| Kryptonite | |
 | |
| Alias(es) | Green Kryptonite |
| Status | Active |
| Appeared in | Superman: The Last Son of Krypton Superman: Little Girl Lost Superman: A Little Piece of Home Superman: Blasts from the Past The Batman/Superman Movie Superman: Legacy Justice League: Starcrossed Justice League Unlimited: Destroyer |
Kryptonite is the green ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. When exposed to regular Kryptonite on Earth, Kryptonians lose their powers. This Extraordinary Rock is The Name Coined by Emil Hamilton for radioactive fragments of the destroyed planet Krypton. This substance had immediate, detrimental effects on yellow sun-powered Kryptonians and Argoans, as well as long-term effects on humans.
History[]
Superman: The Last Son of Krypton[]
Jor-El also conducted geological surveys of the planet's subterranean layers, and concluded that the planet was unstable and on the verge of a catastrophic explosion. Mere minutes before the planet exploded, Jor-El and his wife, Lara, launched their infant son, Kal-El, into space, bound for Earth. When Krypton exploded, its fragments flew into space in every direction, with several fragments following Kal-El's spacecraft to Earth. The explosion culminated in a chemical/geological reaction that imbued the remaining fragments of the planet with a specific radiation level that proved harmful and ultimately fatal to Kryptonians. Several of these fragments found their way to Earth, where they would be known as Kryptonite.
Superman: Little Girl Lost[]
The shock waves from Krypton's explosion also ravaged the surface of Argo and tore the planet from its orbit, causing it and its inhabitants to slowly freeze over. Deep in space, in Krypton's own solar system, Superman flies by in his space ship. Krypton is now nothing more than an asteroid belt of Kryptonite floating in space but Superman still checks for signs of life. There are none. However, the ship picks up a distress signal from another planet in the system. Feeling hopeful, Superman heads out to answer the call. Superman follows the signal to a frigid world at the edge of the system. Finding that the planet is devoid of Kryptonite radiation, he investigates further. He finds a lab buried in the ice and snow. Inside, he discovers a recorded message from Kala In-Ze, the planet's former chief physician: the planet is called Argo and was once a thriving civilization. But when Krypton exploded, Argo was ravaged by shock waves and torn from its orbit. Eventually, it moved so far from the sun that all inhabitants froze to death. To survive, Kala placed herself and her family in stasis chambers in hope of rescue. After the message finishes, Superman finds the chambers have all been destroyed by weathering - except one, holding a teenaged girl named Supergirl.
Superman: Blasts from the Past[]
Superman used a chunk to temporarily restrain Mala. It was unknown whether this was the chunk possessed by S.T.A.R. Labs, or another one. This chunk was sent into the Phantom Zone by Jax-Ur.
Superman: Legacy[]
Kryptonite could be molded into different forms to suit specific purposes. Lex Luthor incorporated Kryptonite into a missile to stop Superman's rampage across Metropolis. He also managed to liquefy the substance to create an injection meant to kill both Superman and Supergirl.
The Batman/Superman Movie[]
The radiation could also affect humans, although much longer exposure was required for them to suffer ill effects. In comparison to Superman who felt the effects almost instantly, the side effects experienced by humans could apparently vary for any number of reasons. For example, previous owners of "The Laughing Dragon" statue, carved from a large chunk of Kryptonite erroneously thought to be made of jade, all died prematurely A sizable piece fell to Earth in China and, being mistaken for jade, was carved into a statue known as "The Laughing Dragon". The statue temporarily came into possession of the Joker, but was destroyed.
Justice League: Starcrossed[]
During the Thanagarian invasion, Thanagarian soldiers used a kryptonite energy cannon to incapacitate Superman.
Justice League Unlimited: Destroyer[]
During his final invasion of Earth, Darkseid carried a knife with a Kryptonite that Draws An Blade.