Matter-Eater Lad (Tenzil Kem) is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

appearing in media published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

, primarily as a member of the

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...

in the 30th and 31st centuries. He first appeared in ''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

'' #303 (December 1962), and possesses the power to eat matter in all forms, as do all natives of his home planet, Bismoll. Matter-Eater Lad has made limited appearances in media outside comics, with

Alexander Polinsky Alexander Polinsky (born October 7, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Adam Powell on '' Charles in Charge''. In animation, he has voiced Control Freak on ''Teen Titans'' (2003) and ''Teen Titans Go!'' (2013), Argit in the ' ...

voicing him in the animated series '' Legion of Super Heroes''.

Publication history

Matter-Eater Lad first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #303 and was created by

Jerry Siegel Jerome "Jerry" Siegel ( ; October 17, 1914 – January 28, 1996) Roger Stern. ''Superman: Sunday Classics: 1939–1943'' DC Comics/ Kitchen Sink Press, Inc./ Sterling Publishing; 2006 was an American comic book writer. He was the co-creator of ...

and John Forte.

Fictional character biography

Pre–''Zero Hour''

Matter-Eater Lad is the fifteenth member inducted into the

, joining soon after

Bouncing Boy Bouncing Boy (Charles Foster "Chuck" Taine) is a superhero appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, usually as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Born on Earth, Bouncing Boy has the power to inflate like a giant ball and bounce around ...

. In his first appearance, Matter-Eater Lad explains his origins, saying that the natives of Bismoll evolved their abilities to survive after microbes rendered all normal food inedible. He has an unrequited crush on Shrinking Violet, which features for the bulk of the Legion's run in ''Adventure Comics''. Later, Matter-Eater Lad is drafted to serve in Bismollian politics and becomes a senator and celebrity. He assists the Legion in battling Omega, a monster created by the Miracle Machine, and is driven insane after destroying the latter before

Brainiac 5 Brainiac 5 (Querl Dox) is a superhero appearing in comics published by DC Comics. He is from the planet Colu and is a long-standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. Brainiac 5 has been substantially adapted int ...

cures him. During the "Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars, Earth falls under the control of the Dominators and leaves the

United Planets List of alien races in DC Comics is a list of fictional extraterrestrial races that have appeared in comic book titles published by DC Comics, as well as properties from other media that are listed below, with brief descriptions and accompanying ...

. A temporal clone of Matter-Eater Lad is introduced as part of the Dominators' "Batch SW6".

Post–''Zero Hour''

Following '' Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!'', which reboots the Legion's continuity, Tenzil Kem is reimagined as the Legion's primary chef.

Threeboot

In the "

Threeboot The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...

", Matter-Eater Lad is reintroduced as a government agent, investigating

Cosmic Boy Cosmic Boy (Rokk Krinn) is a superhero appearing in comics published by DC Comics. He is from the 31st century, and is a founding member and original leader of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Cosmic Boy has appeared in various media outside comics, p ...

's disappearance and the legality of his final act as Legion leader.

Post-''Infinite Crisis''

The events of ''

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...

'' restore an analogue of the pre-''

Crisis A crisis (: crises; : critical) is any event or period that will lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affairs, especially when ...

'' Legion to continuity. In '' Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds'' #5, the SW6 incarnation of Matter-Eater Lad is among the Legionnaires summoned to fight the

Time Trapper Taboo Chuck Taine Tala Tally Man Sonya Tarinka Russell Tavaroff Teen Lantern Keli Quintela is an young girl who found a dying Green Lantern and obtained his Green Lantern Power Battery, hacking a gauntlet to access its powers without ...

. In ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

'' #694, Matter-Eater Lad is revealed to have been masquerading as

Mon-El Lar Gand, known mainly as Mon-El (and alternatively as Valor and M'Onel), is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy (Kal-El), Superboy, and Superman. ...

's friend Mitch. He reveals his identity by stepping in to save a woman trapped in a burning car, allowing Mon-El to continue fighting larger threats. In the '' Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton'' storyline, Matter-Eater Lad is part of a secret team that

R. J. Brande Rene Jacques "R. J." Brande is a character appearing in DC Comics, primarily in association with the Legion of Super-Heroes. He first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #350, and was created by E. Nelson Bridwell. Fictional history Pre-Crisis R. J. ...

sends to the 21st century to save the future.

Powers and abilities

Matter-Eater Lad possesses the innate ability to eat almost any substance. Additionally, he can move at superhuman speeds by harnessing consumed energy and determine the chemical composition of objects using his enhanced taste buds.

In other media

* Matter-Eater Lad appears in '' Legion of Super Heroes'', voiced by

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. * Matter-Eater Lad appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * Matter-Eater Lad appears in ''

Adventures in the DC Universe While Batman and Superman had their own animated series and comic book follow-ups, the rest of the characters in the appeared in the following comics often. ''The Batman Adventures'' ''The Batman Adventures'' was created as a comic book tie-in ...

'' #10. * Matter-Eater Lad appears in the one-shot comic ''

Batman '66 ''Batman '66'' is an American superhero comic book series published by DC Comics featuring Batman as a continuation of the 1966–1968 television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. The series was written primarily by ...

Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes''. * Matter-Eater Lad received an action figure in

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...

DC Universe Classics DC Universe Classics was an action figure toyline, a sub-line of the DC Universe toy brand manufactured by Mattel. They were 6-inch scale figures based on the fictional characters owned by DC Comics. The entire line was sculpted by the Four Horse ...

line as part of the Legion of Super-Heroes 12-pack. * Matter-Eater Lad is referenced in a self-titled song in

Guided by Voices Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. The most well-known lineup of the band consisted o ...

' EP '' Clown Prince of the Menthol Trailer''.

References

External links

A Hero History of Matter-Eater Lad
{{Superman characters Characters created by Jerry Siegel Characters created by John Forte Comics characters introduced in 1962 DC Comics aliens DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics extraterrestrial superheroes DC Comics male superheroes DC Comics politicians Fictional chefs Fictional senators Legion of Super-Heroes members