The El Family
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Real Identiies: Jor-El and Lara Van El
Appearance (STAS): The Last Son of Krypton Part One, Part Two, Stolen Memories (Jor-El), Blasts from the Past Part One (Jor-El) and Bizarro's World
Appearance (JLU): For the Man Who has Everything (Jor-El)
Powers: None/Kryptonian
Family: Kal-El(son)
Voiced By: Christopher McDonald and Mike Farrell [For the Man Who has Everything: Partial] (Jor-El)/ Finola Hughes (Lara)
Jor-El and Lara Van El are the late parents of Kal-El, later known as Superman on Earth. When Kal was an infant, Jor-El was a young and brash scientist. His technological expertise had previously helped prevent Jax-Ur's bid for power. The High Council sentenced Jax-Ur and Mala, his second, to the Phantom Zone via a projection device, of Jor-El's design.
Shortly after, Jor-El boldly predicted that planet Krypton was doomed. The planet's artificial intelligence, Brainiac dismissed his theory. The Council quickly sided with Brainiac. Jor-El was shocked to discover Brainiac was deliberately lying and using the remaining time to facilitate its own escape. Brainiac attempted to have Jor-El killed but failed. Jor-El raced home and prepared the lifeboat as an escape pod for his son. He modified his original plan of having one Kryptonian temporarily transport the rest of the population to the Phantom Zone until another planet was discovered. Kal-El would be automatically transported to the distant Earth where its solar system's sun would power him with yellow rays.
While the cold and aloof population of Krypton, Jor-El and Lara truly loved each other and their son, enough to make the ultimate sacrifice. Jor-El left the Phantom Zone Projector and an explanatory holographic cube in the lifeboat. Kal-El would be able to use it when he was of age. Both objects became mainstays in Superman's Fortress of Solitude. The cube helped Superman design and construct the layout and contains archives of Kryptonian information. Superman also erected a memorial, two giant statues of his parents holding the planet Krypton.