Second, some of those changes are not purely mine. They include elements folded in after I left. (A very curious element is to be seen in those who seem to have confused my origin of Superman with the origin I gave Marina. They insist baby Kal did not take on human form until Martha Kent touched him.)

••

Not quite.

When I was a child in England, one of my favorite storybooks features the adventures of Young Robin Hood -- our hero as a ten year old, long before he had any of his familiar adventures, and teamed up with Marion, Little John, Tuck, etc, all a kids, all years before they "really" met.

I suggested to the the Legion office that they take this approach to Superboy. The tales that inspired the youg Legion members were legends of a time that did not really exist. (In that sense, also not unlike Zorro.)

I was assured that "everything was taken care of"… which resulted in a panicked call from my editor as if finally dawned on all concerned that my new origin had eliminated Superboy. Hence, the Pocket Universe.

(Not quite sure how Mon-El could serve in Superboy's stead, since he antedated the Legion, and his whole backstory was based on the previous mythology.)