Jor-El

"Were it not for vanity, why.. at this very moment.. I could embrace you within my arms. My son."

- Jor-El to his son, Kal-El Jor-El (died 1975) was the brother of the late Zor-El, the father of Kal-El, the husband of the late Lara Van-El, and the paternal uncle of Kara Zor-El, as well as one of the most respected scientists of Krypton.

Krypton
Jor-El was a scientist who lived during the last days of Krypton. He had a deep love and respect for Krypton's ancient past, which contrasted sharply with the cold, sterile world the planet had become. When it was arranged for Jor-El to be bonded with Lara (the reason being they were the most genetically compatible), Jor-El broke with tradition and asked if he could see the woman with whom he would have a child. Jor-El fell in love with her, and she eventually came to love him as well. They lived together, and a son was conceived.

After finding out the planet Krypton was doomed, Jor-El attempted to warn the Kryptonian Council, but they refused to listen to him. They rebuked the thought that a new element could have occurred without their knowledge, as "not a cloud traversed the sky that they did not control." Jor-El pleaded with them that they must evacuate the planet, but this was regarded as blasphemy and he was banished from their sight.

Soon thereafter, Jor-El realized that his prediction about the planet exploding was off--he only had days at most, not months. He treated Kal-El before placing the matrix chamber in a rocket ship. Lara was appalled when she first learned that Jor-El intended to send their child to Earth, as she felt it was a savage, backward planet. Jor-El insisted that it would be an ideal environment for their son, and pointed out that under Earth's yellow sun, he would be virtually a god among men. Kal-El was saved, and Jor-El and Lara spent their last moments together before the planet exploded.

Sending Kal-El to Earth
Inside the rocket ship which brought Kal-El to Earth, Jor-El left a message for his son explaining his origins. This message was relayed via a holographic version of Jor-El that appeared to Kal-El. Clark was wary of the strange image at first, not understanding the Kryptonese until the hologram made actual contact with him. In addition to "downloading" the message of his origins, it also gave him knowledge of how to speak his native tongue.

An ice sculpture in the Fortress of Solitude was crafted in Jor-El's image.