HALK KAR
Created By: Edmond Hamilton & Al Plastino
First Appearance: Superman #80 (Jan. 1953)
Role: Superman-Like Hero, One-Off Character
Group Affiliations: None
-You have to give it to 1950s DC- they were clearly early adherents of recycling. Halk Kar in particular is a good example, as DC re-told more or less the exact same origin story for the creation of Mon-El eight years later. Granted that's a long time considering their fanbase was considered pretty young. Halk Kar was an alien from Thoron with physiology similar to Kryptonians, said to have visited Krypton shortly before its destruction, befriending Jor-El. When he arrived on Earth years later, he had no memory, and when Superman encountered him carrying a note written by Jor-El, Clark theorized that perhaps this mystery man was his BROTHER! Realizing that Halk Kar's powers were far weaker than his own, Superman decided to cover for him (to spare him from embarrassment) by making it seem like Halk was more powerful than he really was. However, this plan backfired, as Halk began thinking way too highly of himself, taking a superior attitude with Superman and even making time with Lois Lane!
-Finally the two teamed up to fight a criminal, but Halk was electrocuted and this restarted his memory. Halk then gave a proper telling of his origin story- he'd merely crashed on Krypton and had his rocketship repaired by Jor-El, and was sent to Earth while in suspended animation. It was a map of Krypton to Earth that Jor-El had sent him with, which is what Superman saw. Halk Kar bids farewell and we never see him again, Superman being left with the memory of what it's like to have a brother, if only temporarily.
-And of course, this character becomes a bit more notorious because in 1961, Superboy found a crashed rocket from a man named Lar Gand, who himself was left amnesiac after being in suspended animation, and had met Jor-El in the past. With powers identical to Superman's, Lar was thought to be Kryptonian, leading Superboy to think that Gand may be his long-lost brother! Naming him "Mon-El", Superboy revels in having a new brother, but is infuriated when Mon-El proves immune to Kryptonite. Thinking him a fake, he "tested" him with some lead painted green- Mon-El reacts with pain that Superboy thinks is proof of his deception, but soon finds out that the reaction is genuine- Lar Gand is a DAXAMITE, whose people are Kryptonian-like but fatally vulnerable to lead. Mon-El regains his memories but is dying, so a guilt-ridden Superboy places him in the Phantom Zone until a cure can be found- it takes one thousand years, but he is saved by the Legion of Super-Heroes and becomes their key powerhouse. So they more or less copied the "Halk Kar" story directly, but changed the second half.