evil autistic comics fan

Matrix was created by Lex Luthor in an apocalyptic alternate version of Earth. Luthor started the apocalypse by accident when he accidentally freed Kryptonian criminals General Zod, Zaora, and Quex-Ul from the Phantom Zone. These Kryptonians went on to destroy the entire planet, leaving Luthor scrambling for a way to stop them. The Universe’s only hero, Superboy (Clark, not Kon), died years before in an unrelated adventure—so shortly after Lana Lang’s death, Luthor modelled a protomatter creature after her ‘dna matrix’ and in homage to the late Superboy. This new ‘Lana’, he hoped, could both serve as a weapon against the Kryptonians and a messenger he could send to the main DC Universe to ask Superman for help.

Despite ‘Lana’ and Superman’s best efforts, the Kryptonians successfully destroyed all life on the planet, including the Pocket Universe’s Luthor, her creator. On his deathbed, Luthor reveals that he convinced his protomatter ‘Lana’ that she was the real and original Lana all along, and she never knew she wasn’t real. He reveals that he knows the location of Gold Kryptonite (removes Kryptonians’ powers) and Green Kryptonite (kills Kryptonians) and Superman should find them and end this once and for all. Superman asks him why he created this protomatter ‘Lana’ if he had access to all he needed to win all along, and he blames his own ego before dying.

Clark brought the severely damaged and in-shock ‘Lana’ home to his family, who took her in as their own. As she recovered, she lost her implanted ‘Lana’ memories and gave herself a new name—Matrix. Ma soon gave her the nickname ‘Mae,’ saying that Matrix is no name for a girl. The shock of finding out her entire life has been a lie leaves Mae in a childlike state, having to relearn basic information about the world and basic skills like reading. Clark, traumatised by his killing of the three Kryptonians, leaves Earth to recover himself without endangering humans. His absence leads people to begin to be concerned, and Matrix, already confused about her identity, decides to fill the absence and begins having a delusional episode. She shapeshifts into Clark and believes she actually is him (although she seems to not know that Clark is Superman) and hijinks ensue as she makes her way to the Daily Planet.

When Clark returns from his exile, he brings with him the Eradicator, a mysterious Kryptonian weapon. When Matrix comes in contact with it, it links her mind with Clark’s, pushing her from delusional into full-blown psychosis with hallucinations. She begins to believe she’s Superman and Clark is General Zod, and she must kill him to save her world. Clark eventually calms her down and she decides to leave Earth, just as he did, on her own mission to find a home.

She returns in 1992’s Panic in the Sky! event, having run into Draaga while still in her Superman form, leading him to mistake her for Clark, whom he has a death pact with. Shortly after he realises the truth, Brainiac arrives and puts Mae under his mind-control. Lots of fun superhero stuff occurs (read it! it’s lots of fun!) and eventually Draaga, having come to love Mae during the events of the arc, sacrifices himself to fulfill his blood pact and retain his honor without offending Mae by killing Clark. Mae reflects on this as she buries him and decides that she will keep the name Supergirl, as that’s the form she used while fighting alongside him.

She returns to Earth, and her ship is intercepted by Lex Luthor II, the estranged Australian son of absentee parent Lex Luthor. Seeing the young Luthor son’s flaming hair and young face, she mistakes him for her creator from the Pocket Universe and immediately professes her love. She’s embarrassed to find out her mistake, but her affection doesn’t go away. She and Luthor began a relationship, with Luthor being very sweet and affectionate and charitable, and Mae being very willing to hurt herself to help him.

Not long after they began their romance, Clark dies at the hands of Doomsday. Mae is distraught by her failure to save him and immediately takes on his mission, flitting around the world helping with disaster relief and stopping crime. Luthor begins ‘Team Luthor’ in an attempt to fill the hole left by Superman’s absence. He asks her to do a lot of things, like sending her to fetch people for him or asking her to shapeshift for him. He begins running tests on her to figure out how her powers work, since her creator died before he could tell Mae anything about her biology.

Not long after Clark’s return to life, Mae is approached by Elizabeth Perske during some testing in Singapore. Perske tells her about how Lex Luthor Sr., Lex II’s late father, mistreated her. She says she’s concerned Luthor II is not as kind as he’s pretending to be. Mae reacts poorly before being handed proof that she’s being followed—and then seeing the man who was following her working at LexCorp. She begins investigating and soon discovers that Luthor has been cloning her, creating his own army of mutated clones of her. She confronts him, only to find a sick and dying man. Clark stops her from killing him by pointing out how ill he is, and she relents.

Shortly after this, Lex Luthor II’s mother, Gretchen Kelley, betrays him and reveals to the press via Lois that 21 year old Lex Luthor II was in fact the 50+ year old Lex Luthor Sr., and he had faked his death to grow a young clone body around his brain and eyes. His clone body was deteriorating due to Clone Sickness, hence why he was dying. Lex reacts poorly to the betrayal, but Clark convinces him away from doing anything rash like destroy Metropolis—but Lex’s right hand man, Sydney Happersen (who you might have seen in the recent Superman movie), refuses to let him pussy out like that and sends the missiles himself, dying immediately after of an electrical shock from the malfunctioning button.

Mae, meanwhile, travels the world with Perske for a little while before spending some time in Charlotte, NC. Not too long into her stint there, however, she’s kidnapped by Raven. She ends up going on some adventures with the New Titans for a while, before leaving to save Superman from an alien Tribunal ordering his execution.

When she returns, she gets into a fight with Kon over his relationship with Knockout in Superboy (1994) and has an existential crisis in Showcase ‘96 (#8) before ending up in Leesburg, VA. In Leesburg she comes across a dying woman named Linda Danvers, a victim and member of a demonic cult. Feeling that she’s never been truly whole without a real link to humanity, she sacrifices herself to fuse her body with Linda’s. They create a new being, a combined soul of their two lives and memories, and become the Earthborn Angel of Fire. Mae loses her shapeshifting and invisibility powers and moves into Linda’s house, living her life. They have many adventures, but that’s beyond my expertise, as I’m not personally a fan of the comic and it represents a significant characterisation change for Mae.

“Hoped you’d come if it was Lana… she… never knew she wasn’t real.” “Never mind that now, Lex. What I want to know is why you didn’t use the gold Kryptonite before, if you knew it was there. All this could have been prevented years ago.” “Call it… ego, Superman.” Superman (1986) #22

Superman #21, the ruins of Smallville in the Pocket Universe.

It’s so beautiful at night, thought Supergirl, like a huge Christmas tree, going on for miles and miles. The city, with its millions of residents, held a constant fascination for her. There were no cities where she had come from, only ruins. This is what my world would have been like, if not for General Zod.

The Death and Life of Superman

“Her only memories are vague remembrances copied from a woman long dead. Her powers and abilities are far beyond those of human beings. But human is what she yearns to be…” Superman (1986) #30, narration during her recovery from the events of Supergirl Saga.

“I don’t have a typical day in my life,” Supergirl said. “Frankly, I don’t have anything outside of trying to help people. My ‘life’ is nothing like yours. Life is a concept I’m still trying to wrestle with. Sometimes I wonder if I even am alive… if any of us are… and what it all means.”

Showcase ‘96 #8

“I will miss this place. There are so many good memories here… some of them are even my own. but most of them are his.” Action Comics #644

Afraid that she was too dangerous to remain around normal human beings, she flew off into space.

The Death and Life of Superman

“In my existence, I have seen the death of my world, my friends—now this friend…this is the image I assumed when Draaga attacked me, thinking I was Superman. It is the form he died protecting.” The Adventures of Superman #489

After some time spent wandering among the stars, Supergirl finally came to realize that Earth was the closest thing to a home that she might find.

The Death and Life of Superman

“I’ll never forgive myself for putting you through such pain!” “Oh, Lex, forget about the pain! It doesn’t matter! I’d have done anything to help trap him… anything for you!” “Ah, love, you are my most precious gem.” “Am I really?” “You are indeed. I wish I had a hundred of you… a hundred… just like you.” Supergirl and Team Luthor (1993)

“It was love at first sight… for both of us.” “Really? Is that what he told you?” “Well… maybe not so much in words… at least, not at first. But I could tell from his eyes. You know, Dr. Kelley—some things you don’t have to hear to believe—you just know them.”

Supergirl (1994) #1

“She was all ‘grown-up’ from day one… no wonder she feels like a big girl. But she isn’t a wise girl… not yet. She’s still very young.” “It isn’t fair. I wish that just once—they could see Lex the way I do…”Supergirl (1994) #1

“I am sick and tired of the way you lead on that innocent child! She genuinely loves you—she’s devoted to you—and you’re just using her!” “You’re out of line, Kelley! In the first place, the matter is none of your concern. In the second place, that “innocent child” isn’t human.” “Lex, I know she’s an artificial life-form, but she is not a wind-up doll—she has feelings! And when she isn’t being dazzled by your charm, she has a good mind. That makes her human enough for me! Emotionally, she is an innocent. She’s like a young schoolgirl having her first serious crush, and you—!”

Supergirl (1994) #1

“Well, it’s very flattering, but this is my likeness—and I’d like some say in how it’s used!” “Knock-offs?! Isn’t there a licensing tag under the cape?” “Tag? Why, there is—! ‘Distinctive likeness… trademark of LexCorp… all rights reserved’?!” Supergirl (1994) #2

“How could I have been so stupid—so naive? I see it all now. How proud you were, Lex. I thought you were proud of me. But, no, you were just proud of yourself, weren’t you? That smile hid the pride of ownership! Well you don’t ‘own’ me anymore, Lex! Not now—and not ever again!” Supergirl (1994) #4

quick doodle of her and bart

“Hoped you’d come if it was Lana… she… never knew she wasn’t real.” “Never mind that now, Lex. What I want to know is why you didn’t use the gold Kryptonite before, if you knew it was there. All this could have been prevented years ago.” “Call it… ego, Superman.” Superman (1986) #22

Superman #21, the ruins of Smallville in the Pocket Universe.

It’s so beautiful at night, thought Supergirl, like a huge Christmas tree, going on for miles and miles. The city, with its millions of residents, held a constant fascination for her. There were no cities where she had come from, only ruins. This is what my world would have been like, if not for General Zod.

The Death and Life of Superman

“Her only memories are vague remembrances copied from a woman long dead. Her powers and abilities are far beyond those of human beings. But human is what she yearns to be…” Superman (1986) #30, narration during her recovery from the events of Supergirl Saga.

“I don’t have a typical day in my life,” Supergirl said. “Frankly, I don’t have anything outside of trying to help people. My ‘life’ is nothing like yours. Life is a concept I’m still trying to wrestle with. Sometimes I wonder if I even am alive… if any of us are… and what it all means.”

Showcase ‘96 #8

“I will miss this place. There are so many good memories here… some of them are even my own. but most of them are his.” Action Comics #644

Afraid that she was too dangerous to remain around normal human beings, she flew off into space.

The Death and Life of Superman

“In my existence, I have seen the death of my world, my friends—now this friend…this is the image I assumed when Draaga attacked me, thinking I was Superman. It is the form he died protecting.” The Adventures of Superman #489

After some time spent wandering among the stars, Supergirl finally came to realize that Earth was the closest thing to a home that she might find.

The Death and Life of Superman

“I’ll never forgive myself for putting you through such pain!” “Oh, Lex, forget about the pain! It doesn’t matter! I’d have done anything to help trap him… anything for you!” “Ah, love, you are my most precious gem.” “Am I really?” “You are indeed. I wish I had a hundred of you… a hundred… just like you.” Supergirl and Team Luthor (1993)

“It was love at first sight… for both of us.” “Really? Is that what he told you?” “Well… maybe not so much in words… at least, not at first. But I could tell from his eyes. You know, Dr. Kelley—some things you don’t have to hear to believe—you just know them.”

Supergirl (1994) #1

“She was all ‘grown-up’ from day one… no wonder she feels like a big girl. But she isn’t a wise girl… not yet. She’s still very young.” “It isn’t fair. I wish that just once—they could see Lex the way I do…”Supergirl (1994) #1

“I am sick and tired of the way you lead on that innocent child! She genuinely loves you—she’s devoted to you—and you’re just using her!” “You’re out of line, Kelley! In the first place, the matter is none of your concern. In the second place, that “innocent child” isn’t human.” “Lex, I know she’s an artificial life-form, but she is not a wind-up doll—she has feelings! And when she isn’t being dazzled by your charm, she has a good mind. That makes her human enough for me! Emotionally, she is an innocent. She’s like a young schoolgirl having her first serious crush, and you—!”

Supergirl (1994) #1

“Well, it’s very flattering, but this is my likeness—and I’d like some say in how it’s used!” “Knock-offs?! Isn’t there a licensing tag under the cape?” “Tag? Why, there is—! ‘Distinctive likeness… trademark of LexCorp… all rights reserved’?!” Supergirl (1994) #2

“How could I have been so stupid—so naive? I see it all now. How proud you were, Lex. I thought you were proud of me. But, no, you were just proud of yourself, weren’t you? That smile hid the pride of ownership! Well you don’t ‘own’ me anymore, Lex! Not now—and not ever again!” Supergirl (1994) #4