Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Other Template:Pp-move Template:Infobox comics elements Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous radiation that can weaken and even kill Kryptonians. Kryptonite radiation can be transmitted through any element except lead. Thus, Superman has a special lead suit to protect himself from the radiation. There are other varieties of kryptonite, such as red and gold kryptonite, which have different but still generally negative effects.
Batman, Lex Luthor, Metallo, and Titano are four notable characters often presented as using kryptonite — the first carrying the substance as a last-ditch method to stop his ally (often at Superman's urging to take such precautions) if he is subject to mind control or otherwise compromised, the next two using the mineral to ward off Superman or incorporating it into weapons, and the fourth being able to project rays of kryptonite radiation from his eyes after being altered by simultaneous exposure to kryptonite and uranium.[1]
Due to Superman's popularity, kryptonite has become a byword for an extraordinary exploitable weakness, synonymous with "Achilles' heel".
History
An unpublished 1940 story titled "The K-Metal from Krypton", written by Superman creator Jerry Siegel, featured a prototype of kryptonite. It is a mineral from the planet Krypton that drains Superman of his strength and gives superhuman powers to humans. This story was rejected because Superman reveals his identity to Lois Lane.[2]
The mineral kryptonite, not to be confused with the real element krypton, was first officially introduced in the radio serial The 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 actor Bud Collyer time off. This tale was recounted by Julius 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 the opposite 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 with Superman #61 (November 1949).[7] Editor Dorothy Woolfolk stated in an interview with Florida Today in August 1993 that she felt Superman's invulnerability was "boring".[8]
Long said to be an element in the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age comics, Kryptonite became a compound post-Crisis as revealed in Action Comics #591.
Forms, effects, and other media
Various forms of the fictional material have been created over the years in Superman publications and programs.[9]
| 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 extensive 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 | Wanton behavior Mutations Unpredictable effects[20] Same as green (prior to Adventure Comics #252, September 1958 only) |
Justice League Action |
|
|
| |||
| 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] | |||
| Positive X- Orange |
"All that Glitters", The Adventures of Superman TV series (1958) Action Comics #261 (January 1960) |
Dream of Jimmy Olsen (The Adventures of Superman TV series) Failed experiment by Supergirl Fragments from Krypton (Superman & Lois, DC League of Super-Pets) |
None Source of superpowers (The Adventures of Superman TV series) |
Temporary superpowers (when ingested, The Adventures of Superman TV series, Superman & Lois) Paranoia (DC Super Hero Girls) |
Bizarro: same as green on Kryptonians (Superman & Lois) |
|
Scribblenauts Unmasked[19] | |||
| Blue | Superman #140 (October 1960) | Imperfect product of 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) |
|||||||
| 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) |
|
|
| ||||
| 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 following Superman/Batman #46, April 2008) |
Paranoid delusions |
|
Scribblenauts Unmasked[19] | |||||
| Jewel Purple |
Action Comics #310 (March 1964) | Kryptonian mountains | Mind control powers | Nightmares (DC League of Super-Pets) | DC League of Super-Pets | Smallville | DC Super Hero Girls | |||
| 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 (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) | Byproduct of 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 | |||||||
| Periwinkle | Superman Family Adventures #9 (March 2013) | Joy Periwinkle transmutation |
Bizarro: anger (DC Super Hero Girls) | DC Super Hero Girls | ||||||
| Yellow | Lego DC Super Hero Girls (2017) | Fear | Lego DC Super Hero Girls | |||||||
| Platinum | Batman Secret Files #1 (December 2018) | Universe inside Phantom Zone | Permanent superpowers | |||||||
| Turquoise | Dark Nights: Death Metal #3 (August 2020) | Dark Multiverse | Similar to green | |||||||
In popular culture
Music
- "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down (2000).[24]
- "Party Up (Up in Here)" by DMX (2000).
- "Kryptonite (I'm on It)" by rap group Purple Ribbon All-Stars (2006).[25]
- "Kryptonite" By Mario ft. Rich Boy from his third studio album Go.
- "Fashion Is My Kryptonite" by Bella Thorne and Zendaya (2012).
- "Ready or Not" by Bridgit Mendler (2012).
- "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon (2014).
- "Get Your Cape On" by Jordyn Kane (2015).
- Pocket Full of Kryptonite, a 1991 album by Spin Doctors.[26] The album's title is drawn from a line in the song "Jimmy Olsen's Blues", which is featured on the album.
- In the title track for his album Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof, Travis Tritt sings about picking a fight when he feels like Superman "only to find my opponent is holding kryptonite".
- The 2000 song, "Superman (It's Not Easy)" by "Five for Fighting" mentions kryptonite: "...digging for kryptonite on this one way street".
- The Genesis song "The Carpet Crawlers" mentions kryptonite: "Mild-mannered Supermen are held in kryptonite...".
- "There's a Moon in the Sky" by The B-52's mentions kryptonite: "you get a mouth, a mouthful of red kryptonite".
- "Jam on It" by Newcleus features a "battle" between the band and Superman, and they "rock his butt with a 12-inch cut called disco kryptonite".
- "One Thing" by One Direction mentions kryptonite: "you're my kryptonite".
- "Pineapple Kryptonite" by ATARASHII GAKKO!
- "Kryptonita", a 1991 album by Miguel Mateos.
References
External links
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"Only one arc in 1943 managed to transcend its era: "The Meteor from Krypton". Debuting on June 3, it marked the debut of kryptonite..." - ↑ Template:Cite book
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"Since Superman's life isn't threatened — the meteorite never leaves the doctor’s custody — it's likely that Lowther's primary intent was to create a means for Superman to discover his own origin". - ↑ Template:Cite web
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- ↑ Scharping, Nathaniel (April 4, 2018). "Space Metal Has Captivated Humanity for Ages". Discover.
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