HEADCANON/META
tw: child exploitation, grooming, minor mentions of pedophilia sexual abuse (kon is a minor in those first years)
Kon's first month were with Cadmus. They woke him up, gave a narrative that they wanted him to imprint on and with, then began training him. Kon did not get much rest because his stamina allowed for grueling long hours of breaking, melting, freezing, and taking hits from various objects. That new mind was open to wanting praise, being told he was going to be one of the greatest heroes, and that he would save so many lives caused the clone to take it in stride, happy to exist and help.
When there was a lack of rotation in the scientists, Kon was essentially put into hyper sleep back in the tube. The first fear implanted of having no control over consciousness. He pushed it deep down, not wanting to be defective or lose the praise. It festered as things do with beings that overthink. When the newsboys broke him out, that was one of the reasons he took the chance to leave, feeling more than capable of doing what he was made for and not wanting to go back into the tube.
We fast forward to Rex Leech - a failed business man who has done shady deals to save his pitches or keep himself relevant. He has hit some lows, including trying to buy the photos Jimmy Olsen took of Superman's funeral. Their altercation turned physical and in his ego got the best of her, telling his bodyguards to shoot Jimmy. Robin (Tim Drake) saved Jimmy just as the interaction between the two caused a small riot that Metro police had to contain.
When he hears about Superboy, it is to hire a villain to attack him for better publicity. Most of Kon's career was becoming staged once people knew about him and I fear Kon doesn't know this, has never known this. Rex used Roxy to lure Superboy in, showing him that fangirls could boost and feed into his need for praise. This is where the trouble just doesn't end.
Roxy, being angry at her father on night, tried to sexually seduce and use Kon, but Kon had already convinced himself, he was meant to be with Tana. Tana continuously played a back and forth game with him, wanting him to be mature. Rex's version of touring his heroism was party after party where a villain was hired or lured to crash it and kissing contest with women to exploit Kon as a commodity they could touch because Superman was not an option but a fantasy. Kon made those come true, or most of them that could be hidden behind the flash of lights and praises. Rex also had him model and do advertisements using the 'sex sells' theme. This loops into the era of Knockout, where abuse crossed darker lines and unhealthy habits began to weave deeper into Kon such as suicidal thoughts/attempts and more sexual abuse. Tana and Rex were already grooming Kon, leaving his mental state open for worst predators such as Knockout.
At this point, a year and a half into his life, Kon has not had any say in his body and mind. He has been following others around, even when solo for that brief time before Rex because he wanted to prove himself to Superman. This guy has no fucking idea who he is and others influences are slowly turning his confidence into a rollar coaster ride. He learns to automatically ON all the time, even when not in front of cameras. That might have been the hardest thing to break from this time in his life and honestly, I don't feel Kon has escaped it yet. This does not even cover how others had cloned him and those clones did not do very well. Match is the only surviving clone of Kon, whom he deems his brother without hesitation.
NOW
THE RECENT COMIC DC's Hawk girl Summer.
A speck of diving back into the 90's Superboy comics, Kon gets a reminder of how people saw him during those years before his death. To say it is startling would be an understatement. Kon believes in Clone rights, but he understands Superman's experience now and seeing the model would have made him angry. Finding out it is a robot, worse considering while in space Travv cloned him, again without his knowledge or consent and used that body to cause havoc. Travv believed Kon had all the right tools but his brain was the problem.
Bart wanting him to see it because he knows how Kon feels about that is real. The small glimpse of Kon finally realizing that his past was wrong, unexpected. It's a mirror to show him what he avoids and pushes down in himself. They saw him as sex that sells, an idiot who was there to preform for the mass, one trick kind of party guy and it is deflating. Seeing people using him as a gimmick or photo opt for the wrong reasons. This would also remind him of the reckless time he caused the death of a pilot and John Irons had to talk him down after seeing that scolding him made the kid feel devestated.
Kon would ne enraged and upset. More so when it puts people's lives at risk for publicity and fun. Kon would have confiscated that robot and taken him to the fortress or barn to be safely disassembled. If it looks like him, it is his at that point to take away.
Kon has always taken hits on the chin, but at some point enough is enough.