Kryptonite

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, such as red kryptonite 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] with Lex Luthor incorporating it into weapons, Metallo being powered by it, and Titano able to project Kryptonite radiation from his eyes. 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An unpublished 1940 story titled "The K-Metal from Krypton", written by Superman creator Jerry Siegel, featured a prototype of kryptonite.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 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 incapacitate Superman, allowing Superman's voice actor Bud Collyer to take time off. This tale was recounted by Julius Schwartz in his memoir.[4] 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.[5] Hayde may have mistaken 1943's "The Meteor from Krypton" for 1945's "The Meteor of Kryptonite", as Superman was exposed in the latter but not in the former.[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, Krypton is located in a distant solar system and 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] In a 1993 interview with Florida Today, editor Dorothy Woolfolk stated that she felt Superman's invulnerability was "boring".[8]

Originally depicted as an element in the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age comics, Kryptonite is depicted as a compound in post-Crisis continuity.[9]

Varieties

Various forms of the fictional material have been created over the years in Superman publications and programs.[10] This table includes forms that have not persisted in canon.

External links

• The Superman Homepage's section on kryptonite
• Howstuffworks.com: "How Kryptonite Works"