Lara (DC)
From Multiversal Omnipedia
Lara is a female comic character who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Lara
The Guardians of the Universe believed that Lara or her husband would have made an excellent Green Lantern. However, the Oans believed that their child would have been a suitable leader for the Green Lantern Corps. (Superman v1 #257)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Lara
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Lara was the daughter of the Mother Prime Dame Kela-Van and had a sister named Mara-Van. (Batman/Superman v1 #19) Her father was Lor-Van who was a scientific benefactor who came to fund the research of Jor-El. Upon learning of Krypton's impending destruction, Lor-Van had sought for Jor-El to halt the destruction of their world and was opposed to an evacuation thus he had all data on Project Stardrive erased. (Action Comics v1 #988)
During Brainiac's attack on Krypton, her Mother Prime and sister were both in Kandor when it was abducted by the extraterrestrial villain. (Batman/Superman v1 #20)
Overview
Personality and attributes
She was noted for being beautiful with Jor-El making this remark after seeing her. (World of Krypton v2 #3)
It was said that Lara also had an interest in history. (World of Krypton v2 #3)
Her Mother Prime was Dame Kela-Van and she was noted to have had a sister named Mara-Van. (Batman/Superman v1 #19) Her grandmother was Nara who looked to find a good mate for her. (World of Krypton v2 #3)
Powers and abilities
Notes
- Lara was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster where she made her first appearance in the Superman comic strip (1939).
- In Superboy v1 #62 (1958), it was shown that she had written a hand written note in Kryptonese asking anyone that found it to care for her son. The note later came in the hands of a baby girl discovered on a boat at sea by Captain John Alpert. After he died from disease, he told his adoptive daughter Gloria Alpert who took it to Superboy who mistakenly believed that she was his sister.
- In Superman Family v1 #192, a computer simulation indicated a possible life where Krypton exploded early. This version of events saw Lara's father Lor-Van and his friend Jor-El I discovering the impending destruction of Krypton. They decided to create a ship to shelter their respective children away and found an abandoned Krull vessel left on Krypton long ago. Though Kryptonian authorities opposed them, the two parents placed their respective children in the craft that was sent to Earth with Lara and Jor-El being raised by human parents. Lara was adopted by Henry Clark and his wife Ella Clark with the child becoming the younger adoptive sister of Martha Clark.
- In Superman Family v1 #192 (1978), a computer simulation was shown to Kal-El to show a history if Krypton had been destroyed prior to him being sent to Earth. This saw the disaster being determined by Jor-El I and Lor-Van who decided to send their respective children to safety. This saw a young Jor-El II and Lara being sent away from Krypton when they were children where they were taken in by Henry Clark and Willa Clark in Smallville.
Alternate Versions
- In Superman: The Last Family of Krypton v1 (2010), an alternate version of Lara appeared in the setting of the Elseworlds reality. In this reality, Jor-El was able to save himself and Lara and accompany Kal-El to Earth, where Jor-El sets up the corporation JorCorp while Lara establishes the self-help movement Raology. More open to adapting on Earth, she arranges for Kal-El to be discreetly adopted by the Kents so that he can live a more normal life, and later has twin children, Bru-El and Valora, whose 'stunted' genetics due to their birth on Earth mean that they only possess half of the superhuman potential of their brother. While attending a dinner in Gotham, Lara is able to save Thomas and Martha Wayne when she intercepts Joe Chill's attempted mugging, thus unknowingly preventing the creation of Batman, Jor-El's own actions further hindering the opportunity for mankind to develop its own heroes in the belief that his family are enough. Lara eventually rejects Jor-El's desire to 'micromanage' humanity out of fear of Earth being destroyed as Krypton was, relocating to her own estate of 'Lara-Land', where she uses red sun emitters to restrict her natural abilities and simply encourages spiritual growth while using Kryptonian technology to heal injuries. However, the manipulation of Lex Luthor allows him to turn her son, Bru-El, into a kryptonite-powered superhuman who nearly kills Jor-El before Lara takes the blast herself, this attack also infecting her with a secret virus that kills her after a few days of exposure.
- In Justice League v2 #24 (2013), an alternate version of Lara appeared as an inhabitant of the new Earth-3 in the restored Multiverse.
In other media
Television
- In Superman: The Animated Series, Lara made her first appearance in the DC Animated Universe in the episode "Last Son of Krypton" where she was voiced by actress Finola Hughes. She was the daughter of Sul-Van who married the brilliant scientist Jor-El with the pair having a son named Kal-El together on Krypton.
- In Superman & Lois, Lara appeared in the setting of the live-action television series where she was portrayed by actress Mariana Klaveno. While having fathered Kal-El with Jor-El, this version previously fathered Tal-Rho with a Kryptonian named Zeta-Rho. Tal-Rho landed on Earth and began implanting Kryptonian consciousnesses into humans with her creation called the Eradicator. In the episode "O Mother, Where Art Thou?", Clark and Lois use the Eradicator to insert Lara's consciousness into Lana Lang to gather information on how to undo the process. After she reverses the Eradicator, Superman powers it with a solar flare, removing all Kryptonian consciousnesses, including Lara, from their hosts. She later appeared in the episode "The Ties That Bind" as an A.I. hologram. Tal-Rho had a crystal containing her A.I. in his lair. While she is pleased to see her sons together and meet her grandson Jordan, Lara claims that there might be some good on Tal-Rho due to what Zeta-Rho's hologram led him to do. She was able to scan Superman to find the source of his painful visions as she scans him. Following a brief fight with Tal-Rho, Superman learned from Lara's A.I. that his painful visions are coming from an 'invasive cosmological event'. She later scans Bizarro even when Superman and Tal-Rho had escaped from DEO custody. She came to persuade Tal-Rho to help Superman fight Mitch Anderson.
Films
- In All-Star Superman, Lara appeared in a non-voiced role in the 2011 direct-to-video animated film where she was shown in flashbacks and as a statue.
- In Man of Steel, Lara appeared in the live-action film set in the DC Extended Universe where she was portrayed by actress Ayelet Zurer. A Kryptonian, she came to be married to Jor-El where she broke centuries of social law by conceiving a child naturally. As the planet's core became unstable, she assisted in the daring plan to save their son, Kal-El, by preparing a starship while her husband retrieved the Growth Codex from the Genesis Chambers. Despite her deep maternal grief, she remained resolute during the chaotic military coup led by General Zod, stoically standing by as the baby was launched toward Earth to ensure the survival of their race. Following the murder of Jor-El at the hands of Zod, she watched as the insurgents were sentenced to the Phantom Zone, coldly warning the General that her son would forever remain beyond his reach. In her final moments, she refused to seek shelter or flee the impending cataclysm, choosing instead to stand alone on a balcony overlooking the crumbling capital of Kandor. As the planet began to tear itself apart, she offered a final, hopeful prayer for her son's safety before being consumed by the global explosion that obliterated Krypton and its civilization.
- In Justice League: Gods and Monsters, an alternate reality version of Lara briefly appeared in the animated film where she was voiced by actress Lauren Tom.
- In Superman, Lara appeared briefly in the setting of the live-action film where she was portrayed by actress Angela Sarafyan. Alongside her husband Jor-El, she identified the impending destruction of Krypton and took the desperate measure of launching their infant son, Kal-El, to Earth in an escape pod. However, Lara viewed humans as an inferior, 'primitive' species and specifically intended for her son to use his god-like powers to subjugate the planet. Before her death in the planetary cataclysm, she co-recorded a holographic message that was fragmented during the journey; the first half appeared to be a standard, loving farewell, but the hidden second half explicitly commanded Kal-El to 'rule without mercy' and take multiple human wives to restart the Kryptonian bloodline. This revelation, later unearthed by Lex Luthor and the Engineer, served as the film's central moral conflict. Ultimately, Lara’s attempt to impose a legacy of conquest was rejected by her son, who chose to follow the compassionate upbringing of the Kents and replaced his birth parents' recording with footage of his human childhood.
Video games
- In Injustice 2, Lara made a brief appearance in the fighting video game's story mode.
Other
- In The Last Days of Krypton, Lara appeared in the novel where she was said to be the daughter of Lor-Van and his wife Ora with her having a younger brother named Ki-Van
Appearances
- Superman v1: (1939)
- The Man of Steel v1:
- World of Krypton v2:
- Superman/Batman v1:
- Action Comics v2:
External Links
This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.
