Summary
Different forms of Kryptonite have varying effects on Superman, such as removing his powers permanently or causing him to go temporarily insane.
Black Kryptonite is the most dangerous form, driving Superman and his son homicidally insane and leading to a gruesome outcome.
Superman has tons of amazing things about his mythology, from the planet of Krypton to the Fortress of Solitude. But not all of Superman’s lore is fun and games. An essential element of Superman’s story is Kryptonite, his fatal weakness, and it comes in all the colors of the rainbow.
There are tons of ways to hurt Superman in the DC Universe, from magic to simply hitting him hard enough, but the most iconic method of all is Kryptonite. Green Kryptonite is the most famous and most often-used form, but there are many more colors in the Kryptonite rainbow — and there’s plenty more dangerous Kryptonite than just the green form. Next time a villain decides to go after Superman, instead of picking out the regular old Green Kryptonite, they should try picking from some of the other top 10 dangerous Kryptonite forms that could bring the Man of Steel down.
10 Gold Kryptonite
Gold Kryptonite first appeared in Adventure Comics #299 by Jerry Siegel and George Papp. This Kryptonite is one of the rarest forms and is usually found in meteors around space. Rarely is it seen on Earth. The effects of this Kryptonite include permanently removing the powers of any Kryptonian who got within two feet of it. Overall, though, the Kryptonite is entirely harmless, and some versions of Superman have even sought it out to live a normal life with their versions of Lois Lane.
9 Periwinkle Kryptonite
First seen in Superman Family Adventures #9 by Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani, Periwinkle Kryptonite is used by Brainiac to keep the Man of Steel at bay — at least for a while. The effects of it are pretty simple: Periwinkle Kryptonite turns the victim’s skin and clothing periwinkle and causes them to completely lose their inhibitions. But losing one’s inhibitions doesn’t necessarily turn them evil; for example, while under the effects of this form of Kryptonite, Superman immediately lays the charm on Lois Lane and dances with her.
8 Red Kryptonite
Red Kryptonite first landed on Earth way back in Adventure Comics #252 by Alvin Schwartz and John Sikela. While most forms of Kryptonite either weaken or harm Superman in some way, this isn’t the case for Red Kryptonite, which has what can be best described as a completely random effect. Red Kryptonite could do anything to a Kryptonian, from absolutely nothing to turning them into half-man, half-ant or transforming them into a giant space dragon. Every time Red Kryptonite shows up, it does something completely different from the last time
7 Kryptonite-X
The effects of Kryptonite-X (not to be confused with X-Kryptonite) were first seen in Adventures of Superman #511 by Karl Kessel, Barry Kitson, James Pascoe, Glenn Whitmore, and Albert DeGuzman. This form of Kryptonite was accidentally created when the Eradicator filtered a beam of Kryptonite fired at Superman by Metallo. At first, the effects of Kryptonite-X seemed beneficial, as Superman was stronger than he’d ever been. But over time Superman’s powers went out of control, and he became a danger to himself and others. It was only due to a battle with Parasite, who drained the Kryptonite-X energy out of him, that Superman was able to continue being a hero without worry of hurting anyone.
6 Slow Kryptonite
Everyone knows the effects of Green Kryptonite on Superman; it’s his number one weakness. But Kryptonite has many uses outside just killing the Man of Steel. Metallo discovered this in The Brave and the Bold #175 by Paul Kupperberg, Jim Aparo and Carl Gafford. In this story, Metallo experiments with the effects of Kryptonite, and the results are a form of Kryptonite that affects humans just as it does Kryptonians. Metallo promptly decides to use his new Kryptonite on Batman to great effect and nearly kills the Dark Knight with Superman’s iconic weakness.
5 Amber Kryptonite
Amber Kryptonite first appears in the Last 52 story “No More Superheroes” by Regine Sawyer, Alitha Martinez, Mark Morales, and Emilio Lopez, in which the Kryptonite form is used by an evil version of Lois Lane. One of the major reasons Superman is such a fantastic hero is because of the powers his Kryptonian biology grants him. Without his powers, Clark Kent would still be a hero, but he’d hardly be able to save the world on the level he does as Superman. This is why amber Kryptonite is Superman’s biggest weakness: the effects of Amber Kryptonite don’t just weaken Superman, they also remove his powers and grant them to someone else, leaving Superman completely vulnerable. If the Kryptonite form is split up, these powers can then be divided among people who each hold a shard.
4 Green Kryptonite
When the term “Kryptonite” is invoked, this is the form and color people think of, as it’s inarguably the most iconic form of Kryptonite to ever exist. Kryptonite was first created in Superman #61 by William Woolfolk and Al Plastino, where it was actually depicted as red. It didn’t gain its iconic green appearance until a story in Action Comics #161 by Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye. Green Kryptonite is the irradiated remains of the planet Krypton; being in proximity to it slowly saps the strength of Kryptonians and causes them mild discomfort to great pain. The longer someone stays in contact with it, the more it hurts, until eventually it could outright kill them. While green Kryptonite may not be Superman’s worst weakness, it is most certainly his most iconic.
3 Opal Kryptonite
Terry Sloan created Opal Kryptonite early in Earth 2, a New 52 series written by James Robinson. Opal Kryptonite was created synthetically by Terry to deal with any Kryptonian, but the effects of it are pretty dangerous. Opal Kryptonite causes any Kryptonians within range to instantly go (temporarily) insane. After a period of time, they eventually regain their sense of self, and Opal Kryptonite can really only be used for a short amount of time. Eventually, Opal Kryptonite burns out and becomes a regular stone with no unique properties. Still, the idea of being able to drive Superman insane, even temporarily, is an incredibly frightening possibility.
2 Bizarro Red Kryptonite
Bizarro Red Kryptonite is first mentioned by Supergirl on a very bizarro date with Robin in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #12 by Mark Waid, Emanuela Lupacchino, Wade Von Grawbadger, Tamra Bonvillain, and Steve Wands. According to Supergirl, Bizarro Red Kryptonite affects humans the same way Red Kryptonite affects Kryptonians. Considering the effects of Red Kryptonite are entirely random — and considering how many more humans there are than the near-extinct Kryptonians — this makes Bizarro Red Kryptonite absurdly dangerous. If even a single piece was on Earth, depending on the radius, an entire city could gain superpowers, or transform into monsters, or any other number of possibilities.
1 Black Kryptonite
There have been a few different versions of Black Kryptonite over the years, most of them appearing in TV shows such as Smallville or Supergirl. But the absolute darkest version of Black Kryptonite first appeared in the rebirth storyline Dark Nights: The Batman Who Laughs #1 by James Tynion IV, Riley Rossmo, Ivan Plascencia, and Tom Napolitano. Many versions of Kryptonite are dangerous, but there’s really nothing more dangerous than Black Kryptonite. In the Dark Multiverse, Black Kryptonite has been synthesized by the Batman Who Laughs, and he uses it on both Superman and his son, Jon Kent. The effects are absolutely horrific: the Kryptonite drives both Superman and Jon homicidally insane, and they immediately turn on Lois Lane, tearing her apart, before dying themselves due to the Kryptonite’s terrible effect.
Kryptonians may be some of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, but not even Superman is immune to the brutal weapon that is Kryptonite — in any of its forms.
There’s an entire rainbow of Kryptonite. Read More