Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race within the
DC Comics universe
The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
that originated on the planet
Krypton
Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...
. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero,
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
. The stories also use "Kryptonian" as an adjective to refer to anything created by or associated with the planet itself or the cultures that existed on it.
Members of the dominant species of the planet Krypton are indistinguishable from Terran humans in terms of their appearance in their physiology and genetics, but they are vastly different. In some continuities Kryptonians are difficult to clone because their DNA is so complex that human science is not advanced enough to decipher it. The cellular structure of Kryptonians allows for solar energy to be absorbed at extremely high levels. On the planet Krypton,
whose parent star has often been depicted as an ancient red supergiant with a relatively low energy output, their natural abilities were the same as humans. When exposed to a young yellow star like Earth's Sun, which is much smaller than their own sun and with a vastly higher energy output, their bodies are able to absorb and process so much energy that it manifests as vast superhuman powers (such as superhuman strength, superhuman speed, invulnerability, flight, x-ray vision, heat vision and superhuman senses).
Almost all Kryptonians were killed when the planet exploded shortly after the infant
Kal-El
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publish ...
was sent to Earth. In some continuities, he is the planet's only survivor. In other versions of canon, there is a last daughter of Krypton
Kara Zor-El
Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) also known by her adoptive names of Linda Lee Danvers, Kara Kent, Linda Lang, and Kara Danvers, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Otto Binder and designed by ...
. She is a cousin of Superman and known as Supergirl.
Physiology and powers
Kal-El can lead an alter ego as
Clark Kent
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publish ...
because Kryptonians appear identical to humans. Also, in both Silver Age and Modern Age continuity, Kryptonians have more than one ethnic group, such as dark-skinned Kryptonians from Krypton's
Vathlo Island
Vathlo Island is a fictional location on the planet of Krypton (comics), Krypton in the DC Comics universe.
Publication history
In issue #234 of ''Superman'' (February 1971), the first apparently dark-skinned Kryptonian was featured, and described ...
that resemble Earth humans of
Sub-Saharan African
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the African ...
,
Negrito
The term Negrito () refers to several diverse ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands. Populations often described as Negrito include: the Andamanese peoples (including the Great Andamanese, the Onge, ...
,
Melanesian
Melanesian is the adjectival form of Melanesia. It may refer to:
* Melanesians
* Melanesian mythology
* Melanesian languages In linguistics, Melanesian is an obsolete term referring to the Austronesian languages of Melanesia: that is, the Oceani ...
, and
Indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
descent – reminiscent of Earth peoples of the
Negroid
Negroid (less commonly called Congoid) is an obsolete racial grouping of various people indigenous to Africa south of the area which stretched from the southern Sahara desert in the west to the African Great Lakes in the southeast, but also to i ...
,
Capoid
Capoid race is a grouping formerly used for the Khoikhoi and San peoples in the context of a now-outdated model of dividing humanity into different races. The term was introduced by Carleton S. Coon in 1962 and named for the Cape of Good Hope.' ...
, and
Australoid
Australo-Melanesians (also known as Australasians or the Australomelanesoid, Australoid or Australioid race) is an outdated historical grouping of various people indigenous to Melanesia and Australia. Controversially, groups from Southeast Asia an ...
races – and a group from the continent of Twenx that resemble Earth humans of
North African
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
,
Middle Eastern
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (European ...
,
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
,
Micronesian,
Polynesian,
Native American, and
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
descent – reminiscent of Earth peoples of the non-
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
Caucasoid
The Caucasian race (also Caucasoid or Europid, Europoid) is an obsolete racial classification of human beings based on a now-disproven theory of biological race. The ''Caucasian race'' was historically regarded as a biological taxon which, de ...
and
Mongoloid
Mongoloid () is an obsolete racial grouping of various peoples indigenous to large parts of Asia, the Americas, and some regions in Europe and Oceania. The term is derived from a now-disproven theory of biological race. In the past, other terms ...
races. This is all due to
convergent evolution
Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...
. In the first stories about Superman's origins, all Kryptonians possess on their homeworld the same powers Superman has on Earth. In later depictions, their abilities are attributed to the differences between Earth's gravity and that of Krypton and the different radiation of the stars they orbit. Kryptonians use solar energy from yellow, blue, orange or white stars on the cellular and molecular levels to gain superhuman abilities. The light of dwarf stars, pulsars, and quasars also grants Kryptonians different abilities. Some stories also maintain that Kryptonians have bioelectric fields that surround their bodies and protect them from harm and which are the means by which Kryptonians fly. Certain individuals (including
Conner Kent
Superboy (also known as Kon-El or Conner Kent) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A modern variation on Superboy (Kal-El), the original Superboy, the character first appeared as Superboy in ''The Adventures ...
,
Chris Kent, and some Phantom Zone criminals) have sometimes been depicted with "tactile telekinesis" which allows Kryptonians to lift and manipulate large objects whose own structural strength might not otherwise survive the process. The abilities of Kryptonians evolve and grow more powerful as Kryptonians age and develop.
In some continuities, mating between Kryptonians and other species is difficult because Kryptonian DNA is so complex as to be nearly incompatible with that of other species. The only notable exception is represented by the original native
Daxamite
Daxam is a fictional planet within the DC Universe. It is home to a race called the Daxamites, who are descended from Kryptonian colonists.
History
In canonical continuity, Daxamites are descendants of a group of Kryptonians who had left Krypt ...
population (the race that bore that name before intermingling with the Kryptonian explorers, who later adapted the name for themselves). Breeding between Kryptonian explorers and this race created a new Kryptonian hybrid race that could interbreed with a larger number of humanoid races—including Earth humans. No other races are yet known to exhibit the same degree of compatibility of the native Daxamites. However, in some continuations humans are not only able to reproduce with Kryptonians, but are able to create fertile offspring with them.
Superpowered Kryptonians are vulnerable to
kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...
, radioactive remnants of Krypton, magic and solar radiation from red and orange suns.
They are also vulnerable to physical attacks from beings native to Krypton essentially in proportion to their vulnerability in non-powered situations. In addition Kryptonian beings are vulnerable to infection from viruses or bacteria native to Krypton.
Culture and technology
Comics
Kryptonians are a highly culturally and technologically advanced people. Self-grown crystals, both natural and synthetic, which covered the vast majority of their planet's surface gave their homeworld a bluish hue when viewed from space and underlay Kryptonian technology. Relatively small crystals can hold vast amounts of information. The
Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude is a fictional fortress appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. It is the place where Superman first learned about his true identity, heritage, and purpose on Eart ...
is often portrayed as a recreation of Krypton's surface and a storehouse for all the knowledge that the Kryptonian race had obtained.
A pictographic crest or symbol represents each Kryptonian family, or House; the head of the House usually wears it. According to the Superman movie and sequels, a shape similar to the Latin letter "S" represents the House of El, for example. Superman wears this same symbol on his costume, which therefore serves a dual purpose: it displays his Kryptonian heritage, as well as functioning as the "S" for Superman. Male Kryptonians are identified by hyphenated names, which identify both them and their houses, such as "Jor-El" and "Kal-El" (of the House of El). Female Kryptonians have one given name but take their father's name as their last name. For example, Kal-El's mother is named Lara Lor-Van, taken from her father's name (Lor-Van).
The different Houses were also broken up into a loosely-based caste system as well. The Religious, Artist, Military and Science castes had representation on the ruling council, while the Worker caste did not. The different castes lived in buildings with different architectural styles that represented various styles throughout Krypton's history.
The severe xenophobia of Kryptonian society conveniently explains Kal-El's being the first Kryptonian to leave the planet. Non-superpowered Kryptonians are genetically dependent to their home planet; as such, Kal-El was sent to Earth as a newly conceived embryo within a birthing matrix in order to survive in Earth's atmosphere. He was also devoid of any Kryptonian minerals, because any such minerals would turn to
kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...
upon leaving Krypton's atmosphere. Kryptonians are evolutionarily related to the also-severely xenophobic Daxamites. The Daxamites remain that way up through the 31st century.
Kryptonian law did not believe in capital punishment. Instead, the worst criminals were sent to the Phantom Zone, despite a lack of understanding of the nature of the zone, its danger to the imprisoned and the presence of exits.
Krypton's red sun was named Rao. It was worshiped by the Kryptonians as a deity (albeit in a more scientific and rational way as the giver and sustainer of all life on the planet). Other deities include
Nightwing
Nightwing is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character has appeared in various incarnations; the identity was adopted by Dick Grayson when he left his role as Batman's vigilante partner Robin.
Although ...
and
Flamebird
Flamebird is the name used by six different fictional comic book characters who have appeared in books published by DC Comics, specifically from the ''Superman'' and ''Batman'' mythos.
The primary character to use the Flamebird name is Bette Kane, ...
,
dragon-like deities who have inspired a number of superhero teams as well as notable dynasties of Krypton e.g.,
the House of El.
While many Kryptonians wear brightly colored clothes on a daily basis, formal occasions such as funerals and certain council meetings require everyone to wear white. The white formal clothes are often luminescent. It is also seen as a sad, scary, ghostly, faded colour as is depicted in many similar cultures around the world on Earth.
Just like humans domesticating their animals on Earth, Kryptonians also domesticate their own animals as well; which some of them look very similar to Earth's animals, due to
parallel evolution
Parallel evolution is the similar development of a trait in distinct species that are not closely related, but share a similar original trait in response to similar evolutionary pressure.Zhang, J. and Kumar, S. 1997Detection of convergent and paral ...
, e.g.,
birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
,
felids
Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the do ...
,
canids
Canidae (; from Latin, ''canis'', "dog") is a biological family of dog-like carnivorans, colloquially referred to as dogs, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a canid (). There are three subfamilies found within th ...
,
simians
The simians, anthropoids, or higher primates are an infraorder (Simiiformes ) of primates containing all animals traditionally called monkeys and apes. More precisely, they consist of the parvorders New World monkeys (Platyrrhini) and Catarrhi ...
, etc., as seen in
Krypto
Krypto, also known as Krypto the Superdog, is a fictional superhero dog appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the character Superman. In most continuities, Krypto is Superman's pet dog, usually dep ...
, and
Beppo; while others look very different, due to
divergent evolution
Divergent evolution or divergent selection is the accumulation of differences between closely related populations within a species, leading to speciation. Divergent evolution is typically exhibited when two populations become separated by a geog ...
, e.g.,
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
/
snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
/
eel-like hybrid creatures called "''fish-snakes''",
goat-like creatures called "''Zuurt''",
bovine-like creatures called "''Rondor''",
rhino
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
/
ceratopsian-like hybrid creatures called "''Thought-Beasts''", and
dragon-like creatures called "''H'Raka''".
Television
The Kryptonian society, as described in ''
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' (at least, according to what was seen of its surviving colony) is ruled by aristocracy. Arranged marriages between the members of nobility are common, sometimes as early as birth (as was revealed to be the case with Kal-El), and numerous concubines are allowed. Settling of noble disputes by private duels is fully legal (although highly uncommon) and apparently gives advantages in terms of reputation. Criminals are punished for capital crimes by having their bodies dispersed across the universe (the process is reversible, at least until a certain stage). All Kryptonians are capable of long range telepathic communication. The society is highly pragmatic and the Kryptonians seen were surprised and displeased with Clark's unwillingness to kill. Unlike in the comics, the main clothing color seen is black.
In ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'', some of the elements, like their black clothing and telepathy, was retained except that the shields featured a different letter, indicating a different House other than Zor-El's. This shield is worn on the right shoulder. Like in ''
Smallville
''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'', a number of criminals imprisoned by the Kryptonians in the Phantom Zone are from other planets and have different powers from those of either Superman or Supergirl.
Language and alphabet
Comics
For most of
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
's published history, Kryptonian writing was represented by random, alien-looking squiggles. In the 1970s,
E. Nelson Bridwell
Edward Nelson Bridwell (September 22, 1931 – January 23, 1987) was a writer for ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' magazine (writing the now-famous catchphrase, "What you mean...we?" in a 1958 parody of ''The Lone Ranger'' in Mad) and various comic books ...
attempted to rationalize these squiggles into a 118-letter alphabet, referring to the language as "Kryptonese". This standardized alphabet was then used by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
until
John Byrne's 1986 "reboot" of the Superman universe.
In 2000, DC introduced a transliteration alphabet for the written language, dropping the "Kryptonese" moniker in favor of the more commonly assumed "Kryptonian." All such writing appearing in the comic books is actually just the language of publication (English in the US and UK, French in France, etc.) written using this transliteration alphabet to replace the native alphabet with a one-to-one correspondence, in a similar fashion to
Interlac
Interlac is a fictional language used by characters of the United Planets in stories set in the 30th century of the DC Comics universe, especially stories about the Legion of Super-Heroes. Although the characters are said to be conversing in this ...
in ''
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st c ...
''.
''Smallville''
On the television series ''
Smallville
''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'', depictions of the written Kryptonian language began, primarily, with English transliterated into the official Kryptonian transliteration font – mirroring the practice of the comics. The style of these depictions has since evolved over the life of the series from decipherable transliterated writing to a more stylized (and indiscernible) form. In the process, an increasing amount of
logographic
In a written language, a logogram, logograph, or lexigraph is a written character that represents a word or morpheme. Chinese characters (pronounced '' hanzi'' in Mandarin, ''kanji'' in Japanese, ''hanja'' in Korean) are generally logograms, a ...
components have been added with symbols that have been explained to represent words, ideas, or names.
In the episode "
Gemini
Gemini may refer to:
Space
* Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac
** Gemini in Chinese astronomy
* Project Gemini, the second U.S. crewed spaceflight program
* Gemini Observatory, consisting of telescopes in the Northern ...
", a character muttering in an unconscious state is revealed to be speaking Kryptonian.
''Superman/Batman: Apocalypse''
In the ''
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse'' movie, a mix of gibberish and
Esperanto
Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...
is used to depict Kryptonian dialogue spoken by both
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
and
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
.
''Man of Steel''
The 2013 film ''
Man of Steel'' featured Kryptonian writing created by graphic designer Kirsten Franson. The mechanics of the writing system (an
abugida
An abugida (, from Ge'ez language, Ge'ez: ), sometimes known as alphasyllabary, neosyllabary or pseudo-alphabet, is a segmental Writing systems#Segmental writing system, writing system in which consonant-vowel sequences are written as units; ...
), as well as the Kryptonian language that it depicts (which was not spoken in the film), were created by Dr. Christine Schreyer, a linguistic anthropologist and assistant professor of anthropology working at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. The writing can be seen in several places on Superman's suit in the subsequent films ''
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' (2016) and ''
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
'' (2017).
Arrowverse
On the
Arrowverse
The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW Seed. ...
television series ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'' the official Kryptonian transliteration font is used for depictions of the Kryptonian language in various scenes throughout the series. In season 3, episodes
2,
6,
7,
13,
20, and
22 and season 5 episode
10 featured a few short lines of Kryptonian dialogue using the language created by Darren Doyle, citing the first time a constructed Kryptonian language (as opposed to gibberish) has been spoken in any official media.
The 2021 television series ''
Superman & Lois
''Superman & Lois'' is an American superhero drama television series developed for The CW by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti, based on the DC Comics characters Superman and Lois Lane, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Tyler Hoechlin and E ...
'' featured characters speaking the Doyle version of Kryptonian in season 1 episodes
7,
9, and
10. Doyle is credited in season 1 episode 12, but no Kryptonian was used.
Calendar
Comics
In the 1970s and 1980s, details about the Kryptonian calendar as it existed in the
Earth-One
Earth-One (also Earth-1) is a name given to two fictional universes (The Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis versions of the same universe) that have appeared in American comic book stories published by DC Comics. The first Earth-One was given its name in ...
universe were revealed. The Kryptonian time units were defined as follows:
* 100 thribo (Kryptonian seconds) per dendar (Kryptonian minute).
* 100 dendaro (Kryptonian minutes) per wolu (Kryptonian hour).
* 10 woluo (Kryptonian hours) per zetyar (Kryptonian day).
* six zetyaro (Kryptonian days) per fanff (Kryptonian week).
* 73 zetyaro (Kryptonian days) per lorax (Kryptonian month).
* 438 zetyaro (Kryptonian days) per amzet (Kryptonian year).
* 73 fanffo (Kryptonian weeks) per amzet (Kryptonian year).
* six loraxo (Kryptonian months) per amzet (Kryptonian year).
* The six loraxo (months) were: Belyuth, Ogtal, Ullhah, Eorx, Hefralt and Norzec.
(Note: In the Kryptonian language, the suffix "o" indicates the plural form of a noun.)
According to one story, in which the
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created ...
prisoner
Quex-Ul
Quex-Ul is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is depicted as an enemy of Superman.
Quex-Ul appeared in the television series ''Krypton'', portrayed by Gordon Alexander.
Publication history
Quex-Ul first ap ...
had served his full sentence, 18 Kryptonian sun-cycles (amzeto) is about 25 Earth years. It can be demonstrated that one Kryptonian sun-cycle is approximately 1.37 Earth years, as follows:
*
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
was born on 35 Eorx 9998, which occurred on February 29 in the Earth calendar.
*
Krypton
Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...
exploded early on 39 Ogtal 10000, which occurred on June 16 in the Earth calendar (Superman arrived on Earth two days later, on June 18).
* Therefore, there were 734 Kryptonian days (1.676 Kryptonian years) between the two events.
* Since 18 Kryptonian years is about 25 Earth years, then there were approximately 2.3 Earth years between the two events.
* The exact number of days between February 29, and June 16 two years later, is 838 (or 2.294 years).
* Thus, 1.676 Kryptonian years equals 2.294 Earth years, or 1 Kryptonian year equals roughly 1.37 Earth years.
Using this ratio of 1.37 Earth years per Kryptonian year (amzet), and ignoring any potential Kryptonian leap day and any differences in time of day, one can approximate other units of time:
* 1.37 years per amzet
* 0.99 seconds per thrib (31,556,952 seconds/year * 1.37 years/amzet * one amzet/43,800,000 thrib)
* 1.65 minutes per dendar (525949.2 minutes/year * 1.37 years/amzet * one amzet/438,000 dendar)
* 2.74 hours per wolu (8765.82 hours/year * 1.37 years/amzet * one amzet/4,380 wolu)
* 1.14 days per zetyar (365.2425 days/year * 1.37 years/amzet * one amzet/438 zetyar)
Major events in the Kryptonian calendar include:
[''World Of Krypton'' #1-3 (July-Sept. 1979) and elsewhere]
*
Jor-El
Jor-El, originally known as Jor-L, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 with Superman.
...
and
Lara
Lara may refer to:
Places
* Lara (state), a state in Venezuela
*Electoral district of Lara, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia
* Lara, Antalya, an urban district in Turkey
* Lara, Victoria, a township in Australia
* Lara de los Infa ...
were married on 47 Ullhah 9997.
* The city of
Kandor was stolen by
Brainiac
Brainiac is a colloquial adjective used to describe exceptionally intelligent people. It may also refer to:
Culture Fictional entities
* Brainiac (character), a fictional supervillain in DC Comics, and an enemy of Superman
* Brainiac (story arc), ...
on 33 Ogtal 9998.
* Kal-El (Superman) was born to Jor-El and Lara on 35 Eorx 9998.
* The
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created ...
became an official method of punishment, and
Jax-Ur
Jax-Ur is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, usually as an adversary of Superman. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp, the character first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #289 (October 1961). He has be ...
became its first prisoner, on 67 Eorx 9999.
* Kal-El's pet dog,
Krypto the Superdog
''Krypto the Superdog'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on Superman's canine companion Krypto, which premiered on Cartoon Network on March 25, 2005 (exactly 50 years after his comic debut), an ...
, was lost in space on 54 Belyuth 10000.
* Jor-El launched the Phantom Zone projector into space on 30 Ogtal 10000.
*
Lar Gand
Lar Gand, known mainly as Mon-El (and alternatively as Valor and M'Onel), is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy (Kal-El), Superboy, and ...
of
Daxam
Daxam is a fictional planet within the DC Universe. It is home to a race called the Daxamites, who are descended from Kryptonian colonists.
History
In canonical continuity, Daxamites are descendants of a group of Kryptonians who had left Krypto ...
landed on Krypton and met Jor-El on 34 Ogtal 10000.
* Kal-El was sent in an
interstellar rocketship towards Earth and Krypton exploded on 39 Ogtal 10000.
Survivors
Comics
When Krypton was destroyed, it was thought that the entire Kryptonian race was destroyed. This was untrue – the scientist
Jor-El
Jor-El, originally known as Jor-L, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 with Superman.
...
managed to send his newborn son, Kal-El, off-planet to Earth right before Krypton's demise. Kal-El grew up on Earth as Clark Kent and eventually discovered his Kryptonian origins. Superman's cousin
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
also survived Krypton's destruction, as did
Kristin Wells, who had been on the run in space at the time of the planet's destruction. Kryptonian survivors of alternate worlds, such as
Power Girl
Power Girl, also known as Kara Zor-L and Karen Starr, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, making her first appearance in ''All_Star_Comics#1976_revival_series, All Star Comics'' #58 (January/February 1976). Power Girl ...
(Kara Zor-L), the
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
Krypto the Superdog
''Krypto the Superdog'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on Superman's canine companion Krypto, which premiered on Cartoon Network on March 25, 2005 (exactly 50 years after his comic debut), an ...
, and the
monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
Beppo the Super-Monkey, also reside on Earth. Kryptonians
General Zod
General Zod is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly known as an List of Superman enemies, adversary of the superhero Superman. The character, who first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961 ...
and
Ursa are among the many criminals had been imprisoned within the Phantom Zone prior to Krypton's destruction and even went on to have a child, who would later be adopted as
Christopher Kent. Jor-El's delinquent neighbor,
Dev-Em
Dev-Em is a fictional character who appears in DC Comics. He first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #287 (June 1961), created by Jerry Siegel and George Papp. Various versions of the Dev-Em character has appeared over the years in '' Legion of Su ...
believed his warnings enough to build a shelter that survived the destruction of Krypton and was propelled through space. Eradicator, a robot built by the Kryptonian council, departed the planet with a group of colonists, survived their decimation, and would later encounter Superman.
The Kryptonian city
Kandor was also spared from destruction, as it was shrunken and collected by
Brainiac
Brainiac is a colloquial adjective used to describe exceptionally intelligent people. It may also refer to:
Culture Fictional entities
* Brainiac (character), a fictional supervillain in DC Comics, and an enemy of Superman
* Brainiac (story arc), ...
. Kryptonian people live there in standard but microscopic, non-superpowered lives. Also, the inhabitants of the planet Daxam are descendants of Kryptonians who long ago ventured into space and settled on another planet. As such they possess similar powers and abilities to traditional Kryptonians when exposed to a yellow sun. The people of Argo City also survive Krypton's destruction due to an enemy field surrounding the city, although in most universes the city either dies out soon afterward or is captured and immersed into Kandor by Brainiac.
The monster
Doomsday
Doomsday may refer to:
* Eschatology, a time period described in the eschatological writings in Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios of non-Abrahamic religions.
* Global catastrophic risk, a hypothetical event explored in science and fict ...
is the last of the prehistoric Kryptonians.
On Earth-Two, the Kryptonian
Val-Zod
Superman of Earth-Two is an alternate version of the fictional superhero Superman, who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was introduced after DC Comics created Earth-Two, a Multiverse (DC Comics), parallel wor ...
(Superman) survive Krypton, along with
Kara Zor-L/Karen Starr (Supergirl).
''The New 52'' introduces a survivor named H'El, a Kryptonian clone who piloted a prototype of the rocket Jor-El uses to save his son and departed Krypton with the planet's historical records.
Film
In ''
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
'', teenage Clark discovers who he is in the
Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude is a fictional fortress appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. It is the place where Superman first learned about his true identity, heritage, and purpose on Eart ...
, where a hologram of Jor-El tells him, "You are the only survivor of the planet Krypton." This remark appears to prove untrue in ''
Superman II
''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment in the ''Superman'' film seri ...
'', as prisoners of the
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created ...
, such as
General Zod
General Zod is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly known as an List of Superman enemies, adversary of the superhero Superman. The character, who first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961 ...
, also survive the destruction of Krypton. However, Zod and his lieutenants only survived because they were at that time incarcerated within the Phantom Zone and were not in fact on Krypton at the time of its destruction. The film ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'' shows inhabitants of
Argo City
Krypton is a fictional planet appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly appearing or mentioning in stories starring the superhero Superman as the world he came from. The planet was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Sh ...
who also survived by fleeing to a parallel dimension, including Superman's cousin
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
. In ''
Superman Returns
''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris (screenwriter), Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. I ...
'', it is revealed that Clark is father to the half-Kryptonian child Jason White.
In ''
Man of Steel'', Kryptonians are depicted as a genetically-engineered race of beings. They are artificially grown in "genesis chambers" using information from the Codex, a skull containing the entire genetic code of the Kryptonian race. With this method, Kryptonians are designated pre-determined roles in society at their conception – for example, Jor-El is a Scientist, whereas General Zod is a Warrior. In ancient times, they were a race in the midst of an era of expansion, travelling to other worlds via scout ships in order to colonize them. Kal-El is the first (and technically, last) naturally-born Kryptonian in centuries, as Jor-El and Lara believed that Krypton had lost the freedom of choice and wanted their son to choose to become who he wanted to be. As in the comics, Kal-El's powers are depicted as being superior to other Kryptonians, due to his spending a far greater period of time exposed to Earth's yellow sun and atmosphere, though some have an advantage over him in terms of combat experience (e.g. Zod, Faora and Nam-Ek). While the other Kryptonians receive great strength and speed from Earth's sun, they require solar-suits to regulate the radiation and avoid being stricken by pain. In addition, it is shown that without some form of training, Kryptonians are left vulnerable to their own abilities, as the case with Zod when Superman destroyed his solar-visor and caused him to develop a sensory overload.
In the animated film ''
Superman: Unbound'' Brainiac abducted and shrunk the people of both Kandor and Argo City from Krypton. They are eventually rescued and restored to normal size by Superman and Supergirl, who were sent to Earth in rockets as in other versions of the story.
The animated adaptation of ''
All-Star Superman
''All-Star Superman'' is a twelve-issue American comic book series featuring Superman that was published by DC Comics. The series ran from November 2005 to October 2008. The series was written by Grant Morrison, drawn by Frank Quitely, and digita ...
'' features the inhabitants of Kandor, and a pair of surviving Kryptonian astronauts named Bar-El and Lilo. The Phantom Zone also makes an appearance, implying that prisoners inside it survived Krypton's destruction like in so many other continuities. The ending reveals that Lois Lane will be artificially inseminated with Superman's child and that their descendants will remain super-power heroes centuries into the future.
In ''
Superman: Man of Tomorrow'' the bounty hunter
Lobo (DC Comics)
Lobo is a character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The Lobo character was created by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen, and he first appeared in ''Omega Men'' #3 (June 1983). Lobo is an alien from the utopian planet of Czarnia, and ...
claims that Superman is the only survivor of Krypton's destruction. However, he later admits this was a ploy to negotiate a higher bounty on Superman and there are probably other surviving Kryptonians.
Television
In ''
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', it was shown that a sizable Kryptonian colony (called New Krypton) has survived the destruction of the planet. Clark had to go to the colony as its official ruler, but returned to Earth soon after.
In ''
Smallville
''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'', Clark Kent initially believes himself to be the last survivor of Krypton. However, his father Jor-El's memories remains sentient in the mysterious
Kawatche
The second season of '' Smallville'', an American television series developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, began airing on September 24, 2002 on The WB television network. The series recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent ...
Caves and Fortress of Solitude an disembodied AI, and the disembodied spirit of Zod is similarly sentient albeit trapped in the Phantom Zone. In
Season Five
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...
, Clark discovers that the Disciples of Zod:
Nam-Ek & Aethyr and a Kryptonian artificial intelligence: Brain-Interactive-Construct aka
Brainiac
Brainiac is a colloquial adjective used to describe exceptionally intelligent people. It may also refer to:
Culture Fictional entities
* Brainiac (character), a fictional supervillain in DC Comics, and an enemy of Superman
* Brainiac (story arc), ...
arrive on Earth, serving Zod's trapped spirit. In
Season Six, Clark discovers his father's assistant Raya was spared by being placed in the Phantom Zone, with her body intact. She helped Clark on Earth until her death a short time after her escape from the Phantom Zone.
Season Seven introduces
Kara Zor-El
Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) also known by her adoptive names of Linda Lee Danvers, Kara Kent, Linda Lang, and Kara Danvers, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Otto Binder and designed by ...
, having been sent to Earth at the same time of Clark but trapped in suspended animation since then; later, through schemes put into practice before his death, Clark's uncle
Zor-El
Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A Kryptonian, he is the brother of Jor-El, husband of Alura, father of Supergirl, and paternal uncle of Superman.
Traditional depictions of Zor-El in Golde ...
and mother
Lara
Lara may refer to:
Places
* Lara (state), a state in Venezuela
*Electoral district of Lara, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia
* Lara, Antalya, an urban district in Turkey
* Lara, Victoria, a township in Australia
* Lara de los Infa ...
are resurrected with powers intact for a time. Later, it is revealed that another Kryptonian, the scientist
Dax-Ur
Jax-Ur is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, usually as an adversary of Superman. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp, the character first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #289 (October 1961). He has ...
, has been living on Earth for over a hundred years, using blue kryptonite to render himself powerless, and has even fathered a son with his human wife. Dax-Ur is killed soon after by Brainiac. In
Season 8
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In tempera ...
, it is revealed that Zod's wife
Faora
Faora is a supervillainess appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The character was created by Cary Bates and Curt Swan, and first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #471 (May 1977). Most common ...
, also a disembodied wraith, was sent into the Phantom Zone with her husband, but not before they genetically engineered their son, fusing genetic material taken from the most violent Kryptonian life-forms with their own. The child was attached to Clark's ship in the form of a cocoon; on Earth it assumed a human form and became known as Davis Bloome, but would periodically assume its true form: the monster
Doomsday
Doomsday may refer to:
* Eschatology, a time period described in the eschatological writings in Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios of non-Abrahamic religions.
* Global catastrophic risk, a hypothetical event explored in science and fict ...
. In the season finale, Zod makes his first full bodied appearance on the series, along with a large number of other Kryptonians who are later revealed to be clones created as part of an old experiment. Initially powerless due to their cells having been treated with blue kryptonite radiation, these clones later gain powers when Clark is forced to provide Zod with a sample of his blood to heal him after he is shot, Zod using this blood to empower his followers. The clones are relocated to a new world that they designate 'New Krypton' at the conclusion of Season Nine, with Clark Kent remaining on Earth and Zod being sent to the Phantom Zone to merge with his original self when the clones learn that Zod killed his lover Faora for objecting to his plans.
In ''
Superman: The Animated Series'' and later ''
Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...
'', the only survivors of Krypton are Clark and two Phantom Zone criminals (Jax-Ur and Mala, introduced in "
Blasts From the Past", parts 1 and 2). Kara In-Zee, alias Supergirl, is the lone survivor of
Argos
Argos most often refers to:
* Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece
** Ancient Argos, the ancient city
* Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland
Argos or ARGOS may also refer to:
Businesses
...
, Krypton's sister planet knocked out by the planet's explosion; however, in the ''
Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...
'' episode "Fearful Symmetry", Doctor
Emil Hamilton, who has examined Superman, calls her DNA "Kryptonian", indicating that Argosians are genetically related to Kryptonians. Failed clones of Superman (the mentally handicapped
Bizarro
Bizarro () is a supervillain/anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in ''Superboy'' #68 (1958) ...
and the monstrous
Doomsday
Doomsday may refer to:
* Eschatology, a time period described in the eschatological writings in Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios of non-Abrahamic religions.
* Global catastrophic risk, a hypothetical event explored in science and fict ...
) and Supergirl (the sociopathic Galatea) are later created.
In ''
Legion of Super Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st cent ...
'', the citizens of Kandor, Superman and his clone Superman-X, might all be considered surviving Kryptonians. The Phantom Zone also appears in one episode. While it isn't explicitly stated that its prisoners are Kryptonian by birth, one resembles
General Zod
General Zod is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly known as an List of Superman enemies, adversary of the superhero Superman. The character, who first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961 ...
, and another has powers similar to Superman.
In the ''
Super Friends
''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...
'' Kandor appears inside Superman's Fortress of Solitude in one episode and several of its miniaturized (yet still super-powered) inhabitants provide aid to the titular group of heroes. Two episodes also feature a trio of Phantom Zone prisoners.
In ''
Justice League Action
''Justice League Action'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero team Justice League. The series is produced by Jim Krieg, Butch Lukic, and Alan Burnett. The show debuted on Cartoon Network UK on Nov ...
'' Superman, Krypto, the Phantom Zone prisoners, Supergirl (whether she came to Earth in Kandor, directly from Krypton, or from Ago City is never revealed), the people of Kandor, and Streaky the Supercat at all survivors of Krypton. After Kandor is rescued from Brainiac, attempts are made to re-enlarge the city and its people, but it is unconfirmed whether they succeed. General Zod, Faora, and Quex-Ul are implied to be the only three prisoners of the Phantom Zone.
''
Krypton
Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...
'' has the events that trigger Krypton's destruction being stopped by a time-traveler, something which is never undone before the show's cancellation, allowing the planet's whole population to survive what would have destroyed them. Even before the timeline changed, Brainiac would have taken Kandor and its people.
In the Arrowverse TV series ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'', another Kryptonian House was revealed, this one led by Alura Zor-El's twin sister, General Astra. Her shield featured a "Q" on her uniform, indicating that besides her niece Kara, she and her house survived the destruction of Krypton, along with the Kryptonian prisoners sentenced by Alura (and who are working under Astra) that crash-landed on Earth via the prison ship Fort Rozz. One of Astra's operatives,
Vartox
Vartox is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. Vartox bears a striking resemblance to Scottish actor Sean Connery and his name and appearance are regarded as an allusion to the 1974 film ''Zardoz'' which starred Connery.
Publication histo ...
, was ordered to sabotage the Department of Extra-Normal Operations by causing a plane crash that was thwarted by Supergirl (when she realized her sister
Alex Danvers
Alexandra "Alex" Danvers Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D. Doctor of Medicine, M.D., also known as Sentinel, is a fictional Character (arts), character from the Arrowverse television series ''Supergirl (TV series), Supergirl'', portrayed by actress Chy ...
, a DEO member, was on board), and to alert Astra that Kara survived the explosion and now has come into discovering her powers. In "
Hostile Takeover
In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to ...
" more Kryptonians, led by Astra's husband Non, surfaced on Earth preparing for take over of the planet, and came prepared to counter the kryptonite weapons with anti-kryptonite body armor. The third season reveals that Alura and the populace of Argo City survived Krypton's destruction due to Alura's husband Zor-El's energy shield. Argo City is destroyed during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, but is resurrected following the Anti-Monitor's defeat. The show's final season reveals that Zor-El (who was unable to be at Argo City during Krypton's destruction) also survived by sending himself to the Phantom Zone as his planet was destroyed.
In the world of ''
Superman & Lois
''Superman & Lois'' is an American superhero drama television series developed for The CW by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti, based on the DC Comics characters Superman and Lois Lane, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Tyler Hoechlin and E ...
'' (which takes place on an unnamed Earth that is different from Prime-Earth), Superman's older maternal half-brother Tal-Rho (operating with the alias of
Morgan Edge
Morgan Edge is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Originally a supporting character, he is a media mogul who acquires ''The Daily Planet'' and employs Clark Kent as a television journalist for his WGBS ...
) was also sent to Earth by his father Zeta-Rho in an evacuation rocket but became embittered by his negative first contacts with humanity and became a villain. Tal-Rho comes into possession of a Kryptonian invention called the Eradicator which survived the planet's destruction and contains the consciousnesses of many Kryptonians like Lara Lor-Van and General Zod. Under the guidance of Zeta-Rho's A.I. and with the aid of
Dabney Donovan
Dan the Dyna-Mite
Dan Turpin
Damien Darhk
The enigmatic Damien Darhk is an elusive and dangerous criminal mastermind and enemy of the Teen Titans. He makes his first appearance in ''Titans'' #1 (March 1999). Claiming to be a major player in t ...
, Tal-Rho used the Eradicator combined with X-Kryptonite to give those survivors physical bodies by having them possess inhabitants of Earth like inhabitants of Smallville like he did with his personal assistant Irma Sayres (who used the alias of Leslie Larr), his one-time minion David Fuglestad, and a select number of Smallville inhabitants.
In ''
Young Justice
Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes.
The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...
'', it was believed Superman (Kal-El) was the sole survivor of Krypton’s destruction by its exploding star Rao with exceptions being his half-Kryptonian, half-human clone Superboy and his son with Lois Lane Jonathan. However in the fourth season Young Justice: Phantoms, after Superboy gets accidentally transported to an unknown dimension after being presumed dead after an explosion on Mars, Superboy meets General Dru-Zod and his followers Ursa Zod, Faora Hu-Ul, Non, Kru-El, Jax-Ur, and Vor-Kil and learns that he is in the Phantom Zone. Towards the end of the season, after Dru and Ursa’s son from the future Lor-Zod frees them from the zone, they try to conquer Earth with their Kryptonian allies but fail and most are sent back to the Phantom Zone except Ursa who was saved by the Eye of Ekron and taken to Daxam and Lor-Zod who was killed. The Light has Klarion hunt down all the Kryptonians in the zone and has the dozens of them in stasis aboard The Warworld with Apokolips acquiring Kara Zor-El as a member of their army.
Video games
In the One Earth Regime universe featured in ''
Injustice: Gods Among Us'' and ''
Injustice 2
''Injustice 2'' is a 2017 fighting game, fighting video game it is the sequel to 2013's ''Injustice: Gods Among Us'' and is the second installment in the ''Injustice (franchise), Injustice'' franchise based upon the DC Universe. It is developed ...
'', Krypton is attacked by the rogue Coluan scientist
Brainiac
Brainiac is a colloquial adjective used to describe exceptionally intelligent people. It may also refer to:
Culture Fictional entities
* Brainiac (character), a fictional supervillain in DC Comics, and an enemy of Superman
* Brainiac (story arc), ...
. The Kryptonians find themselves at the mercy of Brainiac's forces and Kara Zor-El barely escapes the destruction of Argo City. Her mother Alura rescues her from Brainiac's drones and reveals she and Jor-El have both been working to create two ships, one for Kara and the other for her baby cousin Kal-El. Kara and Kal-El escape Krypton as it is destroyed by Brainiac, though Kara's ship is damaged by the explosion knocking it off course and putting Kara into hyper sleep. Kal-El is raised on Earth as Clark Kent and becomes Superman. As Superman he forms the Justice League and befriends Batman. However, the Joker ends up tricking Superman into attacking Lois Lane, who was pregnant with Superman's child. This results in her death which triggers a nuclear explosion that destroys Metropolis. Superman murders the Joker and establishes a tyrannical government called the One Earth Regime. However, Batman, opposed to Superman's methods, forms the Insurgency to overthrow the Regime. With the aid of the Justice League from another universe, the Regime is defeated and the Insurgency works to rebuild. However, Superman's ally, Black Adam, finds Kara's ship and brings her to Earth.
Together they free Superman's current lover Wonder Woman from imprisonment on Themyscira. Wonder Woman and Black Adam hide the tyrannical nature of the Regime from Supergirl and train her to use her powers in secret, though Brainiac attacks Earth after being alerted to Kal-El's survival due to his Regime's supporting the Sinestro Corps. in a war with the Green Lantern Corps. Supergirl and the Regime try to break Superman out of prison, but are stopped by Batman and his allies, though Batman decides to release Superman, calling a temporary truce between the Regime and the Insurgency to combat Brainiac. During Brainiac's attack on Metropolis, Supergirl witnesses Wonder Woman's brutal attack on their ally
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker (character), Joker in ''Batman: The An ...
after Harley tried to stop Wonder Woman from killing the Cheetah, as it violated Batman's no-killing policy. Supergirl saves Harley's life and confronts her cousin at the Fortress of Solitude. Supergirl is horrified to learn her cousin approves of Wonder Woman's actions, though he believes it would be best to deal with Harley after Brainiac is dealt with. Supergirl compares his methods to General Zod's and briefly fights Superman and his allies, though Brainiac's attack forces them to focus on dealing with him first. Superman and Supergirl work together to attack Brainiac's ship, but are stopped by its barrier. Brainiac destroys Metropolis reminding Superman of his past failure, causing him to attack the ship with all his might, only to be seemingly killed by Brainiac. Batman confronts the grieving Supergirl and reveals that Superman was once his friend. Believing Kara is the last surviving Kryptonian, Brainiac offers to spare Earth if they hand over Kara Zor-El as he wishes to study the effects of yellow sun radiation on Kryptonian cells, though Batman refuses. Batman, his allies and the remaining Regime members manage to overload the shields protecting Brainiac's ship. Batman and Supergirl manage to infiltrate the ship, but Supergirl is captured, though Batman discovers that Superman is still alive and the two join forces to defeat Brainiac and free Supergirl.
However, after Brainiac's defeat, Superman and Batman argue over Brainiac's fate, leading to an end to their truce. Despite Brainiac being responsible for Krypton's destruction, Supergirl sides with Batman and choose to spare Brainiac so he can help them restore the worlds and cities he has collected. Supergirl tries to reason with her cousin by telling him of how his father opposed General Zod, only for Superman to reveal he agrees with Zod's methods, believing that if Jor-El had been more like Zod, then he would have been able to save Krypton. In Superman's story mode ending, Batman is defeated, though Superman spares him due to not wanting him to become a martyr. Superman merges with Brainiac's ship and imprisons Supergirl in his former cell. He reveals that all the cities have been restored and Earth is once again under the control of the Regime. Superman reveals there is still a place for her and that he is creating an army using beings freed from Brainiac's collection. Supergirl refuses to join him, though Superman reveals he has used Brainiac's technology to turn Batman into a brainwashed slave and threatens to do the same to Kara if she continues to resist.
In Batman's story mode ending, Superman is defeated by Batman after Kara leads him to the Batcave. Batman apologizes to Kara for not being able to save her cousin. Superman is taken prisoner and Batman decides to imprison him in the Phantom Zone. Superman vows to escape and is hurt by Supergirl's betrayal. Supergirl reveals to Batman the House of El's S symbol is supposed to be a symbol of hope; though her cousin turned it into a symbol of fear, Batman, however, states that its meaning is determined by the one who wears it and tells her of how he and Superman used to fight for justice as members of the Justice League, before offering her a chance to do the same, having earned Batman's trust. In Supergirl's character ending, she joins Batman's Justice League, working with them to restore Kandor and cities collected by Brainiac. Supergirl notes that while she could not save her cousin, it will not stop her from trying to bring people hope. She is last shown flying with other Kryptonian survivors in the sky of a restored Kryptonian city. In Sub-Zero's ending, Superman joins forces with Kryptonian criminals General Zod, Ursa and Non after escaping the Phantom Zone through a portal accidentally created by the Batman's Justice League while trying to create a portal to Earthrealm. Sub-Zero confronts Superman, while Supergirl faces General Zod, and Batman battles Ursa and Non. In ''Injustice: Gods Among Us'', General Zod appears as a DLC character, though he plays no role in the game's story. In ''Injustice 2'', Power Girl appears as an alternate character skin for Supergirl, though she does not appear in the main story and originates from Earth-2.
Literature
In ''The Last Days of Krypton'' by
Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin James Anderson (born March 27, 1962) is an American science fiction author. He has written spin-off novels for ''Star Wars'', ''StarCraft'', ''Titan A.E.'' and ''The X-Files literature#Novels, The X-Files'', and with Brian Herbert is the ...
, young Kal-El and the people of Argo City (along with refugees from another city living there after General Zod destroyed their home) are the only survivors of Krypton's actual destruction. Other Kryptonians not present at the time are the people of Kandor (who were abducted by Brainiac) and Zod and at least two of his minions (who are confined to the recently created Phantom Zone).
See also
*
Krypton glossary
Krypton is a fictional planet appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly appearing or mentioning in stories starring the superhero Superman as the world he came from. The planet was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Sh ...
References
External links
*
Kryptonian.infoinformation about the various incarnations of the Kryptonian language over Superman's history
** E. Nelson Bridwell / Al Turniansky Language (ca. 1950s-1985)
** DC Comics Font (2000–Present)
** Schreyer Language (2013–Present)
** Doyle Language (2006–Present)
IntroductionWriting Reference SheetDr. Schreyer is a linguistic anthropologist hired to create the Kryptonian language depicted in the films ''
Man of Steel'' (2013), ''
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' (2016) and ''
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
'' (2017)
{{Superman
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