Green Kryptonite

Green Kryptonite Rocks

Green Kryptonite

“What poison is to the average human being, green kryptonite is to Superman? Indeed, the only thing the Man of Steel has to fear in the entire universe is the ghastly green substance which was flung into space when the planet Krypton exploded!” (Act No. 291, Aug 1962: “The New Superman!”).

When the planet Krypton exploded into fragments as the result of a cataclysmic chain reaction originating at the planet’s core, all of Krypton’s atomic elements “fused to become one deadly compound,” a compound later to become known as Kryptonite (S No. 61/3, Nov/Dec 1949: “Superman Returns to Krypton!”). Sent hurtling into outer space by the force of the cataclysm, these “dazzling particles” of the demolished planet, all “laden with cosmic energy,” were scattered throughout the far reaches of the universe in the form of meteors and meteoric fragments, emitting a deadly radiation to which only Kryptonian survivors are vulnerable (Act No. 141, Feb 1950: “Luthor’s Secret Weapon”), “When a radioactive chain reaction exploded my native planet Krypton, long ago,” notes Superman in August 1960, “chunks of green kryptonite were formed! They scattered throughout space as meteors “Their peculiar radioactive rays can bring kryptonite-fever and death to any person from Krypton… but are harmless to Earth people!” (S No. 139/3: “The Untold Story of Red Kryptonite!”).

In the texts, green kryptonite is referred to as “the strange element given off by the explosion of the planet Krypton” (Act No. 141, Feb 1950: “Luthor’s Secret Weapon”); “the deadly rock-like element from the exploded planet Krypton whose radiations can paralyze Superman” (Act No. 142, Mar 1950 “The Conquest of Superman!”); “the one substance.., that can overpower the Man of Steel” (Act No. 152, Jan 1951: “The Sleep That Lasted 1000 Years”); “the rare element, whose mysterious radiation is the only known force capable of overcoming Superman” (WF No. 50, Feb/Mar 1951: “Superman Super-Wrecker”); “a baleful new element whose rays affect only natives of Krypton” (Act No. 158, Jul 1951: “The Kid from Krypton!”); “the meteor metal caused by the explosion of Superman’s native planet” (WF No. 56, Jan/Feb 1952: “The Superman Pageant!”); “the rare element from the shattered planet Krypton whose radiations have a deadly effect on Superman” (Act No. 174, Nov 1952: “The Man Who Shackled Superman!”); the “one element in all the universe can overcome” Superman (Act No. 181, Jun1953: “The New Superman”); “the one substance that can destroy” Superman (Act No. 235, Dec 1957: “The Super-Prisoner of Amazon Island”); “the one substance in the universe feared by Superman” (Act No, 236, Jan 1958: “Superman’s New Uniform!”) and “Superman’s one fatal flaw” (S No, 136/2, Apr 1960: “The Secret of Kryptonite!”).

In the words of Superman No. 84/2 -- "Kryptonite, the radioactive particles of the former planet Krypton on which Superman was born, and which later exploded, is the one substance in the universe that can affect the mighty Man of Steel! Since kryptonite fragments still float in space after the explosion of the planet, some particles often find their way to Earth embedded in meteors" [Sep/Oct 1953: “A Doghouse for Superman!”].

“Bullets! ... Fire! ... Bombs!... Acid! I’m immune to them all!” muses Superman ruefully in July 1959. “But kryptonite is my Achilles heel ... the only substance in the universe that can harm me! It was originally formed years ago...when the planet Krypton, the world on which I was born, blew up! A nuclear chain-reaction converted every chunk of the exploding world into glowing green kryptonite!” (S No. 130/1: “The Curse of Kryptonite!”).

Recent texts assert that the entire planet Krypton and every single thing on it was transformed into kryptonite by the force of the cataclysm (Act No.314, Jul 1964: “The Day Superman Became the Flash!”; and many others). Numerous earlier texts, however, maintain that whereas the planet itself was transformed into kryptonite, its buildings and other artifacts of civilization were not (S No. 74/1, Jan/Feb 1952: “The Lost Secrets of Krypton!”; and many others).

Green kryptonite is a radioactive (S No. 89/3, May 1954: “One Hour to Doom!”) metal (WF No.56, Jan/Feb 1952: “The Superman Pageant!”) which is characterized by a distinctive “greenish glow” (Act No. 235, Dec 1957: “The Super-Prisoner of Amazon Island”; and others) and “has certain properties similar to radium” (Act No. 167, Apr 1952: “The Machines of Crime!”). Colored red in its initial textual appearance (S No. 61/3, Nov/Dec 1949: “Superman Returns to Krypton!”), green kryptonite has been colored green in every text since then. Although Action Comics No. 158 states flatly that “No substance will screen kryptonite’s rays… not even Supermanium” (Jul 1951: “The Kid from Krypton!”), innumerable texts have maintained since then that green kryptonite radiations are unable to penetrate lead (S No. 92/3, Sep 1954: “Superman’s Last Hour!”; and many others). It is interesting that though Superman may not be able to resist the effects of green kryptonite, or make himself generally immune to it as a substance, one account tells of Superboy gathering very specific pieces of green kryptonite so that he gains immunity to at least those particular chunk's deadliest effects -- in this case so he might use them to later battle Kryptonian criminals exiled in space before the Phantom Zone was used (SB No. 58, Jul 1957: "The Great Kryptonite Mystery").

In March-April 1954, Superman neutralizes the radioactivity of a green-kryptonite meteor merely by plunging it into the ocean (WF No. 69: “Jor-El’s Last Will!”), but the notion that the baleful effects of kryptonite can be neutralized by seawater is contradicted by numerous other texts: “Ah! My X-ray vision shows a kryptonite meteor that fell to the sea bottom!” muses Superman in December 1958. “But to pick it up, I’ll need the protection of lead, which alone can stop the deadly radiations!” (Act No. 247: “Superman’s Lost Parents!”; and many others).

According to Action Comics No. 158, powerful acids and even man-made lightning cannot destroy green kryptonite (Jul 1951: “The Kid from Krypton!”), but Superman has successfully melted the substance with his X-ray vision (Act No. 252, May 1959: “The Menace of Metallo!”; and others) and green kryptonite meteors dissolve completely when subjected to the searing heat at the core of the sun (WF No. 61, Nov/Dec 1952: “Superman’s Blackout; see also Act No. 161, Oct 1951: “Exit—Superman!”). The reason green-kryptonite meteors do not burn up from air friction when they enter Earth’s atmosphere is that “kryptonite can’t combine chemically with oxygen, which causes combustion!” (S No, 130/1, Jul 1959: “The Curse of Kryptonite!”; see also Act No. 267, Aug 1960: “Hercules in the 20th Century!”).

Assuming that the necessary advanced technology were available to utilize it, green kryptonite could become an invaluable source of atomic power. It retains its radioactivity “for centuries” (Act No. 161, Oct 1951: “Exit—Superman!”) and is described as a more potent power source than uranium (Act No. 252, May 1959: “The Menace of Metallo!”). Its principal drawback appears to be that it “crumbles and destroys any generator” in which it is utilized (Act No. 224, Jan 1957: “The Secret of Superman Island!”), but this has not prevented at least one group of extraterrestrial aliens from developing a powerful “rocket fuel composed of liquid green kryptonite” (Act No. 296: “The Invasion of the Super-Ants!”). Green kryptonite also has properties that nourish the development of certain forms of plant life (Act No. 169, Jun 1952: “Caveman Clark Kent!”). It also proves to be a key ingredient in the formula devised by Brainiac 5 for a serum that helps Mon-El survive exposure to lead (Adv No. 316, Jan 1964: "Origins and Powers of the Legion of Super-Heroes!").

Although numerous texts describe green kryptonite as an exceedingly rare substance (Act No. 181, Jun 1953: “The New Superman”; and many others), noting that “Kryptonite meteors that [fall] on Earth are rare” (Act No. 238, Mar 1958: “The Super-Gorilla from Krypton”), other texts, admittedly fewer in number, maintain that “Kryptonite meteors often fall from space” (S No. 134, Jan 1960: chs. I-III—”The Super-Menace of Metropolis!”; “The Revenge Against Jor-El!”; “The Duel of the Supermen!”) and that “particles [of kryptonite] often find their way to Earth embedded in meteors!” (S No. 84/2, Sep/Oct 1953: “A Doghouse for Superman!”). On balance, however, the evidence of the texts is that green kryptonite is “very rare” and not easily acquired (S No. 128/1, Apr 1959: chs. 1-2—”Superman versus the Futuremen”; “The Secret of the Futuremen”; and others).

It is presumably the scarcity of green kryptonite, combined with its crushingly debilitating effect on Superman, that has motivated a number of villains to find ways to synthesize it. Lex Luthor creates the 1st synthetic kryptonite in February 1950 by ingeniously fusing together “a mammoth pearl from one of the giant oysters miles down under the sea”; “a couple of handfuls of dust from the dark side of the moon”; “pollen from the man-eating homocessandi plant deep in the Asiatic jungles”; and “a bit of the rare chemical binarium, preserved in the soil by a thousand years of glacial frost” (Act No. 141: “Luthor’s Secret Weapon”).

Professor Bolder attempts to harness a "super chain-reaction" in kryptonite in order to to generate electrical power. He fails and the uncontrolled feedback changes much of the green kryptonite on Earth to iron (S No. 233/1, Jan 1971: "Superman Breaks Loose"). However, synthesized kryptonite and the many fragments of the material still in space remain.