Red Kryptonite
| Kryptonite | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance |
Radio: The Adventures of Superman (June 1943) Comics: Superman #61 (November 1949) |
| In story information | |
| Type | Element |
| Element of stories featuring |
Superman Superboy |
Kryptonite is a material from the Superman fictional universe, specifically the ore form of a radioactive element (Pre-Crisis) or compound (Post-Crisis) from Superman's home planet of Krypton. First mentioned in The Adventures of Superman radio show in June 1943, the material has been featured in a variety of forms and colors (each with its own effect) in DC Comics publications and other media, including feature films, television series, and novelty items such as toys and trading card sets.
The established premise is that Superman and other Kryptonian characters are susceptible to its radiation, which created usage of the term in popular culture as a reference to an individual's perceived weakness, changes their personality, irrespective of its nature, similar to the term "Achilles' heel".
An unpublished 1940 story titled "The K-Metal from Krypton", which Superman creator Jerry Siegel himself wrote, featured a prototype of kryptonite, a mineral from the planet Krypton that drained Superman of his strength while giving humans superhuman powers.
A mineral actually named "kryptonite" was introduced in the story arc "The Meteor from Krypton" in June 1943 on The Adventures of Superman radio series. Since radio shows had to be performed live, when Clayton "Bud" Collyer, the actor who played Superman and Clark Kent, wanted to take a vacation from the series, Superman was placed in a kryptonite trap, and a stand-in groaned with pain for several episodes until Collyer came back from his vacation.
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