With Black Adam about to make an entrance in the DC Comics film universe, fans might be stoked to see just what this hero has to offer compared to the likes of both Shazam and Superman. And while Shazam seems equal to Black Adam in terms of power, the Man of Steel is quite a bit of another caliber compared to these new heroes. All it takes is a bit of magic and some Kryptonite to bring Superman to his knees, and this doesn’t happen a lot.
However, when a DC Comics supervillain gets access to Kryptonite, it’s not always a matter of showing it to Superman in a fistfight. Sometimes, some uses of Kryptonite get extremely creative, to the point that even the likes of the Justice League become outwitted in the process.
10 Slow Kryptonite
When the Superman villain Metallo was first created, he was outfitted with a Kryptonite heart that powered his cybernetic body parts, giving him increased physical attributes to almost rival the likes of the Man of Steel. However, another consequence of his Kryptonite reliance was the release of what is known as Slow Kryptonite.
As the name implies, this form of Kryptonite releases rays that are much slower compared to the regular Kryptonite, which produces “fast” or high frequencies that affect Kryptonian bodies. In turn, Slow Kryptonite has been slowed to a point that it can now affect humans that can accept the “slower” frequency register. Since Slow Kryptonite can affect humans the way original Kryptonite could, this could theoretically weaken superpowered humans or even Metahumans.
9 Platinum Kryptonite
A variant of Kryptonite of unknown origin, Batman seemingly possesses what is known as Platinum Kryptonite. Its known abilities are to bestow the abilities of Kryptonians to non-Kryptonians, allowing its users to be able to absorb solar energy in the same way a Kryptonian could. On Earth, this technically gives Platinum Kryptonite users the same powerset as that of Superman’s.
The only use of Platinum Kryptonite documented in the comics was when Batman gifted this to Gotham Girl, who was seen empowered by the meteorite and finally being able to fly on her own. It’s implied that she also has the same powerset as a Kryptonian, as Superman considers her a Kryptonian with this event. This was a significant development for Gotham Girl, considering that she once had to use her own life force to fuel the usage of her abilities.
8 Gold Kryptonite
One of the deadliest forms of Kryptonite, Gold Kryptonite essentially removed a Kryptonian’s superpowers altogether - permanently. Despite its two-foot range, Pre-Crisis Gold Kryptonite is so potent that it can render a Kryptonian superpower’s genetic line moot, with offsprings having the chance never to develop their powers. Post-Crisis tried to rein in Gold Kryptonite by ensuring it only affected those in their own reality.
While Batman always has Green Kryptonite in a special lead case in his utility belt, it appears so does Lex Luthor when he uses an artificial variant of Gold Kryptonite against Zod’s followers who tried to conquer Earth after escaping the Phantom Zone. This Gold Kryptonite removed abilities for a limited time, but this temporary span can get deadly when used right, such as when Luthor made otherwise-powerful Kryptonians useless against Metallo in their fight to save Metropolis.
7 Anti-Kryptonite
While Anti-Kryptonite first appeared in “Action Comics” #252 as a variant of Kryptonite that weakens humans instead of Kryptonians, its most prominent and most iconic use was probably associated with Ultraman, the villainous Superman of Earth-3. Whereas Superman is ordinarily weak to Kryptonite, Earth-3’s version of Kryptonite - called Anti-Kryptonite - is actually the power source of Ultraman.
In fact, such was Ultraman’s dependence on Anti-Kryptonite that it’s sometimes showcased as a drug for him. Not only that, but the way Anti-Kryptonite affects him means light from the yellow sun can weaken Ultraman.
6 Carcinogenic, Cure For Cancer
What makes Superman weak to Kryptonite isn’t the stone itself but the rays it emitted, meaning Kryptonite radiation affects Superman. When Lex Luthor discovers Superman’s weakness towards Kryptonite, he once brandished a Kryptonite ring to ensure he can ward off Superman’s presence when he’s close by. However, he soon realized that cumulative exposure to Kryptonite can cause cancer, meaning Kryptonite has some carcinogenic properties.
Interestingly enough, some think of the opposite. It’s mentioned in “Action Comics” #600 that Kryptonite is also being observed and studied as a means to cure cancer, although no progress has been reported in this regard.
5 Kryptonite-X
It’s also possible to “change” the properties of Kryptonite through filtration, something that’s happened during the confrontation between Cyborg Superman, the Eradicator, and a powerless Superman in “The Adventures Of Superman” #511.
In this issue, Cyborg Superman was supposed to fire a barrage of deadly Kryptonite toward Superman to finish him off but the Eradicator got in the way. This resulted in the Eradicator, who can absorb and convert energy much better than Kryptonians, accidentally filtering the Kryptonite and transferring it to Superman. Instead of being deadly, this Kryptonite-X ended up supercharging him instead, allowing him to once again make use of solar radiation.
4 Literal Personality Split
In the “imaginary story” of “Superman” #162, Superman discovered that the City of Kandor was reduced to the size of a bottle, he put his mind to the task of trying to restore it to its original glory. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t have the intellectual capacity to do so yet. To circumvent this problem, Superman invented a machine that processed Red, Green, Blue, and Gold Kryptonite, hopefully allowing him to boost his intelligence.
However, while Superman did receive a massive boost in intelligence, what resulted was a Literal Personality Split, resulting in Superman now being “Superman Red” and “Superman Blue.” Both these personalities had Superman’s powers, allowing both of them to solve most of Superman’s problems. This ended with each Superman marrying Lois Lane and Lana Lang, raising a family separately on New Krypton and Earth, respectively.
3 Simulated Kryptonite Rays
Considering how Superman is affected not by the Kryptonite rock itself but the rays it produces, it should make sense to think of Kryptonite being able to affect Kryptonians based on a spectrum. This is precisely what the Green Lantern Corps do best, and they’ve more than once demonstrated the ability to actually “simulate” Green Kryptonite by attempting to reproduce its radiation.
Originally only happening during the earliest parts of Superman’s career, modern versions of this effect made their way to the comics, with Simulated Kryptonite Rays being potent enough to leave Superman vulnerable or outright dying. For instance, John Stewart was able to “replicate” a Kryptonite stone by creating a construct with the same properties as the mineral.
2 Kryptonite Cloud
While most forms of Kryptonite appear as stones, it’s not uncommon for its users to have them crafted as jewelry or weapons. However, the intelligent Gorilla Grodd pushes these options to the extreme. In “Superman/Batman Vol 1.,” a simulated Gorilla Grodd was smart enough to transform something called an “Artificial Kryptonite” into a Kryptonite Cloud.
Grodd used this Kryptonite Cloud to cover Earth’s atmosphere, essentially transforming it into a large Green Kryptonite and rendering Superman unable to fly into Earth. As such, Grodd was able to keep perhaps the most powerful member of the Justice League away while he’s free to defeat and kill most of the Justice League - at least, in this simulation.
1 Red Kryptonite
The wildest of all Kryptonite variants in terms of creativity would be Red Kryptonite. Appearing first in 1958’s “Adventure Comics” #255, Red Kryptonite throughout the comics would affect Kryptonians with wildly different effects. In fact, it’s said that the “tingling effect” of Red Kryptonite can’t ever be the same with two different rocks. Thankfully, Red Kryptonite only affects its users for around one to three days, with its user being immune to its effects after the first exposure.
What’s crazy about Red Kryptonite is how its effects can wildly differ. Common among Red Kryptonite variants are reversing moralities and personalities, transformation effects (e.g., dragons, dwarves, non-powered giants), physical changes (e.g., excessive hair growth, extra limbs, loss of balance, rapid aging), or even gaining new powers.