Saturday, August 24, 2024

Character Analysis: Superboy-Prime

 Background

A young boy from the Pre-Crisis era of DC and a native to the universe Earth Prime. In the Earth Prime reality, the mainline DC comic universes existed as works of fiction, essentially making it the “real world”. Ironically Prime still had exotic comic origins, as he was born on that universe's version of Krypton and sent to Earth via a teleporter before the planet's destruction. He was later adopted by Jerry and Naomi Kent and grew up as a normal kid who loved DC comics. He also had a fledgling romance with his childhood friend Laurie. 


It wasn’t until the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths where Prime realized he had powers and was later recruited to fight the Anti-Monitor. His universe was destroyed during the events of the comic, but Prime decided to help aid the heroes in defeating Anti-Monitor regardless.




At the end of COIE Prime, Golden Age Superman, Lois and Alexander Luthor all retreated to an isolated” paradise dimension”. From this dimension the surviving heroes could see a rebooted DC reality play out from an outsiders view. As time marched on they grew dissatisfied with the dark grittiness the comic franchise underwent during the 90s however.


This pseudo imprisonment resulted in intense resentment from Prime, who believed he had given up everything for a world that had squandered his sacrifices.


This set up the plot of “Infinite Crisis” where Alexander manipulated Prime into helping him try to reboot the multiverse again. A plan that was ultimately unsuccessful, but cemented Prime as a major villain in the DC universe.


Prime more or less saw himself as the REAL Superboy/Superman of DC Comics. Anyone else was a fake.


And he also saw any Earth besides his own Earth or any other Pre-Crisis Earth as fake.


He more or less spirals into a self hating villain for several decades. 


Prime more or less stays a villain obsessed with regaining his original reality until he meets the Batman Who Laughs and is spurred into turning against him by Wonder Woman.


After refusing to work with the BWL and nearly destroying him, Prime finds himself back on Earth Prime. His childhood seemingly reset. He decides to use this as a chance to start over and leave Villainy behind.


In later stories it's implied that some of his crazy behavior was due to outside influence of cosmic entities.

Arsenal

Solar Anti-Armor

Armor fashioned after the Anti-Monitor. It supplies Prime with additional solar energy, allowing him to function in low light areas or even under the light of a red sun.

Abilities

Comic knowledge

Prime has encyclopedic knowledge of all DC comics made before 1985. He’s returned to his original world since then, and has been implied to have kept up with DC comics at least into the latter Post-Crisis era.


Ripple proof memory

Prime seems to not be affected by the various timeline shifts and reboots in DC comics, explicitly keeping all his memories from Pre-Crises onwards. 


Kryptonian biology

Prime is genetically Kryptonian. Allowing him to absorb yellow sunlight to gain superhuman strength, durability and regeneration. Like most Kryptonians he also has a dense atomic structure.


Hearing, X-Ray and Microscopic vision

Prime has Super hearing, X-ray, microscopic and telescopic vision.


Heat vision

Prime can condense solar energy from his eyes in the form of a heat ray.


Ice Breath

Prime can exhale cold air that can freeze objects or other people.


Flight

Prime can fly.


Dimensional travel/Resistance to BFR

Prime is capable of breaking out of dimensional BFR. With enough absorbed power he can also travel between universes or higher dimensions. Some examples include escaping the Speed Force, Phantom Zone and Source Wall. 


Examples of Silver Age Superman time/Dimension traveling

These powers are consistent with Silver Age Superman. Who could travel through time or dimensions just by moving fast.


Retcon Punches

Prime can punch reality so hard that it alters timelines and realities. The effect is seemingly random and uncontrollable, affecting any object, person or location Prime’s fists come into contact with. Prime was also able to use this power to erase the new multiverse BWL was trying to create in Dark Knights Metal.


Time Trapper powers

In one possible future Prime became the Time Trapper and gained time manipulation powers due to years of being shunted around the multiverse. While Prime later retconned this future from happening, the underlying reasons for why Prime got these powers should still exist(his constant universe travel).


Clairvoyance and time travel

Time Trapper can see various locations in a timeline.


Memory and Soul manipulation

The Time Trapper can erase memories or rip out people's souls.


Size manip

Time Trapper can alter his size


Existence Erasure

Time Trapper implies that he’s capable of removing people from the timeline.


Energy protection

Time Trapper can project energy blasts.


Abilities via scaling to Silver Age Superman

As a Pre-Crises Superman, Prime should share many of the attributes of Silver Age Superman.


Survivability and elemental resistance


Invulnerability to toxins and disease 


Super Breath


Energy draining resistance


Mind Manip resistance


Spatial/Temporal resistance


Soul/Existence erasure resistance


Transmutation resistance


Senses

https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Action-Comics-1938/Issue-376?id=25549#7


Feats

Strength


Endurance


Speed

Scaling

Mxy


Batman Who Laughs

https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Dark-Nights-Death-Metal-Rise-of-the-New-God/Full?id=177021#8 

  • Perpetua is a 6th dimension being, putting them above the Monitors and Mxy


Green Lanterns


Flash

Prior Time Trappers



Silver Age Superman & Supergirl

Experience

“Weaknesses”

Magic

Unlike normal Kryptonians Prime is not vulnerable to magic.


Kryptonite

Prime is weak to kryptonite, but only kryptonite specially from his home universe. Any other variations of the rock do not affect him.


Red Sunlight

Prime is more resistant to red sunlight than most Kryptonians. That said, if you can submerge him fully in a red sun or keep him under it long enough, he'll lose his powers.
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