Jor-El was a respected scientist from Krypton and husband of Lara and older brother of Zor-El. He is father of Kal-El, who he sent to Earth so he could save him from the destruction of Krypton allow him to grow up on another planet as its greatest protector.
Biography[]
Physical death on Krypton[]
Jor-El was a member of the Science Council of the planet Krypton, who discovered that the planet and its sun are on the verge of destruction. However, his warnings to the Science Council fell on deaf ears, as they considered this to be inciting sedition. Earlier on, Jor-El was involved in the sentencing of three dangerous criminals, General Zod, Non, and Ursa, for the crime of inciting sedition against the government and banished them to eternal imprisonment in the Phantom Zone amid threats from General Zod that one day his adversary and even his heirs will bow down before him.
Undaunted by the ignorance of the Science Council, Jor-El built a star ship for his infant son Kal-El to travel to Earth in, placing within the ship a green glowing crystal and an energy module containing the last remaining energies of Krypton. Lara sees the Earth as being primitive and that Kal-El will be a stranger among them, but Jor-El assures her that his son shall never be alone. As they watch the star ship rise into the sky and depart from Krypton, the ground crumbles underneath their feet and everyone else's until both Krypton and its sun explodes.
Training Kal-El in the Fortress[]
About 18 years after reaching Earth, Kal-El who became Clark Kent was summoned by the Green Crystal to travel to the Arctic Circle and cast it into the sea from where it created a Kryptonian-style structure called the Fortress of Solitude. Inside, Clark activated a holographic representation of his biological father Jor-El, who taught his son the true nature of himself and his true name of Kal-El, spending 12 years teaching his son everything the memory crystals have recorded. At the end of the teaching, Kal-El stood in the uniform of a superhero that the world will call Superman, bearing the family crest of El as a symbol upon his chest as did his real father before him.
Restoring Kal-El's powers[]
The spirit of Jor-El chose to stop appearing to Clark. Instead, his mother Lara began to appear more often as a mentor. The absence of Jor-El's teachings during this time may have impacted Clark's decision to remove his powers to embrace a normal life with Lois Lane as his wife.
After finding that General Zod had escaped and conquered Earth while he was away, Clark struggled to make the journey he once did so easily as an eighteen year old Kryptonian years ago. Jor-El listened to his son desperate plea to him in the darkness for a short while before the green crystal began to glow in the charred remnants of the control console. Soon afterword Kal-El's powers were restored, though Jor-El still chose never to appear to him again, even in his son's darkest hour.
Other versions[]
Donner continuity[]
After Lois Lane discovers Clark is Superman, he took her to the Fortress of Solitude where he confesses his love for her before they spend the night together. He later confides with the hologram of Jor-El about his desire to be with her and live an ordinary life. Jor-El criticizes his desire as being selfish, but Superman asks how much good has he done would be good enough to allow him some form of happiness with someone else. Unable to sway his son to think otherwise, Jor-El told him that the only way he can do that is to live as one of the humans, without any of his powers, and showed him the molecular chamber that harnesses the power of Krypton's red sun that will remove his powers forever. Believing that his love for Lois was worth the cost, Superman stepped into the chamber. As it stripped his son of his powers, Jor-El looked up at Lois wearing his family crest with no pants in distain. The lovers left the fortress soon afterwards.
After finding Earth being terrorized by Zod while he was away, Clark realized how much the world needs him as Superman. Clark managed to make the return journey to the fortress. The green crystal began to glow again, and the spirit Jor-El manifested itself as never before. Painfully, Clark accepted that restoring his powers will mean he will never be able to communicate with his father's spirit again, as it will take all energy he has left to restore his power. Jor-El placed his hand on Clark's shoulder and merged with his son, fulfilling what Jor-El had said before he sent his son to Earth: "The son becomes the father, and the father the son."
Singer continuity[]
As it is implied that Luthor visited the Fortress once before, and the structure itself still stands, it can only be interrupted as a sequel to the theatrical cut of Superman II. Luthor activates the memory crystal of Joe-El's earliest teachings. When Luthor's thugs ask if Jor-El can hear them, he replies "No. He's dead." Jor-El explains in detail the crystal technology works. Luthor is still seems completely unaware that the spiritual essence of Jor-El and his wife reside in the Fortress.
