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Lara (character)

November 26, 2023

Lara (née Lara Lor-Van) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in the Superman comic strip and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lara is the biological mother of Superman, and the wife of scientist Jor-El. Lara Lor-Van is Lara's full maiden name, as "Lor-Van" is the name of Lara's father.[1][2] Most depictions of Kryptonian culture show that Kryptonian women use their father's full name as their last names before marriage. After marriage, they usually are known simply by their first names, though various versions show they use their husband's full name or last name as their married last name.[3][4]

Lara
Lara (right) and husband Jor-El (left), as statues in Superman's Silver Age Fortress of Solitude. From DC Special Series #26, June 1981. Art by Ross Andru.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceSuperman (1939)
Created byJerry Siegel
Joe Shuster
In-story information
SpeciesKryptonian
Place of originKrypton
Notable aliasesLora (Golden Age/Earth-Two version)
Lara Sul-Van (STAS)
Abilities
  • Genius-level intellect
  • Expertise in aerospace engineering and technology
  • Skilled martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant

Lara's role in the Superman mythos has varied over the years, with her treatment and emphasis often depending on the decade in which she was written. Golden Age and early Silver Age stories treated Lara in a lesser role compared to her husband. However, stories from the 1970s onwards depict Lara in more prominent roles; one such example is the 2004 miniseries Superman: Birthright. After constructing his Fortress of Solitude, Superman honored his deceased biological parents with a statue of Jor-El and Lara holding up a globe of Krypton.[5]

Susannah York portrays Lara in the 1978 film Superman: The Movie, the 1980 film Superman II, and the 1987 film Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Ayelet Zurer portrayed Lara in the 2013 film Man of Steel, which is set in the DC Extended Universe. Mariana Klaveno portrayed the character in the second season of the television series Superman & Lois.

Golden and Silver Age versions edit

 
Lara, Jor-El, and Superman. From the cover of Superman #141 (November 1960). Art by Curt Swan.

Lara first appeared in the Superman newspaper comic strip in 1939, where she was first named "Lora." Her first comic book appearance (after being mentioned in the 1942 text novel The Adventures of Superman by George Lowther, where she was named "Lara" for the first time) was in More Fun Comics #101 in January–February 1945. A 1948 retelling of Superman's origin story[6] subsequently delved into detail about Lara, though her more familiar Silver Age aspects became more firmly established starting in the late 1950s and over the course of the next several decades.

After the establishment of DC's multiverse in the early 1960s, the Golden Age version of Superman's mother was stated as having been named "Lora", and lived on the Krypton of the Earth-Two universe.[7][8] The Silver Age Lara, meanwhile, lived on the Krypton of the Earth-One universe.

A definitive synopsis of the Silver Age Lara's life (summarizing the various stories revealing her history) came in the 1979 miniseries The World of Krypton (not to be confused with the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths late 1980s comic special of the same name).

As summarized in The World of Krypton (and in various other stories), Lara was a promising astronaut in Krypton's space program.[1] However, Krypton's space program was soon permanently grounded after Jax-Ur blew up one of Krypton's inhabited moons.[9] Eventually, Lara met scientist Jor-El, with the two having several adventures together before getting married,[3] such as a time-traveling Lois Lane attempting to seduce Jor-El after failing to marry their son in the future.[10] Some time later, Lara gave birth to the couple's only child, Kal-El.

Early in Jor-El and Lara's marriage, the couple are briefly watched by the Guardians of the Universe, who note that Lara (or her husband) would have made an excellent Green Lantern.[11]

Lara and her husband Jor-El were shown to be practitioners of the Kryptonian martial art of "klurkor".[12]

When Krypton was about to explode, Lara and Jor-El placed their infant son into an escape rocket built by Jor-El. In most retellings, Jor-El wanted Lara to accompany their son to Earth, but Lara refused, saying their son would have a better chance of reaching Earth without her extra weight.[13] Kal-El's spaceship then took off, leaving Lara and Jor-El to perish.

Modern Age versions edit

After the 1985-1986 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths and John Byrne's 1986 miniseries The Man of Steel rewrote Superman's origins, details about Lara's background and character were changed.[14] Under Byrne's version, Lara inhabited a cold, emotionally sterile Krypton where even bodily contact was forbidden. Lara's grandmother, Lady Nara, and Seyg-El, Jor-El's father, were the ones who arranged the union between them – so that they might have a child who would fill an opening in the planet's Register of Citizens when another Kryptonian died a rare and untimely death. Jor-El, however, was considered a "throwback" for actually expressing emotions toward his wife Lara, and for his favoring the less sterilized days of past Kryptonian eras. In this version of the mythos, Lara was a librarian and historian of high rank and thought it horrifying that Kal-El would be sent to a "primitive" planet such as Earth. In one story, the adult Kal (now Superman) is transported to the past and encounters his parents moments before Krypton's destruction. Lara is disgusted by what she sees and tells Kal not to approach her, finding him "repellent", even as she is ashamed of her feelings.

In the 2004 Superman miniseries Superman: Birthright, Lara, along with Krypton and Jor-El, more or less again became their Silver Age versions, though with updated touches. In this version, Lara is treated as a fully equal partner to Jor-El in constructing Kal-El's spacecraft and in designing various key components.

In the 2009 series Superman: Secret Origin by Geoff Johns, Superman is first introduced to his birth mother in his teens by the spaceship that brought him to the Earth as a baby. She is introduced to Kal-El by a hologram of Jor-El as his mother. This moment shocks Superman and brings tears to Martha Kent's eyes.

Also in 2009, Lara's own family background is described. Lara Lor-Van is born into the Labor Guild, whose members are not physically abused but have no say in the choices of their lives and who, unlike the members of other guilds, cannot change guilds. Lara became a member of her husband's Science Guild when she married him and was thereby granted all the freedoms granted to other Science Guild members. A member of Krypton's Military Guild describes this as being "raised up."

The New 52 edit

In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Lara is a member of Krypton's military forces. One of the most talented students on the Military Academy, Lara is both a skilled fighter and a bright scientist.

Lara appears in the "Krypton Returns" storyline. She gives her maiden name as "Lara Van-El."[15]

Other versions edit

  • In Art Baltazar's Superman Family Adventures, Lara survived Krypton's destruction by escaping into the Phantom Zone. She is eventually freed by her son and accepted into the Superman family. Though Jor-El didn't make it out, Superman uses a specific crystal that allows him to resurrect Jor-El for 24 hours that would allow the two to spend more time with each other. When the family tries to stop Brainiac, the villain stops his assault and moves Kandor when he discovers that Lara is pregnant, telling the group that their family isn't complete yet.[16] Lara gives birth in Baltazar's Super Powers book, where her time in the Phantom Zone has altered the baby's DNA to look like Brainiac.[17]
  • In the Elseworlds series Superman: The Last Family of Krypton, 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 Superman Adventures (based on the animated series), the story arc "Family Reunion" sees Superman accidentally travel to a parallel universe where a single Kryptonian city survived Krypton's destruction, with its natives including Jor-El and Lara. However, after spending years drifting in space, Lara has become bitter and egotistical, abducting the 'local' Superman and Supergirl and brainwashing them into being dedicated Kryptonian soldiers to the point that they are willing to conquer Earth and enslave humanity to ensure Krypton's survival, even killing the Kents to ensure that her programming is successful. When the 'prime' Superman arrives in this world, he joins forces with Jor-El and some of his enemies to force the Kryptonian forces back to the city, at which point Jor-El reveals that he intends to destroy the city so that the resulting explosion will send Superman home. When Lara asks if he is really willing to destroy the remaining few hundred Kryptonians to save all of Earth, Jor-El grimly observes that she has just answered her own question and triggers the self-destruct.[18]

In other media edit

Radio edit

Lara appears in The Adventures of Superman, portrayed by Agnes Moorehead.[19]

Television edit

 
Lara and her husband, Jor-El, in the first episode of Bruce Timm's Superman: The Animated Series
  • Lara appears in the Superman: The Animated Series premiere episode "The Last Son of Krypton", voiced by Finola Hughes. This version is depicted with elements of her Silver Age and Modern Age selves, being headstrong and an equal partner to Jor-El.
  • Lara makes a cameo appearance in the Justice League episode "Twilight".
  • Lara has appeared in one episode of Season 3 in Smallville, played by Kendall Cross. Clark was dipped in a tank of kryptonite enhanced liquid used to induce repressed memories to come to surface. His mother placed baby Kal-El into the rocket which will take him to Earth. While Jor-El was more concerned about his son fulfilling his destiny, Lara was worried no one would love him. Clark came out of his fugue screaming her name, leaving him with the reassurance that his mother had loved him (as opposed to Jor-El's apparently heartless manipulation of him, although his intentions were later confirmed to be benevolent), Martha Kent subsequently telling him "Lara" was his first word, but she and Jonathan never knew what it meant. In the episode named "Lara" of season 7, it is revealed that Lara, now played by Helen Slater, visited the Kent farm prior to the destruction of Krypton. Along with Kara, they hide a photograph of Lara so that Kal-El will find it. It is also noted in this episode that Lara's DNA was hidden in the blue crystal by her brother-in-law Zor-El. Pictures of Lara from this episode can be found here.[20] In the episode "Blue" Lara and Zor-El are released onto Earth in corporeal form (although technically not alive). The story culminates in Clark's destruction of the crystal to rid the world of Zor-El. Although upset to again lose his mother, with her assurance that she loves him, he is able to in order to save Kara's life. The naming conventions in Smallville seem to differ from the comic book continuity. Kara refers to Lara as Lara-El at the start of the episode of "Blue." This means that Kryptonian women, on Smallville, take their husband's last name and attach to their first. In the 10th-season episode "Abandoned!", she appears alongside Julian Sands as Jor-El, appearing in the form of a holographic message that Jor-El and Lara had recorded for Kal-El shortly before his ship was launched. After Lois travels to the Fortress to confront Jor-El about his failures as a father, the message featuring Jor-El and Lara assures their son that they have faith in him.
  • Lara debuts in the pilot episode of Supergirl, portrayed by Ana Franchesca Rousseau.[21] She and Jor-El are seen in flashback as scientists who sent Kal-El to Earth before Krypton's destruction. An ice sculpture of her appears in Fortress of Solitude throughout the series.
  • Lara is featured in Superman & Lois, portrayed by 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 does persuade Tal-Rho to help Superman fight Mitch Anderson.
    • The Bizarro version of Lara's A.I. hologram appears in the episode "Bizarros in a Bizarro World". Superman encounters her at Bizarro World's Fortress of Solitude where she learns about Bizarro's death and she tells him what she knows about Bizarro Ally Allston. Lara's A.I. is turned off upon the arrival of Jonathan Kent's counterpart Jon-El.
  • An ice statue of Lara appears in the Fortress of Solitude in the fourth season of Young Justice, titled Phantoms.

Films edit

  • Lara appears in the Superman serial premiere episode "Superman Comes to Earth", portrayed by Luana Walters. Portions of this depiction appear in flashback as Lex Luthor recounts the story of Krypton's destruction in "At the Mercy of Atom Man!", the seventh chapter of the 1950 serial Atom Man vs. Superman.
  • Lara was played by Susannah York in Superman (1978), Superman II (1980) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) (voice only). After Jor-El (Marlon Brando) was removed from Superman II, Lara took on the role as Superman's mentor, in both Superman II and IV. She was later replaced by Brando's Jor-El in Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, the 2006 edit of Superman II.
  • Lara appears in a flashback in the 2011 direct-to-video animated film All-Star Superman. Additionally, the statue of her and Jor-El appears in the Fortress of Solitude in the present.
  • Lara appears in the 2013 film Man of Steel, portrayed by Ayelet Zurer.[22] Julia Ormond had previously been announced as cast, but dropped out.[23] Connie Nielsen was in negotiations for the role before Ormond was cast.[24] In this version, she is hesitant about sending Superman away to a primitive world, fearing they will kill him. Even after her husband assures her that is impossible, she worries that the craft won't make it. When Zod confronts Jor-El about stealing the codex and learns of the Els' natural-born son (which is against Kryptonian law as all children are genetically engineered to be more efficient), he fights Jor-El while Lara punches in the launch coordinates to her son's ship and sends him to earth despite Zod's pending to Save Krypton she decides to save her son's life. She runs to her husband's side after he is killed by Zod. She attends the sentencing of Zod and his rebels into the Phantom Zone where she gives Zod a stoic and cold look even after he cryptically warns her that he will find her son. After placing her husband's armor into a casket, she watches as Krypton is destroyed.
  • An alternate universe version of Lara appears in Justice League: Gods and Monsters, voiced by Lauren Tom.
  • Lara appears in Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons, voiced by Myrna Velasco.
  • Lara appears in DC League of Super-Pets, voiced by Lena Headey.

Video games edit

Parodies edit

  • Lara appears in the Pinky and the Brain episode "Two Mice and a Baby", voiced by Tress MacNeille.
  • Lara and Jor-El make a cameo appearance in the Dilbert episode "Pregnancy" (in which Dilbert is accidentally impregnated by his own rocket). To save his child from the masses who wish to use it for their own gain, Dilbert sends him to Krypton, where the Els adopt him.
  • Lara appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Especially the Animal Keith Crofford", voiced by Vanessa Hudgens.

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b Superman #233 (January 1971)
  2. ^ Superman Family #192 (November–December 1978)
  3. ^ a b Superman #141 (November 1960)
  4. ^ World of Krypton #1 (July 1979)
  5. ^ Action Comics #395 (December 1970)
  6. ^ Superman #53, July–August 1948
  7. ^ Superman Family #202 (July 1980)
  8. ^ Secret Origins #1 (April 1986)
  9. ^ Adventure Comics #289 (October 1961)
  10. ^ Binder, Otto (w), Schaffenberger, Kurt (a), Milt Snapinn (let), Weisinger, Mort (ed). "Lois Lane's Romance with Jor-El!" Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, no. 59 (August 1965). National Periodical Publications, Inc..
  11. ^ Superman #257 (October 1972)
  12. ^ The New Adventures of Superboy #28 (April 1982)
  13. ^ The World of Krypton #3 (September 1979)
  14. ^ Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 194–195. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
  15. ^ Action Comics (vol. 2) Annual #2 (December 2013)
  16. ^ Superman: Family Adventures
  17. ^ Super Powers
  18. ^ Superman Adventures #30-31
  19. ^ Tranberg, p. 403
  20. ^ "Smallville "Lara" Image Gallery - with Helen Slater!". Kryptonsite.com. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  21. ^ . Archived from the original on 2016-05-14. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  22. ^ "Ayelet Zurer Cast as Superman's Mom in MAN OF STEEL". Collider. 25 September 2011. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  23. ^ "Julia Ormond Out As MAN OF STEEL's Biological Mom!!". Ain't It Cool News. September 25, 2011.
  24. ^ "Connie Nielsen & Harry Lennix Rumored For Man of Steel". Screen Rant. June 15, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2011.

References edit

Tranberg, Charles (2005). I Love the Illusion: The Life And Career of Agnes Moorehead. Albany, Georgia, BearManor Media. ISBN 1-59393-029-1.

External links edit

  • Lara Lor-Van information at IMDB.com
  • Lara Lor-Van's entry at the DC Comics Database
  • DC Comics official website

November 26, 2023
lara, character, lara, née, lara, fictional, character, appearing, american, comic, books, published, comics, first, appeared, superman, comic, strip, created, jerry, siegel, shuster, lara, biological, mother, superman, wife, scientist, lara, lara, full, maide. Lara nee Lara Lor Van is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics She first appeared in the Superman comic strip and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster Lara is the biological mother of Superman and the wife of scientist Jor El Lara Lor Van is Lara s full maiden name as Lor Van is the name of Lara s father 1 2 Most depictions of Kryptonian culture show that Kryptonian women use their father s full name as their last names before marriage After marriage they usually are known simply by their first names though various versions show they use their husband s full name or last name as their married last name 3 4 LaraLara right and husband Jor El left as statues in Superman s Silver Age Fortress of Solitude From DC Special Series 26 June 1981 Art by Ross Andru Publication informationPublisherDC ComicsFirst appearanceSuperman 1939 Created byJerry SiegelJoe ShusterIn story informationSpeciesKryptonianPlace of originKryptonNotable aliasesLora Golden Age Earth Two version Lara Sul Van STAS AbilitiesGenius level intellect Expertise in aerospace engineering and technology Skilled martial artist and hand to hand combatantLara s role in the Superman mythos has varied over the years with her treatment and emphasis often depending on the decade in which she was written Golden Age and early Silver Age stories treated Lara in a lesser role compared to her husband However stories from the 1970s onwards depict Lara in more prominent roles one such example is the 2004 miniseries Superman Birthright After constructing his Fortress of Solitude Superman honored his deceased biological parents with a statue of Jor El and Lara holding up a globe of Krypton 5 Susannah York portrays Lara in the 1978 film Superman The Movie the 1980 film Superman II and the 1987 film Superman IV The Quest for Peace Ayelet Zurer portrayed Lara in the 2013 film Man of Steel which is set in the DC Extended Universe Mariana Klaveno portrayed the character in the second season of the television series Superman amp Lois Contents 1 Golden and Silver Age versions 2 Modern Age versions 3 The New 52 4 Other versions 5 In other media 5 1 Radio 5 2 Television 5 3 Films 5 4 Video games 5 5 Parodies 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksGolden and Silver Age versions edit nbsp Lara Jor El and Superman From the cover of Superman 141 November 1960 Art by Curt Swan Lara first appeared in the Superman newspaper comic strip in 1939 where she was first named Lora Her first comic book appearance after being mentioned in the 1942 text novel The Adventures of Superman by George Lowther where she was named Lara for the first time was in More Fun Comics 101 in January February 1945 A 1948 retelling of Superman s origin story 6 subsequently delved into detail about Lara though her more familiar Silver Age aspects became more firmly established starting in the late 1950s and over the course of the next several decades After the establishment of DC s multiverse in the early 1960s the Golden Age version of Superman s mother was stated as having been named Lora and lived on the Krypton of the Earth Two universe 7 8 The Silver Age Lara meanwhile lived on the Krypton of the Earth One universe A definitive synopsis of the Silver Age Lara s life summarizing the various stories revealing her history came in the 1979 miniseries The World of Krypton not to be confused with the post Crisis on Infinite Earths late 1980s comic special of the same name As summarized in The World of Krypton and in various other stories Lara was a promising astronaut in Krypton s space program 1 However Krypton s space program was soon permanently grounded after Jax Ur blew up one of Krypton s inhabited moons 9 Eventually Lara met scientist Jor El with the two having several adventures together before getting married 3 such as a time traveling Lois Lane attempting to seduce Jor El after failing to marry their son in the future 10 Some time later Lara gave birth to the couple s only child Kal El Early in Jor El and Lara s marriage the couple are briefly watched by the Guardians of the Universe who note that Lara or her husband would have made an excellent Green Lantern 11 Lara and her husband Jor El were shown to be practitioners of the Kryptonian martial art of klurkor 12 When Krypton was about to explode Lara and Jor El placed their infant son into an escape rocket built by Jor El In most retellings Jor El wanted Lara to accompany their son to Earth but Lara refused saying their son would have a better chance of reaching Earth without her extra weight 13 Kal El s spaceship then took off leaving Lara and Jor El to perish Modern Age versions editAfter the 1985 1986 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths and John Byrne s 1986 miniseries The Man of Steel rewrote Superman s origins details about Lara s background and character were changed 14 Under Byrne s version Lara inhabited a cold emotionally sterile Krypton where even bodily contact was forbidden Lara s grandmother Lady Nara and Seyg El Jor El s father were the ones who arranged the union between them so that they might have a child who would fill an opening in the planet s Register of Citizens when another Kryptonian died a rare and untimely death Jor El however was considered a throwback for actually expressing emotions toward his wife Lara and for his favoring the less sterilized days of past Kryptonian eras In this version of the mythos Lara was a librarian and historian of high rank and thought it horrifying that Kal El would be sent to a primitive planet such as Earth In one story the adult Kal now Superman is transported to the past and encounters his parents moments before Krypton s destruction Lara is disgusted by what she sees and tells Kal not to approach her finding him repellent even as she is ashamed of her feelings In the 2004 Superman miniseries Superman Birthright Lara along with Krypton and Jor El more or less again became their Silver Age versions though with updated touches In this version Lara is treated as a fully equal partner to Jor El in constructing Kal El s spacecraft and in designing various key components In the 2009 series Superman Secret Origin by Geoff Johns Superman is first introduced to his birth mother in his teens by the spaceship that brought him to the Earth as a baby She is introduced to Kal El by a hologram of Jor El as his mother This moment shocks Superman and brings tears to Martha Kent s eyes Also in 2009 Lara s own family background is described Lara Lor Van is born into the Labor Guild whose members are not physically abused but have no say in the choices of their lives and who unlike the members of other guilds cannot change guilds Lara became a member of her husband s Science Guild when she married him and was thereby granted all the freedoms granted to other Science Guild members A member of Krypton s Military Guild describes this as being raised up The New 52 editIn September 2011 The New 52 rebooted DC s continuity In this new timeline Lara is a member of Krypton s military forces One of the most talented students on the Military Academy Lara is both a skilled fighter and a bright scientist Lara appears in the Krypton Returns storyline She gives her maiden name as Lara Van El 15 Other versions editIn Art Baltazar s Superman Family Adventures Lara survived Krypton s destruction by escaping into the Phantom Zone She is eventually freed by her son and accepted into the Superman family Though Jor El didn t make it out Superman uses a specific crystal that allows him to resurrect Jor El for 24 hours that would allow the two to spend more time with each other When the family tries to stop Brainiac the villain stops his assault and moves Kandor when he discovers that Lara is pregnant telling the group that their family isn t complete yet 16 Lara gives birth in Baltazar s Super Powers book where her time in the Phantom Zone has altered the baby s DNA to look like Brainiac 17 In the Elseworlds series Superman The Last Family of Krypton 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 Superman Adventures based on the animated series the story arc Family Reunion sees Superman accidentally travel to a parallel universe where a single Kryptonian city survived Krypton s destruction with its natives including Jor El and Lara However after spending years drifting in space Lara has become bitter and egotistical abducting the local Superman and Supergirl and brainwashing them into being dedicated Kryptonian soldiers to the point that they are willing to conquer Earth and enslave humanity to ensure Krypton s survival even killing the Kents to ensure that her programming is successful When the prime Superman arrives in this world he joins forces with Jor El and some of his enemies to force the Kryptonian forces back to the city at which point Jor El reveals that he intends to destroy the city so that the resulting explosion will send Superman home When Lara asks if he is really willing to destroy the remaining few hundred Kryptonians to save all of Earth Jor El grimly observes that she has just answered her own question and triggers the self destruct 18 In other media editRadio edit Lara appears in The Adventures of Superman portrayed by Agnes Moorehead 19 Television edit Lara appears in the Adventures of Superman premiere episode Superman on Earth portrayed by Aline Towne Lara appears in a flashback in the Super Friends episode The Planet Splitter Lara appears in the Challenge of the Superfriends episode Secret Origins of the Super Friends Lara appears in Superboy portrayed by Britt Ekland Lara makes a non speaking appearance in a flashback in the Lois amp Clark The New Adventures of Superman episode Foundling portrayed by Eliza Roberts nbsp Lara and her husband Jor El in the first episode of Bruce Timm s Superman The Animated SeriesLara appears in the Superman The Animated Series premiere episode The Last Son of Krypton voiced by Finola Hughes This version is depicted with elements of her Silver Age and Modern Age selves being headstrong and an equal partner to Jor El Lara makes a cameo appearance in the Justice League episode Twilight Lara has appeared in one episode of Season 3 in Smallville played by Kendall Cross Clark was dipped in a tank of kryptonite enhanced liquid used to induce repressed memories to come to surface His mother placed baby Kal El into the rocket which will take him to Earth While Jor El was more concerned about his son fulfilling his destiny Lara was worried no one would love him Clark came out of his fugue screaming her name leaving him with the reassurance that his mother had loved him as opposed to Jor El s apparently heartless manipulation of him although his intentions were later confirmed to be benevolent Martha Kent subsequently telling him Lara was his first word but she and Jonathan never knew what it meant In the episode named Lara of season 7 it is revealed that Lara now played by Helen Slater visited the Kent farm prior to the destruction of Krypton Along with Kara they hide a photograph of Lara so that Kal El will find it It is also noted in this episode that Lara s DNA was hidden in the blue crystal by her brother in law Zor El Pictures of Lara from this episode can be found here 20 In the episode Blue Lara and Zor El are released onto Earth in corporeal form although technically not alive The story culminates in Clark s destruction of the crystal to rid the world of Zor El Although upset to again lose his mother with her assurance that she loves him he is able to in order to save Kara s life The naming conventions in Smallville seem to differ from the comic book continuity Kara refers to Lara as Lara El at the start of the episode of Blue This means that Kryptonian women on Smallville take their husband s last name and attach to their first In the 10th season episode Abandoned she appears alongside Julian Sands as Jor El appearing in the form of a holographic message that Jor El and Lara had recorded for Kal El shortly before his ship was launched After Lois travels to the Fortress to confront Jor El about his failures as a father the message featuring Jor El and Lara assures their son that they have faith in him Lara debuts in the pilot episode of Supergirl portrayed by Ana Franchesca Rousseau 21 She and Jor El are seen in flashback as scientists who sent Kal El to Earth before Krypton s destruction An ice sculpture of her appears in Fortress of Solitude throughout the series Lara is featured in Superman amp Lois portrayed by 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 does persuade Tal Rho to help Superman fight Mitch Anderson The Bizarro version of Lara s A I hologram appears in the episode Bizarros in a Bizarro World Superman encounters her at Bizarro World s Fortress of Solitude where she learns about Bizarro s death and she tells him what she knows about Bizarro Ally Allston Lara s A I is turned off upon the arrival of Jonathan Kent s counterpart Jon El An ice statue of Lara appears in the Fortress of Solitude in the fourth season of Young Justice titled Phantoms Films edit Lara appears in the Superman serial premiere episode Superman Comes to Earth portrayed by Luana Walters Portions of this depiction appear in flashback as Lex Luthor recounts the story of Krypton s destruction in At the Mercy of Atom Man the seventh chapter of the 1950 serial Atom Man vs Superman Lara was played by Susannah York in Superman 1978 Superman II 1980 and Superman IV The Quest for Peace 1987 voice only After Jor El Marlon Brando was removed from Superman II Lara took on the role as Superman s mentor in both Superman II and IV She was later replaced by Brando s Jor El in Superman II The Richard Donner Cut the 2006 edit of Superman II Lara appears in a flashback in the 2011 direct to video animated film All Star Superman Additionally the statue of her and Jor El appears in the Fortress of Solitude in the present Lara appears in the 2013 film Man of Steel portrayed by Ayelet Zurer 22 Julia Ormond had previously been announced as cast but dropped out 23 Connie Nielsen was in negotiations for the role before Ormond was cast 24 In this version she is hesitant about sending Superman away to a primitive world fearing they will kill him Even after her husband assures her that is impossible she worries that the craft won t make it When Zod confronts Jor El about stealing the codex and learns of the Els natural born son which is against Kryptonian law as all children are genetically engineered to be more efficient he fights Jor El while Lara punches in the launch coordinates to her son s ship and sends him to earth despite Zod s pending to Save Krypton she decides to save her son s life She runs to her husband s side after he is killed by Zod She attends the sentencing of Zod and his rebels into the Phantom Zone where she gives Zod a stoic and cold look even after he cryptically warns her that he will find her son After placing her husband s armor into a casket she watches as Krypton is destroyed An alternate universe version of Lara appears in Justice League Gods and Monsters voiced by Lauren Tom Lara appears in Batman and Superman Battle of the Super Sons voiced by Myrna Velasco Lara appears in DC League of Super Pets voiced by Lena Headey Video games edit The Man of Steel version of Lara appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham Lara makes an appearance in the opening for the story mode from Injustice 2 Parodies edit Lara appears in the Pinky and the Brain episode Two Mice and a Baby voiced by Tress MacNeille Lara and Jor El make a cameo appearance in the Dilbert episode Pregnancy in which Dilbert is accidentally impregnated by his own rocket To save his child from the masses who wish to use it for their own gain Dilbert sends him to Krypton where the Els adopt him Lara appears in the Robot Chicken episode Especially the Animal Keith Crofford voiced by Vanessa Hudgens Notes edit a b Superman 233 January 1971 Superman Family 192 November December 1978 a b Superman 141 November 1960 World of Krypton 1 July 1979 Action Comics 395 December 1970 Superman 53 July August 1948 Superman Family 202 July 1980 Secret Origins 1 April 1986 Adventure Comics 289 October 1961 Binder Otto w Schaffenberger Kurt a Milt Snapinn let Weisinger Mort ed Lois Lane s Romance with Jor El Superman s Girl Friend Lois Lane no 59 August 1965 National Periodical Publications Inc Superman 257 October 1972 The New Adventures of Superboy 28 April 1982 The World of Krypton 3 September 1979 Greenberger Robert Pasko Martin 2010 The Essential Superman Encyclopedia Del Rey pp 194 195 ISBN 978 0 345 50108 0 Action Comics vol 2 Annual 2 December 2013 Superman Family Adventures Super Powers Superman Adventures 30 31 Tranberg p 403 Smallville Lara Image Gallery with Helen Slater Kryptonsite com Retrieved 2010 12 25 Lara Superman s Mom In Pilot Archived from the original on 2016 05 14 Retrieved 2015 04 30 Ayelet Zurer Cast as Superman s Mom in MAN OF STEEL Collider 25 September 2011 Retrieved 2013 06 08 Julia Ormond Out As MAN OF STEEL s Biological Mom Ain t It Cool News September 25 2011 Connie Nielsen amp Harry Lennix Rumored For Man of Steel Screen Rant June 15 2011 Retrieved August 4 2011 References editTranberg Charles 2005 I Love the Illusion The Life And Career of Agnes Moorehead Albany Georgia BearManor Media ISBN 1 59393 029 1 External links editLara Lor Van information at IMDB com Lara Lor Van s entry at the DC Comics Database DC Comics official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lara character amp oldid 1185472216, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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