Kryptonite Man

Kryptonite Man
Kryptonite Man as seen in Action Comics Annual (vol. 2) #1 (December 2012) as part of The New 52.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Superboy #83 (September 1960) Superman #650 (May 2006)
Created by	Original: Jerry Siegel George Papp Abernathy: Kurt Busiek Geoff Johns Pete Woods Clay Ramsay: Grant Morrison Rags Morales Sholly Fisch Cully Hamner
In-story information
Alter ego	K. Russell Abernathy (2006 version) Clay Ramsay (The New 52)
Abilities	Enhanced strength and endurance Kryptonite radiation control

The Kryptonite Man is the name of several supervillains who appear in stories published by DC Comics.

The character first appeared as Kryptonite Kid in Superboy #83, and as Kryptonite Man in Superman #299. where he was created by Jerry Siegel and George Papp.

The K. Russell Abernathy version of Kryptonite Man first appeared in Superman #650 and was created by Kurt Busiek, Geoff Johns, and Pete Woods.

The Clay Ramsay version of Kryptonite Man first appeared in Action Comics Annual #1 and was created by Grant Morrison, Rags Morales, Sholly Fisch, and Cully Hamner.

The original Kryptonite Man started out as a teen-age alien criminal called the Kryptonite Kid, who flew in space through a green kryptonite cloud and became imbued with the properties of Kryptonite. This incarnation is most well known pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths from his appearance and death in the non-continuity story Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?.

A second Kryptonite Man appeared in Superman #397. He had been the ruler of a race of humanoids who inhabited Krypton eons before Superman's ancestors. When a nearby cosmic body threatens life on Krypton, the second Kryptonite Man, whose real name is never given, sends all of his people into stasis deep underground, while he himself remains on the highest mountain peak, to act as guardian. He is then placed in suspended animation for what is to be 20 years, at which time, he will awaken to determine if the planet is habitable once again. For some reason, the machinery fails, and the unnamed ruler slept for over a thousand years. Unfortunately, the very day he awoke is the day Krypton exploded. The mountain that the unnamed ruler's observatory was on is sent into space. Somehow, the king is able to feed off of the Kryptonite radiation the mountain produced. He eventually became dependent upon these energies to sustain his life at all times, weakening outside of its influence. This second Kryptonite Man blames the pink-skinned humanoid inhabitants (Superman's race) with the death of Krypton, never realizing it was a natural disaster. Eventually, after the Kryptonite radiation of the mountain began to fade, the Kryptonite Man encounters a race known as the Seeders. For unknown reasons, the ships of this race produce radiation similar enough to Kryptonite radiation, that Kryptonite Man could feed off of it, and survive. Kryptonite Man discovers the existence of Kryptonians on Earth, and stealing a Seeder ship, travels there to confront and kill them. Kryptonite Man attacks Superman, but their battle was interrupted by the Seeders, who took offense to Kryptonite Man's theft.