The best hidden talent of Superboy could make him the greatest asset of Superman and his allies. Superboy #1 shows off Conner Kent’s special skill that could make him the most fearsome Kryptonian hero in the House of El.
While Superman is undoubtedly one of the strongest heroes in the DC Universe, he’s not the only one to wield incredible, godlike power. The Super-Family is composed of multiple heroes who either match Clark in strength, or those who can keep up when fighting alongside the Men and Women of Steel. One notable member of the team is Superboy, aka Conner Kent, Superman’s half-clone with Lex Luthor. Though he’s only half of Superman, Conner is more than able to bring the heat with his source material’s rogues’ gallery thanks to the wide range of Kryptonian powers afforded to Superboy by a yellow sun.
But there’s one unique ability that Conner has under his belt that makes him the most capable member of the Super-Family. In Superboy #1 by Jeff Lemire and Pier Gallo, Conner is trying to live a simple life in Smallville, until his town is attacked by Superman’s power-stealing nemesis, the Parasite. Conner leaps into action and tries to redirect the fight outside Smallville, but contact with the villain allows Parasite to drain Superboy of his powers. Despite his weakened state, Conner can still utilize his tactile telekinesis. He’s too weak to pick up a tractor with his mind, but he’s easily able to control the grain surrounding him and Parasite. Superboy centers himself and his mind whips up a swarm of grain that he uses to envelop the villain. The amount of grain becomes too much for Parasite, allowing him to subdue the rogue.
Tactile telekinesis is the only power that Conner has that Superman doesn’t, and it’s often considered one of Superboy’s defining traits. While he also possesses the same heat vision and super-strength as his family, Conner can manipulate anything within his telekinetic field, and years of training has only helped him bring out the best of this ability. What’s truly fascinating is that Superboy was able to take down the Parasite when Conner was at his weakest. A Superboy with full-strength telekinesis plus his range of Kryptonian powers would make him a force unto himself.
Despite half of his DNA coming from Lex Luthor, Conner Kent has every power that Superman does. That already puts him miles ahead of several Justice League members in terms of power. But Conner’s telekinetic abilities may put him ahead of even Clark. After all, while they both share the same Kryptonian powers, Superman doesn’t have Superboy’s tactile telekinesis. And if Conner can take down a supervillain just by swarming him with fields of grain, there’s little doubt the hero could do even more powerful feats at his full-strength. Conner’s bout with the Parasite could be all the proof necessary that Superboy is the strongest member of the Superman Family.
