE & THE BLUR (2008-2012) //

Returning to the alien object that his father had shown him, Clark interfaced more directly with the technology which released a Kryptonian probe by the name of Kelex. This probe served as a useful tool for Clark, but only partially due to the fact that Kelex had an incomplete amount of information stored in its databanks. Had Clark want to cover information beyond his names and dates he would have to find something Kelex referred to as an “archive”. The discovery that his people had built anything on Earth at any point of time was reassuring given that Clark was not satisfied with the limited knowledge he had at his fingertips. He had to know more. Wherever this outpost was located, he would find it— he was tenacious and determined enough to do that, and with Kelex at his side he knew he wouldn’t be going in completely blind.

Trying not to completely rely on his powers, Clark travelled by foot. With government activity becoming more tense with the rise of terrorist groups like HYDRA, The Brotherhood of Mutants, and many others he had to try to keep the awareness of his abilities as obscure as possible. Throughout his travels to find information about Krypton he took on the guise of a hapless journalist named Jordan Elliot who was curious about technological theory, archaeological developments, and historical speculations. A cover that was effective as he visited a famed archaeologist and historian by the name of Daniel Garrett as his first stop in coming up with some speculative information towards where the Kryptonian Archive could be located. Garrett was not the only individual he visited— others such as Kent Nelson, Luri Hoshid, and Henry Henshaw serving as other notable experts he approached. The information was individually inconclusive and speculative; but after coordinating with Kelex, the search seemed to get smaller and smaller. Eventually he had an inkling near the arctic circle and before he realized it he was standing inside the archive; an archive that felt more like a Fortress.

Even with his abilities, the fortress took Clark by surprise— it was large in scale, the information was an entire comprehensive databank of Kryptonian history and culture, there were logs of every alien species the Kryptonians were aware of from the Skrulls to Tamaranians. It was impressive and Clark got lost in translation for a time. As weeks turned into months Clark avidly began to digest and comprehend; learning what The House of El meant. But the archive and Kelex together was not even one-hundred percent of the story. The last two thousand years of Kryptonian history were unrecorded as they had been the last point there was a Kryptonian sitting in the archive to record them… and that was in Kryptonian Solar Years. But with no more answers available to him he had to be content with what he had learned.

But now that he had discovered the majority of what he wanted to know— what was his next step?

Leaving Kelex at the archive which he noted as his “Fortress of Solitude” he began to travel the world. His adventures caught the eye of a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter & journalist by the name of Lois Lane who speculated his activities in Khandaq, Madripoor, Austanburg, Qurac, and other countries as being connected. Connected by a force of nature that she called “The Blur”. Another journalist by the name of Jordan Elliot agreed with her – Clark was always an easily amused guy, after all. For three years, Clark operated as The Blur and began to develop his alter ego of Jordan Elliot in the background. All while he continued to help his mother on the farm back in Smallville and dissect more archival information at the Fortress when he could. A legacy was brewing and in 2012 in Metropolis he took up residence at a small apartment complex; a residence that he would make his permanent “civilian” home. Clark starts sending articles and investigative information to The Daily Planet's Lois Lane as Elliot whilst as Clark he started his employment career as a lowly janitor.

// THE MAN OF STEEL (2012-2013) //

“Superman” debuts in Metropolis in the Summer of 2012, coined by Lois Lane as Clark stops a 747 from crashing into the city. As far as Clark was concerned it was time to stop operating as “The Blur” and making more of a statement to not only the people of Metropolis but the entire world— the era of the Superhero was not dead and the soul of good would still be out there for people who needed it. They would no longer need to hold on to hopelessness and superstitions.

The cartel of criminals known as Intergang are not pleased with the ‘arrival’ of Superman. The organization begins to operate more quietly with the arrival of Superman and attempt to research ways to put the superhuman vigilante down before their operations took a hit. Their boss funnels research into a project that becomes known as the creation of the first Atomic Skull— a figure that would be Superman’s very first superhuman threat. In a vibrant display of radioactive fury, Atomic Skull attacks The University of Metropolis; drawing Superman in. Superman, despite taking the fight outside of the city finds the threat challenging due to Atomic Skull’s various displays of radiation. Intergang continues their attempts to combat Superman throughout the year as they hire a variety of metahumans, acquire various experimental technology, and generally attempt to find a principle weakness in Superman’s physiology. Their failure is avidly watched by the CEO of LexCorp, Alexander Luthor.

Luthor becomes “fascinated” with the Man of Steel and as a byproduct begins his own research into him – and following the revealing information discovered by Lois Lane during an interview with the superhero, becomes aware that the hero is an alien which initially upsets him. Luthor begins to research all supposed alien activity on Earth in the last thirty years in an effort to find more clues about him. Clues that eventually lead him to a laboratory firm from Keystone City by the name of CADMUS; a company that has held the remainder of the spacecraft that brought Clark to Earth in 1988. The billionaire begins to make plans how he can acquire CADMUS and as a byproduct, the vessel.

As Superman’s role increasingly expands beyond Metropolis, he realizes the load of work he has in store for himself. Thrown into a conflict between Vlatlava and Transia, Superman intercepts a Soviet-era ICBM missile that is launched; throwing all of his strength into disabling it and removing it from play. To prevent full blown war in Eastern Europe he forces the leaders of the two nations to meet to solve the issue. Superman’s “interference” in the conflict is debated but more liberal political commentators simply compare him doing what America has done for years without needing to flood foreign nations with ambassadors and soldiers.

Unaware of the machinations of Luthor's intentions, Superman continues with his investigation against Intergang. Metahumans such as Parasite, and Neutron are subsequently employed by Intergang to deal with Superman whilst they attempt to go about their activities without interference. But whilst Superman’s fights with Parasite and Neutron are difficult they are not enough to cause him to withdraw from uncovering more information about the crime syndicate; using his investigative wits Clark discovers the location that the orders are being sent from to kill him and where the bulk of their leadership is located— Gotham City. Superman heads immediately to Gotham City as he continues his investigation into Intergang. This leads him into a confrontation with Batman when Clark finds out that Intergang is being directly funded by Wayne Enterprises itself. After a couple thousand degrees of tension the two discover that former Wayne Enterprises director William Earle is the culprit of Intergang’s infiltration into Gotham and utilization of WayneTech properties. Using information acquired through Wayne Enterprises and Batman, Superman follows the trail of Intergang’s activities to Bruno Mannheim— one of the leading criminal leaders in Metropolis alongside Anthony Gazzo.

Superman continues his investigation into Intergang and more specifically, Bruno Mannheim. But Mannheim is more cunning than he looks, keeping his hands clean as far as Clark can tell about his criminal activities. Deciding to be a bit more “proactive” in his dealing with Mannheim and Intergang he enlists the help of investigative reporter Lois Lane to see if she could dig up any information to bring his crimes to light. Lois has been trying to take down Mannheim for years, easily accepting the request. Throughout the next several months Mannheim’s activities are inevitably uncovered but before he can be captured he disappears after activating a box-shaped device— his last known words are “He will be unhappy.”

// CONTINUED ACTIVITIES (2013-2014) //

Following Mannheim’s escape, Intergang seemingly disappears from Metropolis and Gotham’s criminal hierarchy. Superman forwards his “report” of Mannheim’s cryptic threat and Intergang files he hopes that Batman’s deductive skill can find something he missed so that Mannheim doesn’t escape justice— nor would “he” of which Mannheim mentioned. Returning to his regular patrols, Superman finds himself stopping a critical explosion at Metropolis’ central power plant that has been staged as a trap by the supervillain known as Libra. Libra is joined by a gang of likeminded villains as they hope to defeat him. Superman has difficulty contending with the group until the arrival of Captain Atom and Captain Marvel. This is the first time Superman works with people of his similar “power scope” as well as those associated and loosely associated with the federal government, giving him some perspective on the other “world level” heroes of the day.

Due to Superman’s increasing activity in the world at large, Luthor procures many deals with his experimental weapon technologies. Luthor reflects on it to his protege, his youthful niece (Nasthalthia Luthor), as there always being “a silver lining to everything”. Following this he sets up a high profile charity event where he invites high profile individuals to follow him in making a statement about the struggles of those caught in the crossfire of superheroism. Luthor also uses this to announce his acquisition of the technological firm, CADMUS, in a show of his success. As he makes the announcement he is attacked by a group of terrorists; before Superman can arrive Luthor shows the capacity of his new personal defense technologies by incapacitating them himself. A PR move that makes waves for Luthor.

With the acquisition of CADMUS, Luthor can finally get his hands on the vessel he had been coveting for several months, a fact that is deeply connected to his discontent towards superheroes such as Superman. Luthor’s research turns to the creation of a synthetic substance that is a sort of synthetic kryptonite – after “losing” a test portion of the synthetic kryptonite to a former soldier-turned terrorist by the name of Robert DuBois who attacks Superman with an energy rifle powered by the synthetic kryptonite thus being Clark’s first experience with dealing with a weapon that makes him feel utterly powerless. Luthor is content as he watches, even as Superman eventually outwits his foe. However, following the incident Clark confronts Luthor about the radioactive substance that came from his labs that DuBois broke into. Luthor dances around Clark, playing the role of an ignorant executive who says he’s been researching alternative sources of energy and that it truly comes as a shock that it can be used as a weapon against Superman.

// UNBOUND (2014-2016) //

After a year of refining his synthetic kryptonite— a hiccup in his operations occurs when Luthor’s business partner, John Corben, falls ill as it is revealed that his heart is failing him. Convincing Corben to partake in an experimental project that could allow him to continue living his life, Luthor begins what he calls “Project Metallo” – transplanting Corben’s brain into a metallic construct that is powered by a synthetic kryptonite core. The process is successful, but in the process Corben goes insane and attacks Lex. Superman is the first on his scene to intervene at the newly built CADMUS facility in Metropolis and finds himself in a tricky fight when he realizes the kryptonite energy is once began being utilized by Lex recklessly. In the end Metallo is taken by the proper authorities and Luthor is brought in for extensive questioning but is never indicted on any charges. Whilst Luthor has done nothing against him personally, Clark feels nervous around the man considering his significant experiments with energy that is not only toxic to Clark but dangerous radioactive energy as well.

In the Fortress of Solitude, Clark is informed of a colliding vessel on route to Earth that has Kryptonian readings by Kelex. Not only is he anticipating the arrival of someone like him, he understands that due to the interstellar trajectory that if the ship collides with Earth at its current speed it will do some serious damage to the planet. Clark intercepts the ship outside of Earth’s atmosphere readily as he guides it once it has slowed significantly back to the Fortress. This way it will keep Kryptonian technology out of human hands and serve as a way to store the piece of Kryptonian culture in what Clark has been building in the Fortress to serve as a museum of sorts. Upon opening the vessel Clark meets not only another Kryptonian, but his supposed cousin with the name of Kara-El. Though, the fact she is a child of around eleven to twelve years of age does prove some difficulties. He focuses his time on comprehending her and explaining their situation. An exchange that would take months upon months to figure out and that would be even before securing her a false identity on Earth or integrating her to Earth culture.

Three years after his initial debut, Superman contends with a malicious foe known as BRAINIAC. Initially sending minor drones to investigate the Kryptonian readings in the Sol System, BRAINIAC soon attempts to eradicate the life it detects as dictated by its programming; all with no care to anyone who is in the way. After dealing with the militant drones Superman takes to the atmosphere to deal with the hub ship before more people are harmed by its odd vendetta that it holds against him. The resulting battle ends with the ship being thrown into the Sun but not before it tells Superman that “The Mothership will arrive eventually, you will not survive forever. Kryptonian.”

// PUBLIC ENEMIES (2016-PRESENT) //

On the 1st of April, Superman would fight his most challenging battle yet with the arrival of a starship in Earth’s atmosphere bearing Kryptonian markings— military markings at that. Led by the trinity of Kryptonian leaders including one Commander Dru-Zod, Superman is eager to finally have answers to questions he’s had for his entire life. However, Zod informs Clark that he wished their meeting was on more amiable terms; the Kryptonian survivors intend to harvest Earth and turn it into their “New” Krypton. As Kryptonian machines and soldiers invade Earth, Superman and his allies (including Steel and the newly caped Kara) try to stop them before the world is irreparably harmed. Using Steel’s mechanical genius and a lot of tenacity the Kryptonians are launched into The Phantom Zone and any stragglers flee into deep space or go into hiding on Earth.

Following the invasion, Superman finds his allegiance and character under question by dozens upon dozens of politicians, celebrities, and journalists. Lex Luthor directly blames Superman for his incompetence and carelessness as well as declares that had Superman not been on Earth in the first place his oppressive people wouldn’t have come and attacked Earth in the first place. Despite the arrival of Supergirl, Clark feels like he didn’t act swiftly enough or put together a plan in time. He seeks Batman’s consul.