Matter-Eater Lad
	Name: Tenzil Kem Home Planet: Bismoll Super-Power: Super-eating & digestion Member Since: 2963

Origin | Super-Power | Personal Data | Membership Record

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"Matter-Eater Lad (Tenzil Kem) came from the planet Bismoll, where, over a period of eons, microbes made all food poisonous. To survive, the people evolved the ability to eat anything. With his super-strong teeth and super-digestion, Matter-Eater Lad can eat his way through stone, iron, wood, or any other material, with no ill effects."

- Adventure Comics No. 329 (Feb. 1965) "Know Your Legionnaires"

First Appearance: (Out of costume) Adventure Comics No. 301 (written by Jerry Siegel, drawn by John Forte); (in costume) Adventure Comics No. 303 (written by Jerry Siegel, drawn by John Forte)

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Matter-Eater Lad can eat any substance in any amount (Adventure Comics No. 362 "Meet the Legionnaires"), and at super-speed (344). His super-strong teeth assist him in the digestive process by chewing up hard objects for him to swallow (340, 345).

To Matter-Eater Lad, ray-guns taste "good" (303), iron chains are "like chocolate cake" (360), prison-robot fingers are "just as tasty" as ladyfingers (351), and polymeric fibers "taste like taffy" (363). Certain space-jewels, while edible, are not as favorable to his palate (338).

He can consume an unlimited amount of matter in any form - solid, liquid (Adventure Comics No. 318), or gas (336). Once he hollowed out a big meteor (319).

Matter-Eater Lad's sense of taste is so developed that it is able to discern if a substance is poisonous to others, even though he can eat it himself (Adventure Comics No. 318).

Limitations and Weaknesses: None

Speculative Explanation of Power: Eons ago, microbes slowly began to poison food sources on the planet Bismoll. Naturally, evolution favored life that could adapt to changes in its environment.

Just as an Earth person's teeth are made stronger and harder from the minerals it absorbs from eating, the super-hard teeth of a person from Bismoll are reinforced by the elements and minerals that they consume. While their teeth may be as hard as steel or diamonds, that factor alone does not allow them to eat anything.

At the thought of eating, special saliva is produced in their mouths that contains super-enzymes capable of chemically breaking down the molecular structure of any object - much like a powerful acid. This then allows it to be chewed in the first stage of super-digestion. Once, when Computo robbed Matter-Eater Lad of his power to produce this "super-enzyme", biting into a piece of steel hurt his teeth and jaw (Adventure Comics No. 340). This saliva also neutralizes and detoxifies poisonous matter instantly. It also coats his mouth and tongue to prevent him from being burned by acidic or molten substances.

After the semi-dissolved matter is swallowed, it enters a metabolizing chamber in the body which transforms the matter into energy. This energy is quickly absorbed into the circulatory system and distributed throughout the body by special cells in the blood. Much of the assimilated energy goes directly into fueling the super-speed necessary to continue the eating process - which is measured in tons per minute. Once the eating stops, any unused energy is stored in special cells that are the equivalent of adipocytes, which constitute adipose (or fat) tissue, in Earthling bodies.

Once, Matter-Eater Lad had tunneled his way through tons of earth to eat his way out of Nardo's stalag of space. Later, he was struck by nuclear ray reflected off of Superboy's chest. The energy conflicted with the natural processes of his body, slowing down his metabolism drastically. The excess energy could not be dissipated properly and his energy storage cells filled past capacity. The result was that they expanded so greatly that he looked like a "captive balloon" (Adventure Comics No. 344/345). With his slower metabolic rate, it took him several months to reduce his weight somewhat but it wasn't until he drank Dr. Zan Orbal's metabolic normalizing serum that Matter-Eater Lad could quickly dispose of the excess stored energy and return to his normal self (and size) again (351).

Starfinger once used a ray to reverse Matter-Eater Lad's digestive processes so that the metal he had just eaten started to assimilate him instead of vice-versa, with the startling result that Matter-Eater Lad's body was transformed into metal (Adventure Comics No. 335)!

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Physical Description: Tenzil has wavy black hair, brushed back from the forehead, which has a crease over the brow. He also has dimples in both cheeks, a strong jaw, and a prominent chin.

Personality: Tenzil is a person who is not afraid to speak his mind (Adventure Comics No. 317), speaking out for rights and justice, as when he berated Brainiac 5 for creating Computo, which he thought had killed his good friend Triplicate Girl (341). Tenzil is also a witty person (351). He can speak with honesty and diplomacy and is able to diffuse a tense situation through words over action (Action Comics No. 381/2).

Although he often gives the impression of being a "stick in the mud" type, he is actually quite sociable and knows how to show a lady a good time (Action Comics No. 381/2).

In 2965, Tenzil lived in his own apartment in Metropolis, across the hall from Element Lad, and his parents still lived on Bismoll, making occasional visits to his apartment (Adventure Comics No. 338). By 2968, however, his parents had moved to Metropolis, and he moved in with them, to a place in the lowest level of the city. He is ashamed to let others see his "slum sector" home (Action Comics No. 381/2).

Skills: Tenzil is an artistic person who can sculpt clay busts of people (Adventure Comics No. 338). He is also a skilled speaker, who can anticipate questions, and possesses the charm and intelligence to present acceptable solutions (Adventure Comics No. 303).

Interests: Politics (Adventure Comics No. 354)

Nicknames: "M.E. Lad" (Adventure Comics No. 351), "Tenz" (338)

Relationships: Tenzil gets along well with Ferro Lad (Adventure Comics No. 351). He is also close to Element Lad, who lives in an apartment next door to his, and they often visit each other to help each other out (338). His other Legion friends are Duo Damsel (325, 341), Star Boy (317), Bouncing Boy, who initially inspired him to join the Legion of Super-Heroes (301), and Shrinking Violet, with whom he shares a special bond, the two having once dated and confided in each other their problems. The two even shared a kiss (Action Comics No. 381/2).

Known Relatives: Rall Kem (father) and Mitz Kem (mother), currently living in Metropolis (Adventure Comics No. 338, Action Comics No. 381/2). He is supportive of his parents who need his monthly Legion living allowance to keep going, but he is not afraid to talk plainly and firmly to his parents about their problems (381/2).

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Application: Matter-Eater Lad left Bismoll for Earth when he was 16 (Action Comics No. 381/2) to try out for the Legion, first applying dressed in different clothing. He was inspired by Bouncing Boy's story of how he was accepted and so vowed not to give up trying either (Adventure Comics No. 301). Induction: After passing qualifying tests, Matter-Eater Lad was called back again to demonstrate his power before the voting board. After convincing them of the usefulness of his ability, he was sworn in as a member right away (Adventure Comics No. 303).

Career Highlights:

Adventure Comics No. 303 (Dec. 1962) "The Fantastic Spy"

When the Science Police suspected there was a traitor in the Legion, Matter-Eater Lad, being the newest member, couldn't help but feel that he was suspected. Later, he went along with a plan of Brainiac 5's - to flee in guilt after being accused in order to catch the real spy, a miniature operative hiding inside Sun Boy's ankle.

Adventure Comics No. 317 (Feb. 1964) "The Menace of Dream Girl"

At first attracted to new member Dream Girl, Matter-Eater Lad began to suspect her "nightmarish actions" of expelling and suspending members. Later he accused her of being Chameleon Boy in disguise, and got suspended himself, for making false accusations against a fellow member.

Adventure Comics No. 318 (Mar. 1964) "The Mutiny of the Legionnaires"

Matter-Eater Lad was one of the crew manning the space-ark to relocate the people of Xenn. His job was to supervize the robots in the engine room. Mutinying against the power-mad Sun Boy, he and his castaway comrades survived many ordeals before returning home. Stranded on a barren planet, Matter-Eater Lad ate through rock to locate a form of honey for his comrades to survive upon.

Adventure Comics No. 325 (Oct. 1964) "Lex Luthor Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes"

Matter-Eater Lad and Triplicate Girl went on a mission to Khann, the criminal world, to arrest Atro, one of the evil Brain-Lords who ruled there. An increase in "space static" kept their Legion ship from being detected on the villains' radar screens, allowing the heroes to pilot their ship safely down to the planet and kidnap Atro so he could be taken to Earth and punished for his crimes.

Adventure Comics No. 344/345 (May/June 1966) "The Super-Stalag of Space" / "The Execution of Matter-Eater Lad"

After he and his fellow teammates went off to rescue Brainiac 5 from Nardo's stalag of space and got captured themselves, Matter-Eater Lad decided to tunnel out, using his power of super-digestion, with Blockade Boy, another of the prisoners. Nardo caught them when they emerged and shot at them with his nuclear blast. Blockade Boy used his power to shield Matter-Eater Lad and died saving him. Later, Matter-Eater Lad stood in front of a firing squad but most of the deadly rays were blocked by Superboy this time. Some of the energy, however, slid around Superboy's invulnerable body and hit Matter-Eater Lad, slowing his metabolism so that he became fat from all the tons of dirt he had previously eaten.

Adventure Comics No. 351 (Dec. 1966) "The Forgotten Legion"

Matter-Eater Lad, along with Cosmic Boy, Ferro Lad, and Miss Terious, answered an emergency call from R. J. Brande's estate. When the group was attacked by prison-robots that caged them in their extendible metal fingers, Matter-Eater Lad ate his way through, allowing them all to escape. After Matter-Eater Lad was kidnapped by the Wild Huntsman, he was taken to Dr. Zan Orbal, who gave him an instant weight-reduction serum that restored his metabolism to normal.

Action Comics No. 381 (Oct. 1969) "The Hapless Hero"

Matter-Eater Lad returned to his home in the slums after a Legion meeting and had to deal with his nervous mother and hopeless gambler father. Their disagreements came to a head, and Matter-Eater Lad walked out and returned to Legion H.Q. Encountering Shrinking Violet, and hearing how she had been stood up by Duplicate Boy, he asked her out on a date to cheer her up. She accepted, and the two went to an expensive restaurant and then to a gravity-free ballroom. Having confided in each other their problems, they thanked each other... and kissed. When Duplicate Boy teleported in and challenged him, Matter-Eater Lad was able to diffuse his anger by pointing out that a fight wouldn't solve anything, least of all Shrinking Violet's preference. Duplicate Boy admitted defeat at Matter-Eater Lad's words, but Shrinking Violet explained how she still loved him and how Matter-Eater Lad had helped her. The next day, Matter-Eater Lad received a letter from his parents stating that they admitted they were wrong and asked him to come home.

For information concerning Matter-Eater Lad after 2969, click here.

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