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Pete Ross was the best friend of Superboy (Clark Kent) in Smallville.

Pete Ross moved to Smallville and became friends with Clark Kent when both were teenagers. One night while on a camping trip, he saw that Clark and Superboy were one and the same. Pete kept that secret to himself.

During his teenage years, Pete met Ultra Boy of the Legion of Super-Heroes and was made an honorary member of the Legion due to Pete's knowledge of Superboy's identity.[2] In which it was acknowledged by the Legion that Pete Ross' knowledge would one day end up saving Superman's life.[3]

As an adult, Pete was an established widower who had a son named Jonathan Ross. When his son was kidnapped by an alien race called the Nrvynians, Pete approached to Clark Kent for help and revealed his knowledge of his friend's dual identity. Superman was unable to rescue Jonathan because the Nrvynians foresaw in the future that the young boy under their tutelage would play a pivotal role of liberating the universe and ushering in an era of peace. When Superman explained the situation to Ross, Pete could not bear the truth and discredited his former friend for losing his son.[4]

Pete sought revenge by using a device belonged to Lex Luthor that could bring someone from the past and swap minds with them; in which Pete pulled Superboy from the past and switched minds with him. In Superboy's body, Pete attacked Superman and later brought him to stand "trial" for his alleged crimes and even kidnapped Perry White, Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Steve Lombard and Jimmy Olsen to act as the "jury". Eventually, an enraged Pete attempted to kill Superman with Kryptonite but finally surrender when the past Superboy freed the prisoners and had his mind switched back.[5] Pete was turned over to a mental institution as he became increasingly insane and continued to hate Superman. His madness ended when Superman finally rescued Jonathan and reunited him with his father.[6]

  • This version of Pete Ross, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.

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Footnotes


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Legion of Super-Heroes member
This character is or was a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes from the 30th/31st Century, in any one of their various continuities. Including but not limited to, Original Legion, the Reboot Legion, Prime Legion and the Post-Rebirth Legion.
This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Legion of Super-Heroes members" category.

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