Summary
- Conner Kent, the clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, almost underwent a radical change in the failed pitch. He would have abandoned the Superboy name and become a trans girl superhero named Skyrocket.
- The proposed change for Superboy/Skyrocket did not fit the character and felt like change for change's sake. Many fans preferred him as he was, and the proposed development could have muddled his continuity and made him harder to explain.
- The Superman Family has become overcrowded with too many similar heroes, particularly Kryptonians. The rejected pitch highlighted the need to give Superboy and other characters their own unique paths and storylines to avoid them fading into the background.
Superboy may have once been a title associated with a young Clark Kent, but it's mostly been used by his clone Conner Kent for 30 years now. A genetically-engineered copy containing Superman and Lex Luthor's DNA, this half-Kryptonian was all attitude when he first showed up. Unfortunately, he's somewhat less prominent now, which is something that a rejected new direction for the character highlighted.
Writer Mags Visaggio recently revealed a failed pitch to radically change the young hero. Among some of the potentially controversial plans within this pitch was Conner Kent abandoning the Superboy name and taking on a somewhat darker persona. While these ideas ultimately weren't approved, they do showcase how Metropolis has way too many Kryptonians flying around.
Mags Visaggio's Superboy Pitch Almost Changed Everything About The Hero
In the unused pitch idea for Conner Kent's new direction, he was briefly sent into the far-flung future. There, he saw that those in that period didn't remember his exploits, and he came back to the present in search of a way to "find his own Metropolis." Not only did this involve his exiting a transformation chamber as the female "Connie Kent," but it also had "her" giving up the Superboy identity and becoming a heroine named Skyrocket. According to Visaggio, Skyrocket's place in the Superman Family was going to be far different from the boisterous "Metropolis Kid" of the 1990s.
Skyrocket was going to be the Red Hood equivalent of the Superman Family, which is something that Superboy never was. Upon coming back to life, Jason Todd became the violent vigilante Red Hood and was actually an enemy of Batman and his allies. Though he eventually mellowed out, he remains a lot more distant from Bruce Wayne and his brand of heroism than say, fellow former sidekick Dick Grayson/Nightwing. Bruce has tried to change Jason's ways, but these are usually to no avail. There was at least some justification for this development given that Jason had been killed by The Joker, a foe whom Batman himself refused to do in. Superboy/Skyrocket would have had no such impetus for treating Superman in the same way, and it speaks to a lot of the issues with this pitch.
Superboy's Planned 'Antihero' Development Didn't Fit The Character
The biggest issue with the "Skyrocket" pitch for Superboy is that too much of it comes out of left field. The allegories to trans identity in particular feel almost shallow, largely reflecting how such a development didn't fit. Many fans have noted that the idea as a whole felt like "change for change's sake," jettisoning the status quo for brief attention. It very much could have proved controversial, especially among fans of Superboy/Conner Kent who liked him fine as he was. His becoming Skyrocket may have simply muddled his continuity and made the character harder to explain or feature in outside media.
In terms of Skyrocket being the Red Hood of the Superman Family, there are already characters who fit this role much better. For one, there's the Kryptonian AI known as The Eradicator, who was actually one of the other "replacement Supermen" alongside Superboy. Seeking to uphold and continue the legacy of Krypton at all costs, The Eradicator was also known for being far more violent in his actions. This saw him use his powers to cruelly execute a human criminal in his debut, something that Superman himself would have never done. He represented the grim and gritty excess of comic books in the 1990s, though he still ended up helping Superman upon his revival.
Since then, Eradicator has vacillated between being an antihero and a villain. This makes him the perfect candidate to fit the Red Hood role and wear the "S" while fighting for something other than truth, justice, and the American way. It would put him at odds with the more old-fashioned Superman, all while allowing him to act independently. Another candidate for this status is Gangbuster, a non-powered vigilante who deals with crime in his own way. His alter ego is Hector Delgado, and despite his methods, he's considered a friend of Superman and those at the Daily Planet. Bringing this character back for dark stories is a far better idea than drastically changing Superboy, though the Boy of Steel feeling drowned out amid a growing Superman Family does make sense.
The Superman Family Has Gotten Too Crowded
One issue with the Superman Family and other extensive superhero mantles is that there are simply too many of the "same" heroes in each. Currently, the Superman Family consists of Clark Kent, his son Jon Kent, Kara Zor-El/Supergirl, her alternate universe counterpart Power Girl, John Henry, and Natasha Irons (both of whom go by Steel), Superboy and two adopted Kryptonian children. That's without mentioning Eradicator and the "cousin" character Mon-El from the Legion of Super-Heroes. While some of these heroes have different and unique abilities (for instance, Power Girl now has additional psychic powers), they mostly share the same powers. Thus, threats to this large group of Kryptonians and their allies become increasingly hard to take seriously.
It doesn't help that there are actually "multiple" Superboys in the DC Universe. Likewise, it's easy for many of them to fade into the background, especially since they all share the same stomping grounds of Metropolis. Elements of Visaggio's rejected pitch can thus still be salvaged, namely by evoking his older comics. Back in the 1990s, Superboy's adventures took him to Honolulu. There, he had his own life, villains, and a love interest in the form of Tana Moon (his equivalent to Lois Lane). Given how influx current DC continuity is, Tana's previous death can easily be overturned and used to give Conner a life of his own.
This might be needed for Supergirl and Power Girl as well, as they've both been in Superman's shadow for too long. Even with the powerful metahumans they face, Metropolis is only so big. Thus, Superboy can be used to lead the charge and chart his own path, becoming more of a solo hero while still being a firm part of the Superman Family. This can provide some grounding and status quo for the character, preventing him from merely being a "team-up" character or someone that writers come in to radically change because they've fallen into disuse. Doing this with the young man who once didn't want to be called Superboy can provide some great stories while also giving fans something to look forward to with him.