Kal El raised by Thomas and Martha Wayne

[Landshark]

Suppose by some means instead of being adopted by Jonathon and Martha Kent the infant Superman is taken in by Batman's parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne and is raised as Bruce Wayne's brother.

[Umbral]

Kal-els powers saves Thomas and Martha from the robber. Bruce Wayne does not become a driven and haunted man.

Instead he grows up fat, indulgent and spoiled. Highly intelligent, but resentful of his adopted brother.

I guess he'd be named something like Kal...Cain Wayne, maybe.

[luakel]

He's Bruce's brother? I would've thought that the Waynes just would've adopted him and Kal would become Bruce Wayne...

[black angel]

Kal-els powers saves Thomas and Martha from the robber. Bruce Wayne does not become a driven and haunted man.


not. Kal-El didn't get his powers till his late teens and at the time of the Waynes deaths Bruce is 7 or 8 so Kal-EL is about Bruce age so no powers dead Waynes. i think that Kal-Els name with the Waynes would be Thomas (e.i. Owlman's name in earth 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owlman_%28DC_Comics%29))

[Landshark]

He's Bruce's brother? I would've thought that the Waynes just would've adopted him and Kal would become Bruce Wayne...

I can see this going one of four ways.


1: Kal El is adopted instead of Bruce Wayne being born. His powers manifest when Joe Chill mugs the Waynes and he saves them.

2: Kal El is adopted instead of Bruce Wayne being born. His powers manifest after the Waynes are shot and killed (either Chill shoots him with no effect as he's invunerable or he develops them during his teens) and he goes on to become a superpowered equivalent of the Batman.

3: Kal El is adopted and grows up as Bruce's brother. His powers manifest when Joe Chill mugs the Waynes and he saves them.

4: Kal El is adopted and grows up as Bruce's brother. His powers manifest after the Waynes are shot and killed (either Chill shoots him with no effect as he's invunerable or he develops them during his teens).


In scenario 1 I can see Kal El becomming Superman but with the resources and millionaire playboy alter ego of Bruce Wayne. I can imagine a pissed off Lois Lane complaining about having to cover some society do where she meets Clark Wayne/Superman for the first time instead of a real story.

Scenario 2 is similar to the events of regular Batman history and I think has been done by DC as an Elseworlds book.

In scenario 3 the dynanmic between the Wayne brothers is what's interesting. Does Bruce grow up resentful of Clark because of his powers and the fact that Clark saved their parents life when he couldn't or do the brothers grow closer and form a crime fighting duo. In the former case I can see Bruce becoming an idle playboy while Clark becomes the philanthropist and superhero with Bruce becoming the Batman after Clark is murdered by one of his adversaries.

In scenario 4 both become superheros. Clark the noble Superman who honours his parents by fighting for truth and justice and Bruce the vengence driven Batman.

[luakel]

Scenario 2 is similar to the events of regular Batman history and I think has been done by DC as an Elseworlds book.
Yeah, and while that book was OK, I think they messed some things up (they had Luthor as the Joker, ferchrissakes). Plus, it made Kal a bit too much like Bats. He might be rougher around the edges, but KalBats would be closer to the 70's & 80's version, kinda scary but still able to smile.

Another question is how Metropolis would deal without a Superman...

[fortyseven]

Kal would have superstrength and invulnerability from a young age(3?). That would be enough to save Mom and Dad Wayne.

[HueyLong]

Yeah, I remember in the comics that he lifted the family truck as a child.

[Count Dearborn]

There is an Elseworlds comic about this, but at the moment the name escapes me. His powers first manifest just after his adoptive parents are killed, when he uses his heat vision to kill Joe Chill. Bruce Wayne then becomes a reclusive millionare, until the bat inspires him. He comes out of his reclusion, resumes control of Wayne Enterprises, just as it is about to be bought by Lex Luthor. The Batman comes on the scene not long after, and Lois comes to Gotham. Eventually, it is found out that Lex Luthor is the Joker. In the end, Wayne becomes Superman.

[luakel]

Kal would have superstrength and invulnerability from a young age(3?). That would be enough to save Mom and Dad Wayne.
Maybe, maybe not. He would be inexperienced, and IIRC in the comics (going by MoS continuity), his powers didn't really start to show themselves until puberty (I'm sure he wouldn't have superspeed that young).

[HueyLong]

Superman did have powers as a child. That explains such little parallel worlds such as Superboy where he begins devloping them earlier- he had them, he just never honed them.

He had superstrength but did not realise it. He was invulnerable and did not know it.

X-ray and heat vision had to be trained though, because they weren't just a natural part of him.

[luakel]

Superman did have powers as a child. That explains such little parallel worlds such as Superboy where he begins devloping them earlier- he had them, he just never honed them.

He had superstrength but did not realise it. He was invulnerable and did not know it.

X-ray and heat vision had to be trained though, because they weren't just a natural part of him.
The pre-Crisis (or pre-80's, however you prefer it) Supes did develop powers as a child, but not the Supes who resulted from Byrne's revamp. And while he might've been invulnerable, that doesn't mean he moves quick enough to stop the bullets.

[HueyLong]

I'm not saying that he does stop the bullets- just saying that he does have powers.

He won't be able to save them, thats for sure. he would be a super-strong, scared little kid. he wouldn't do anything but maybe cry or run off.

[Alois]

Bruce, jealous of his brother's strength and invulnerability, finds the Ruby of Cytorrak in southeast Asia and is transformed into the world's most powerful telepath.

:D

[Count Dearborn]

Here is the title of the Elseworlds comic I mentioned. Its called Superman: Speeding Bullets.

[Michael]

Here is the title of the Elseworlds comic I mentioned. Its called Superman: Speeding Bullets.

That comic sucked so much. Most of the Superman Elseworlds have sucked. They barely change anything, and if he's evil, it's always Lois that makes him good. :rolleyes:

[Fenwick]

I think this is a Nature vs. Nuture arguement. In most elseworlds who raises Kal El decides what he turns into. Batman is Batman because his parents where gunned down.

So...

pre-Crisis

1. Kal El while having his powers is not in full control yet. He witnesses his parents gunned down, and in a fit of rage hits Joe Chill crippling him. Kal El grows up feeling responsible for allowing his parents to die, when it was obvious ( to him) that he could have stopped the crook. He is a dark brooding character, not really a skilled fighter. Just a heavy hitter moving around Gotham fighting crooks.

2. If he is around along with Bruce the two set about getting vengance for their family. Bruce training his body beyond human limits, Kal El joins Bruce learning to control his powers. The two then return to Gotham and fight crime. Bruce countering Kal's guilt, and Kal keeping Bruce more grounded.

3. Joe Chill kills Thomas Mathra and Bruce Wayne leaving Kal by himself. I think this will be similar to 1.

Post-Crisis
1. Kal sees his parents die, and undergoes training just as Batman did. But in his late teens he learns of his superhuman powers. With these, along with his years of training and study he is trully Superman. Tactical, stealthy, and yet having the power of an army. Gotham becomes a crime free Utopia under the watchful eye of The Batman.

2. Bruce and Kal under go training together. Bruce excels in every thing he does, Kal looks up to his brother and the two of them travel the world to train. As Bruce returns to Gotham to take back Wayne Industries Kal learns of his powers. Bruce spends millions in researching Kal's ship, which his parents kept in the caves under their mansion. With such knowledge Wayne Industries becomes the richest company on the planet, and Kal decides to honor both his birth, and adoptive parents.

3. Seeing his entire family gunned down, Kal goes along the path of Batman. Training all over the world. Upon discovering his powers he sees yet another weapon in his war. He soon beomces the head of Wayne Industries, becoming a rivil of Lexcorp. Using his powers he fights against Lex Luthor, as well as the Joker who was given a kryptonite ring from Lex.

[Umbral]

not. Kal-El didn't get his powers till his late teens and at the time of the Waynes deaths Bruce is 7 or 8 so Kal-EL is about Bruce age so no powers dead Waynes. i think that Kal-Els name with the Waynes would be Thomas (e.i. Owlman's name in earth 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owlman_%28DC_Comics%29))

You must be thinking of Smalville. Or possibly Superboy Prime, whose powers needed a trigger in his late teens. Pre-Crisis Superman had powers from the moment he he was exposed to yellow sunlight.

Post-Crisis Supermans powers started developing the moment he was exposed to yellow sunlight, and had reached high levels in his late teens. It is quite possible that he could have saved his parents as a kid.

Anyway, I find Bruce Wayne as a fat, spoilt Lex Luthor more interesting that forcing everything back into a Worlds Finest reaharsh.

[edvader]

You guys are right, DC did publish a couple of stories in which Kal-el was adopted by the Waynes.Think they may be out of print.Believe DC board still has the Elseworld board where one can check.

[MerryPrankster]

I'm not saying that he does stop the bullets- just saying that he does have powers.

He won't be able to save them, thats for sure. he would be a super-strong, scared little kid. he wouldn't do anything but maybe cry or run off.

He might lash out and knock Joe Chill through a wall.