Jonathan and Martha Kent were average folks living on a farm in a small town aptly named Smallville when their lives changed forever. The couple witnessed the crashlanding of a mysterious spaceship and were shocked to find an infant boy inside. Recognizing the need to protect the boy, and wanting a child of their own, the Kents chose to adopt him and keep the story of his arrival a secret.

Superman’s adoptive parents named him Clark, giving him Martha’s maiden name as his first name. It turns out that Clark was lucky to land at the Kents’ place, because they are loving parents who nurture him and help him learn to control his powers. They are also people of strong moral fiber who teach him to be a good person that shapes him into the great hero, Superman.

Ma and Pa Kent were created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster who introduced them in Superman #1 (June 1939). They were mentioned in Superman’s debut in Action Comics #1 (June 1938), but at that point the story was that an unnamed passing motorist found him. For the first decade of their appearances, Ma and Pa were given different names, with Martha called Mary or Sarah and Jonathan originally called Eben. Jonathan was first given that name in Adventure Comics #149 (February 1950) and Ma officially became Martha in Superboy #12 (January 1951).

Superboy was also the title that gave them a more prominent role in comics. They sold the farm and moved into town where they opened a general store. As Clark’s powers developed, Jonathan helped him learn how to control them so that he didn’t hurt anyone or himself. Jonathan and Martha also encouraged Clark to keep his abilities a secret to protect him. Still, Clark wanted to use his extraordinary powers, so they made a compromise that he could become Superboy if they hid his identity. Martha made him a costume, using the blankets from his ship, while Jonathan helped Clark to develop his secret identity as a mild-mannered boy to differentiate him from his superstrong alter ego.

In Superman’s original continuity, the pair died just after Clark graduated from high school. They traveled to the Caribbean Islands on vacation where Jonathan found a pirate’s treasure chest. Unbeknownst to them, the chest contained a fatal tropical disease that soon killed Martha and Jonathan.

They were revived by writer John Byrne in The Man of Steel limited series with a continuity that was relatively the same. The difference was that when Clark grew to adulthood and moved to Metropolis, the Kents remained alive and active in his life. From that point on, some stories/reboots left the Kents alive when Superman grew up, and others killed one or both of them.