Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime is a fictional superhero-turned-supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A boy from the real world transported to the DC Universe, as an alternate version of Superboy, the character first appeared in DC Comics Presents #87 as part of the multiversal crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths, and was created by Elliot S. Maggin and Curt Swan.
Superboy_Prime originates from the parallel Earth called Earth-Prime in which superhumans like Superman and other comic superheroes only existed as fictional characters. Shortly before Earth Prime was drawn into Crisis on Infinite Earths, 15-year-old DC fanboy Clark Kent developed real Kryptonian powers and assumed the identity of Superboy. After his world was destroyed by the Crisis, he was one of the few characters to survive without being folded into the new Post-Crisis timeline, and withdrew with other survivors into a "paradise dimension" from which he was able to observe the new timeline, and the new living versions of fictional characters he had read about as a child.
Superboy-Prime was brought back in Geoff Johns' Infinite Crisis as an allegory of toxic fandom. Here Superboy-Prime was shown to have gradually become angry at the failure of the new versions of his heroes to live up to his idealized memories of them. He escaped his paradise dimension intending to fix reality but soon turned violent, murdering Conner Kent and several other heroes. In Countdown to Final Crisis he genocided multiple worlds for failing to meet his expectations of them. He Joined the Sinestro Corps in Sinestro Corps War and was for a time afterards imprisoned on Oa by the Guardians of the Universe. After escaping, he forced Mister Mxyzptlk to restore his home reality, only for his loved ones to reject him, after having witnessed his monstrous actions through comicbooks. A redemption arc later played out in Dark Nights: Death Metal, in which he battled the Batman Who Laughs to save the multiverse and was rewarded with being able to return to his home reality, forgiven for his crimes and welcomed with open arms.
Superboy-Prime returned in the sixth volume of Superman, where he is revealed to have been transported to a pocket universe created by the Time Trapper rather than Earth-Prime and is recruited by Superman to battle the Legion of Super-Heroes of the Absolute Universe.
The name "Superman-Prime" was first used by Grant Morrison in DC One Million for the mainstream Superman in the 853rd century. Earth-Prime's Superboy first refers to himself as "Superboy-Prime" in Infinite Crisis #2.
Fictional character biography
''Crisis on Infinite Earths''
Superboy-Prime is from Earth-Prime, an analogue for the "real world" where DC heroes are fictional comic book characters. He is the adopted son of Jerry and Naomi Kent. Naomi wanted to name him Clark, after her maiden name, but Jerry, knowing he will also be named like Superman, a fictional comic book character, initially refused, but finally gave in. What the Kents do not know is that the baby is a multiversal version of the fictional Clark Kent/Kal-El, who was teleported to Earth by his father Jor-El moments before the planet Krypton was destroyed.Young Clark lives the first fifteen years of his life as a normal boy before Halley's Comet passes by Earth, awakening his Kryptonian powers. At the same time, the Earth-One Superman finds his way to Earth-Prime and the two Supermen meet. Superboy-Prime uses his powers to stop a tidal wave.
During Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superboy-Prime helps fight the Anti-Monitor after he destroys Earth-Prime. After the Anti-Monitor is killed, Superboy-Prime joins Alexander Luthor Jr. of Earth-Three, Kal-L, and his wife Lois Lane in a "paradise dimension". In that dimension, Superboy-Prime secludes himself from the others, using crystals to replay events from his life on Earth-Prime. Luthor later shows him the deaths of his parents and girlfriend in a car accident on the post-Crisis Earth.
Altering reality
Furious, Superboy-Prime pounds on the barrier of reality. This assault causes ripples that overlap parallel timelines, which was used as an explanation for character changes, errors, and retcons in DC continuity.''Countdown to Infinite Crisis''
Eventually, Alexander reveals to Superboy-Prime that his powers are returning, and the two combine forces to break through the barrier wall. Together, they set into motion the events that culminate in Infinite Crisis. The Superman of Earth-Two breaks open a portal to the DC Universe, and the four residents of the paradise dimension return, making themselves known to Power Girl and Batman. Superboy-Prime is jealous of Conner Kent, the modern Superboy, believing him to be living the life he himself ought to have had while not fighting for it. He also believes the Earth's heroes act more like villains. Superboy-Prime confronts Superboy, telling him that he is the only Superboy the Earth needs. Superboy-Prime attacks Conner, but not before Conner activates his Titans homing signal. The Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol, and the Justice Society of America arrive to help Conner, during which Superboy-Prime kills Titans members Baby Wildebeest, Pantha, and Bushido. Jay Garrick, Wally West, and Bart Allen banish Superboy-Prime to a parallel world and imprison him in a facility with artificial red sunlight, where he remains for four years.Hours later, an older Bart Allen, dressed in his grandfather's costume, emerges from the Speed Force and tells the heroine Doctor Light to warn the other heroes that Superboy-Prime has escaped. During a battle between Alexander Luthor and the heroes freed from his tower, Superboy-Prime appears, wearing a power suit modeled after the Anti-Monitor's armor, which constantly feeds him yellow solar energy and boosts his power levels. During the battle, Black Adam discovers that magic has little effect against Superboy-Prime. Superboy-Prime knocks Adam away from the tower, and his opponent is transported to Earth-S. Superboy-Prime insists that Luthor reinstate Earth Prime as the only existing Earth. After Superboy-Prime attempts to kill Wonder Girl, an enraged Conner Kent attacks him. Conner and Superboy-Prime's battle sends them both headlong into Alexander Luthor's vibrational tuning fork with the effects causing the machine to explode and fuse the alternate Earths into one. Conner dies from injuries sustained during the explosion, leaving the rest of the superheroes devastated.
Alexander and Superboy-Prime join the Battle of Metropolis and quarrel about their contingency plan. Since their tower has been destroyed, Alexander is prepared to settle for taking over New Earth instead of creating a perfect Earth. Upon hearing of the new plan, Superboy-Prime refuses to help him, as he believes New Earth to be hopelessly inferior.
When Batman, Wonder Woman, Kal-El, and Kal-L arrive to save Metropolis, Kal-L confronts Alex about his role in the destruction. Meanwhile, Superboy-Prime is attacked by Bart Allen, who has been left outraged by Conner's death. Superboy-Prime escapes Bart and flies toward the planet Oa, intending to destroy it and spark another Big Bang which would recreate the universe with himself as the sole hero. Although the majority of the Earth's heroes are in pursuit, Superboy-Prime eludes capture.
Superboy-Prime is slowed down by a wall of pure willpower generated by the Green Lantern Corps. Breaking through, he battles 32 Green Lanterns, killing them. The two Supermen arrive and fly Superboy-Prime through Rao, the red sun of Krypton. The heat melts away Superboy-Prime's armor and severely weakens all three Kryptonians, who then crash on Mogo. Superboy-Prime beats Kal-L to death, but is then attacked by Kal-El. Superboy-Prime claims that he is better than Kal-El and that his Krypton was superior to Kal-El's. Kal-El responds, "It's not about where you were born. Or what powers you have. Or what you wear on your chest. It's about what you do... It's about action." Although nearly powerless, Kal-El knocks Superboy-Prime out before collapsing himself, but members of the Green Lantern Corps manage to save Kal-El.
Superboy-Prime is taken into the custody of the Guardians of the Universe, who place him in a quantum containment field, surrounded by a red Sun-Eater and guarded by 50 Green Lanterns. While inside his cell, he carves the Superman symbol into his chest, vowing to escape.
Sinestro Corps
A year later, Superboy-Prime sits naked in his cell and is watched over by a special cadre of Green Lanterns, including Guy Gardner, when the Guardians of the Universe discuss whether they should question him.When the Sinestro Corps attack Oa, Superboy-Prime is released from his imprisonment and joins them. He becomes one of the Anti-Monitor's heralds, and he wears the uniform of the Sinestro Corps along with a variant of the power suit he wore during Infinite Crisis. Calling himself Superman-Prime, he arrives on Earth and battles a large group of heroes while flashing back on his life so far. He reveals that he did not believe Sinestro when he said that the multiverse has been restored, and has only gone along with the Anti-Monitor's plans so that he may one day get revenge on him for the destruction of Earth Prime. Superman, Power Girl, and Supergirl arrive and stop him, only to have him escape as the sun rises, restoring his powers. Afterwards, Superman-Prime brutally battles Ion throughout the state of New York. Superman-Prime gets the upper hand over Yat by exposing him to lead, and defeats him. When the Anti-Monitor is wounded by the Guardians and the destruction of War World, Superman-Prime impatiently flies through his chest and throws him into space, then battles both the Sinestro Corps and Green Lantern Corps, until a Guardian willingly sacrifices himself to destroy Superman-Prime. Instead of dying, Prime is infused with Oan energy and warped back into the multiverse.