Elseworlds: What if Superman were trans?
Before there was Clark, there was Clarice.
The Kents had begged for a boy. A human boy.
What they got was…something else.
They did the best they could. Who were they to question what gender meant to a child from Krypton? But certain pieces of a disguise had to be put in place. The danger was too great.
If anyone found out the truth…
BEFORE THERE WAS SUPERBOY…THERE WAS SUPERGIRL
As a young girl, nothing about Clarice Kent’s body, behavior, or identity provoked the residents of Smallville into telling Clarice she was anything other than the child the Kents had prayed the skies to send.
So what if her parents told her to keep parts of herself a secret? What they said made sense. If anyone ever found out the truth about Clarice…
Her parents asked her to wear glasses. Keep her hair short. Tell everyone her name was Clark. The more elements to the deception, the harder it would be for anyone to see the truth.
Maybe one day, she could find a way to come out. But for now, time was what they needed. Time was what they had.
THE MOMENT BEFORE TRANSITION
Early in the morning, Clarice often sat on the roof of the barn and waited for the day to begin. She looked to the sky and dreamed of the day she could remove these glasses, take the leap, and fly as her true self.
But the sunrise reminded her how far off that time still was and might always be. She had to put on a boy’s clothes. A boy’s glasses. A boy’s name. An alter ego that threatened to become more real than the girl fighting to exist.
THE FIRST STING OF PAIN
Pretending to be a boy hurt Clarice in a way she couldn’t explain. When she faced physical danger, she felt almost invincible. Like bullets would bounce off her.
But telling people her name was “Clark” felt like stabbing herself with steel . She suddenly felt human. Just as easily hurt, just as easily broken.
At least it was only a feeling. At least her body still belonged to her. She was a willing participant in the deception. Mild mannered for a reason. Girl, boy, her parents knew which one was best. If it meant safety, she would do it.
THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED
One day, she sat on the roof of the barn. She waited for the day to begin. The sun usually heralded a return to normalcy.
But this time, those rays touched her in a new way.
This time, the yellow sun began to change her body…
Some changes were amazing. Some were just WRONG.
And soon, Clarice had to decide whether becoming Earth’s greatest protector was worth sacrificing the things she never thought she’d have to live without.
WRITING EXERCISE: YOUR MISSION…IF YOU CHOOSE TO TRANSITION
The first taste is free, but to finish the story, I need that contract from DC.
While I wait!
I want to hear YOUR story. Write your best Tweet Fic (280 characters or less) response to this prompt.
And if it leads you to write something longer? Maybe DC will hire all of us to write an anthology show reinventing their most famous characters as trans superheroes :)
WHERE TO START YOUR STORY
Pick any point from the life of Clarice/Clark Kent.
Will you start as far back as Krypton? Or will you keep the story to their time on Earth?
Will you tell their life as a baby? Or will you go far ahead into the future — when they’re looking back on the decisions that came to define their life? Was it worth it?
What was it like before they felt dysphoria? What was it like when they did? What was it like after they chose how to live with their experiences in a world that would now treat them as an alien?
Is kryptonite their form of puberty blockers? Do they wear a kryptonite necklace to always keep their powers in check? Does it leave them weak, disoriented, vulnerable…but at least leaves their body as that of a girl?
Do they worry that if they ever take the kryptonite necklace off…they can never go back?
What happens when a crisis puts the people Clarice Kent loves in danger…and the only way to save them is to let go of the necklace? To let her body advance into the form of a hulking male giant no one would ever suspect was actually a girl?
The end
Hi, it’s Stephenie!
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