Laurel Kent
| Laurel Kent | |
|---|---|
 Drawn by Greg LaRocque and Mike DeCarlo in Legion of Super-Heroes #42 (January, 1988). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Superboy Vol. 1 #217 (June 1976) |
| Created by |
Jim Shooter (script) Mike Grell (art) |
| In-story information | |
| Team affiliations | Legion of Super-Heroes |
| Notable aliases | Elna |
| Abilities | Invulnerability, flight, heat vision |
Laurel Kent is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in Superboy (vol. 1) #217 (June 1976).
Fictional character biography
Original time line
In the pre-Crisis continuity, Laurel was a candidate for membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes. As a distant descendant of Superman, she had only the power of invulnerability.
For most of her history Laurel Kent was a member of the Legion Academy training program, located at Montauk Point, where she was taught by Bouncing Boy with his wife Duo Damsel. It is here that she became friends with other Legion hopefuls, including Dawnstar (her roommate for a length of time), Jedediah Rikane, Shadow Lass' cousin Shadow Kid, and later Comet Queen.
Post-Crisis
In Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 3) #42-#43 (Jan-Feb 1988), Laurel's original background was revealed as a fake. Instead of being a descendant of Superman, she was actually a Manhunter android from the 20th century, who had survived for a thousand years. Her powers in this era were shown to also include flight and heat-vision. When her Manhunter programming was accidentally activated, she flew off to the Manhunter base in the Himalayas and self-destructed.
Post Zero-Hour
After Zero Hour the Legion of Super-Heroes were rebooted and Laurel Kent was no longer an acquaintance of the group - and, in fact, it may well be that she no longer exists at all. A new character, Laurel Gand, was introduced partially to fill her role as a descendant of the 20th century inspiration of the Legion (in that new timeline, it was Valor instead of Superboy).
Post Infinite Crisis
In Superman/Batman # 80 (March 2011), Laurel is revealed to be a member of the Superman Dynasty in the 31st century, where she operates as Superwoman. Her associates include Brane Taylor and Kent Shakespeare -- the Batman and Superman of that era -- and Tom Wayne, the Robin from the Robin 3000 series. It is also revealed that she is once again going by the name "Elna", perhaps to distance herself from the Manhunter who impersonated her.
External links
- Laurel Kent Chronology at the DCU Guide
- Laurel Kent at Supermanica