Professor Phineas Potter is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

and appears in the comics that feature

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 ...

and several related characters, most notably

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...

Publication history

Phineas Potter first appeared in ''

Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from September–October 1954 until March 1974, spanning a total of 163 issues. Featuring the adventures of Superman supporting character Jimmy Olsen, it co ...

'' #22 (August 1957) and was created by

Otto Binder Otto Oscar Binder (; August 26, 1911 – October 13, 1974) was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books. He is best known as the co-creator of Supergirl and for his many scripts for '' Captain Ma ...

and

Curt Swan Douglas Curtis Swan (February 17, 1920 – June 17, 1996) was an American comics artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans call the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 195 ...

Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis

The original incarnation of Professor Potter was the maternal uncle of

Lana Lang Lana Lang is a fictional supporting character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She has appeared in other media adaptations of Superman, typically as a teenager. These portrayals include the '' Adventures of Superboy'' t ...

and first encountered the Man of Steel during his teenage years as

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 ...

. A

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

and eccentric scientist, Potter often invented odd or fantastical devices which he intended to use for the betterment of humanity. However, he rarely considered the potential downsides of his inventions. While several of his devices were harmless, many others were not and chaos often ensued when they were activated. Potter befriended three newspaper reporters from the ''

Daily Planet The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #23 (April 1940). The ''Daily Planet'' build ...

'':

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...

and Clark Kent. Olsen, in particular, was often the intended victim of Potter's inventions gone awry. Thanks to Potter and his inventions, Olsen was briefly evolved into a super-intelligent being from one million

A.D. The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...

, given an elongated nose like the character

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...

, stricken with "flame-breath", and cursed with an evil twin, among other calamities. However, Potter was able to recreate a serum which had once given Olsen stretchability powers. Thus, Olsen was able to occasionally use those powers as Elastic Lad.

Post-Crisis

Following the ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...

'' limited series, Superman's history was revised, such that Clark Kent did not begin his public superhero career until adulthood, and thus never operated as Superboy. In the revised continuity, Phineas Potter's role in the Superman mythos has been largely replaced by a seemingly more competent professor named Emil Hamilton. Potter eventually appears as a scientist working at the Hawaiian branch of

S.T.A.R. Labs Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories (S.T.A.R. Labs) is a fictional scientific research facility and organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It first appeared in ''Superman'' #246 (December 1 ...

. The

he encounters is

Conner Kent Superboy (also known as Kon-El or Conner Kent) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A modern variation on Superboy (Kal-El), the original Superboy, the character first appeared as Superboy in ''The Adventures ...

, the hybrid clone of Superman and

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: Apr ...

. There is no apparent relationship to Lana Lang.''

'' (vol. 4) #19 (September 1995). DC Comics.

In other media

A similar themed character appeared on the '' Adventures of Superman'' television series in the 1950s. The absent-minded Professor Pepperwinkle is portrayed by

Phil Tead Phillips Tead (September 29, 1893 – June 9, 1974) was an American character actor in film and television, sometimes billed as Phil Tead. Biography Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1893, among his many roles, Tead might be best reme ...

in five episodes of the series, which featured

George Reeves George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 – June 16, 1959) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series '' Adventures of Superman'' (1952–1958). His death at age 45 from a g ...

as Superman. Pepperwinkle also appeared in Superman comics during the 1970s. Professor Potter appears in ''

The Adventures of Superboy ''The Adventures of Superboy'' is a proposed TV series that was put into production in 1961. It was meant to capitalize on the success of ''Adventures of Superman (TV series), Adventures of Superman'', which went out of production in 1958. Only a ...

''. In ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

'',

has a maternal aunt named Nell Potter (played by

Sarah-Jane Redmond Sarah-Jane Redmond is a British actress and acting coach, living in Canada, whose work has spanned film, television and theatre productions, often in science fiction roles. She has taught acting at the New Image College of Fine Arts in British C ...

References

External links

Professor Potter
at DC Wiki
Supermanica: Professor Potter
Supermanica entry on the Pre-Crisis Professor Potter.
Supermanica: Professor Pepperwinkle
Supermanica entry on the Pre-Crisis Professor Pepperwinkle. {{Superboy Characters created by Curt Swan Characters created by Otto Binder Comics characters introduced in 1957 DC Comics male characters DC Comics scientists Fictional chemists Fictional inventors Fictional professors Superman characters