The Superboy mantle seems to have a particular curse in the DCU for anyone who dares to take it on. It seems that those who become Superman's sidekick are destined to lose out on some crucial years of their life.

While Clark Kent might have been the first person to don the Superboy identity, the role has traditionally been reserved for younger heroes with a similar range of powers. Conner Kent was one of the most well-known bearers of the title after he burst onto the scene as a Superman replacement, and even Superman's son Jon filled the role. But Superboy experienced an age change just a short time into his superhero career, thanks to being held hostage on Earth-3 for a few years. While Jon's made his peace with the event, it was a development that left a lot of fans upset. And as it turns out, this is a fairly common occurrence for those who work alongside Superman.

Related: Superman Fan Comic Tells The Jon Kent Story That Deserves To Be Told

In Action Comics #877 by Greg Rucka and Sidney Teles, Lois Lane's foster son Christopher Kent arrives at her apartment seeking out her help. His partner, Thara Ak-Var aka Flamebird, has just been brutally attacked by Chris' birth mother, Ursa. Flamebird is dying after being stabbed by a kryptonite knife so Lois seeks out the aid of a hero that can heal her. After they ensure that Thara is safe, Lois tries to get some answers out of Chris. When she saw her son last, Chris had only been six. The young hero explains that from what he can tell, his body experiences random growth spurts as a result of his time spent in the Phantom Zone. Not only that, Chris' brain was affected by leftover Brainaic tech in the Zone, giving him a more adult mind.

Lois Lane Chris Kent Nightwing DC Comics

Granted, Chris wasn’t around long enough to become a proper version of Superboy, but he essentially served the same role Jon Kent would years later. Before Jon, Superman raised Chris Kent like a son. What’s intriguing about both young heroes is that they lost out on sizeable parts of their youth due to circumstances they couldn't control. Add in the fact that Conner Kent was artificially aged directly to adolescence, it seems that Superman's sidekicks are destined to lose their childhoods.

Some superhero identities are often seen as ‘cursed’ and when it comes to young heroes, no one seems to have worse luck than them. After all, who can forget how the looming specter of death seems to haunt those that bear the Robin identity? What's truly tragic about those who partner up with Superman is that it almost serves as a metaphor for what being a sidekick does to young people. By becoming heroes they're forced to see the world for how it is, not with childlike, rose-colored lenses. The sudden aging the Superboys experience is a manifestation of a parent's worst nightmare: their child literally growing up too fast. It might not be the worst curse in the DC Universe, but being Superboy has an unfortunate consequence in its own right.

Next: Even Superboy Knows His Huge Potential Is Being Wasted by DC