CRISIS OF REBIRTH, PART THREE: Superboy-Prime

Ah, Superboy-Prime. Dreaded by most. Liked by some. Superboy-Prime came from Earth-Prime, the one that existed prior to CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. But his homeworld was destroyed, along with everyone he loved. After INFINITE CRISIS, he's been searching for his version of Earth-Prime, believing 100% that it is out there somewhere in the restored multiverse. And he doesn't care about the cost. He doesn't care what he has to do to find it. He'll even destroy other worlds, as he did with Earth-15 during COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS.

Prior to the rebirth of the DC Universe in FLASHPOINT #5, Superboy-Prime had been trapped within the Source Wall by Conner Kent and Supergirl in TEEN TITANS II#100. That's a tough place to be. The Source Wall is a wall that exists at the edge of the multiverse. It serves as a boundary between what we can observe and the Source, a vast cosmic power that controls and determines all of existence. Anyone who tries to pass through it ends up bound to the Source Wall for the remainder of time. However, thanks to events in GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #3 from 2014, everything and everyone from the Source Wall has been freed because of Black Hand. This includes Superboy-Prime.

So, where is he? He's likely not a happy little world-killer.

It should be noted that we did not actually see Superboy-Prime escape the Source Wall along with everyone else. But if everyone else escaped, then it is reasonable to assume that Superboy-Prime did as well. It is foolish to think otherwise. However, we may very well have seen him break free on-panel, specifically on the final page of GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #3.

Now, granted, that doesn't look anything like the hand belonging to Superboy-Prime, but it must be noted that the Source Wall has been known to mutate those exposed to it. A prime example of this was shown in JUSTICE LEAGUE #23.1 in a scene where Darkseid is transformed after exposure to the Source Wall and given his god-like powers. Perhaps this has happened to Superboy-Prime? If true, this could be looked upon as the next step in the evolution of the character. Then again, perhaps not. In any case, if everyone else was freed from the Source Wall in the annual, then so must Superboy-Prime have gained his freedom.

So, where is he? He's likely not a happy little world-killer.

It's certainly possible he could be working with Dr. Manhattan, the presumed architect behind the creation of the New 52 DC Universe. Superboy-Prime thinks the world, even the universe, should be a certain way. His way. He has suffered a rather intense amount of emotional trauma that has twisted his sense of justice. He sees the heroes of Earth as corrupted and ineffective. He even believes some of them should simply not exist because they didn't on his own world. So perhaps he decided to help rid this "false Earth" of its love, of its strong relationships, and of its legacies. He decided to weaken everyone on this "false Earth" in every possible way to make them even more ineffectual than he already sees them to be.

But how could he help do this? Well, Superboy-Prime is extremely powerful in his own right, as he once literally punched reality, creating a chain reaction that altered various events. In addition, since he was once fused to the Source Wall, he may have obtained some of the power of the Source itself, as Darkseid did. With this power, he could have assisted Dr. Manhattan in restructuring reality during FLASHPOINT #5.

I've mentioned before that Superboy-Prime thinks that certain people shouldn't exist for one reason or another. Most certainly the top choice is Superman. Superman had it all. A loving wife, close friends, and a heroic life, all things Superboy-Prime would covet for himself. Superman even has legacy. So the first thing he would do is eliminate everything in Superman's life that made him who he was. And that's what happened. In the aftermath of FLASHPOINT #5, Superman was no longer married. He didn't even have an intimate relationship with Lois Lane. His ties were mostly destroyed. Oh, some of them were still there, like Lana Long, but greatly the bonds were diminished. He was younger, a whole lot less experienced than he was before. And with his most important ties severed, his legacy was gone.

Wally West is certainly another top choice. Wally led the other speedsters against him during INFINITE CRISIS. They pulled him into the Speed Force to trap him there. So eliminating Wally would aid him considerably. All speedsters in the DCU have ties to the Speed Force, in some manner. Since super-speed is one of Superboy-Prime's powers, there's a connection there. Just different. And since he had been pulled into the Speed Force physically, Superboy-Prime could have used it to entrap Wally West within it, thus ridding himself of not only a powerful foe, but also the world of a greatly loved hero. In addition, a great many other speedsters have seemingly been eliminated: Johnny Quick, Max Mercury, Jesse Quick, Impulse, and each and every descendant of theirs.

Supergirl is another good choice. In the New 52, Supergirl is much angrier than she was prior to FLASHPOINT. At first, she didn't like being around humans, although in time that changed. Her anger was so great that she ended up being sought by a Red Lantern ring and made a member of their corps in GREEN LANTERN I#28 (New 52) for a short time.  She also had a very rocky relationship with her cousin, Superman. Superboy-Prime likely hates Supergirl, not only because of her ties to Superman -- ties he never had -- but because she still exists in the DCU despite having been killed during CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS.

It should be noted here that Supergirl's alternate earth counterpart Power Girl of Earth-2 has also been vastly changed since FLASHPOINT #5. Like Superboy-Prime, she survived CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. She survived, ZERO HOUR, INFINITE CRISIS, and more. But unlike then, Power Girl no longer remembers who she truly is, that she was the lone survivor of a world that no longer exists.  She was the sole legacy of her world, and she always will be. Even when her ties are restored after each multiversal reset, they still aren't the same as they originally were. But presently, Power Girl is a different woman living in a different universe, and she has yet to have her true memories restored, if such a thing will even happen at this point. Another character diminished in Superboy-Prime's eyes.

Oh, but then along comes pre-Flashpoint Superman and his wife, Lois, thanks to events in CONVERGENCE #8. And with them is their young son, Jon, who has recently become Superboy. Jon is a great symbol of hope, and with him, Superman and Lois live happy, fulfilling lives. Jon is mostly definitely someone Superboy-Prime would hate and want gone for good.

Only time will tell if any of this has happened or will come about. But Superboy-Prime is out there somewhere. You can be certain of that. And it's only a matter of time before he stops watching and finally begins to act.