Superboy is a name carried by several young men throughout the long history of the DC Universe, including Superman himself. And presently there are two young men using the moniker at the same time: Conner Kent and Jonathan Samuel Kent.
Like every young man, Conner and Jon want to find their own way. They aspire to the example of Superman but they don’t necessarily walk the same path that Clark did. Because of who they are, when they were “born” and the circumstances of their lives, their paths will have many similarities and differences.
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10 Same: Inspired by the “S”
The “S” symbol has come to mean “hope” in the current mythology but the symbol has always made people feel that help is on the way. And both Conner and Jon have continued that tradition and are proud representatives of the House of El.
Despite the fact that there were three adults ready to fill the mantle of the recently killed Superman, the clone was tenacious to do his part on the streets of Metropolis. And as soon as Lois Lane leaped to his defense against the Eradicator, Jon didn’t hesitate to jump in front of her.
9 Different: The Costume
Created in the 90’s, Conner’s first costume epitomized the idea of fashion over function. The spandex costume with its huge “S” shield had a lot of unnecessary belts. Conner also wore red gloves, a black leather jacket and round sunglasses. Conner later changed to a black t-shirt with the red “S” shield and a pair of blue jeans.
Jon’s costume reflects the more laid back ideas of the 21st Century. Jon’s first costume is a simple zipper hoodie of red, blue and black around the “S” shield with an attached cape, a pair of ripped jeans and red sneakers. After his space adventure and aging, Jon has a more traditional costume.
8 Same: Friends with a Robin
Each Superboy befriended a different Robin. Mirroring the relationship between their mentor/fathers Superman and Batman, each Superboy and Robin relationship is sometimes contentious but they have mutual respect for each other. Conner first encountered the Tim Drake Robin when Robin requested his help defeating Metallo and Poison Ivy, who controlled Superboy briefly. The pair went on to form Young Justice together with Impulse and join the Teen Titans.
Jon is brought to the Batcave where he learns that Damian Wayne’s Robin has been keeping him under surveillance. This revelation sparked a fight that is broken up by their fathers, who blame their own son. To teach their sons a lesson, Superman and Batman put the boys through a series of challenges to “win back their costumes.” Failing initially because of their animosity, they finally succeed through teamwork.
7 Different: Location, Location, Location!
Believing himself to be Superman, Conner first operated out of Metropolis. But when Clark returned, Conner moved to the sunny skies (and girls in bikinis) of Hawaii. After Superman gave him the name of Kon-El and he adopted the civilian identity of “Conner Kent”, Conner relocated to the Kent Farm in Kansas. Conner was recently found living in Gemworld with a wife and a daughter named Martha by Impulse.
Jon is born in the Fortress of Solitude. The Kents settled secretly in California on the New 52 Earth and took the surname “White” to honor their friend Perry White. Jon lived a normal life there but began seeing inconsistencies in his parents stories. They told him the truth once his powers started to emerge. After his encounter with Mr. Mxyzptlk, the family moved to Hamilton County on New Earth.
6 Same: Born That Way
Although the classic concept of Conner is that he is a clone created from the DNA of Superman and Lex Luthor, the current iteration of Kon-El is a bit different.
In the New 52 Universe, Kon-El is the clone of Jon Lane Kent, the villainous son of a future version of Lois and Clark. Despite being a clone, he biologically has the same DNA as a direct child of Lois and Clark. Jonathan Samuel Kent is the direct biological child of Lois and Clark. Batman believes that once he matures, Jon will be even more powerful than Superman.
5 Different: Death of a Hero
Conner died at the hands at the insane Superboy-Prime in Infinite Crisis. Prime was a young Clark Kent from Earth-Prime. Earth-Prime was the Earth of the readers where superpowers exist only in comics. Prime was saved along with the Earth 2 Superman and Lois Lane and Earth-3’s Alexander Luthor who departed for a supposed idyllic dimension in Crisis On Infinite Earths.
Prime and Superman, manipulated by Luthor, became angry at the way the heroes of New Earth were acting. Prime was especially angry at how Conner Kent was wasting the life that he “deserved”. Breaking free, Prime attacks the heroes of New Earth, gaining incredible powers and causing mass destruction. Prime tears through the Teen Titans, killing and severely injuring several. Conner destroys Alexander’s Multiverse Tower but is fatally injured in the explosion.
Related: 10 Things Fans Didn't Know About Superboy-Prime
4 Same: The Powers
Although this wasn’t always true for Conner, both Superboys have the powers typical to a Kryptonian under a yellow sun. These include strength, super speed, flight, super hearing, super breath, and vision powers. They are also both nigh-invulnerable, however Jon’s invulnerability has been somewhat inconsistent.
Because of he is locked at the relative age of 16, Conner does not absorb sunlight quite as effectively as Jon or Clark. So, Conner must be careful not to overextend himself or it could mean his death.
3 Different: But not THAT Power
The future Conner mimicked all of Superman’s powers though the use of tactile telekinesis. This included simulating strength, flight, hearing and invulnerability. He could project powerful telekinetic force blasts from his hands but perhaps his most impressive power was his tactile telekinesis disassemble power. Through concentration, he could cause an object to disassemble and fly apart.
Jon also has begun displaying powers that neither Conner nor his father possess. Jon has the ability to levitate someone next to him by projecting a field when flying. Jon has an accelerated healing factor. He has a heightened sense of smell and has projected his voice so loudly that it shattered windows.
Related: 10 Members Of The Legion of Superheroes With Weird Powers (That Are Actually Super Strong)
2 Same: Allies
As both father and father figure, Superman has provided not only someone to look up to but someone to talk to about the struggles of living with that much raw power at your fingertips. Supergirl has a great friendship with Conner and considers him to be her cousin, while to Jon, she is his beloved Aunt Kara. And, Krypto the Super Dog is the best boy that any Boy of Steel could ever want. Both Superboys have a Robin in their lives and each have a terrified but respectful friendship with The Batman.
Both boys will also be affiliated with the Legion of Super-Heroes. Brainiac 5 reanimated Conner in the 31st Century to help the Legion defeat a time-traveling Superboy-Prime and his new Legion of Super-Villains. The Legion recently arrived in 2019 to invite the newly teenaged Jon to join the team.
1 Different: Villains
Chronologically older and fighting alongside two teams of heroes, Conner’s list of villains may be longer than the relatively new Jon, but Jon’s list is filled with more world breakers. No list of Conner’s villains can start without the inclusion of one half of his clone DNA, Lex Luthor. Luthor took control of Conner several times for his own plans and while Luthor regarded Conner as a son, Luthor was a lousy father. The manipulative staff at Cadmus and the villainous Superboy-Prime also top the list.
In Jon’s case, his brief life has been filled with cosmic villains. The entire Kent family have to fight the Eradicator in a secret Batcave on the moon with Lois wearing one of Bruce’s mech-armored suits. Soon after, Jon is captured by Mr. Mxyzptlk and ends up rewriting his own history. On his space trip with Jor-El, Jon was kidnapped to Earth -3 by the psychotic Ultraman.
Next: Ranking The 10 Most Powerful Members of The Superman Family