| Matter-Eater Lad | |
|---|---|
 Matter-Eater Lad as depicted inSuperman: Last Stand of New Krypton #2 (June 2010). Art by Pete Woods. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Adventure Comics #303 (December 1962) |
| Created by | Jerry Siegel John Forte |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Tenzil Kem |
| Species | Bismollian |
| Place of origin | Bismoll |
| Team affiliations | Legion of Super-Heroes |
| Notable aliases | M-E Lad |
| Abilities | Powers:
Abilities:
Equipment:
|
Matter-Eater Lad (Tenzil Kem) is asuperhero appearing in media published byDC Comics, primarily as a member of theLegion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. He first appeared inAdventure Comics #303 (December 1962), and possesses the power to eat matter in all forms, as do all natives of his home planet, Bismoll.
Matter-Eater Lad has made limited appearances in media outside comics, withAlexander Polinsky voicing him in the animated seriesLegion of Super Heroes.
Matter-Eater Lad first appeared inAdventure Comics #303 and was created byJerry Siegel andJohn Forte.[1]
Matter-Eater Lad is the fifteenth member inducted into theLegion of Super-Heroes, joining soon afterBouncing Boy. In his first appearance, Matter-Eater Lad explains his origins, saying that the natives of Bismoll evolved their abilities to survive after microbes rendered all normal food inedible. This gives his teeth and jaws the strength and durability to bite and chew through stone, metal, and other hard substances.[2] He has an unrequited crush onShrinking Violet, which features for the bulk of the Legion's run inAdventure Comics.
Matter-Eater Lad is later drafted to serve in the Bismollian senate and becomes a celebrity. He is voted out of office after being temporarily trapped in another dimension and considered legally dead.[3][4]
During the "Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars, Earth falls under the control of theDominators and withdraws from theUnited Planets. Soon afterward, the members of the Dominators' "Batch SW6" - temporal duplicates of the Legionnaires - escape captivity, with a duplicate of Matter-Eater Lad among them.[5]
FollowingZero Hour: Crisis in Time!, which reboots the Legion's continuity, Tenzil Kem is reimagined as the Legion's primary chef.[6]
In the "Threeboot", Matter-Eater Lad is reintroduced as a government agent, investigatingCosmic Boy's disappearance and the legality of his final act as Legion leader.[7]
The events ofInfinite Crisis restore an analogue of the pre-Crisis Legion to continuity. InFinal Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #5, the SW6 incarnation of Matter-Eater Lad is among the Legionnaires summoned to fight theTime Trapper.[8]
InSuperman #694, Matter-Eater Lad is revealed to have been masquerading asMon-El's friend Mitch. He reveals his identity by stepping in to save a woman trapped in a burning car, allowing Mon-El to continue fighting larger threats.[9]
In theSuperman: Last Stand of New Krypton storyline, Matter-Eater Lad is part of a secret team sent byR. J. Brande to the 21st century to save the future.[10]
Matter-Eater Lad possesses the innate ability to eat almost any substance. Additionally, he can move at superhuman speeds by harnessing consumed energy and determine the chemical composition of objects using his enhanced taste buds.
