Superboy - in Other Media

In Other Media

The Superboy character has made the transition to television on multiple occasions, both in live action and animated series.

• The Adventures of Superboy (1961): television series (though only a pilot was produced).
• The Adventures of Superboy (1966–1969): series of 34 six-minute Superboy adventures (his first animated appearances) that appeared as part of three different programs during that time, packaged with similar shorts featuring other DC Comics superheroes. He was voiced by Bob Hastings.
• Super Friends: Superboy makes two appearances in the show's run. The first one was in "History of Doom" when the Hall of Justice computer runs a tape showing Lex Luthor's origin. He was voiced by Danny Dark. His next appearance was in the short episode "Return of the Phantoms" where three Phantom Zone criminals go back in time to fight Superboy. He is saved by the arrival of Superman and Green Lantern. He was voiced by Jerry Dexter.
• Superboy (1988–1992): television series about Superboy (Clark Kent) during his college years. The series starred John Haymes Newton (1988–1989) and Gerard Christopher (1989–1992), and Stacy Haiduk as Lana Lang. Theme music and underscore we're composed by Kevin Kiner. 100 episodes were produced.
• The cloned Superboy appears in the video game The Death and Return of Superman as a playable character.
• Smallville (2001–2011): television series starring Tom Welling; though not a "Superboy" series by name, this series started with a teenage Clark Kent (a freshman in High School) and features many elements originally present in the Silver Age Superboy comics. Additionally, in a first season episode, Clark accidentally transfers his powers to a classmate named Eric Summers, who, before running amok with his newfound powers, is called "Superboy" by the local newspaper. And in the season 5 episode, "Aqua", Arthur Curry sarcastically refers to Clark as "Superboy".
  • On the Smallville TV series, a young Lex Luthor clone called Alexander Luthor turns out to have 50% Kryptonian DNA (from Clark); his hair changes from red to Clark's hair color and he ends up being given the name "Conner Kent". In one scene he wears the same black t-shirt with red Superman emblem Kon-El wears in the comics.
• A "young Superman" appears in the Legion of Super Heroes animated series. The original press releases stated Superboy would be featured. Due to the aforementioned legal issues, the "Superboy" character was instead referred to on the series as "Superman". This version of the character comes from the time shortly before Clark leaves Smallville for Metropolis. The second season takes place about two years after the first and features both an older Clark and a Superman clone from the 41st century named Superman X (usually addressed as Kal-el), who has alien DNA and enhanced superpowers, as Legion members.
• Kon-El has been confirmed to be in the new Young Justice Television series. Conner Kent was a clone made by Cadmus in case Superman turned or was ever defeated; it was later learned that his DNA is half-human (with Lex Luthor as his human father). At the beginning of the series, he seeks his approval, viewing Superman as his father. Upon learning the identity of his human DNA donor, Luthor gives Connor a tool (named Shields) that unleashes his full Kryptonian powers but also causes him to go into a nearly-blind rage. Superboy, Artemis and Miss Martian revealed to the team their connections various villains and used them to set up a trap. After the plan was a success, the team learned from Red Tornado that Savage took over the Justice League, with Starro tech, but as the sidekicks fight their hero/teachers, they subdue them long enough to put Robin's anti-virus tech in place and emerge triumphant. Superboy and Superman finally speak, and Superboy tells Superman that he chose Conner Kent as his name, which Superman (Clark Kent) approves of (even if Connor mistakenly believes that he's taken the name of Kent Nelson, the now-deceased Doctor Fate). The second season reveals that Superman has come to view him as a brother and he has broke up with his girlfriend, Miss Martian, who disapproved of her reckless use of telepathy and her attempt to make him forget about a fight they had.