Matter-Eater Lad
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Matter-Eater Lad (real name Tenzil Kem) is a superhero in the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
. He is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and possesses the power to eat matter in all forms, as do all natives of his home planet, Bismoll. He first appears in '' Adventure Comics'' #303 (December 1962).


Publication history

Matter-Eater Lad first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #303 and was created by
Jerry Siegel Jerome 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 is the co-creator of Superman, i ...
and
John Forte John Robert Forte, Jr. (October 6, 1918 – May 2, 1966) was an American comic-book artist, active from the early 1940s on, best known as one of the primary pencilers of DC Comics' early Legion of Super-Heroes stories. Forte additionally drew f ...
.


Fictional character biography


Pre–''Zero Hour''

Matter-Eater Lad is the fifteenth member inducted into the Legion of Super-Heroes, joining soon after
Bouncing Boy Bouncing Boy is a superhero appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, usually as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Born on Earth as Chuck Taine, Bouncing Boy has the power to inflate like a giant ball and bounce around. This combinatio ...
. In his first appearance, Matter-Eater Lad explains his origins, saying that the natives of Bismoll found that microbes had made all their food inedible, and that the populace evolved their ability to eat all matter as a survival mechanism. This gives his teeth and jaws, apparently, the strength and durability to bite and chew through stone, metal, and other hard substances the way that Superboy Mon-el can. Tenzil's mother is named Mitz Kem, and his father Rall (who, curiously, use Tenzil's LSH stipend to buy groceries as told in "The Hapless Hero" in ''
Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...
'' #381, despite ostensibly being Bismollians). His brother, Renkil, tries to take Tenzil's place in the Legion during one story (''
Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...
'' #184). Their family life is shown to be rough. He has an unrequited crush on Shrinking Violet, which features for the bulk of the Legion's run in ''Adventure Comics''. He appears rarely in Legion stories, as the writers struggled with the problem of how to make his power useful in a fight and was routinely written out via a plot device where Tenzil was constantly being drafted into his planet's political system due to his fame as a Legion member. During one of his first draftings to be in politics, he put in a good word for fellow Bismollian, Calorie Queen, who had somewhat similar powers as him, but also had the ability to turn caloric energy into super strength. Matter-Eater Lad has one major heroic moment, though, when he saves the universe by eating the previously thought to be indestructible
Miracle Machine A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...
, though the energies of the device leave him insane for several years. He is ultimately cured by Brainiac Five. He would later avert the conquest of Bismoll by an army of
Computo In archaic law, a computo was a writ, thus called from its effect, which was to compel a person to yield his accounts. It was made and enforceable against the following persons: *executors of executors *the guardian in socage, for waste Was ...
replicas, with the assistance of the Legion Subs (this mission would cause Polar Boy to disband his group, and join the Legion proper). In volume 4 of ''Legion of the Super-Heroes'' Matter-Eater Lad plays a significant role. Keith Giffen, who had much success with humor in his 1987 ''
Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...
'' relaunch, revamped Tenzil Kem (which could arguably be explained as consequence of his regained sanity) as a free spirit who rebels against his planet's virtual enslavement of him as a senator by becoming a multimedia celebrity, using his planet's tax money to finance multiple television shows that allow Tenzil to leave his planet for trips to Earth and other planets for adventure and fun. While Tenzil's exploits generate disdain from his world's rulers, his adventures make him even more popular with the masses of his homeworld, resulting in Tenzil being kept on as senator. "Trust me, I'm a senator" is an oft-uttered catchphrase during this period. Tenzil eventually comes into conflict with former Legion villain Prince Evillo, founder of The Devil's Dozen, and is sent to a Hades-like dimension. Upon his return, he discovers that, having been technically dead, he has been voted out of office by the opposition party (who dislike both his disrespect for their traditions and his overwhelming popularity), so he leaves Bismoll for adventure. During the "Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars, Earth fell under the covert control of the Dominators, and withdrew from the
United Planets The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional 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 cent ...
. When fellow Legionnaire Polar Boy was unjustly imprisoned by Earthgov for speaking out against the Dominators, Tenzil traveled to Earth, and used his force of will and absurdist sense of humor to free him. Tenzil rejoined the Legion, and since the team was operating without the assistance of the
United Planets The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional 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 cent ...
, his political connections and owed favors became very important to the Legion. Matter-Eater Lad ultimately seduced and married former Legion villain
Saturn Queen Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...
. Soon thereafter, the members of the Dominators' highly classified "Batch SW6" escaped captivity. Originally, Batch SW6 appeared to be a group of teenage Legionnaire clones, created from samples apparently taken just prior to
Ferro Lad Ferro Lad (Andrew Nolan) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero and member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th century of the . He is Andrew Nolan of Earth and is known in Post-''Zero Hour'' continuity simply as Ferro. Publicatio ...
's death at the hands of the Sun-Eater. Later, they were revealed to be time-paradox duplicates every bit as legitimate as their older counterparts. After Earth was destroyed in a disaster reminiscent of the destruction of
Krypton Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...
over a millennium earlier,''Legion of Super-Heroes'' (vol. 4) #38, late December 1992 a few dozen surviving cities and their inhabitants reconstituted their world as New Earth. The SW6 Legionnaires—including their version of Matter-Eater Lad—remained.


Post–''Zero Hour''

After the events of the '' Zero Hour'' miniseries, Legion continuity was completely rebooted. Tenzil Kem (along with Bouncing Boy) are recast as part of the Legion's civilian support staff. Tenzil serves as the team's personal chef. Unlike the post-Zero Hour Bouncing Boy (who ultimately does join the team, as the group's pilot) Tenzil never joins the team, though he does help the team out during several battles when the group's base is attacked. Unlike his pre-Zero Hour counterpart, Tenzil's spit is similar to acid.


"Threeboot"

Tenzil Kem was reintroduced in the current run of the Legion as a government agent, investigating
Cosmic Boy Cosmic Boy (Rokk Krinn) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics Universe. He is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and was the original leader in all incarnations of the Legion ...
's disappearance and the legality of his final act as Legion leader. He seems to possess the powers of his previous incarnations, escaping a deathtrap by devouring an entire silo full of grain. He also bites off the pointer finger of Mekt Ranzz.


Post-''Infinite Crisis''

The events of the ''
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, ...
'' miniseries have apparently restored a close analogue of the Pre-
Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
Legion to continuity, as seen in "
The Lightning Saga "The Lightning Saga" is a comic book crossover story arc that took place in DC Comics' two flagship team books: ''Justice League of America'' and '' Justice Society of America''. It was written by Brad Meltzer and Geoff Johns, and illustrated by ...
" story arc in ''
Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
'' and ''
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...
'', and in the "
Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" is a 2007 comic book DC Comics story arc written by Geoff Johns, illustrated by Gary Frank, which features the character Superman and the return of the pre-"Crisis on Infinite Earths" Legion of Super-Hero ...
" story arc in ''
Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...
''. Matter-Eater Lad is included in their number but is MIA. In '' Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds'' #5, the SW6 version of Matter-Eater Lad was among the many Legionnaires pulled from the Multiverse to fight the
Time Trapper This is a list of fictional characters from DC Comics who are enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Legion of Super-Heroes enemies In alphabetical order (with issue and date of debut appearance). In other media See also List of Superman ...
. In ''
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
'' #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 fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy, and Superman. The cha ...
's friend Mitch, owner of a local cafe. He reveals his identity by stepping in to save a woman trapped in a burning car, allowing Mon-El to continue fighting the larger threats. As revealed in '' Adventure Comics'' (vol. 2) #8, Matter-Eater Lad is part of a secret team sent by the late RJ Brande to the 21st century to save the future in the ''
Last Stand of New Krypton This is a list of comic books featuring Superman and related characters. Ongoing titles featuring Superman in a starring role ''Action Comics'' ''Action Comics'' began in 1938. ''Action Comics'' #1 featured the introduction of Superman. Thirteen ' ...
'' storyline.


In other media


Television

* Matter-Eater Lad appears in ''
Legion of Super Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional 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 cent ...
'', voiced by
Alexander Polinsky Alexander "Alex" Polinsky is an American actor. He is known for his role as Adam Powell on ''Charles in Charge''. He is also the voice of Control Freak on ''Teen Titans'' (2003) and ''Teen Titans Go!'' (2013), Argit in the ''Ben 10'' franchise, ...
. In the episode "Champions", Matter-Eater Lad appears (in his civilian identity as Tenzil Kem) as a participant in the Intergalactic Games, an
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
-like event in which
Lightning Lad Garth Ranzz, also known as Live Wire and Lightning Lad, is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually those featuring the Legion of Superheroes, a 30th and 31st century group of which he is a founding mem ...
also competes. When the
Fatal Five The Fatal Five is a supervillain team of the 30th century in the DC Comics universe. They were created by Jim Shooter and first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #352 (1967) as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Fictional team history Origi ...
attack the Games, Kem and
Ultra Boy Ultra Boy (Jo Nah of the planet Rimbor) is a superhero appearing in DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. He gained his powers after being eaten by an whale-like beast in space and being ...
help the Legion defeat them. He does not have a speaking part in the episode. He reappears in the episode "The Substitutes" where he tries out for the Legion as Matter-Eater Lad and gains membership. He distinguishes himself by calmly eating an ionosphere-eating monster without a worry—and notes it tasted like chicken. He appears in the first-season finale, "Sundown", helping to stop the Sun-Eater. He returns in the season two premiere taking a bite out of
Emerald Empress The Emerald Empress is the name of several, fictional super-villains appearing American comic books published by DC Comics. The characters associated with the name name are often portrayed as a prominent adversary of the Legion of Super-Heroes. T ...
' Emerald Eye of Ekron and accidentally putting himself into a coma. In the episode "In The Beginning", he is shown to be conscious, but still in the hospital. In the "Dark Victory" two-parter, he is shown to have returned to active duty. * Matter-Eater Lad was mentioned in the ''
Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013 and is based on the DC Comics Teen Titans, fictional superhero team. The series was ...
'' episode "The Fight". * Matter-Eater Lad was mentioned in the ''
Peacemaker Peacemaker or The Peacemaker (in various forms) may refer to: Individuals and groups * UN Peacemaker, a project of the UN to support international peacemakers and mediators * Peace makers, a list of contemporary individuals and organizations inv ...
'' episode "The Choad Less Traveled".
Peacemaker Peacemaker or The Peacemaker (in various forms) may refer to: Individuals and groups * UN Peacemaker, a project of the UN to support international peacemakers and mediators * Peace makers, a list of contemporary individuals and organizations inv ...
claims to have teamed up with him in the past, and witnessed as he devoured an entire
Wendy's Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (1932–2002) on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was the ...
restaurant.


Toys

Matter-Eater Lad was included as part of Mattel's DC Universe Classics Legion of Super-Heroes 12-pack of action figures.


Trivia

* American indie rock band Guided By Voices recorded a song based on the character called "Matter-Eater Lad" for their 1994 EP ''
Clown Prince of the Menthol Trailer ''Clown Prince of the Menthol Trailer'' is a 1994 EP by Guided by Voices. The song Matter Eater Lad is based on the superhero within the DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American ...
''.


References


External links


A Hero History Of Matter-Eater Lad
{{Superman characters Characters created by Jerry Siegel Comics characters introduced in 1963 DC Comics aliens DC Comics extraterrestrial superheroes DC Comics superheroes Fictional senators