Within the continuity of the “Young Justice” animated series Superboy is a clone, created within the labs at Cadmus, made up of DNA taken from both Superman and Lex Luthor.
Superman, upon finding out about this, was quite uncomfortable around Superboy (aka Conner), making their relationship quite strained and disconnected. Obviously Superman never approved of having a clone created from his DNA… and to find out that it was combined with Lex Luthor’s DNA to create that clone made things even more uncomfortable for the Man of Steel.
Was Superman supposed to be a father-figure towards Conner? A mentor? The pair struggled to find common ground in the first two seasons of “Young Justice”.
Now, in “Young Justice: Outsiders,” the third season of the popular animated series, the original teen heroes have aged by a few years, making them young adults. Conner has spent time on the farm in Smallville, getting to know Jonathan and Martha Kent, and Superman, with the help of Wonder Woman, came to the realization that he could be a positive influence on Superboy’s life, helping him to choose a much different path than the one Lex Luthor had planned for the super-powered clone.
Rather than be a father-figure, Superman and Superboy have formed a brotherly relationship. In the most recent episode of “Young Justice: Outsiders”, titled “Quiet Conversations”, Superboy and Superman have a conversation in which Clark acknowledges Conner as his little brother.
Their relationship status solidified, Superboy actually asks Superman if he’ll be his best man at his wedding (where he’ll be marrying Miss Martian). While Superman, with a shake of his head, knows having a “kid” brother can be a headache, it’s good to see that their relationship has developed in to something more fitting of the super family.
New episodes of “Young Justice: Outsiders” are released on the DC Universe digital streaming service in the USA on Tuesdays.
I really want to see this episode.