Fans of Kon-El/Conner Kent’s version of Superboy are thrilled that the character has been reintroduced into current DC comic books after apparently being retconned out of existence. Longtime Superman readers know that Conner Kent is a clone of Superman who was created in the aftermath of the Death of Superman storyline and took on the mantle of “Superboy.” Originally sporting a rebellious look, complete with sunglasses and a leather jacket, Conner has since matured and regards Superman as his older brother.

What many Conner Kent fans may not know, however, is that a version of Conner Kent actually appeared in a 1980s live action Superboy TV series, years before his debut in the comics. While this live action version Conner did not have the same backstory as his comic book counterpart, a look back at his genesis may reveal the two may have a possible link.

Related: Superman And Superboy Conner Kent, Back Together Again

In 1988, executive producers Ilya and Alexander Salkind, who had produced the first three Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve and the Supergirl film starring Helen Slater, decided to take a small-screen approach to the Superman franchise. Existing in a separate continuity from the films, the Superboy TV series showcased Clark Kent’s early years as a college-aged “Superboy” (although the series itself was set in the 1980s and 1990s).

While show’s first season is considered substandard, with actor John Haymes Newton playing a rather wooden Boy of Steel and accompanied by low-budget special effects, the second season drastically changed the series. Newton was replaced by Gerard Christopher as the new Superboy (not unlike how Ruby Rose is currently being recast for Batwoman). The special effects budget was also increased, and actor Sherman Howard was brought on to play a menacing new Lex Luthor.

Most importantly, the show’s scripts began being written by seasoned comic book writers, including J.M. DeMatteis, Mark Evanier, Denny O’Neil, John Francis Moore, and Cary Bates. This caused the show’s plots to reflect comic book-style storytelling. Superboy began fighting live action versions of Bizarro and Metallo as well as Lex Luthor. One two-part episode even had Superboy meet aliens masquerading as his Kryptonian parents Jor-El and Lara (played by former James Bond actors George Lazenby and Britt Ekland!).

However, it was in Season 3 that the show, now called The Adventures of Superboy, began telling truly outrageous stories. Decades before the CW’s Arrowverse began telling stories about the multiverse, Superboy offered a two-part story entitled “Roads Not Taken.” Written by DC comic book writer John Francis Moore and Stan Berkowitz, the story had Superboy enter a dimensional portal that sent him to an alternate universe where Superboy had killed Lex Luthor, plunging the world into chaos.

Superboy later meets his alternate self who has taken to… dressing in a leather jacket and sunglasses just like Conner Kent did in his first appearance. Although this alternate Superboy (also played by Gerard Christopher) is not a clone like Conner, he does display Conner’s early arrogance and apparent disdain for authority. Fortunately, Superboy is able to reawaken some of the other Superboy’s humanity, and he switches back to his original costume, promising to repent for murdering Luthor and help his own world once again.

“Roads Not Taken” was released in November, 1990 – a full two years before the Death of Superman storyline began in DC Comics (and three years before Conner Kent made his debut in 1993’s The Adventures of Superman #500). While it’s possible that Conner and the alternate live-action Superboy could have developed on separate lines, the fact that DC Comics writers were so involved in writing scripts for the show could indicate that several ideas from the TV show could have influenced later comics.

Tellingly, one of the episodes’ writers, John Francis Moore, went on to write alternate reality Elseworlds stories for DC Comics. Moore’s co-writer Stan Berkowitz also wrote many popular scripts for DC animated series like Batman Beyond, The New Batman Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series, Legion of Super Heroes, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Unfortunately, The Adventures of Superboy was cancelled after its fourth season, despite offering some truly innovative storytelling for its time. While shows like Smallville and The Flash are credited with making the superhero genre popular for television, it was actually a largely-forgotten show like The Adventures of Superboy that laid much of the groundwork for currently popular superhero television shows today.

Conner Kent’s version of Superboy would go on to make several small screen appearances, both in animation (Young Justice and Regin of the Supermen) and live action (Smallville and Titans), but now fans can add another live action appearance (of sorts) that precedes even his comic book debut.

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