Ral-En was a Kryptonian scientist with a few tricks up his sleeve. Using Hyper-Hypnosis, he made the planet think that he was the first Superman of Krypton.
History
When young Jor-El entered the Kandorian Learning Centre, one of his early intellectual peers was Ral-En.[1] Once they'd both graduated, they occasionally shared a lab, and it was here that the brilliant scientist Ral appeared to have mis-calculated. An explosion in the lab blew him through the wall, but also seemed to endow him with super-powers.[2]
Ral-En was seen to perform a number of stunts that demonstrated his great powers. He tore down a metal tower and rebuilt it; and he repelled the attack of a great sea-serpent — with his bare hands. Ral-En was very careful not to reveal the secret of his powers, refusing to identify the chemicals involved for fear of evil-doers gaining such power. But in reality, there were no secret chemicals.
Set up in a throne-room, claiming dominion over Krypton; Ral-En expected tribute from the privileged of the planet. Jor-El refused, seeing evidence of trickery, and grabbed Ral-En by the nose to make the "invulnerable" man yelp in pain. Ral-En had used the gift of Hyper-Hypnosis to make people believe that he had super strength and invulnerability. Thanks to Jor-El, the spell had been broken.
Mag-En swears vengeance to Jor-El for Ral
His father Mag-En, who had taught him the skill, now saw his son Ral taken away and banished to the Phantom Zone. Mag swore revenge on Jor-El, and pledged that his son Kal would disgrace him. Later, as Lon-Es watched, Mag-En approached infant Kal-El and suggested that in the future, he perform ten acts that would disgrace his father, and using Hyper-Hypnosis, this was the revenge of Ral-En.[2]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Superhuman Strength (Hoax): Ral-En had no actual powers, but gave the illusion of Superhuman Strength.
- Invulnerability (Hoax): Ral-En had no actual powers, but gave the illusion of Invulnerability.
- Flight (Hoax): Ral-En had no actual powers, but gave the illusion of Flight.
Abilities
- Deception: Ral-En made himself ruler of Krypton by convincing everyone that he had non-existent super-powers.
- Hyper-Hypnosis: A form of hypnosis that can make the subject act against their moral code.[2]
Paraphernalia
Weapons
Ray-Gun
Notes
- This version of Ral-En, 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.
- Ral-En's sigil changed from a black truncated triangle to a square within a green circle, once ascending to his throne.
Trivia
- A similarly-themed Kryptonian story is "Prison in the Sky" in Superman #234, where escaped prisoner Ed-Ilv fakes superpowers upon crash-landing on Krypton, and once again, Jor-El sees through his ruse.
Related
- 2 Appearances of Ral-En (Earth-One)
- 2 Images featuring Ral-En (Earth-One)
- 1 Quotations by or about Ral-En (Earth-One)
- Character Gallery: Ral-En (Earth-One)
Footnotes