Kryptonite - Post-Crisis Versions

Post-Crisis Versions

Upon the John Byrne reboot of the Superman mythos after Crisis on Infinite Earths, kryptonite was made much rarer in the DC Universe and many of the multicolored varieties were eliminated. The only sample of kryptonite on Earth was a single fist-sized chunk, caught in the tail of the infant Kal-El's rocket and carried to Earth along with him upon the explosion of Krypton. This sample had been found by the scientist who resurrected John Corben as Metallo, powering the cyborg with the alien matter in a paranoid attempt to save the world from Superman, as a mistranslation of a message from Jor-El caused the scientist to conclude that Superman was the leader of an alien invasion force. Metallo was soon kidnapped and his power source forcibly removed by Lex Luthor who, after discovering its debilitating effects on Kryptonians, created a ring with a kryptonite gem to keep Superman at bay. This backfired badly on Luthor, as long-term exposure to kryptonite radiation from the ring gave him cancer, leading to the amputation of his hand and then apparent death (although he was able to have his brain transplanted into a cloned body). Superman took possession of the ring and entrusted it to Batman, stating that he was the only person he could trust with the ability to kill him if necessary; Batman subsequently kept the ring available whenever circumstances required him and Superman to work together.

Red kryptonite made a brief appearance during this era, where it had the effect of rendering Superman permanently powerless. However, the red kryptonite and resulting powerlessness turned out to be a magical illusion created by Mister Mxyzptlk, with Superman's powers being restored once he learned of Mxyzptlk's involvement in accordance with the imp's usual restrictions. In time, through the use of Batman's notes, Ra's al Ghul was able to fashion a synthetic red kryptonite, this version turning Superman's skin transparent and leaving him almost exploding with power as the sunlight that gave him his powers was sent directly into his muscles without being filtered by his skin.

The amount of kryptonite on Earth increased dramatically, carried down to the planet's surface in a meteor shower that accompanied the rocket that brought Kara to Gotham City. Superman-friendly corporations, such as Wayne Enterprises and Kord Industries take it upon themselves to round up this influx of kryptonite, but much of it goes into illicit circulation or is stolen from holding facilities.

In the recreated universe, kryptonite is in such abundance that it again becomes easily available to ordinary criminals and crooks. Following orders issued by Lex Luthor and Lana Lang, LexCorp starts stockpiling and selling it to government facilities and weapon makers. Superman and Batman embark on a mission to rid Earth of kryptonite, a mission that almost fails when the cornered Lana Lang, attempting to protect LexCorp investments, launches a large number of dirty kryptonite warheads, tainting the whole Earth atmosphere. Hiro Okamura builds and frees a storm of nanobots devised to capture and deactivate the tiniest fragments of kryptonite.

Once again, as in the 1971 storyline, virtually all kryptonite is destroyed. The remaining fragments are wrapped in lead and hurled into the sun by Superman himself, except for one fragment, which Superman gives to Batman. It is later revealed that Batman has acquired a fair amount of every variety of the alien material, keeping his samples in the Batcave.

By the events told in the New Krypton storyline however, several Superman villains, like Metallo and Reactron, have acquired some kryptonite samples to use against the Kryptonians on Earth. Lex Luthor and Sam Lane, working for the government, have a cache of the precious material too.