| Kryptonite | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance |
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| In story information | |
| Type | Element/compound |
| Element of stories featuring | |
Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily inSuperman stories published byDC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world ofKrypton that emits a unique, poisonous radiation that can weaken and even killKryptonians. Kryptonite radiation can be transmitted through any element exceptlead. There are other varieties of kryptonite, such as red and gold kryptonite, which have different but still generally negative effects.
Adversaries of Superman and other characters are frequently depicted using kryptonite against Superman,[1] withLex Luthor incorporating it into weapons,Metallo being powered by it, andTitano being able to project rays of kryptonite radiation from his eyes after being altered by simultaneous exposure to kryptonite anduranium. Due to Superman's popularity, kryptonite has become a byword for an extraordinary exploitable weakness, synonymous with "Achilles' heel".
An unpublished 1940 story titled "The K-Metal from Krypton", written by Superman creatorJerry Siegel, featured a prototype of kryptonite. It is a mineral from the planetKrypton that drains Superman of his strength and gives superhuman powers to humans. This story was rejected because Superman reveals his identity toLois Lane.[2]
The mineral kryptonite, not to be confused with the real elementkrypton, was first officially introduced in the radio serialThe Adventures of Superman, in the story "The Meteor from Krypton", broadcast in June 1943.[3] An apocryphal story claims that kryptonite was introduced to give Superman's voice actorBud Collyer time off. This tale was recounted byJulius Schwartz in his memoir.[4] However, the historian Michael J. Hayde disputes this: in "The Meteor From Krypton", Superman is never exposed to kryptonite. If kryptonite allowed Collyer to take vacations, that was a fringe benefit discovered later. More likely, kryptonite was introduced as a plot device for Superman to discover his origin.[5] On the other hand, Hayde might have mistaken 1945's "The Meteor of Kryptonite" for 1943's "The Meteor from Krypton", as Superman was exposed in the former but not in the latter.[6]
In the radio serial, Krypton is located in the same solar system as Earth, in the same orbit, but on theopposite side of the Sun. This provided an easy explanation for how kryptonite found its way to Earth. In the comics'Silver Age, which places Krypton in a distant solar system, much of the kryptonite that came to Earth was transported by the same "space warp" that baby Kal-El's rocket traversed.
Kryptonite was incorporated into the comic mythos withSuperman #61 (November 1949).[7] EditorDorothy Woolfolk stated in an interview withFlorida Today in August 1993 that she felt Superman's invulnerability was "boring".[8]
Long said to be an element in theGolden, Silver, andBronze Age comics, Kryptonite became a compound post-Crisis as revealed inAction Comics #591.
Various forms of the fictional material have been created over the years inSuperman publications and programs.[9] This table includes forms that have not persisted in canon.
| Type | First appearance | Origin | Effects | In other media | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kryptonians | Earthlings | Bizarro /Ultraman | ||||||||
| Film | Television | Video games | ||||||||
| Live-action | Animated | Live-action | Animated | |||||||
| Green | The Adventures of Superman radio serial, "The Meteor from Krypton" (June 1943)[3] Action Comics #161 (August 1951) | Fragments from Krypton | Severe, intensifying pain Loss of superpowers[10] Usual collapse Severe muscular weakness Fever Eventual unconsciousness Green blood or skin Eventual fatality[11] Non-accumulative[12] Mitigation by long-term[13] or high short-term[14] yellow sunlight absorption Blocked by lead | With prolonged exposure: carcinogenesis Possible cancer treatment[15] Gene-dependent superpowers (Smallville) Scientifically alterable (Smallville) | Bizarro: perfect health Bizarro World humans: temporary superpowers (Superman & Lois) | |||||
| Red | Superman #61 (November 1949) | Traversal through radiated space | Disinhibition Unpredictable effects[20] Same as green (prior toAdventure Comics #252, September 1958 only) | Justice League Action |
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| Positive Platinum | "All that Glitters",The Adventures of Superman TV series (1958) Batman Secret Files #1 (December 2018) | Impossible world (dream of Jimmy Olsen,The Adventures of Superman TV series/impossible world insidePhantom Zone, comics) | Source of superpowers (The Adventures of Superman TV series) | Permanent Kryptonian powers | The Adventures of Superman TV series | |||||
| Negative Gold | "All that Glitters",The Adventures of Superman TV series (1958) Adventure Comics #299 (August 1962) | Dream of Jimmy Olsen (The Adventures of Superman TV series) Green affected by "atomic radiation" | Permanent loss of superpowers Temporary memory loss (Justice League Action) |
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| Anti- Fool's Slow Hybrid | Action Comics #252 (May 1959) | Created by Metallo (The Brave and the Bold #175, June 1981) Synthesized on Earth (Lois & Clark) | None | Same as green on Kryptonians | Ultraman: Perfect health[21] |
| Scribblenauts Unmasked[19] | |||
| X- Orange | Action Comics #261 (January 1960) | Experiment by Supergirl to counteract green Fragments from Krypton (Superman & Lois,DC League of Super-Pets) | None | Temporary Kryptonian powers Paranoia (DC Super Hero Girls) | Bizarro: same as green on Kryptonians (Superman & Lois) | Scribblenauts Unmasked[19] | ||||
| Blue | Superman #140 (October 1960) | Green subjected to Professor Dalton's duplicator ray | None Loss of superpowers (Smallville) Counteracts red (Super Friends) | Perfect health (Smallville) | Bizarro: same as green on Kryptonians Bizarro: death (Smallville) Ultraman: perfect health[23] Blocked by "imperfect" lead |
|
| Scribblenauts Unmasked[19] | ||
| White | Adventure Comics #279 (December 1960) | Fragments of Krypton | Plants, bacteria, and viruses: death | Plants, bacteria, and viruses: death | Scribblenauts Unmasked[19] | |||||
| Red-green | Action Comics #275 (April 1961) | Created by Brainiac | Mutation Loss of superpowers (Superboy Comics #121, June 1965) | |||||||
| Red-green-blue-gold | Superman #162 (July 1963) | Invented by Superman | Splitting into red and blue beings Enhanced intelligence | |||||||
| Silver | Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #70 (July 1963) | Hoax by Jimmy Olsen Brainiac technology (Smallville, comics followingSuperman/Batman #46, April 2008) | Paranoid delusions |
| Scribblenauts Unmasked[19] | |||||
| Jewel Purple Purple-spotted | Action Comics #310 (March 1964) | Kryptonian mountains | Mind control powers | Nightmares (DC League of Super-Pets) | DC League of Super-Pets | Smallville |
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| Bizarro-red | Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #80 (October 1964) | Same as red on Kryptonians | Scribblenauts Unmasked[19] | |||||||
| Red-gold | Superman #178 (July 1965) | Temporary memory loss | ||||||||
| Magno- | Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #92 (April 1966) | Created by Mr. Nero | Magnetic attraction | Scribblenauts Unmasked[19] | ||||||
| Red-green-gold | Superman #192 (January 1967) | Permanent superpower loss Permanent memory loss | ||||||||
| Tar-based Black Harun-El | Superman III film (1983) Supergirl (vol. 5) #2 (October 2005) (comics) | Synthesized on Earth (Superman III) Superheated green (Smallville) Fragments of Krypton Kryptonian religion (Supergirl TV series) | Malevolence Splitting from good self (Superman III,Justice League Action,Supergirl TV series) First exposure: splitting from Kryptonian persona (Superman III,Smallville) Second exposure: merging with Kryptonian persona (Smallville) | First exposure: splitting from good self (Smallville) Second exposure: merging with good self (Smallville) Temporary superpowers (Supergirl TV series) Good beings: eventual fatality (Supergirl TV series) | Superman III |
| Justice League Action | Scribblenauts Unmasked[19] | ||
| Krimson | Superman Volume 2 #49 (November 1990) | Created by Mister Mxyzptlk to grant one wish for as long as origin is concealed | Variable | Variable | Variable | |||||
| Kryptisium -X | The Adventures of Superman #511 (April 1994) | Green filtered by Eradicator | Excessive superpowers | Scribblenauts Unmasked[19] | ||||||
| Clear | "Visage",Smallville (January 14, 2003) | Green neutralized by Kryptonian technology | None | None | None | Smallville | ||||
| Pink | Supergirl (vol. 4) #79 (April 2003) | Inversion of gender-stereotyped traits Reversed sex (Justice League Action) | Justice League Action | |||||||
| Yellow | Superman Family Adventures Vol. 12 (August 2012) | Unknown Fear (Lego DC Super Hero Girls) | Lego DC Super Hero Girls | |||||||
| Periwinkle | Superman Family Adventures #9 (March 2013) | Joy Periwinkle transmutation | Bizarro: anger (DC Super Hero Girls) | DC Super Hero Girls | ||||||
| Turquoise | Dark Nights: Death Metal #3 (August 2020) | Dark Multiverse | Similar to green | |||||||
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