Conner Kent /kon-el appreciation 2021

[9th.]

I'm not going to debate you on something that's been explicitly shown and said. Jon is Clark's heir.

When asked what role Conner would play in the upcoming Superman run post Infinite Frontier and Future State, the new writer for the Superman books said that Conner will not be playing much of a role, and that his stories will be handled by the Suicide Squad writer.

He then added that Conner is *NOT* in the running to be Superman's heir like Jon is. This isn't a debate. It's just the facts of the matter.

Well that's depressing I hope SS is at least a fun a read.

[SuperX]

As I read that I come to feel that Jon Kent should actually be the technologically minded Super kid. He is the new generation and grows up exposed to all these different things from Krypton and beyond. Hey, I finally found his niche. Let Conner be the Golden Age Superman but going even further in entrenching himself within the city.

OK sounds cool and I agree, Jon is the tech new age superman, while. Kon is the down to earth, covert,trained fighter superman character.

I agree. Have you ever seen or heard of the character Marvel Boy? Grant Morrison created him, and in addition to having natural superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes comparable to Cap, he also had a whole bunch of tech. I've always though Conner would do well with some of that.


You could really have some fun coming up with new and inventive tech for Conner to use while on the Squad.

Noh varr was one of my favorites when he showed up, and totally agree thst kon could have thst good mix also. His DNA is from a kryptonian and the smartest human (lex) so he should be able to come up with stuff pretty easily, and be good at prep, or thinking on his feet.

[SuperX]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ign...ics-49%3famp=1

Kons TTK should work kinda like how Clark's krytonite powers worked here(strength, speed, durability, flight, energy eye beams, senses). So swap out kryptonite for TTK and you got the idea.

Only thing I would do is make his TTK not always on, so. Much more fun seeing him get knocked around, then comeback a total badass.

[Alpha]

I can't really justify why I don't like Conner not using technology other than an aesthetic thing. Like yeah, he was made in a lab, but that doesn't necessarily mean he would have a proper liking to that type of technology, in fact, I think a part of him would want to compensate for that by leaving a normal humble life. I would say the same of his relationship with Lex Luthor. I think Lex would be coolo if he somehow left part of his estate and of Lexcorp to Conner but Conner didn't really want it and decided to create a worker's company or something like that, where not only did he have nothing to do with it, he was handing a strong business to the people who worked for it while a ruthless and maniacal billionaire got rich off of it, yes, using his intelect, but for selfish causes. These are the type of stories I would like to be told with Conner. Stories that can't be told with any other character in the Superman mythos. I guess the reason why I can't imagine Conner using things like laser guns or robot hands, or force shields is that he dresses up in normal clothes and I liek that part of him. The New 52 suit never took off for me. It looks kinda cool but I think it's a less empathetic direction for him to go in.

[Alpha]

Because like, Conner's biggest insecurities come from him being artificial right? So I think he would hate things that remind that he was grown in a lab, and all that technology would be exactly that. Wearing normal clothes is a way for him to sort of feel more like a real person, and sure, you can argue that it's more healthy for him to embrace that side of himself, but it's also more interesting if he doesn't actually resolve that issue and runs away from it, and it stays there as wound.

[Superlad93]

I can't really justify why I don't like Conner not using technology other than an aesthetic thing. Like yeah, he was made in a lab, but that doesn't necessarily mean he would have a proper liking to that type of technology, in fact, I think a part of him would want to compensate for that by leaving a normal humble life. I would say the same of his relationship with Lex Luthor. I think Lex would be coolo if he somehow left part of his estate and of Lexcorp to Conner but Conner didn't really want it and decided to create a worker's company or something like that, where not only did he have nothing to do with it, he was handing a strong business to the people who worked for it while a ruthless and maniacal billionaire got rich off of it, yes, using his intelect, but for selfish causes. These are the type of stories I would like to be told with Conner. Stories that can't be told with any other character in the Superman mythos. I guess the reason why I can't imagine Conner using things like laser guns or robot hands, or force shields is that he dresses up in normal clothes and I liek that part of him. The New 52 suit never took off for me. It looks kinda cool but I think it's a less empathetic direction for him to go in.

I think you may just have a fairly narrow view of what "using tech" means when it comes to Conner. I don't particularly think any tech additions should off set his aesthetic, but I do think there are ways to most certainly be more overt with the tech usage.

I'd never advocate for anything as pedestrian as laser guns or force shields. That's not all that fun. But Mother Box tech (as homage to his Kirby roots), and other less conventional form of tech would be fitting and interesting. Something akin to Tom Strong, where it's not really tech that's overtly for combat, but rather tech as tools.

With his powers fading, he could use some techy contact lenses (and a slight homage to his x-ray glasses) complete with a heads up display. That's a very modern and slick addition that's not too overt, but clearly still noticed. The Young Justice (TV) shield patches are something I'd love to see too. Him having to use whatever supply he has sparingly while also keeping a steady eye on the side effects. That's tech too.

Think along the lines of a field agent or covert opts specialist. The unassuming nature of his dark colored plain clothes only adds to that.

Because like, Conner's biggest insecurities come from him being artificial right? So I think he would hate things that remind that he was grown in a lab, and all that technology would be exactly that. Wearing normal clothes is a way for him to sort of feel more like a real person, and sure, you can argue that it's more healthy for him to embrace that side of himself, but it's also more interesting if he doesn't actually resolve that issue and runs away from it, and it stays there as wound.

But that's not the only way you can express that conflict. It walls off an expression for the character almost arbitrarily. He's never been one to shy away from tech anyway. He's just always had the luxury of not needing it for everything.

A much more overt and less hoop jump-y way of expressing that fear of being artificial is him dealing with the fact that his powers have an expiration date on them (because as of last Action Comics, they do). So him throwing himself into his work to wring out every last bit of usefulness out of himself and his powers goes heavily into that. Conner as a character has always defined himself by what his genetics are and what he can do, so that exploration of them being finite and him reaching what he may feel to be expiration date as a person of worth seems like the stronger avenue for the arc's expression.

[Alpha]

To each his own. I see that you have good intentions with the character. I personally want him to go in another direction.

[Masterff]

Why do you even want Conner to be Superman? Being Superman makes him have to worry about things he has no interest in, and overall, less interesting. Let him be someone with different preoccupations from Clark.

Also, I think the Young Justice crew needs to part ways and find their unique place in the world. Jon needs to discover that he prefers to be the boots on the ground neighbourhood activist like Golden Age Superman. Tim discovers he is a pulp detective from the 40s with a vague connection to occult conspiracies and a mythic and mysterious entity in the streets of Gotham. I don't know what Bart and Cassie would be.

After they all figure out their stuff it might be cool to bring them back together, but as a completely different genre than that of Titans. They aren't the new Justice League anymore, they are something else entirely.

That makes ZERO SENSE!

1. They can still be the new Justice League!!
->Cassie became Wonder Woman in DCeased and she is still one of the Wonder Girls around, even if she got rivals
->Tim doesnt want to become Batman, but he is still in play for that
-> Bart has rivals as young Speedster, but he was a member of JL

2. This searching for their own place was already done in Young Justice (old Series) and Teen Titans

3. They already found their own places, especially Conner who was the Nightwing Character of Super-Family who UNLIKE Jon and Kara was in many teams and established relationships with other characters etc.

It makes ZERO Sense since the 4 already found their places, while new characters like Wallace, Jon etc. lack their history, experience etc.

You also DONT need to seperate them, it makes ZERO Sense-you could EASILY EASILY EASILY let them together and use them as NEW OUTSIDERS
Which would also make INCREDIBLE MUCH sense, since Conner and Bart are from another timeline and so in a sense outsiders, Tim is a Batman character and Cassie could also feel like an Outsider.


REALITY:


It should have be done like it was done with Nightwings Generation:

-Age up
-Get new Code-Names
-being reminded as Rolemodels and Inspiration and kind of mentors to the next generation

PROBLEM:


-Tims and Damians Generation are now at a similar age
-the others have forgotten them
-Bart, Cassie and Conner didnt get new Codenames
-they werent aged up
-Cassie even lost her origin which made her unique (Diana and Donna made out of Clay and Cassie as only daughter of Zeus)

Masterff is a good fan, but we have 2 big differences between us, I want kon to have weaknesses and to not chase the throne.New nightwing type identity and YJ show physicals and focus control TTK(tactile only).

Having kon be the SUPER who knows how to fight is the smartest thing they can do. Course I would also have him be the SUPER thst uses tech and any and all things to get the job done.

Thst doesn't mean I dont want him to not have TTK,he should and it should be a game changer for him, but he isn't going to be invulnerable every second like Kal and Kara are, so he needs to refine his approach.

Actually Johns TT Conner was perfect to me, TECH is only annoying, boring etc.

As I read that I come to feel that Jon Kent should actually be the technologically minded Super kid. He is the new generation and grows up exposed to all these different things from Krypton and beyond. Hey, I finally found his niche. Let Conner be the Golden Age Superman but going even further in entrenching himself within the city.

Golden Age Superman makes ZERO sense, let him just be the aged up TT Conner.

[Alpha]

I'm personally not a big fan of what has been done with Nightwing in terms of stories from a character development perspective. Him turning into Nightwing should have led him to do things other than just occupy the same role as Batman but with his personality and on a different team.

I think the Young Justice generation found their place as terns, but them maturing into adults means more than just changing their names and getting more respect.

What you are essentially saying is that you want them to follow the footsteps of their predecessors, and we will essentially have three generations of mentors/ former sidekicks doing the same thing.
Conner becoming a boots on the ground golden age Superman makes sense even from a pure design perspective, he is the one in the Superfsmily that wears jeans and a t-shirt, like Grant Morrison's first arc in action comics. In terms of character development, Conner is an artificial creation, and his problem is that he has to stay on earth, but he was dropped into this world out of nowhere. Over the years he struggled to create a family, a history, a home (things Clark always had) and once he grows up he sees living in the city and closer to normal people as a way for him to become a real person. I'm not ignoring his development over the years, but I think his TT suit is a clear indication that there's a desire there that he still hasn't addressed. I think he would want an apartmenr in the city, with neighbors. I think he would want to walk around metropolis with sunglasses and a sweatshirt listening to a street musician and going to watch a stand up show in a bar with some new friends. And then he wakes up and puts on jeans and a blueshirt with an s shield and stops a violent father and stays around to explain things to the cops and make sure the guy goes to prison but the kid and the mother don't get left without the ability to sustain themselves. I think this is a necessary stage of his life for him to experience.

I don't understand why make the Young Justice team the new Outsiders. First of all the Outsiders were already filled with lesser known heroes and had their unique identity as a covert ops team precisepy becauss they were less famous characters, unaffiliated with the Justice League and whose individual purposes weren't in accordance with the Trinity. I think putting Young Justice generation in that team would be a disservice to the others. But you do at least realize that their team should have a specific purpose that the Justice League doesn't fullfill, which is something the adult titans team lacked until this year withe the Titans Academy. They had a different set of villains but they still functioned the same way with the same approach to supervillains (although they were at least a closer friendship than the Justice League).

[Alpha]

As I thought about it, I think the Young Justice generation's new team should be the Cold Cases division. They are trying to fix the failures of other generations that went unpunished. They are worried about the people that got stomped on and lost all hope and desire to improve, and they want to find a way to honor these events. Maybe they hunt down a villain that dissapeared, or try to ressurect someone who the world needs, or they travel in time and do the fights that the Justice League were too busy to do, and then erase all memory of their time shenanigans.

I think things like that could fit the new directions I envision for Tim Drake and Conner, and it would be a brand new type of team that I don't believe we've seen yet in comics.

[Sutekh]

As I thought about it, I think the Young Justice generation's new team should be the Cold Cases division. They are trying to fix the failures of other generations that went unpunished.

That's certainly one focus for them, but with the last few decades of the Justice League as practically living legends that handle the huge Darkseid-level / universe-ending threats and challenges, I feel like a ton of room has opened up for smaller Outsider/Teen Titans type groups to handle the sorts of non-universe-ending threats that are now 'too small' for the Justice League. No need for Perpetua / Eclipso / Nekron / Darkseid / Infinite Crisis / multiversal collapse crap here, just minor stuff like threats to entire cities or nations or species.

Seriously though, more personal scale challenges that affect actual people in the DC world, like weapons trafficking, human trafficking, drug trafficking, etc. and not weird multiversal reality-bending stuff that gets all cosmological and abstract and increasingly not-particularly-scary because it's just that thing that happens every summer where the universe gets all weird and everyone's past changes again. Save the cosmic entities and reality reboots for the big guns and summer events, and there's the other 95% of comic book villains and stories still available for Conner's generation, the same sorts of stories that DC used to use for the Teen Titans, Outsiders and even Justice League before they became 'the pantheon.'

[Masterff]

I'm personally not a big fan of what has been done with Nightwing in terms of stories from a character development perspective. Him turning into Nightwing should have led him to do things other than just occupy the same role as Batman but with his personality and on a different team.

I think the Young Justice generation found their place as terns, but them maturing into adults means more than just changing their names and getting more respect.

What you are essentially saying is that you want them to follow the footsteps of their predecessors, and we will essentially have three generations of mentors/ former sidekicks doing the same thing.
Conner becoming a boots on the ground golden age Superman makes sense even from a pure design perspective, he is the one in the Superfsmily that wears jeans and a t-shirt, like Grant Morrison's first arc in action comics. In terms of character development, Conner is an artificial creation, and his problem is that he has to stay on earth, but he was dropped into this world out of nowhere. Over the years he struggled to create a family, a history, a home (things Clark always had) and once he grows up he sees living in the city and closer to normal people as a way for him to become a real person. I'm not ignoring his development over the years, but I think his TT suit is a clear indication that there's a desire there that he still hasn't addressed. I think he would want an apartmenr in the city, with neighbors. I think he would want to walk around metropolis with sunglasses and a sweatshirt listening to a street musician and going to watch a stand up show in a bar with some new friends. And then he wakes up and puts on jeans and a blueshirt with an s shield and stops a violent father and stays around to explain things to the cops and make sure the guy goes to prison but the kid and the mother don't get left without the ability to sustain themselves. I think this is a necessary stage of his life for him to experience.

I don't understand why make the Young Justice team the new Outsiders. First of all the Outsiders were already filled with lesser known heroes and had their unique identity as a covert ops team precisepy becauss they were less famous characters, unaffiliated with the Justice League and whose individual purposes weren't in accordance with the Trinity. I think putting Young Justice generation in that team would be a disservice to the others. But you do at least realize that their team should have a specific purpose that the Justice League doesn't fullfill, which is something the adult titans team lacked until this year withe the Titans Academy. They had a different set of villains but they still functioned the same way with the same approach to supervillains (although they were at least a closer friendship than the Justice League).

Its to small for Conner...

A good solution would that he takes the Nightwing way:

-Goes back to Hawaii and gets his OWN TERRITORY there like Clark has Metropolis, Nightwing has Blüdhaven, Bruce Gotham etc. etc.
-Being the one who is the older brother to Jon and keeps the connection between young heroes and the JL, I always LOVED Nightwing in this role because he was also arguing with the JL for his team and for younger Superheroes like he also did when Cassie, Bart, Tim and Conner joined the TT.
He was the one who stopped the arguing..
-Being the first one who gets called if Superman isnt avaiable
-protecting Hawaii like Clark does with Metropolis
-unlike Nightwing Conner should marry Cassie

This is PERFECT! Kessel showed how this could work and he can do there a lot of things which Superman does (saving people from natural calamities like Volcanos, earthquakes, catching airplanes, saving people from shark attacks, waves, drowning....)

I dont understand why the saving people and cities was pushed aside in Conners case-Conner was more or less reduced to a kind of fighting character...

The real problem ISNT the family etc., he got a real Family with Clark, Martha, Jonathan and Kara and a second family with the TT.
the real problem was that they decided that Jonathan Kent dies and Conner was in some sense bound to Smallville, because he couldnt left Martha alone.
This was the problem in the last Solo-Series with Conner-Smallville is basically to small for him.

OUTSIDERS work perfectly for them:
-they are basically from another timeline
-they were kind of replaced by new heroes (Cassie by Nubia and Yara; Bart by Avery and Wallace, Tim by Damian, Conner by Jon)
-Outsiders Story would PERFECTLY fit for them, since they are mature and experienced enough to handle ALL what the Outsiders can do

I would basically take Conner, Cassie, Tim, Bart and add Miss Martian, Traci13, Static, Bombshell, Red Devil.....

Outsiders are a perfect name for them, since they arent really incorporated in another team, they were replaced by other young heroes and people forgot about them so it would be naturally if they feel like Outsiders.
Especially if you fill the roster up with Kid Devil, Bombshell, Miss Martian etc. who are also kind of outsiders.

Outsiders are nowadays a kind of Batman team so Tim would perfectly fit as connection and young heroes like Miss Martian, Bombshell, Kid Devil might not be fill in into another team, so they also feel like Outsiders.

It would also fit them, because the Outsiders Missions are big enough for them, mature enough for them and this is what Tim, Conner, Cassie and Bart need.

That's certainly one focus for them, but with the last few decades of the Justice League as practically living legends that handle the huge Darkseid-level / universe-ending threats and challenges, I feel like a ton of room has opened up for smaller Outsider/Teen Titans type groups to handle the sorts of non-universe-ending threats that are now 'too small' for the Justice League. No need for Perpetua / Eclipso / Nekron / Darkseid / Infinite Crisis / multiversal collapse crap here, just minor stuff like threats to entire cities or nations or species.

Seriously though, more personal scale challenges that affect actual people in the DC world, like weapons trafficking, human trafficking, drug trafficking, etc. and not weird multiversal reality-bending stuff that gets all cosmological and abstract and increasingly not-particularly-scary because it's just that thing that happens every summer where the universe gets all weird and everyone's past changes again. Save the cosmic entities and reality reboots for the big guns and summer events, and there's the other 95% of comic book villains and stories still available for Conner's generation, the same sorts of stories that DC used to use for the Teen Titans, Outsiders and even Justice League before they became 'the pantheon.'

Actually there are only 2 Groups which make sense for Conner, Bart, Tim, Cassie:

OUTSIDERS or TITANS

They need MATURE storylines with POWERFUL Villains and after Fights with Superboy Prime, Gog, assisting the LoSh.....etc. they are EASILY experienced enough and powerful enough to handle the Villains which also Titans and Outsiders can handle.

OUTSIDERS would be PERFECT: Tim, Cassie, Conner, Bart and bring Miss Martian, Bombshell, Traci 13, Terra, Kid Devil etc. back

[Alpha]

Lok ok, you completely went on your own tangent and ignored everything I said aside from the family thing (although I might have ignored you, maybe I'm a hypocrite).

Outsiders is a ethnically and culturally diverse team made up of heroes completely different crom JLA. Metamorpho, Katana, Black Lightning, Geoforce, Halo. You wanna replace these characters with Young Justice. It's disrespectful to all those smaller characters that barely get any promotion.

And giving them different villains and a different name doesn't make them different from the Justice League. The difference between Avengers, Illuminati, X-men, Fantastic Four, X-men, Guardians of the Galaxy and Thunderbolts, goes beyond the enemies they fight, it's about their purpose itself.

[Masterff]

Lok ok, you completely went on your own tangent and ignored everything I said aside from the family thing (although I might have ignored you, maybe I'm a hypocrite).

Outsiders is a ethnically and culturally diverse team made up of heroes completely different crom JLA. Metamorpho, Katana, Black Lightning, Geoforce, Halo. You wanna replace these characters with Young Justice. It's disrespectful to all those smaller characters that barely get any promotion.

And giving them different villains and a different name doesn't make them different from the Justice League. The difference between Avengers, Illuminati, X-men, Fantastic Four, X-men, Guardians of the Galaxy and Thunderbolts, goes beyond the enemies they fight, it's about their purpose itself.

To be honest what you said makes no sense:

1. Clark and Conner are DIFFERENT
Clark is Clark and Superman is the costume, Conner is Superboy and Conner is only the costume.

Clarks first name was Kal-El, then Clark and then he got the name Superman
Conner went first by Superman, then Superboy, then he created a name for his own, then he get his first real name Kon-El and then at last Conner Kent

In the flashback of YJ Conner LEFT the Conner identity behind him and also before in Pre-Flashpoint he was struggling with the human identity and he was also wearing the Superboy Outfit during the date with Cassie.


2. Conners generation also doesnt get much of promotion (Ok-Tim yes)
Conner was completely replaced by Jonathan and in parts by Kenan
Cassie gets replaced by Yara and Nubia
Bart gets replaced by Avery and more than all Wallace

Conners generation is in this sense the LOST generation


3. The purpose of the team HAS NOTHING! to do with who is in the Team.
Conner, Cassie, Bart and Tim could be used for the same Missions as the others got used.

4. Did you watch YOUNG JUSTICE ANIME SERIES?
Bart Allen, Conner Kent and Cassie Sandsmark WERE part of the Outsiders in the Anime Series.

Cassie and Bart are FOUNDING members of the Young Justice Anime Outsiders Team

5. What they need is FEATS, FEATS, FEATS and missions during which they can prove themselves and not hanging around and doing kiddy stuff which normal police could do-its a disservice for them to let them do such things while Wallace,Damian,Jonathan etc. save the earth etc.

Outisders are the PERFECT Solution for them:
-Mature Missions and Mature Storylines
-less control by the JL
-perfect for them to prove themselves


Actually thats the BEST Solution for them, so they can show that they are on the same level as the Titans (Wally, Nightwing, Donna...) are and get more mature missions etc.

[Alpha]

I don't think Nightwing, Donna and Wally West are good examples of characters that went out on their own. Wally replaced Barry, and it's fine, but it's not really finding his own way. He certainly made it his own, but it's still replacing his mentor. Nightwing does the exact same thing Batman does, except he has a different personality. I find this very disapointing. Donna Troy is a mess of a character unfortunately (and it has nothing to do with her being bad, just being badly used).

You want an example of a former sidekick that went ou on his own? Red Hood. Sure, he became an anti hero and we don't need to go that far, but he realized that he had his own preocupations, distinct from Bruce and he decided to become a semi crime boss who also tried to control crime. This is fundamentally unique in the Batman mythos.

Conner worrying about a city is him being a mature, not being "weak". It's him seeing a different way of helping the world, something that Clark is ignoring.

I love the Young Justice animated show. I don't think it's great how they stole the made Outsiders into a different cast, but at least it wa a diverse group of different ethnicities (and to be clear the Outsiders on that show are latino Blue Beetle, black Static, East European Geo Force, and Kidflash, Wonder Girl and El Dorado.

Much more diverse than the Young Justice cast.