- "The world is a much better place with you in it."
- —Eve Watson to Conner[src]
Subject 13 ("born" 2019), better known as Conner Kent[1] and nicknamed Superboy by Dawn Granger,[2] is the hybrid clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, his genetic "fathers", that was created in Cadmus Laboratories.[6] He was created by Eve Watson, who eventually became his handler and mother figure. He has a genetically enhanced canine companion named Krypto. He eventually joined the Titans and briefly became the boyfriend of Blackfire. After an encounter with May Bennett, the Luthor side of him became more dominant, causing him to change his style and start going by Conner Luthor, rejecting the Kent name. Following Brother Blood's defeat, Conner came back to his senses of being a hero and moved to Metropolis to spend time and train with Superman.
Biography[]
Creation[]
Conner escapes from Cadmus labs.
Deviously, Lex Luthor acquired the DNA of Superman's to try and clone him. However, there was an issue with stabilizing his alien DNA. Eve Watson told him that he would have to use human DNA to do this. Therefore, Lex decided to use his own. The resulting clone was called Subject 13 and was grown in a containment pod in Cadmus Laboratories.[5]
During Titans[]
Subject 13 eventually broke free from his containment pod at Cadmus Laboratories and after hearing the pained cries of a dog. He fought through numerous Cadmus scientists before freeing the helpless dog from a cage.[6]
Escape from Cadmus[]
Conner learns Krypto's name before choosing an identity for himself.
Strolling around nude, he acquired the uniform of a random guard. Subject 13 read the dog's nametag, learning his name was Krypto. Reading the name "Conner" on the uniform tag, Subject 13 decided to claim the name and uniform as his own. Conner and Krypto traveled to the city and walked the streets. Conner eventually came across a street vendor selling t-shirts, one of them being a Superman shirt. Drawn by the shirt for whatever reason, Conner took it but the owner aggressively approached, triggering some unfavorable memories of what seemed to be an abusive past. Told that all he needed was money for the shirt Conner and Krypto had no choice but to leave. Witnessing a thief holding a woman at gunpoint, Conner intervened and crushed the gun with his bare hand and saved the woman. However, when Conner learned that she was being robbed for money, he was amazed at the prospect of having some and harmlessly requested if he could have it instead. Terrified, the woman quickly gave him her purse out of the fear that she would be hurt. Conner returned to the vendor and purchased the Superman shirt. Conner then saw a truck with the picture of a wheat field, triggering more memories of him being referred to as 'Clark' and seeing a woman with him a wheat field.
Conner goes to Kansas and is thrown off by his memories, leading to the Luthor residence.
Inspired, Conner and Krypto traveled to Kansas and met Lionel Luthor, confusing it for another location. Referencing his memories, Lionel told Conner that it sounded like the Kent residence. The more time Conner spent in the house, the more he experienced bad memories that nearly caused him to hit Lionel. Conner and Lionel became accustomed to one another. Eventually, the conversation took a different turn when Conner addressed the way Lionel used to hit Lex. Suddenly, Cadmus soldiers swarmed Lionel's house in an attempt to capture Conner. Demonstrating a number of superhuman abilities, Conner and Krypto fought them off. He then noticed Eve Watson in a surveillance van nearby. After confronting her, Eve revealed to Conner that he was a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor.
Eve drives with Conner and Krypto.
Eve took Conner and Krypto to a diner to talk more without being discovered by Cadmus. When Conner witnessed a man threatening his girlfriend outside of the diner, he was stopped by Eve. Conner grew frustrated and shouted, setting off car alarms within proximity. With Eve at her wit's end, Conner and Krypto were taken to a former Cadmus facility to show Conner who he really was. At the facility, Conner witnessed Lex's previous failed attempts at creating a clone. Both horrified and angered, he grabbed Eve and started to choke her before realizing what he was doing. He was forgiven and told to run, but advised not to use his powers or else Cadmus would find him. Conner and Krypto escaped the facility just before Mercy Graves and other Cadmus soldiers arrived.[5]
Saving Jason and meeting the Titans[]
Conner saves Jason and lands on a vehicle, breaking Jason's fall.
While on the streets, Conner had to hopelessly walk past a man who was being assaulted. However, Conner's attention was grabbed the moment he saw Jason Todd falling from a building. Doing what was best, he leaped into the air and caught Jason, who thanked Conner for saving his life. Conner said that he was glad to have helped but was suddenly shot by Kryptonite bullets just as Dick Grayson and Kory Anders arrived at the scene.[5]
Following his injury, Conner was taken to Titans Tower and placed in the medical room to safely recover, but his impenetrable skin would not allow him to be injected with the IV.
Conner grabs Kory's arm.
Conner and Gar.
A few days later, Conner finally regained consciousness. Naked, he searched the tower and found Gar Logan, who was thrilled Conner had woken up. After being given some clothes, Conner began eating a large bowl of cereal before Gar could even pour in the milk. As he continued eating, Gar left for a moment, having to call someone. Gar and Conner later played a video game. After Gar's character died, Conner used his super-speed on his controller, allowing his character to beat the boss. Gar then took Conner outside, comparing the world to an interactive video game where the goal was to stop people from getting hurt. Conner asked Gar where the rest of the Titans were, to which Gar replied that they were taking a break. They would return, however, once they found out about Conner and what he could do. Conner inquired what Gar's power was, and Gar told him that he could turn into a tiger. Conner was amazed, but then asked what a tiger was. Gar then manipulated his face into that of a tiger, amazing Conner. Suddenly, Conner heard someone yelling for help. The yell had come from a man who was being arrested by the police. Unaware that the police were the good guys, Conner attacked the two officers. As more cars arrived, Conner fought each of them off as people recorded the fight on their phones. After the fight, the news station reported on the incident, claiming that Conner's location was unknown.[8]
Return to Cadmus[]
Conner in the Titans Tower.
Conner and Krypto kept to the streets, with Conner wearing a long jacket to disguise his identity. When Conner found a newspaper detailing his attack on the police, he realized that he was a wanted person. He told Krypto to leave, but he refused. Conner yelled at Krypto, and he eventually left. Krypto later returned with Gar, who took Conner back to Titans Tower. They were soon ambushed by Cadmus soldiers led by Mercy Graves. Krypto was soon put in a Kryptonite net, and Gar was shot with tranquilizers. Mercy told Conner she was a friend of Eve's, getting Conner to pause. Conner eventually agreed to go back to Cadmus.[9]
Brainwashed by Cadmus and fighting the Titans[]
Conner strangles Kory and Hank.
Conner with Titans.
Jason's death and move to Gotham[]
Conner and the Titans stop Gizmo.
One night, Conner, Dick, Gar, Krypto, and Kory went to Dayton Labs to stop Gizmo and his group of thieves from searching for the Clench Virus. Conner and Krypo withstood the bullets and took down the criminals. On their way out, the Titans confronted Gizmo and congratulated Krypto for using his howl to stop him. Conner and Gar then talked to the police about how they saved the day.[10]
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Meeting Blackfire[]
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Meeting Lex Luthor[]
Conner meets Lex Luthor.
While bowling with the Titans, Conner is informed by Dick that one of his biological fathers, Clark, would like to meet him at S.T.A.R. Labs the following morning. Upon arrival in Metropolis, Conner admires a statue of Superman outside the labs. Once inside, he is disappointed to find out that Clark had cancelled due to being called away by an emergency in another galaxy. He's present during Gar's first fit for his new super suit created by Bernard Fitzmartin and informs Gar that he turned into a gorilla, and mistook the name for an armadillo as an 'amarillo'.
Following the Titans departure from Metropolis, Conner receives a message from his other father, Lex Luthor, using a frequency only himself and Krypto are able to hear. After Kory talks with Lex beforehand, Conner attends a meeting with him and while there, agrees to stay with Luthor as per his father's wishes for six months living with and learning from Lex. Conner witnesses Lex's magical death at the hands of Mother Mayhem just as Lex attempts to tell him of what he has found while working with her, and is subsequently framed for his murder. [1]
One mistake[]
As Lex had warned him, Conner finds the public's perception of him damaged by one mistake; in this instance being framed for Lex's murder. Conner is incarcerated and held under Kryptonite rays to keep him contained, but is still able to hear what other people are saying about him both within the facility and outside. He helps Kory understand why Lex had information and surveillance on her, obtained after Tim hacked Lex's computer, and advises her that maybe she found Lex looking for her secrets.
Once his name is cleared and the murder pinned instead on Lex's personal physician, Conner informs Dick that he never wants to return to Metropolis again.[11]
Conner shaves his hair off.
Mother Mayhem's attack[]
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Personality[]
- "Our predictions have him at the emotional age of a two-year-old, so he's feeling fear, curiosity, anger... confusion, wonder, everything that he is experiencing is for the very first time. Mentally, emotionally, psychologically, he's a child. He's absorbing the world like a sponge, sights, smells, sounds... even the people he meets will have an effect on his future behavior."
- —Eve Watson to Mercy Graves[src]
Technically a toddler, Conner is still learning and experiencing a lot of things for the first time in his life. For instance, he did not understand concepts such as traffic lights and money, and although he may learn these things for the first time, he is certainly capable of quickly picking up on them. Like an average toddler, Conner is also very curious, which has led him to be quite inquisitive about his own origins.
Conner also possesses a strong instinct to act on what he believes is right, possibly due to the subconscious memories instilled in him from either Lex and Superman. He has displayed enough self-reliance to prevent robberies, assaults, and defend those who he believes are mistreated. He even defends those who, arguably, might not be worthy of protection. Despite being told to not be a hero at one point, Conner found it irresistible to save someone who was in grave danger. He also dislikes seeing others be detrimental to themselves, repulsed by Eve's binge-drinking. Conner is also extremely empathetic—more so to someone like Lex Luthor. Although it may be more related to having his memories, he defended Lex's behavior as a child by standing up to Lionel Luthor for all the abuse Lex sustained.
However, when provoked or angry, Conner can become violent, putting his enemies in critical condition or even harming those who might not necessarily mean him harm. As seen before, he can become regretful when losing his temper.
Since joining the Titans, Conner has matured and grown more confident while still maintaining his curiosity, such as wanting to see the Batmobile when the Titans moved to Gotham. He also developed a sense of humor like Gar's, playing off of each other. But when Hank died, Conner was plagued with guilt and self-doubt, stating that, despite his amazing powers, he still failed and inadvertently took out his frustration on Gar until Dawn assured him that they did everything they could. Since then, he vowed to save others and when he couldn't, he made sure to save Dick from a similar explosion. Still, he retains his empathy for others, as he was the first to befriend Blackfire when she arrived and bonded over their shared struggles. He ultimately enters a romantic relationship with her and gives his virginity to Blackfire; the fact he choose her only endeared him more to her.
Conner's Luthor persona.
In the fourth season, after suffering at the hands of Mother Mayhem and feeling useless in the face of magic, Conner believes he must emulate his deceased "father" Lex Luthor as a protective shield. He outs on an arrogant front and ignores his previous sense of empathy in favor of cold logic, believing it to be more efficient against the Church of Blood threat than his Superman side. He begins to flirt with Jinx, use casual nicknames for others and is openly cruel to his friends when their performance does not match his new standards: criticizing and insulting them to their faces. He even goes as far as to shave his hair off to further align himself with his new character, and insists on being called Mr. Luthor.
Powers and abilities[]
Powers[]
- "I don't know if you can hear me... but you're one of the strongest people I've ever seen. And I know, because I'm pretty strong, too."
- —Kory Anders to Conner[src]
- Human-Kryptonian hybrid Physiology: As a partial genetic clone of Superman, he has most of the physical abilities of a Kryptonian who has absorbed the solar energy of a yellow sun. However, due to the human DNA supplied by Lex Luthor, he lacks the more advanced powers like flight.[5] This is proven wrong as he learned how to fly by Superman, himself.
- Solar Energy Absorption: After escaping Cadmus and exposing himself directly to sunlight, Conner felt a sense of happiness, which could possibly suggest that he can absorb yellow sun radiation like the Kryptonians.[5] Later, he was able to recover after absorbing the solar energy that Kory provided him.
- Superhuman Strength: Being a clone of Superman, Conner has a superhuman level of strength; for example, he is capable of lifting a scientist from Cadmus Laboratories with one hand and tear open Krypto's containment cell.[6] He is strong enough to lift easily and throw normal humans into the air without much effort. He was also able to send a Cadmus soldier through a wall, push a garage door off its hinges, bend the barrel of a mugger's pistol, and break a photo frame by squeezing it out of anger. When Cadmus soldiers infiltrated Lionel Luthor's home, Conner easily flipped a table onto them as they shot at him, and pushed another one through a wall like it was made of paper. He also tore off a vault door with his bare hands.[5] His strength allowed him to momentarily restrain Kory Anders' arm with one hand, even after he was weakened by Kryptonite bullets. Kory even called him one of the strongest people she has ever seen.[7] After resting from being healed, Conner punched straight through the heavy bag in the Titans Tower training room. When Gar took him out to San Francisco, he put a police officer's head through a window and threw him far away with one hand. When more police officers arrived on the scene and began to shoot at him, he ripped off a car door and hurled it into another car's windshield.[8] He later overpowered several Cadmus soldiers invading the tower just as easily as he did the police officers. Under the control of Mercy Graves, Conner was able to flick a bullet with the same force of a pistol and penetrated Walter Hawn's forehead, killing him. He also easily fought off Gar Logan in his tiger form, and contended with the half-Amazon Donna Troy, eventually managing to defeat her with his superior strength. He easily pushed away a police car with one hand, and pried open the doors and throw it into Cadmus van.
- Super Leaping: To compensate for his inability to fly like Superman, Conner uses the super-strong muscles in his legs to jump several feet off the ground and leap several stories in a single bound.[5]
- Thunderclap: When Conner uses his super strength to clap his hands together, it creates a powerful shock-wave that throws enemies back.[12]
- Invulnerability: Conner’s body is virtually indestructible. When shot at by Cadmus soldiers, the bullets bounced off of him. When a soldier hit him in the head with a rifle stock he was unharmed.[5] Even the superhumanly strong Kory could not put an IV in him,[7] and Gar Logan (in his tiger form) could not pierce through his skin with his bite. When Hawk struck him across the head with a mallet he was unharmed.
- Superhuman Speed: Conner can move at superhuman speeds; for example, he was able to get in front of Lionel Luthor before several bullets hit him. He is also able to use his immense speed to evade his enemies.[5] He applied his superhuman speed to defeat a boss level in a video game, which Gar Logan previously deemed to be "impossible." He also quickly defeated a group of police officers, appearing as a blur of motion.[8] Under the control of Mercy Graves, he was able to catch a bullet he fired from across the room. He also quickly caught a smoke bomb thrown at him by Nightwing. He is also capable of speed-reading and constructing devices at an accelerated rate.[13]
- Superhuman Stamina: Conner's advanced muscles produce much less fatigue toxins during physical activity compared to humans. As a result, he can exercise at maximum capacity for long periods of time without getting tired at all.
- Superhuman Hearing: Conner can hear sounds from far distances, so much so that when car horns were blowing right in front of him he was able to tune them out and focus on a song that was playing as if there was no other sound going on but that one.
- Superhuman Vision: Conner’s vision processes the entire electromagnetic spectrum as well as allowing vast control over selective perception and focus.
- Heat Vision: Conner has the ability to emit beams of intense heat from his eyes that can burn whatever they come into contact to.[5] He used it to set fire to an incoming police cruiser.[8]
- X-ray Vision: Conner is able to see through solid objects. When he use this power, his irises shine light blue.[5] He used his x-ray vision to examine the bomb inside Hank.[13]
- Telescopic Vision: Conner can enhance his eyesight and zoom in on certain objects, allowing him to see distant objects perfectly clear. While standing on the street, Conner was able to magnify his vision and see Jason Todd hanging out the window of a skyscraper.[5]
- Superhuman Breath: Conner can both inhale and exhale large amounts of gases. When Cadmus soldiers threw smoke bombs at him, Conner inhaled the smoke and exhaled a cold burst of air back at them.[5]
- Sonic Scream: When he was sufficiently angered, Conner's voice became powerful enough to set off car alarms and hurt Eve Watson's ears.[5]
- Regenerative Healing Factor: After being subjected to Kryptonite poisoning, Conner was able to heal after being exposed to enough solar radiation. Even before this though, the bullet wounds he has sustained seem to heal rather quickly, even while he was still weakened by the Kryptonite poisoning. Apparently, his healing factor has to do with how much solar radiation he is exposed to, as when he was shot at night, he wasn't able to recover on his own.
- Longevity: Dick Grayson stated that Conner will outlive all of the Titans.
- Flight: Conner can fly and is able to lift himself in air as his powers while practicing with Superman.
- Superhuman Strength: Being a clone of Superman, Conner has a superhuman level of strength; for example, he is capable of lifting a scientist from Cadmus Laboratories with one hand and tear open Krypto's containment cell.[6] He is strong enough to lift easily and throw normal humans into the air without much effort. He was also able to send a Cadmus soldier through a wall, push a garage door off its hinges, bend the barrel of a mugger's pistol, and break a photo frame by squeezing it out of anger. When Cadmus soldiers infiltrated Lionel Luthor's home, Conner easily flipped a table onto them as they shot at him, and pushed another one through a wall like it was made of paper. He also tore off a vault door with his bare hands.[5] His strength allowed him to momentarily restrain Kory Anders' arm with one hand, even after he was weakened by Kryptonite bullets. Kory even called him one of the strongest people she has ever seen.[7] After resting from being healed, Conner punched straight through the heavy bag in the Titans Tower training room. When Gar took him out to San Francisco, he put a police officer's head through a window and threw him far away with one hand. When more police officers arrived on the scene and began to shoot at him, he ripped off a car door and hurled it into another car's windshield.[8] He later overpowered several Cadmus soldiers invading the tower just as easily as he did the police officers. Under the control of Mercy Graves, Conner was able to flick a bullet with the same force of a pistol and penetrated Walter Hawn's forehead, killing him. He also easily fought off Gar Logan in his tiger form, and contended with the half-Amazon Donna Troy, eventually managing to defeat her with his superior strength. He easily pushed away a police car with one hand, and pried open the doors and throw it into Cadmus van.
- Solar Energy Absorption: After escaping Cadmus and exposing himself directly to sunlight, Conner felt a sense of happiness, which could possibly suggest that he can absorb yellow sun radiation like the Kryptonians.[5] Later, he was able to recover after absorbing the solar energy that Kory provided him.
Abilities[]
- "Did anyone ever tell you you can really throw a punch?"
- —Donna Troy to Conner[src]
- Skilled Combatant: Despite not having any formal training, Conner is skilled in using his superhuman attributes in hand-to-hand combat. He was able to easily subdue three police officers with his superhuman strength and speed,[8] as well as several Cadmus soldiers invading Titans Tower. He was able to fend off Gar Logan in his tiger form, as well as contend with the highly skilled Donna Troy. Conner even fought against zombie Dearthstroke after dodging a few blows of the latter’s knife strikes and easily decapitates his head until it reattach.
- Genius-Level Intellect: Conner has the combined epigenetic knowledge of Superman and Lex Luthor. He demonstrated an understanding of the surgical EKG detonation implant as well as anatomy, and built a deactivator for the device in a matter of hours.[13]
Weaknesses[]
- Kryptonite: Due to his Kryptonian DNA, Conner is vulnerable to the effects of Kryptonite just like Superman, and Kryptonite-laced bullets were able to pierce his otherwise invulnerable skin and leave him badly wounded. However, due to his half-human physiology, it does not affect him as badly as it does Superman.[5]
- Magic: Connor is vulnerable to the effects of all magic.
- Artemwood Root: The root of a magical plant that when drunk by anyone with alien blood will cause them to experience light-headedness, nausea and eventually lose consciousness. Although he is never poisoned with it, Conner's alien blood together with his vulnerability to other magics mean its properties would also affect him.[14]
Appearances[]
Season 1Season 2
Season 3
Season 4 |
Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
Season 2[]
Season 3[]
Trivia[]
- His inmate number at Metropolis Detention Center is MH391.
Behind the scenes[]
- In the DC comics, Kon-El, or Conner Kent, is a superhero known as Superboy. He originally appeared during the "Reign of Supermen" storyline in Adventures of Superman #500.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Hatem, Richard (writer) & Copus, Nick (director) (November 3, 2022). "Lex Luthor". Titans. Season 4. Episode 1. HBO Max.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hatem, Richard, Walker, Greg (writers) & Banker, Carol (director) (November 29, 2019). "Nightwing". Titans. Season 2. Episode 13. DC Universe.
- ↑ Levy, Joshua, Srinivasan, Prathi (writers) & Gomez, Nick (director) (September 2, 2021). "Lady Vic". Titans. Season 3. Episode 6. HBO Max.
- ↑ Hatem, Richard (writer) & McGowan, Jen (director) (December 1, 2022). "Brother Blood". Titans. Season 4. Episode 6. HBO Max.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 Hatem, Richard (writer) & Kalymnios, Alex (director) (October 11, 2019). "Conner". Titans. Season 2. Episode 6. DC Universe.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Hatem, Richard (writer) & Winter, Glen (director) (December 21, 2018). "Dick Grayson". Titans. Season 1. Episode 11. DC Universe.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Hill, Bryan Edward (writer) & Goldsman, Akiva (director) (October 18, 2019). "Bruce Wayne". Titans. Season 2. Episode 7. DC Universe.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Thomas, Jeffrey David (writer) & Mojsovski, Boris (director) (November 1, 2019). "Atonement". Titans. Season 2. Episode 9. DC Universe.
- ↑ Gorenberg, Jamie (writer) & Sullivan, Kevin (director) (November 8, 2019). "Fallen". Titans. Season 2. Episode 10. DC Universe.
- ↑ Hatem, Richard, Johns, Geoff (writers) & Banker, Carol (director) (August 12, 2021). "Barbara Gordon". Titans. Season 3. Episode 1. HBO Max.
- ↑ Hill, Bryan Edward (writer) & Copus, Nick (director) (director) (November 3, 2022). "Mother Mayhem". Titans. Season 4. Episode 2. HBO Max.
- ↑ Brides, Melissa (writer) & Stovall, Larnell (director) (September 30, 2021). "Troubled Water". Titans. Season 3. Episode 10. HBO Max.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Gorenberg, Jamie (writer) & Shelton, Millicent (director) (August 12, 2021). "Hank & Dove". Titans. Season 3. Episode 3. HBO Max.
- ↑ Brides, Melissa (writer) & Walker, Greg (director) (April 13, 2022). "Caul's Folly". Titans. Season 4. Episode 7. HBO Max.