| Kelex | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | The Man of Steel #1 |
| Created by | John Byrne |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Robot |
| Supporting character of | Superman |
| Abilities | Enhanced vision Flight |
Kelex is a fictional robot appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Superman.
Publication history
[edit]Kelex first appeared in The Man of Steel #1 and was created by John Byrne.
Fictional character biography
[edit]Kelex was previously one of Jor-El's robotic servants on the planet Krypton, alongside Kelor. Presumed destroyed along with Jor-El and the rest of Krypton, Kelex later appears alive and becomes the Fortress of Solitude's caretaker.[1][2] Later, when Superman obtains the Eradicator device, it tries to recreate Krypton on Earth, creating a clone of Kelex in the process.[3]
Kelex is used as a framing device for a tour of a redesigned Fortress of Solitude.[4]
At one point, Lex Luthor destroys Kelex before Superman rebuilds him to battle Brainiac 13, who is vulnerable to Kryptonian technology.[5]
Kelex operates in disguise as the hero 'Steel' for a while.[6] Kelex is featured in an issue of 'Superboy'; he transcribes his impressions of Krypto, who is helping people endangered by an alien invasion.[7]
The fortress was later restored within a Tesseract (an infinite space within a finite containment), and Kelex is once again its caretaker. Natasha Irons reprograms Kelex so that he would speak more in slang, such as calling Superman 'Big Blue'.[8]
That incarnation of the Fortress is destroyed during the "For Tomorrow" storyline. Superman relocates his new portable fortress to South America, but Kelex's fate in the storyline was left unknown at the time.
In Justice League of America (vol. 2), Kelex attempts to destroy humanity by controlling a robot army before being destroyed by Supergirl and Jesse Quick.[9]
Kelex is seen again in "DC Rebirth", once again a loyal assistant in Superman's Fortress of Solitude.[10]
Powers and abilities
[edit]Kelex has enhanced vision and can fly.
Other versions
[edit]Kelex appears in the limited graphic novel series Superman and Batman versus Aliens and Predator.[11]
In other media
[edit]Television
[edit]- An unnamed robot based on Kelex and Cyborg Superman appears in the Legion of Super Heroes episode "Message in a Bottle", voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.
- Kelex appears in Supergirl, voiced by an uncredited actor in earlier appearances and by Mark Sussman in the sixth season.
Film
[edit]- Kelex and Kelor appear in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) films Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, respectively voiced by Rondel Reynoldson and Carla Gugino.
- Kelex and Kelor appear in Reign of the Supermen, respectively voiced by Trevor Devall and Erica Luttrell.
Video games
[edit]- The DCEU incarnation of Kelex appears in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham as DLC.
- Kelex appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
- ^ The Man of Steel #1. DC Comics.
- ^ Action Comics #688 (Early July 1993). DC Comics.
- ^ Superman Secret Files #1 (January 1998). DC Comics.
- ^ Superman: The Man of Steel #90 (July 1999). DC Comics.
- ^ Action Comics #779 (July 2001). DC Comics.
- ^ Superboy (vol. 3) #91 (October 2001). DC Comics.
- ^ Superman: The Man of Steel #100 (May 2000). DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #60 (August 2011). DC Comics.
- ^ Action Comics #973. DC Comics.
- ^ Superman and Batman vs Aliens and Predator #1-2 (2007). DC Comics.
- ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
