Matter-Eater Lad

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Matter-Eater Lad
Tenzil Kem.png
Matter-Eater Lad as depicted in Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #2 (June 2010). Art by Pete Woods.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Adventure Comics #303 (December 1962)
Created by Jerry Siegel
John Forte
In-story information
Alter egoTenzil Kem
Species Bismollian
Place of origin Bismoll
Team affiliations Legion of Super-Heroes
Notable aliasesM-E Lad
AbilitiesPowers:
  • Superhuman matter ingestion and digestion
  • Metabolism-induced super-speed

Abilities:

  • Hand-to-hand combat (basic)

Equipment:

  • Legion Flight Ring

Matter-Eater Lad (Tenzil Kem) is a superhero appearing in media published by DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #303 (December 1962), and possesses the power to eat matter in all forms, as do all natives of his home planet, Bismoll.

Contents

Matter-Eater Lad has made limited appearances in media outside comics, with Alexander Polinsky voicing him in the animated series Legion of Super Heroes .

Publication history

Matter-Eater Lad first appeared in Adventure Comics #303 and was created by Jerry Siegel and John Forte. [1]

Fictional character biography

Pre–Zero Hour

Matter-Eater Lad is the fifteenth member inducted into the Legion of Super-Heroes, joining soon after Bouncing Boy. In his first appearance, Matter-Eater Lad explains his origins, saying that the natives of Bismoll evolved their abilities to survive after microbes rendered all normal food inedible. This gives his teeth and jaws the strength and durability to bite and chew through stone, metal, and other hard substances. [2] He has an unrequited crush on Shrinking Violet, which features for the bulk of the Legion's run in Adventure Comics.

Matter-Eater Lad is later drafted to serve in the Bismollian senate and becomes a celebrity. He is voted out of office after being temporarily trapped in another dimension and considered legally dead. [3] [4]

During the "Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars, Earth falls under the control of the Dominators and withdraws from the United Planets. Soon afterward, the members of the Dominators' "Batch SW6" - temporal duplicates of the Legionnaires - escape captivity, with a duplicate of Matter-Eater Lad among them. [5]

Post–Zero Hour

Following Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! , which reboots the Legion's continuity, Tenzil Kem is reimagined as the Legion's primary chef. [6]

Threeboot

In the "Threeboot", Matter-Eater Lad is reintroduced as a government agent, investigating Cosmic Boy's disappearance and the legality of his final act as Legion leader. [7]

Post-Infinite Crisis

The events of Infinite Crisis restore an analogue of the pre- Crisis Legion to continuity. In Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #5, the SW6 incarnation of Matter-Eater Lad is among the Legionnaires summoned to fight the Time Trapper. [8]

In Superman #694, Matter-Eater Lad is revealed to have been masquerading as Mon-El's friend Mitch. He reveals his identity by stepping in to save a woman trapped in a burning car, allowing Mon-El to continue fighting larger threats. [9]

In the Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton storyline, Matter-Eater Lad is part of a secret team sent by R. J. Brande to the 21st century to save the future. [10]

Powers and abilities

Matter-Eater Lad possesses the innate ability to eat almost any substance. Additionally, he can move at superhuman speeds by harnessing consumed energy and determine the chemical composition of objects using his enhanced taste buds.

In other media

References

  1. ↑ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 197. ISBN   978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. ↑ Siegel, Jerry  ( w ), Forte, John  ( p ),Forte, John ( i )."The Fantastic Spy!" Adventure Comics ,vol. 1,no. 303(December 1962).DC Comics.
  3. ↑ Bierbaum, Tom ; Bierbaum, Mary ; Giffen, Keith  ( w ),Giffen, Keith ( p ), Gordon, Al  ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col ). Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 4,no. 14(January 1991).DC Comics.
  4. ↑ Bierbaum, Tom ; Bierbaum, Mary  ( w ), Banks, Darryl ; Immonen, Stuart  ( p ),Eklund, Pam ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col ). Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 4,no. 49(November 1993).DC Comics.
  5. ↑ Gordon, Al  ( w ), Giffen, Keith  ( p ),Gordon, Al ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col )."The Quiet Darkness: Part IV" Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 4,no. 24(December 1991).DC Comics.
  6. ↑ Waid, Mark ; McCraw, Tom ( w ),Moder, Lee; Apthorp, Brian; Benefiel, Scott ( p ),Boyd, Ron; Simmons, Tom ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col )."Things at Hand!" Legion of Super-Heroes ,vol. 4,no. 63(December 1994).DC Comics.
  7. ↑ Bedard, Tony  ( w ),Sharpe, Kevin ( p ), Riggs, Robin  ( i ),Eyring, Nathan ( col )."The Quest for Cosmic Boy: Prologue"Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes,vol. 1,no. 31(August 2007).DC Comics.
  8. ↑ Johns, Geoff  ( w ), Pérez, George  ( p ), Koblish, Scott  ( i ),Hi-Fi Design ( col )."Book Five" Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds ,vol. 1,no. 5(September 2009).DC Comics.
  9. ↑ Robinson, James  ( w ),Guedes, Renato ( p ),Magalhães, José Wilson ( i ),Curiel, David ( col )."Man of Valor, Part One" Superman ,vol. 1,no. 694(January 2010).DC Comics.
  10. ↑ Robinson, James ; Gates, Sterling ( w ),Woods, Pete ( p ),Woods, Pete ( i ),Blond ( col )."Last Stand of New Krypton, Part One of Three" Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton ,vol. 1,no. 1(May 2010).DC Comics.
  11. ↑ "Matter-Eater Lad Voice - Legion of Super Heroes (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 29, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  12. ↑ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN . Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Adventures in the DC Universe #10 - The Blobs (Issue)". Comic Vine . Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - Atomic Batteries To Power, Flight Rings To Speed (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
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