Earl Jenkins (1968-2002)[2] worked for six seasons as a farm hand at the Kent Farm before beginning work as a janitor at the LuthorCorp Fertilizer Plant Number Three.
Season One[]
Earl was assigned to clean Level Three, a secret area used to do agricultural experiments utilizing meteor rock to speed up growth of corn crops. The fertilizer was applied to the crops as a green mist. Shortly before Lex Luthor was exiled to Smallville to learn the ropes of corporate management, there was an explosion at Level Three while Earl was cleaning. The experiment was shut down, sealed off, and Earl was transferred to Metropolis.
The meteor rock penetrated Earl's skin during the accident. Four months later, he began having jitters as his body tried to push the meteor rock out of his body. As the condition worsened, Earl lost his job and had to leave his wife and family. Medication didn't work to control the problem and Earl, desperate to find a cure, sought out Lionel Luthor in Metropolis.
Trying to get into the building to speak with Lionel Luthor in Metropolis, he accidentally killed a janitor and ran away to Smallville after overhearing Clark talk about his school field trip, where he took a group of students hostage at the LuthorCorp Plant. With the help of Clark Kent, he managed to find the former site Level 3, but it was empty. Upon leaving the plant, he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Lex pledged to help him get the best possible health care.
LuthorCorp funded Jenkins stay at Metropolis General Hospital. Six months after the hostage crisis, Jenkins died. He was survived by his wife, Belinda, and their infant son, Johnny. (Chloe Chronicles)
Sometime later, Chloe Sullivan came upon Earl's grave while investigating a lead from Earl's colleague Arthur Walsh. (Chloe Chronicles, Volume Two)
Appearances[]
- Season One: Jitters
- Chloe Chronicles (archive footage)
- Season Three: Extinction (Mentioned only)
Notes[]
- The Chloe Chronicles revealed that Earl died six months after the events of Jitters, survived by his wife, Belinda, and their infant son, Johnny.
In the Comics[]
Earl emitting Kryptonite radiation from his body is similar to Superman villain Kryptonite Man. There have been several Kryptonite Man/Kid in the comics. The first was Lex Luthor in Action Comics #249 (February, 1959). The second was an alien (called "Kryptonite Kid") who, like Earl Jenkins, was exposed to a Kryptonite cloud. Other Kryptonite Men includes Dr. Kane/Doctor Kryptonite, who appeared in Action Comics #349 (April, 1967); Kryptonite Man, an enemy of both Superman and Supergirl, who first appeared in Superman #397 (July, 1984); The Kryptonite Man, a Green Kryptonite-infused Superman clone, who appeared in Superman Vol 2 #43 (May, 1990); K. Russell Abernathy/Kryptonite Man who first appeared in Superman #650 (May, 2006); Clay Ramsay/K-Man who first appeared in Action Comics Vol 2 #5 (March, 2012).
References[]
- ↑ Name established in Chloe Chronicles
- ↑ Chloe Chronicles, Volume Two