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. 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,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> with Lex Luthor incorporating it into weapons, Metallo being powered by it, and Titano being able to project rays of kryptonite radiation from his eyes after being altered by simultaneous exposure to kryptonite and uranium. Due to Superman's popularity, kryptonite has become a byword for an extraordinary exploitable weakness, synonymous with "Achilles' heel".
HistoryEdit
An unpublished 1940 story titled "The K-Metal from Krypton", written by Superman creator Jerry Siegel, featured a prototype of kryptonite.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.<ref name="Jones">Template:Cite book</ref>
The mineral kryptonite, not to be confused with the real element krypton, was officially introduced in the radio serial The Adventures of Superman, in the story "The Meteor from Krypton", broadcast in June 1943.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite book
"Only one arc in 1943 managed to transcend its era: "The Meteor from Krypton". Debuting on June 3, it marked the debut of kryptonite..."</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite book
pg 132-133</ref> However, 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.<ref>Template:Cite book
"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".</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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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).<ref>Template:Cite comic</ref> Editor Dorothy Woolfolk stated in an interview with Florida Today in August 1993 that she felt Superman's invulnerability was "boring".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Long said to be an element in the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age comics, Kryptonite is depicted as a compound in post-Crisis continuity.<ref>Action Comics #591 (August 1987)</ref>
Forms, effects, and other mediaEdit
Various forms of the fictional material have been created over the years in Superman publications and programs.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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)<ref name="auto"/> Action Comics #161 (August 1951) |
Fragments from Krypton | Severe, intensifying pain Loss of superpowers<ref>Template:Cite comic</ref> Usual collapse Severe muscular weakness Fever Eventual unconsciousness Green blood or skin Eventual fatality<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Non-accumulative<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Mitigation by long-term<ref>Template:Cite comic</ref> or high short-term<ref>Template:Cite comic</ref> yellow sunlight absorption Blocked by lead Neutralized by Kal-El's ship ("Visage", Smallville, January 14, 2003) |
With prolonged exposure: carcinogenesis Possible cancer treatment<ref>Template:Cite comic</ref> Varied (Smallville) |
Bizarro: perfect health Bizarro World humans: temporary superpowers (Superman & Lois) |
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| Red | Red | Superman #61 (November 1949) | Traversal through radiated space | Disinhibition Unpredictable effects<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Same as green (prior to Adventure Comics #252, September 1958 only) |
Justice League Action |
|
|
| ||||
| Red-green | Action Comics #275 (April 1961) | Created by Brainiac | Mutation Loss of superpowers (Superboy Comics #121, June 1965) |
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| Red-green-blue-gold | Superman #162 (July 1963) | Invented by Superman | Splitting into red and blue beings Enhanced intelligence |
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| Bizarro-red | Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #80 (October 1964) | Same as red on Kryptonians | Scribblenauts Unmasked<ref name=":0" /> | |||||||||
| Red-gold | Superman #178 (July 1965) | Temporary memory loss | ||||||||||
| Red-green-gold | Superman #192 (January 1967) | Permanent superpower loss Permanent memory loss |
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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 inside Phantom Zone, comics) | Source of superpowers (The Adventures of Superman TV series) | Permanent Kryptonian powers | The Adventures of Superman | |||||||
| 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) |
Ultraman: Scarring (Smallville) |
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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<ref>Template:Cite comic</ref> | Lois & Clark | Scribblenauts Unmasked<ref name=":0" /> | |||||
| 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) | DC League of Super-Pets<ref name=":1" /> | Superman & Lois | Scribblenauts Unmasked<ref name=":0" /> | ||||
| 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/instant death (Smallville) Ultraman: perfect health<ref>Template:Cite comic</ref>/same as green on Kryptonians (Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths) Blocked by "imperfect" lead |
Crisis on Two Earths |
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| White | White | Adventure Comics #279 (December 1960) | Fragments of Krypton | Attacking microorganisms | Attacking microorganisms | Scribblenauts Unmasked<ref name=":0" /> | ||||||
| Bizarro-white | "The Battle with Bizarro," Superboy TV series (November 18, 1989) | Cellular health | Cellular normality (Superboy TV series) | Superboy | ||||||||
| 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<ref name=":0" /> | |||||||
| 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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| Magno- | Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #92 (April 1966) | Created by Mr. Nero | Magnetic attraction | Scribblenauts Unmasked<ref name=":0" /> | ||||||||
| 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) |
Empowered evil self and weakened good self Second exposure: reversion (Smallville, Supergirl TV series) |
Empowered evil self and weakened good self (Smallville, Supergirl TV series) Second exposure: reversion (Smallville, Supergirl TV series) |
Superman III |
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Justice League Action | Scribblenauts Unmasked<ref name=":0" /> | ||||
| 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<ref name=":0" /> | ||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||
In popular cultureEdit
MusicEdit
- "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down (2000).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- "Party Up (Up in Here)" by DMX (2000).
- "Kryptonite (I'm on It)" by rap group Purple Ribbon All-Stars (2006).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- "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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.