Kryptonite: Use It Or Lose It?

[SuperDaniel]

Superman Returns used Kryptonite in the most interesting and unique way.

Unique...and STUPID as hell too. FAR FROM INTERESTING.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

Honestly, Luthor needs a rest about as much as the Krytonite does. I know Luthor is his main villain and everything, I even like Luthor but in the context of Superman movies that's the only guy besides Zod he ever gets to go against. So for movie audiences it's been a bald guy in a business suit and a guy with power that are exactly like Supermans. They're needs to be some changing up here.

Unless you want to count the oh-so awesome Ross the Boss or Nuclear Man.

Well, in a sense, Ross the Boss was the first Corporate Lex.

 

[Webhead2006]

I do like kryptonite myself. Besides having a threat like darkseid/brainiac/doomsday where they equal/excel in power over supes we need to have a way to weaken/try to kill him. As for which types i would agree just stick with green in films, no need to get into the whole red/blue/etc.... colors. As for smallville yea they decided to have way to much kryptonite arrive on earth compared to other incarnations. And over the years yea they have done some silly things with it, but heck even lois and clark had it as liquids/lipstick/etc.... As for how it should be used it should just be the rock itself, bullets, and maybe a raybeam.

 

[Superwoman Prime]

Lose it. It is tired and uninteresting.

The answer is to de-power Superman. Make him more a Spider-man level of superhuman. He is still super strong compared to the rest of us, but not strong enough to life entire continents.

The Titanic weighed about 50 kilotons (with crew/passengers/everything). I think that's a nice round maximum to what Superman's strength needs to be. I can imagine Superman lifting the Titanic and flying it to shore without it being too ridiculous.

 

[Superwoman Prime]

Anyway, back to Kryptonite. It's become pointless, considering that since its conception, many villains and weapons of equal or greater power than Superman have been created to challenge him. Unlike some, I don't believe it has to be a staple of the character.

If I were in charge of a continuity reboot, I'd personally write it out entirely.

 

[Angeloz]

Anyway, back to Kryptonite. It's become pointless, considering that since its conception, many villains and weapons of equal or greater power than Superman have been created to challenge him. Unlike some, I don't believe it has to be a staple of the character.

If I were in charge of a continuity reboot, I'd personally write it out entirely.

They tried that in the comics it didn't work out.

Angeloz

 

[Superwoman Prime]

Show me what you're talking about, tell me the year/comics age, and tell me who the writers were.

 

[The Guard]

If you're talking about "The Search For Kryptonite"...yeah, they didn't exactly do away with Kryptonite. .

 

[Superwoman Prime]

Is that what Angeloz is talking about?

 

[The Guard]

No idea.

 

[afan]

Is that what Angeloz is talking about?

"Krytonite Nevermore"?

 

[Angeloz]

I'll admit it's been ten years since I read comics. But I remember a story where they got rid of kryptonite and gave him less power. Something made the kryptonite harmless and he even ate a piece. If scans_daily still existed I might have been able to show you some of the story. Basically the whole world was free of kryptonite (in the seventies or eighties before Byrne). So generations ago comic time. Even for me. They soon brought some back I think by having new meteorites show up but I could be wrong. I think they found stories without kryptonite harder. Ironically enough. Because Superman needs something to cause him trouble or stop him especially if he's invulnerable. Sorry I can't explain it better as it's been awhile. Maybe the Superman Homepage has it written up somewhere.

Angeloz

 

[The Guard]

Regardless...it's never been for any extended period of time.

 

[Robin91939]

Unique...and STUPID as hell too. FAR FROM INTERESTING.

In the movie-verse? Yes, Superman Returns used Kryptonite much more effectively and originally than any of the other films.

If Superman Returns were a comic story, instead of a film that people waited 20 years or so to see....the story would have been better received. It would have been a "strong" or at least slightly above average Superman tale.

However, since it was a multi-million dollar film, that was in development for about 15 years, and people waited for 20 plus years for it...the story had to be more than that. It had to be amazing, perfect.

If it had been a comic- it would have been well regarded, but flown under the radar...as a film- it was not enough... didn't deliver on expectations.

The kryptonite in the film- was used well.

-R

 

[Angeloz]

Regardless...it's never been for any extended period of time.

I pretty much agree. Although if it's a one off story that's fine. Or if he is introduced and doesn't know about his weakness (like the first Christopher Reeve film) until later. That's fine as well. That said I just want a decent Superman film preferably with Brandon in it as I stated in another thread. With or without kryptonite if the story requires it.

Angeloz

 

[Webhead2006]

what look for kryptonite do you guys like, Superman the movie/SR look, Lois and clark, smallville. Personally i like sound effect used in lois and clark/smallville, and i like how it was a glowing rock in both shows too.

 

[Timstuff]

I still say Metallo as the primary villain of movie #1 would be the best way to re-introduce Kryptonite, since it's something the audience hasn't already seen.

 

[VenomsMom]

I agree. Metallo is the way to use the kryptonite. An actual supervillain something the audience hadnt seen in 20 something years.

 

[Webhead2006]

Ya in live action form he only has appeared in superboy, and lois and clark, and soon to be smallville. It would be interesting to see metallo done in a new movie, and for the folks who dont really want kryptonite to be a big thing for a first(if its a first of a new series of films) it would be a great way to introduce it.

 

[LeXcalibur]

i think it will be in a sequel

 

[Lead Cenobite]

I'd like there to be some sort of in-depth explanation of what kryptonite's properties are, how it was formed and why it's a lethal weakness to Kryptonians, a mutagen (which in at least one case endowed a human with Kryptonian powers), and a powerful energy source all in one.

 

[metaphysician]

If there ever was, it was probably silver age silliness.

 

[N7 Joseph Shepard]

only way I want to see it come back is if its used as a power source (Metallo) or as to why Superman never goes and just whoops Lex Luthor's ass (Lex has a Kryptonite ring that ultimately gives him cancer lol)

 

[DrCosmic]

Kryptonite is necessary for Lex, and Lex is Superman's ultimate villain. The Kryptonite helps explain why Lex is untouchable. It is tired, though, so it must be used creatively.

Creative Uses for Kryptonite not seen in films:
- Kryptonite Ring to ward of Superman
- Power Source (Metallo! Uberguns!)
- Treating it and turning it into Red Kryptonite that removes Superman's inhibitions!
--- Now that's a sadistic Choice! "Red or Green, Superman, you choose."
- Kryptonite Bullets

I think what made the SR scene the most successful was the brutality of it, the personal nature of the attack. There was no muahahah, it was purely emotional, and that's what Kryptonite should be, a metaphor for the emotional events going on. One bit of genius that Smallville had was the bit of Kryptonite on Lana's neck. Perfect metaphor.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

I think, if they do eventually incorporate Kryptonite into the film series it should be for only one film, using Corporate Lex as the primary villain and John Corben/Metallo as the secondary villain.

Given the vast distance between Krypton and Earth I think that it should be established that Kryptonite shards should be EXTREMELY rare, as much of the planet was vaporized in the destruction. If Lexcorp is, say, an aerospace-centric corporation with STAR Labs as a subsidiary, they should almost incidentally discover a a Kryptonite meteoroid just beyond the Kuiper Belt. Emil Hamilton would want to study it, but Lex would seek to weaponize it, and thus would provide for Metallo's power source.

Just my thoughts.