Jor-El

Jor-El II was Krypton's greatest scientist and a prominent member of the Kryptonian Science Council. His brilliant analytical mind drove his research into the nature of his doomed homeworld, setting the stage for one of the most pivotal decisions in the planet's history.

Few characters in comics carry the weight of legacy quite like Jor-El — the Kryptonian figure whose fateful decision echoes through nearly every Superman story ever told. Debuting in the Golden Age pages of More Fun Comics #101 in 1945, brought to life by Joe Samachson and Louis Cazeneuve, he has since appeared across 186 catalog entries spanning an extraordinary 81 years, gracing the pages of Superman, Superboy, and Action Comics alongside icons like Superman himself, Lara, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen. Eleven of those appearances are recognized as key issues — a testament to how central this character is to DC's mythology and to collectors who understand that the roots of the Man of Steel run deep. If you want to understand Superman, you start here.