4 Years Later, DC Comics Revives Its Coolest Superman Idea (With a Twist)

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I’m really excited to see they’re bringing back a fantastic idea from recent Superman stories! It’s tough to do something fresh with a character who’s been around as long as Superman, but Mark Waid and Dan Mora totally nailed it when they introduced Boy Thunder in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest. What’s so cool is that Boy Thunder’s story mirrors Superman’s – he’s the last survivor of a destroyed world, sent to Earth as a baby, and the Earth’s sun gives him incredible powers. It’s a really interesting twist on the classic Superman origin!

David initially became Superman’s sidekick, known as Boy Thunder. However, he was accidentally sent to another Earth – Earth-22 – where he fell under the influence of an ancient god named Gog and transformed into the aggressive hero, Magog (the character seen in Kingdom Come). While his story concluded in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest, DC Comics is now using the Boy Thunder identity to introduce a new generation of heroes.

DC Comics Reveals Kandor’s New Protectors, Team Thunder

In the latest issue of Supergirl (#12), written by Sophie Campbell, Tamra Bonvillain, and illustrated by Becca Carey, Supergirl faces a major crisis. She’s just battled Black Flame, a rebellious young Kryptonian leading a revolt against Kandor’s Science Council. The Council kept secret a genetic problem that prevents the city’s inhabitants from escaping their bottled world. After a tough fight, Supergirl is seriously injured, but thankfully, scientist Kim-Da saves her life by giving her cybernetic implants. While Supergirl is understandably shaken, she’s even more angry at the Science Council for their deception.

The Science Council arrived to talk to Supergirl about the Black Flame, but she angrily confronted them, blaming them for much of the problem. Beyond the frustration of Kandor’s youth, Kara explained the real threat: the Black Flame now possesses her solar ring, granting them Kryptonian-level power. Fortunately, Kim-Da had a backup plan and led Supergirl to a secret lab where she met Team Thunder – a group of clones created from the DNA of Boy Thunder and Kim-Da themselves.

Team Thunder consists of three heroes – Thundergirl, Thunderlad, and Thunderkid – who gain their powers from special technology that harnesses solar energy. However, because they are clones, they have no free will. Before Supergirl can argue for their rights, the Black Flame attacks, and she’s forced to fight. Despite a strong effort, Black Flame overpowers her with an icy blast. Just as Black Flame is about to finish Supergirl off, Kim-Da sends in Team Thunder to attack, and both sides vow to destroy the other while Supergirl can only watch.

Is DC Giving Boy Thunder a Second Chance?

I have to admit, DC’s promotion for the “Reign of the Superboys” event really tricked me. Seeing Boy Thunder featured with other Superboys like Conner Kent and Superboy-Prime led me to believe we’d see a time-traveling version of the character. However, the story took a direction I didn’t anticipate. It’s still exciting to see DC bring back Boy Thunder and use his unique abilities to introduce three new iterations of the hero. But it makes me wonder: is this just a fun callback to the past, or will one of these new versions stick around and become the new Boy Thunder?

I might be jumping to conclusions, but I don’t think it’s such a far-fetched idea. The current storylines in “The Reign of the Superboys” have already been pretty unexpected. We’ve seen Superboy-Prime trying to become a hero again in Superman, and Jon Kent has changed his identity and even saved his younger self from the past in Superman Unlimited. So, would creating a new Boy Thunder from a half-clone of the original really be that strange? This story arc is all about Superboy right now, so why not give this hero a second chance with a clone?

Since this is a Supergirl comic, the writer probably wants to keep the story focused on Kara. However, she’s introduced several new supporting characters, so there’s definitely space for a new hero like Boy Thunder. The idea worked well in the Batman/Superman: World’s Finest series and could be great again. Bringing back interesting, but previously short-lived, concepts has led to some compelling characters, and I’m hoping this new ‘Team Thunder’ will develop into something significant for the Superman family of comics.

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2026-04-10 16:40