Professor Potter

Phineas Potter first appeared in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #22 (August 1957) and was created by Otto Binder and Curt Swan.

Pre-Crisis

The original incarnation of Professor Potter is the uncle of Lana Lang and first encounters the Man of Steel during his teenage years as Superboy. A professor and eccentric scientist, Potter often invents odd or fantastical devices for the betterment of humanity. However, he rarely considers the potential downsides of his inventions. While several of his devices are harmless, many others are not and cause chaos when activated.

Potter befriended three newspaper reporters from the Daily Planet: Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Clark Kent. Olsen, in particular, is often the victim of Potter's inventions gone awry. Thanks to the professor, Olsen was briefly evolved into a super-intelligent being, given an elongated nose, stricken with "flame-breath", and cursed with an evil twin, among other calamities.

Post-Crisis

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, which reboots DC's continuity, Clark Kent's history is revised so that he does not become a superhero until adulthood, and thus never operates as Superboy. Potter appears as a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist uninvolved with Superman. The Superboy he encounters is Conner Kent, a clone of Superman.

Professor Potter appears in The Adventures of Superboy.