|
|
Post by dans on Oct 14, 2023 1:27:05 GMT
What is the range of Green Kryptonite with respect to affecting Kryptonians in the E2 universe? In actuality, there is probably Green Kryptonite radiation striking Earth every day, and we know that there are Green Kryptonite meteors in out of the way places on Earth that are not shielded by lead - for example, I am pretty sure I remember Superman dropping a Green Kryptonite meteor into the middle of the ocean and another one into an active volcano, off the top of my head.
Also, my understanding is that while Green Kryptonite immediately causes pain and almost instantly lessens super powers, it doesn't instantly cancel super powers, and powers such as the vision powers and super breath are less affected instantly than strength, speed and flight. Does it also cancel invulnerability? If someone with super strength were to wear a Green Kryptonite laced glove and punch a Kryptonian, would it knock him out?
What length of exposure would be required to actually kill the Kryptonian? I think in the famous imaginary story where Luthor killed Superman by exposure to Green Kryptonite and Supergirl took over for him, I think I remember at least one Green K meteor that was probably around 2' in diameter, and it took hours.
Is actually touching Green Kryptonite more debilitating than being close to it? If there was some way to bond a small piece of Green Kryptonite to the body of a Kryptonian, what would happen?
Thanks for your thoughts!
|
|
|
|
Post by redsycorax on Oct 14, 2023 1:49:56 GMT
I think the question here is to what extent green kryptonite radiation or interstellar dust particles would be counteracted by lead dust particles within the Earth's atmosphere or from interplanetary/interstellar space. Despite the amount of kryptonite that Superman and other Kryptonians appear to come into contact with, there must be less kryptonite than lead within the universe, given that apart from rare examples of synthetic kryptonite, it was formed from the explosion of Krypton. Even if Krypton was a super-earth/terrestroid planet, there is only a finite (yet large) quantity of kryptonite in Universes One or Two. It seems to behave in a similar manner to other radioactive elements we're aware of in our universe- proximity and distance affect its virulence, and its effects can be cancelled out by lead. I suspect the size of a green kryptonite meteorite must also affect the duration and intensity of its effects. If it was small enough, Superman or another Kryptonian might be able to displace it with their ebbing but remaining abilities. In the case of green kryptonite, however, its effects are ephemeral and wear off after the Kryptonian in question has parted proximity. We've never seen many large kryptonite meteors, so the effect of the explosion may have been such that virtually all kryptonite consists of small meteoroid matter.
As for touching green kryptonite, much would depend on whether the particular meteorite had specific density in any given context. If not, there might be a threat to Kryptonians from kryptonite dust or loose accreted K pebbles. Bonding kryptonite might ultimately be fatal to a Kryptonian, although if she or he travelled to Kandor and had it surgically extracted using robot surgeons, they might be able to save her or him in time- if we're talking about Universe-One here.
|
|
|
|
Post by jonclark on Oct 14, 2023 6:21:04 GMT
Far as i recall kryptonite was a rather inconsistent element despite having supposed consistent effects.
As a general rule it was suppose to vary in intensity based on size and distance. A one inch diameter piece a foot away from a Kryptonian should have the same effect as a one foot diameter piece 12 feet away. Which also means the larger the amount of kryptonite present the quicker it should be deadly. So in that Death of Superman imaginary tale it took hours for the small rock to work but if it had been a larger rock death would have been quicker.
Now having said all of that between artistic license and varied story needs it is hard to find two stories that actually show the same sized rock at the same distance having the same effect. The Last Days of Superman had a speck of kryptonite slowly killing Superman over the course of several days, but other stories have Superman held in cages with bars formed of the stuff for almost as long and merely being washed out rather than at death's door
The effect on powers is also inconsistent. Some stories have Superman invulnerable to other injuries even as the kryptonitr poisons him while others imply bullets made of the stuff will penetrate his skin as if he was an ordinary human.
|
|
|
|
Post by dans on Oct 14, 2023 11:27:27 GMT
Thanks! In my current story I've shown a poker-chip size disk of Green Kryptonite incapacitate a Kryptonian in the E2 universe as long as it is within a few inches of the Kryptonian's body. I'm going to leave it at that while I finish the story. I think I have a built-in explanation anyway, but we'll see - when (if?) I get done, if our other authors feel that the effects of this disk of Kryptonite seem out of canon I'll figure out a way to adjust.
In this particular case the disk of Kryptonite has been highly polished so there is no dust, but the idea of dust is intriguing - if one wanted to imprison Superman in a prison for normal humans, but not torture him, could the captor periodically spray the prison grounds and cell with Green Kryptonite dust, with the amount chosen to lessen his powers but not make him sick?
|
|
|
|
Post by jonclark on Oct 14, 2023 18:16:21 GMT
I don't think green kryptonite has a safe exposure level. Usually if a story needed Superman depowered they used red solar radiation. Kryptonite was mostly used to incapacitate with the effects being like sickness.
That said I do recall a Superman tale where he wore a kryptonite collar in an attempt to build up tolerance and the effects seemed to only weaken his powers. And there was a Superboy story where he used some potion that I think was kryptonite based to allow him to live as Clark without needing to hide his powers. But I'd call those outliers as they don't fit the usual effects and explanation of Kryptonite.
|
|
|
|
Post by dans on Oct 20, 2023 22:27:04 GMT
I just read the Mon-El origin story again. In the middle of the story, Mon-El is weakened by exposure to a lead cannonball but he quickly recovers. An hour or so later, Superboy exposes him to at least 22 similar balls he created himself. Superboy finally believes his story and offers to fly him away but Mon responds that '...It's effects never wear off. The damage is permanent!"
Must have been a threshold exposure level in there somewhere between making him momentarily weak and killing him?
|
|
|
|
Post by redsycorax on Oct 21, 2023 0:31:58 GMT
Or perhaps the lead that Superboy exposed Mon-El to initially didn't contain the radioactive lead isotopes that Daxamites are specifically vulnerable to, and non-radioactive lead has a momentary weakness effect akin to kryptonite at intermediate range, so he could recover if he was far enough away from the exposure.
In the case of Kryptonians, might long-term exposure to ultrasolar radiation confer some period of grace from the residual invulnerability it enables? It might explain why Kryptonians under yellow suns recover quickly if the kryptonite is removed from their vicinity. However, from memory, the same wasn't true when a meteor shower pierced Argo City's protective layer, exposing the Kryptonian survivor city's inhabitants to the deadly anti-kryptonite beneath the lead shielding that protected them. Supergirl's origin shows that perhaps due to the intensity and prevalence of anti-kryptonite poisoning, the city's inhabitants succumbed relatively quickly (although perhaps Zor-El and Alura's home had extra lead shielding so they might have survived several hours longer- had they not fortuitously been saved by Zor-El's experimental Survival Zone projector)- it's possible this might have been due to Rao's absence of ultra-solar radiation.
|
|
