Kryptonite
Kryptonite (English Kryptonite ) is a fictional mineral from the DC universe . Kryptonite is the best known weak point of Superman and other Kryptonians (especially Supergirl and Superboy ) and plays an important role in their stories. Kryptonite and magic are major weak points of the superheroes in Superman stories.
history
The name is derived from Krypton , the name of Superman's destroyed home planet, from where the kryptonite has its natural origin. Kryptonite first appeared on the Superman radio show in 1945 . It was originally invented to explain the brief change in voice of the main character, as the original speaker had dropped out due to illness. Kryptonit first appeared in a comic book in December 1949 in US Superman # 61. At that time it was red, but had the same effect as the green kryptonite, which is the most common and, besides the black, the only post- crisis variant.
Kryptonite hit the headlines in April 2007 after a new mineral had been found the year before that, apart from the lack of fluorine and fictitious kryptonium , corresponded entirely to the chemical composition of the meteorite - " sodium - lithium - boron - silicate - hydroxide " As it said in the movie Superman Returns on the stone container in which the kryptonite was locked. In contrast to this, the newly discovered mineral, which was named jadarite by the research team , is white and harmless.
description
Kryptonite is a compound of the also fictitious element kryptonium, which is said to have the ordinal number 126 . It emits radiation that is harmless to humans, even in higher concentrations, but is devastating for Kryptonians. However, intensive contact with kryptonite can also be harmful to humans. For example, Lex Luthor (in a previous incarnation) lost a hand to kryptonite-related cancer. Another example is a huge chunk of kryptonite, the high radiation of which could have extinguished the entire population of the earth, so it was also dangerous for non-Kryptonian living beings (US Superman # 1–3). Most of the kryptonite found its way to earth with the swarm of meteorites that also brought Superman to earth.
Different types
Kryptonite comes in different shapes and colors. These types of kryptonite have different effects on Superman and all other Kryptonians.
Green kryptonite
“ Green kryptonite. Deadly to Kryptonians. The alien is prone to a synthetic variant that I developed. But the real thing is better. "
Green kryptonite acts like a radioactive poison. It weakens Superman and his body aura and can ultimately kill him if he's exposed to it for an extended period of time, especially if it has been invading his body for an extended period of time. It is the only classic form of kryptonite (besides the newly invented black kryptonite) that also exists in modern post- crisis comics, as well as the most common variant of kryptonite.
In the television series Smallville , the green kryptonite is responsible for the emergence of the so-called " meteorite freaks ".
The melting point of green kryptonite is said to be 850 degrees Celsius. In addition, it is like a metal with a tensile strength (elongation at break) of 650 to 1100 MPa. Nothing is known about the total amount of kryptonite on earth and no realistic estimates can be made taking into account the amounts in the series / films / etc. deliver the quantities shown.
Black kryptonite
Black kryptonite has the ability to split a person's personality into two parts, a good and a bad.
- It first appeared on the Smallville television series .
- In the current Supergirl comic series started by Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill , it was incorporated into the official DC universe . Here Lex Luthor used it against the new Kryptonian supergirl.
White kryptonite
White kryptonite can kill plant life, both kryptonic and non-kryptonic.
Blue kryptonite
Blue kryptonite was formed when Professor Potter's duplicating beam was applied to green kryptonite.
- The pre-crisis version was therefore similar in effect to its green counterpart, but only against beings from the " Bizarro world"
- The post- crisis version also only affects bizarre beings, but makes them friendly, kind-hearted and a little more intelligent, as happened in US Superman / Batman # 25 , for example
- In the series Smallville , blue kryptonite leads to the loss of all superpowers for the duration of contact with kryptonians.
Red kryptonite
Red kryptonite has very different consequences in the comics. At least since the episode "The Red Kryptonite" of the TV series Superman - The Adventures of Lois & Clark (episode 2.20) it gradually makes him angry (depending on the duration of the exposure) and makes him lose all inhibitions. It has a similar effect in the Smallville series . It can be equated with the artificial green kryptonite from the movie Superman III - The Steel Lightning .
- In the pre-crisis comics, red kryptonite caused unpredictable physical changes in Kryptonians. These changes are temporary and this kryptonite never causes the same change twice. For example, Red Kryptonite temporarily split Superman into Superman Blue and Superman Red, and Supergirl was turned into a grown woman, preventing her membership in the Legion of Superheroes; the next day, however, she was transformed back again.
- In the post-crisis comics it leads to “erratic and unpredictable behavior”.
Golden kryptonite
Golden kryptonite has the property of permanently robbing all Kryptonians of their superpowers (see the comic "Whatever happened to the Man of Tomorrow"; in German in Classic of Comic Literature # 1 ). It has the same effect in the Smallville series . It also appeared in the movie Superman II , but it could also give back Superman's powers.
Pink kryptonite
Pink kryptonite provokes homosexual tendencies at times. So far it has only been mentioned as a marginal gag in the saga “Supergirl: The End”. The scene takes place in a hypertime that largely resembled the DC Universe before the parallel earth crisis . This pink variant of kryptonite has not yet appeared in the regular DC universe.
Silver kryptonite
The composition and origin of silver kryptonite is unknown. There seem to be two variants of this: The first variant appears in the television series Smallville during the course of the fifth season and in the television series Supergirl at the end of the second season, makes Clark paranoid and causes hallucinations.
It is assumed that the second variant is the original substance, which was not influenced by the Krypton explosion, and was processed in highly complex machines and computer chips. Just like the black version, it first appeared in the TV series Smallville in the form of a key that opens the UFO with which Clark came to earth. After the discovery, the key was initially referred to as an alloy , but scientists later determine that it corresponds to the green variant "except for tiny deviations". It first appeared in US comics - as a joke by Jimmy Olsen - in a story for the 25th anniversary of Superman.
Colorless kryptonite
This variant, colorless kryptonite, appears for the first time in the television series Smallville . It arises from the fact that the radioactivity of the green kryptonite is neutralized. This happens four times in the course of the series - first when the spaceship that Clark brought to Earth defends itself against the kryptonite in Lana's necklace, to which it is apparently just as susceptible as Clark himself. Another time this variant arises when a "phantom" (Bizarro), which Clark frees during his escape from the phantom zone , draws energy from green kryptonite, and a third as Lana shares Clark's powers with an electric shock, and a fourth time when he is returned.
In the real world
The term kryptonite is used several times in pop culture . For example, kryptonite is used as a metaphor synonymous with Achilles heel , especially in US TV series . It was also used as a name and synonym for security . This includes the brand name Kryptonite for the bicycle locks of the American manufacturer Ingersoll Rand , which claims to build the safest padlocks in the world.
"Kryptonite" is an online hero who is more like a failure in the real world.
In addition, several songs and music albums were named after kryptonite:
- One song each from 3 Doors Down (album The Better Life , 2000), Magne Furuholmen (album Past Perfect Future Tense , 2004), Betamusic , Mario featuring Rich Boy (album Go!, 2007), Trouble over Tokyo (album “The Hurricane “, 2010) and Burhan G is called Kryptonite
- An album by the Spin Doctors is called Pocket Full of Kryptonite (1991);
- An album by DJ Fresh is also called Kryptonite (2010) and contains a title of the same name
- a song by the Purple Ribbon All-Stars is called Kryptonite (I'm on It) (Album Got Purp? Vol. 2 , 2005)
- a Faithless song is called Spiders, Crocodiles & Kryptonite (album To All New Arrivals , 2006)
- a song by Remy Ma is called Kryptonite Freestyle
- a song by Yo Majesty is called Kryptonite Pussy
- a song by MC Basstard from the album Zwiespalt (Schwarz) is called Kryptonit
- a Trouble over Tokyo song is called kryptonite
- a song by Five Iron Frenzy is called American Kryptonite
- Kryptonite is mentioned in several songs by Prince Pi (e.g. "You are")
- Mentioned in the song Nerds by the band Blumentopf
- a song by eou from the album Kid Life Crisis
- a song by One Direction "One Thing" from the album "Up All Night" (phrase: "You're my Kryptonite")
- a song by 257ers mentions the word "kryptonite" in the hook of spinach
- a song by Zendaya Coleman and Bella Thorne is called "Fashion is my Kryptonite"
- a song by David Gray "It's not easy to be me" (sentence: "Digging for Kryptonite on this one way street")
- a song by Genesis - " The Carpet Crawlers " from the 1974 album " The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway " contains the phrase "Mild mannered supermen are held in Kryptonite ..."
- a song by Gronkh and Sarazar "Elektrotitte" (sentence: "You think you are her superman but she is kryptonite")
- a song by Lary is called "kryptonite" (sentence: "love me broken you are my kryptonite")
- a song by Walk the Moon is called "Shut up and Dance" (sentence: "The chemical, physical, Kryptonite")
- an album by Manillio (Swiss rapper) is called "Kryptonit" like a song of the same name that can be found on the album (sentence: "Lueg es goht tick tick tick, uses kryptonite, kryptonite")
- a song by KLOUD is called "Kryptonite" (sentence: "You could be the Kryptonite")
- In Dear Evan Hansen 119 (1st edition) is mentioned on page, printing is Evans Kryptonit.
Web links
- Scientists unearth Superman's "kryptonite" , Reuters , April 24, 2007, accessed on May 6, 2007
Individual evidence
- ↑ 'Kryptonite' discovered in mine. In: BBC . April 24, 2007, accessed August 2, 2016 .
- ↑ New mineral: researcher finds kryptonite. In: Spiegel Online . April 24, 2007, accessed August 2, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Lex Luthor in 100% DC # 3: Supergirl - True Strength , Panini Comics , 2006.
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↑ The composition is determined in the film (see illustration ):
- Plutonium 15.08%
- Tantalum 18.06%
- Xenon 27.71%
- Promethium 24.02%
- Dialium 10.62% (fictitious element, name of the fruit variety Dialium )
- Mercury 3.94%
- unknown 0.57% (replaced by Gus Gorman with tar as found in cigarette tobacco )
- ↑ DC Premium # 27, Panini Comics, 2003.
- ↑ See e.g. B. US Supergirl (Vol. IV) # 79.
