House of Kent is Brian Michael Bendis's last storyline on Action Comics and the Superman line as a whole. It's a book that does what Superman hasn't done in ages, uniting the Super-Family together in a single storyline. Every major character is included, and that means both Jon Kent and Conner Kent are both available, playing a role in this massive story.
With Superman having recently revealed that he's Clark Kent to the entire world, the family deals with the Invisible Mafiaーa group of villains running Metropolisーthe Legion of Super-Heroes, and discover answers to the mystery that is Conner Kent. Here are 10 things fans may not know about the House of Kent storyline.
10 Lois Lane's Lawyer Is A Superhero
One of the ongoing plots of House of Kent is having the Daily Planet under investigation by the FBI, after news comes out that they’re owned by a major crime boss in Marisa Leone. But though she might be usually unpowered, Lois Lane is never caught off-guard, and shows up on day one with her own attorney, Kate Spencer. She’s not seen as frequently these days, but Kate Spencer is best known for her time as the superhero Manhunter, who played a part in the DC Universe around Infinite Crisis, and most recently resurfaced during the storyline “Leviathan”.
9 Superboy Has Memory Problems
This arc talks about Superman having a bit of a problem with his memory, specifically in regards to not remembering Conner, who spent years working alongside Superboy. But he’s not the only person who’s had this problem. Conner himself is missing some memories, as he seems to have no recollection of any of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The character has worked with not one, but three different Legion of Super-Heroes teams in the Legion of Three Worlds, and also spent some time in the 31st century himself.
8 The Truth Of Agent Chase
One of the members of the FBI responsible for shutting down the Daily Planet is Agent Chase. This is presumably a reference to Cameron Chase, a member of the Department of Extranormal Operations. That Chase was known for her father being a superhero and her own powers of energy negation and psychokinesis. She had her own solo comic in the 90’s, and teamed up with Kate Spencer, which considering Bendis’ desire to tell spy stories means this is likely the same character.
7 When STAR Labs Was Good
STAR Labs is a large part of this storyline, even though they mostly play a background role to the villains of Red Cloud and Marisa Leone. First introduced in Superman #246, they were initially a much more benign organization that created some useful inventions. They were responsible for independent scientific research that wasn’t tied to governments or businesses. Unfortunately, after decades of good work the new STAR Labs has been responsible for everything from illegal experimentation to teleporting people between different Earths. Of course, thanks to Lois Lane’s work, the company has been shut down...for now.
6 Conner Kent And The Kents
When Conner meets John and Martha Kent again, they immediately recognize him and welcome him back to the family. Though the character originally didn’t have a deep tie to the Kent family, at the end of his solo comic he was left with no place to go after the apartment building he managed was destroyed.
Superman invited him to live with his parents, and the character remained there and attended school at Smallville High School while being a superhero with the Teen Titans.
5 Brainiac The Tourist
Having Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the past shows us a very different Brainiac than any readers have seen in recent years. Brainiac is usually standoffish, well-aware that he’s the smartest person in the room in any given moment. But with this version of the character, he resembles more of a time tourist, going so far as to huge the Daily Planet’s globe on top of the building. Still, this isn’t the first friendly Brainiac the DC Universe has had—during the Post-Zero Hour Legion, Brainiac received a personality upgrade to become Brainiac 5.1, making him a much more empathetic and personable character.
4 STAR Labs And Young Justice
STAR Labs is responsible for a lot of the chaos that goes on during House of Kent's. But for people reading only Action Comics, they might have missed their work in Young Justice. There, the company was responsible for sending Superboy into Gemworld to avoid dealing with the Boy of Steel’s inquiries about their experiments. Later, after his team rescued him, they had him teleported away again to a different world, this time the world of Skartaris.
3 Marisa Leone Is From Earth-3
One of the surprising twists of the House of Kent is that its main villain, Marisa Leone, is actually from another Earth. It comes out of nowhere, but it makes sense with how well she’s able to deal with Superman and create her own way of getting around super-powered characters.
Midway through the arc, it’s shown that she was given a way to escape to the main Earth, with a glimpse outside of beings locked in incredible, dangerous combat. Judging from the looks of things, though it’s not explained, the character is from Earth-3, the home of the Crime Syndicate of America.
2 Conner Might Have Problems With His Powers
The last issue of House of Kent mentions that because of Superboy is a clone of Superman, there’s a concern that one day his powers will wear off. There’s no confirmation of this concern, but a potential hint for future storylines. However, this isn’t the only time people have been unsure about Superboy’s genetic make-up. The character has had his entire genetic code undone before, only to have it reworked by combining his DNA with his long-time friend, Roxy Leech.
1 Supergirl And The Legion of Super-Heroes
Teased multiple times during the arc is Supergirl’s relationship with the Legion of Super-Heroes. During the Silver Age, Kara Zor-El would frequently visit the Legion of Super-Heroes, and her boyfriend at one point was actually Brainiac 5. Though that timeline has long since changed, it wouldn’t be surprising if Brainiac lent her some future knowledge about her future time with team.