Pete Ross

Pete Ross
Pete Ross, as a teenager. From New Adventures of Superboy #9, September 1980. Art by Kurt Schaffenberger
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Superboy (volume 1) #86 (January 1961)
Created by	Leo Dorfman George Papp
In-story information
Full name	Peter Joseph Ross
Team affiliations	Legion of Super-Heroes
Supporting character of	Superboy (Kal-El) Superman
Abilities	None

Peter Joseph "Pete" Ross is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman.

The character was created by Leo Dorfman and George Pappe, and first appeared in Superboy vol. 1 #86 (January 1961).

Pete was the childhood best friend of Clark Kent in Smallville. One night when they were camping together, Pete secretly saw Clark changing into Superboy to attend to an emergency. Pete kept his knowledge of the superhero's secret identity to himself, even avoiding revealing his discovery to Clark. Pete resolved to use this knowledge to help his friend, for example by creating a distraction to allow Clark to slip away from a dangerous situation without raising suspicion.

The Legion of Super-Heroes was aware of Pete's assistance to Clark and made him an honorary member during his teenage years (as shown in Superboy (volume 1) #98). During the Legion's battle with Mordru in Adventure Comics #370 ("The Devil's Jury"), it was stated that Pete Ross's knowledge of Superboy's secret identity would one day end up saving Superman's life (explaining why the Legion allowed Pete to retain that knowledge); however, no Superman story ever followed up on this detail until the very end of this continuity.

As an adult, Pete became widower with a son named Jonathan, who also learned the secret of Superman's secret identity (as shown in Action Comics #457). When Pete's son was kidnapped by an alien race (DC Comics Presents #13), Pete revealed to Clark his knowledge of his friend's dual identity, imploring Superman's help. When Clark was unable to provide this help, Pete suffered a nervous breakdown and attempted to discredit his former friend. Pete resided in a mental institution until his son was eventually saved.