Jor-El was the father of Kal-El, the husband of the late Lara Lor-Van, as well as one of the most respected scientists of Krypton.
During the destruction of the planet, Jor-El was able to save his son by launching him towards Earth in a spaceship just moments before the planet explodes. An A.I. containing his consciousness was carried into the Fortress of Solitude when Kal was a teenager, but was destroyed by Tal-Rho decades later.
Biography[]
Lara's second husband[]
At some point, Jor-El fell in love with Lara, though she was married to her genetic mate Zeta-Rho and had a son with him; Lara loved Jor-El as well and divorced, choosing love and free will over science.[1]
Later life and A.I.[]
Not long after Kal-El's birth, Jor-El and Lara sent him to Earth to save him from Krypton's impending destruction; Jor-El and Lara died with the planet when it exploded.
Jor-El's A.I. meets Clark for the first time.
However, before this, Jor-El downloaded his intelligence into a hologram to retain the wisdom of the planet Krypton after its destruction. The A.I was carried into the Fortress of Solitude when Kal (now Clark) was a teenager, and helped him find out about Kryptonian culture and how to use his powers.[2]
Jor-El's hologram in the Fortress of Solitude.
Decades later, Clark had brought his son Jordan to the Fortress of Solitude after he manifested some abilities and wished to test for more information. However, the A.I. of Jor-El concluded that Jordan's powers were a result of brief flare-ups and that his human DNA would limit him,[3] upsetting Jordan, who would use the readings as an excuse to join the Smallville Crows football team.[4]
The A.I. tells Clark that Jordan will feel pain until he learns to control his super hearing,[5] treating his Kryptonite symptoms. He Clark that it had to be burned from Jordan's system for him to heal.[6] He later confirmed Tal-Rho's status as Superman's maternal half-brother. As the two talked, Jor-El revealed that reversing the Eradicator was beyond his knowledge.[1] Eventually, Jor-El's hologram crystal is destroyed by Tal-Rho following Superman refusing to join him.[2] The crystal shards were buried in the Kent Farm after Tal's apparent defeat.[7]
Legacy[]
Jor-El's intelligence appears as a hologram in the Fortress of Solitude, which Clark Kent discovered soon after his adoptive father, Jonathan Kent Sr. died. Clark named Jordan Kent after Jor-El.[3]
After defeating Tal-Rho, Clark went to the Fortress of Solitude and gathered up the shards of the crystal which housed Jor-El's artificial intelligence. He then flew back to the Kent Farm, buried the shards next to a tree, and reflected on the impact Jor-El's A.I. had made on him.[8]
Powers and abilities[]
Powers[]
- Kryptonian physiology: Normally, like all Kryptonians, Jor-El's capabilities were no greater than a normal human of his physical conditioning. However, if he had been charged by the energy of a yellow sun metabolizing into his body, he would have become able to perform various inhuman feats. Ultimately, this never happened as Jor-El was never exposed to a sun different to the Kryptonians' natural red one.
Abilities[]
- Genius-level intellect/Master scientist: Jor-El was highly intelligent, being a well-respected scientist on Krypton and a member of the esteemed House of El.
Appearances[]
Superman & Lois[]
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
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Behind the scenes[]
- In the DC comics, Jor-El of the House of El was a Kryptonian scientist and the father of Kal-El. He prophesied the destruction of Krypton, but was unable to convince the planet's High Council of the impending disaster. Thus, Jor-El was only able to build a rocket large enough to send Kal-El to safety on Earth. Jor-El and his wife, Lara, perished alongside every other Kryptonian when their planet exploded.
- In Supergirl, Jor-El's discovery of Krypton's fate and subsequent conflict with the planet's government is handed off to Astra and Alura Zor-El.
- In the Prime Earth continuity, Jor-El was whisked away to Earth before Krypton self-destructed due to the machinations of Doctor Manhattan. Upon witnessing the atrocities of humankind in a war-torn nation, he became Mister Oz, a situational enemy/ally to Kal-El, now Superman.
References[]
| Other versions of Jor-El | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To see other versions of this character, click the Earth name below for that Earth's counterpart of Jor-El. | ||||
| New multiverse | ||||
| Earth: Prime • TUD25 | ||||
| Original multiverse | ||||
| Earth: 38 • TUD22 | ||||
| Transmultiversal multiverse | ||||
| Earth: | ||||