- "Goodbye, my sweet Kal-El."
- — Lara, Memoria
Lara-El (1942 - 1986)[citation needed] was the biological mother of Kal-El and the wife of Jor-El. She perished along with her husband when her home planet Krypton exploded.
Physical Appearance[]
Lara in Season Seven
Lara is a woman with long blonde flowing hair, described to be stunning and beautiful by many. She is known for wearing the traditional Kryptonian white garment attire with a silver bracelet on her right arm as well Jor-El's victory ring around neck like a necklace. Lara has also worn a blue kryptonian garment attire.
Personality[]
In the few instances she was shown, Lara was seen to have a compassionate and fair nature. She was very loving and held great protectiveness as well as love for her niece Kara and her son Kal. Lara was wise and good-natured, wanting the best for the people that she loved.
Powers and Abilities[]
When Lara arrived on Earth through a piece of Zor-El's technology, which was activated using the Fortress' console, she was wearing Jor-El's victory ring, which is made out of blue kryptonite, which removed her abilities. Unbeknownst to her that it would rob her son of his abilities, Lara bestowed it to Clark, which removed his abilities, which in turn, restored her own, though whether or not she displayed them remains vague. However one could argue that she displayed Invulnerability as she was unhurt despite being thrown across the Fortress by Zor-El, whilst attempting to save Kara.
- Invulnerability: Lara-El, after giving Clark Jor-El's Victory ring (Blue K), gains all natural Kryptonian powers.
Vulnerabilities[]
Lara, like all Kryptonians, was vulnerable to the various forms of kryptonite, but was ultimately killed by the destruction of Zor-El's blue crystal, which was all that kept her alive.
Early life[]
(All birth dates for those born on Krypton are in Earth years)
Lara-El was born in 1942 on Krypton. She met Jor-El sometime after his adventures on Earth; the two were married sometime before he became a member of the Council.
Lara visits Earth with Kara.
Lara was indeed familiar with Faora, the wife of Zod, however was not in any part of the genetic extraction used to be resurrected on Earth through the Orb of Kandor.
Lara was very close to her niece Kara; Kara would sneak away from Kandor to see her aunt. The day that she found out that she was pregnant with Kal-El, Lara was ecstatic; apparently, she had trouble conceiving a child but eventually succeeded, as Kal-El was her "miracle baby."[1]
Before Kal-El was born, Lara traveled to Earth to see if the Kents, the family Jor-El chose for their child in the event Krypton did not see the end of the war with General Zod, would be perfect for her son. Kara followed Lara to Earth and suggested that she name her child "Kal-El." Lara found the Kents acceptable. When Kara's father Zor-El arrived to retrieve his daughter, Lara realized she was desired by Zor-El and was made part of his "science": Zor-El stored her DNA in a crystal he later sent with Kara on her journey to Earth.
Jor-El and Lara bid farewell to their son Kal-El.
Sometime after Kal-El was born, Lara, while looking after her son, was contacted by Kara, who told her that Zor-El had planned to ignite Krypton's core and that he has begun the process. Lara was about to tell Kara what to do before Zor-El stopped her and wiped Kara's memory; she proceeded to chastise Zor-El for his actions. She then contacted Jor-El, who went to try and stop the detonation of Krypton's core but was unsuccessful.
When Jor-El had to send Kal-El to Earth to escape Krypton's destruction, Lara wondered if the people of Earth would love him, but Jor-El assured her that they would. Lara then bade her son farewell before his spaceship departed Krypton. She and Jor-El both tried once more to stop Krypton's destruction, but they died with the rest of their race.
Season Three[]
Clark Kent had no recollection of his biological mother until his memory was jogged in the Kryptonite water tank that Dr. Lawrence Garner placed him in to discover his past. He remembered Lara placing him in his spaceship, and came out of his reverie screaming Lara's name. Later, Clark found out from his adoptive mother Martha Kent that "Lara" was his first word as a child, and realized that his birth parents loved him.
Season Seven[]
- "Kal-El, as long as this ring remains on your finger and you have no power, you cannot fulfill the destiny your father and I have envisioned for you."
- — Lara to Clark, Blue
In 2007, when Kara and Clark were captured and given a green kryptonite serum, they both relived an old memory of Kara's from when Kara, Zor-El and Lara visited Earth. Clark finally saw his mother through Kara's eyes, and later found a photo of Lara that Kara had taken during their visit to the Kent Farm years ago.
Lara's replicator in the Fortress
Later, Clark heard his mother's voice calling for his help from the blue crystal, which transported him to the Fortress of Solitude. Ignoring Jor-El's warnings, Clark inserted the crystal into the Fortress' console, resurrecting Lara as a clone. Lara embraced her son, proud that he had become a man. She was taken to the Kent Farm, where she, Kara and Clark decided to take down Zor-El, who had also been brought back as a clone by the crystal.
For her safety, Lara was taken to the Queen Tower where Lana Lang kept her company. She gave Clark his father's victory ring that, unknown to her, contained blue kryptonite that stripped Clark of his powers. While being kept company by Lana, Lara warned Lana of the darkness brewing within her. At that moment, Zor-El arrived and abducted Lara, taking her to the Fortress. Lara watched as Zor-El used the Fortress to create an eclipse that would wipe out all of humanity and agreed to be by his side when he threatened Clark's life.
Lara tells Clark to destroy the blue crystal.
While Zor-El was away from the Fortress ostensibly searching for Kal-El, Lara retrieved a Kryptonian dagger with the intent of using it against Zor-El, but Kara elected to use the dagger herself. Once Zor-El returned to the Fortress, Kara unsuccessfully attempted to kill her father with the dagger, and Zor-El overpowered both women until Clark arrived and subdued him with green kryptonite. With Zor-El restrained for the moment, Lara told her son to destroy the crystal, as it was the only way to regain his powers so he could fulfill the destiny she and Jor-El envisioned for him. Though initially reluctant, Clark shattered the crystal just as Zor-El recovered and was about to kill Kara. Once the crystal was destroyed, Zor-El and Lara's lives were ended.
Season Ten[]
- "My dearest Kal-El, our love will always be with you."
- — Lara, Abandoned
Jor-El and Lara's message to Kal-El
Lois and Clark journey to the fortress where Lois pleads with Jor-El to reconcile with his son. Jor-El accepts her request by showing them a final message from Jor-El and Lara as the planet Krypton crumbled all around them. Jor-El and Lara both shared their regrets from being unable to save their homeworld, but were relieved that their son would live on and grow up to become the savior of humanity. Lara expressed how much both she and Jor-El will always love him and their legacy will live on through him and he'll never be alone.
Appearances[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | # | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | 1 | ||
| Season 7 | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||||
| Season 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | ||
| Total | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton
- Season One: X-Ray (mentioned only)
- Season Three: Memoria (flashback only), Covenant (Mentioned only)
- Season Five: Solitude (mentioned only), Vessel (Mentioned only)
- Season Six: Zod (Mentioned only), Fallout (Mentioned only), Phantom (Mentioned only)
- Season Seven: Kara (Mentioned only), Lara (flashback only)
- Season Eight: Bloodline (Mentioned only)
- Season Eleven: Haunted (flashback only)
In the Comics[]
Lara Lor-Van as she appears in the comics.
Due to continuity changes and revamps at least every ten years in the history of DC Comics, there have been many versions of Superman's origin, Krypton, Jor-El and Lara herself, whose full name is Lara Lor-Van.
In the miniseries The World of Krypton Lara was a promising astronaut in Krypton's space program. However, Krypton's space program was soon permanently grounded after Jax-Ur blew up one of Krypton's inhabited moons. Eventually, Lara met scientist Jor-El, with the two having several adventures together before getting married. Some time later, Lara gave birth to the couple's only child, Kal-El. Early in Jor-El and Lara's marriage, the couple are briefly watched by the Guardians of the Universe, who note that Lara (or her husband) would've made an excellent Green Lantern. When Krypton was about to explode, Lara and Jor-El placed their infant son into an escape rocket built by Jor-El. In most retellings, Jor-El wanted Lara to accompany their son to Earth, but Lara refused, saying their son would have a better chance of reaching Earth without her extra weight. Kal-El's spaceship then took off, leaving Lara and Jor-El to perish.
Jor-El and Lara's last moments on Krypton.
However in Man of Steel, which was a reboot to Superman's origin, Krypton was re-imagined as a cold sterile place, where emotions were forbidden. Lara was a librarian and historian, and while it was love at first sight for Jor-El, it took time for Lara to get used to it and accept him. Jor-El was considered a "throwback" for actually expressing emotions toward his wife Lara, and for his favoring the less sterilized days of past Kryptonian eras. Her grandmother Lady Nara and Seyg-El, Jor-El's father, were the ones who arranged the union between them – so that they might have a child who would fill an opening in the planet's Register of Citizens when another Kryptonian died a rare and untimely death.
Lara and Jor-El appear in a hologram.
In the miniseries Superman: Birthright, Lara, along with Krypton and Jor-El, more or less again became their Silver Age versions, though with updated touches. In this version, Lara is treated as a fully equal partner to Jor-El in constructing Kal-El's spacecraft and in designing various key components.
In the series Superman: Secret Origin, Superman is first introduced to his birth mother in his teens by the spaceship that brought him to the Earth as a baby. She is introduced to Kal-El by a hologram of Jor-El as his mother. This moment shocks Superman and brings tears to Martha Kent's eyes. Later, Lara's own family background is described. Lara Lor-Van is born into the Labor Guild, whose members are not physically abused but have no say in the choices of their lives and who, unlike the members of other guilds, cannot change guilds. Lara became a member of her husband's Science Guild when she married him and was thereby granted all the freedoms granted to other Science Guild members. A member of Krypton's Military Guild describes this as being "raised up."
Lara Van-El in DCnU.
In the New 52, Lara Van-El is still a Kryptonian scientist and physician as also being a member of Krypton's military forces. She is Jor-El's wife and his equal in intelligence and lab partner. One of the most talented students on the Kryptonian Military Academy, where she learned arts and sciences, Lara is both a bright scientist and a skilled fighter as she has been shown to be able to take on the Eradicators henchmen with ease. When she was a cadet in the military, before her marriage to Jor-El, she attacked her commanding officer when she found out he barged into the Government council and assassinated the Minister of Science. Another cadet, Jax-Ur, is also shown to harbor romantic feelings for her and tries to convince Lara to fall in line and join the revolution but Lara, being the lone voice of reason, bashes Jax-Ur, makes her escape and goes to find Jor-El, thinking he is the only person who can help her. As part of her rescue of Jor-El, she casually destroys a troop carrier, presumably killing a bunch of her fellow soldiers. Having escaped the Eradicator's troops, Lara and Jor-El head back to the science council to see if they can help. At the end Zod, an old friend of Jor-El, kills Colonel Ekar and stops the revolution. During the Remembrance Day, Lara tells her friends and family that she battled Doomsday, and was almost killed if not for the aide of General Zod, who was only a colonel at that time. Zod saved Lara but the beast killed millions others. Lara's sister Zora Lor-Van also appeared just before the assault on Kandor.
Other faces of Lara[]
Notes[]
Helen Slater as Supergirl.
- Helen Slater played Supergirl in the 1984 film Supergirl.
- Lara first appeared in the Superman newspaper strip in 1939.
- In the comics, Lara's full maiden name is Lara Lor-Van; Kryptonian women inherit their father's full name as a surname until they marry (e.g. Kara Zor-El), at which point they drop their maiden name altogether and keep only their first name.
- In Geoff Johns' Superman: Secret Origin, Lara is depicted as a blonde instead of her traditional darker hair color. This may be influenced by the hair color of Smallville's version of Lara.
- Slater voiced Talia, the daughter of Ra's al Ghul, in Batman: The Animated Series
- Slater also played Kara's adoptive mother in the CW show Supergirl.
- According to Martha Kent, Clark's first word was Lara.
- Lara was seen in a hologram with Jor-El wearing a silver bracelet is engraved with the House of El symbol, which represents Lara's relationship with the El family. This can also be seen as a tongue in cheek reference to Helen playing Supergirl/Kara Zor-El in 1984.
References[]
See also[]
External links[]
- Lara on Wikipedia
- Lara on Wikia DCAU
- Lara on DC Database
- Lara on comicvine
- Lara on SuperFriends Wikia
- Lara Lor-Van on Superman Wiki
Kryptonians in Smallville
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