| Green kryptonite |
Originally red in color, the material debuted in Superman #61 (Nov. 1949) and did not adopt its characteristic green hue until Action Comics #161 (Aug. 1951). Green kryptonite weakens Superman and other Kryptonians.[9] It can and will kill them with long-term exposure. Kryptonians under green kryptonite's effects experience severe muscular weakness, usually to the point of collapse, and excruciating pain, with both conditions progressively intensifying. They often develop a fever and eventually will lose consciousness before death. The mineral will also gradually turn a Kryptonian's skin and blood green.
Although canonical depictions vary widely, the majority of accounts maintain that, although green kryptonite exposure victims experience severe weakness and pain, exposure in itself does not eradicate the victim's superpowers, except those related to physical strength. Therefore, victims retain most of their visual and sensory powers, although green kryptonite itself appears impervious to damage by heat vision. Green kryptonite exposure does not compromise the subject's invulnerability to other forms of injury; therefore, it is not a practical strategy for a villain to first expose the victim to green kryptonite, then kill them with a gun or other conventional weapon. However, some enemies have occasionally used weapons with green kryptonite projectile ammunition, which can not only seriously wound a Kryptonian, but also make surgical treatment difficult, with the resistance to injury in a yellow sun environment being a major complication. In one such incident, the surgeon was forced to give Superman a controlled exposure to the mineral in order to make the proper incisions to remove all the internal bullet fragments.[10] Some accounts maintain paralysis is an effect of green kryptonite exposure, although most depictions show victims still capable of limited movement. However, the effects of green kryptonite are not cumulative: a Kryptonian who can be removed from kryptonite exposure in time will fully recover from its effects with no lasting medical repercussions no matter how many instances of surviving exposures.[11]
Kryptonian characters have been shown to become immune to the effects of green kryptonite due to either long-term absorption of sunlight[12] or extremely high short-term exposure to the Sun.[13] Post-Crisis sources establish that green kryptonite is cumulatively harmful to humans; with sufficient long-term exposure, it can result in cancer, as Lex Luthor discovered, much to his dismay, from a ring with a green kryptonite jewel he wore to ward off Superman's presence. At least one comic, however, also mentioned that kryptonite was being investigated as a possible cancer treatment.[14]
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| Positive kryptonite |
Debuted in the last episode of Adventures of Superman “All That Glitters” (Season 6, episode 13) on April 28, 1958. Professor Pepperwinkle isolates positive kryptonite from green kryptonite. It appears as yellow capsules on screen. It is said to be what gives Superman his powers and is also shown to give humans the abilities of Superman when both Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen ingest it. This turns out to be a hallucination Jimmy Olsen had upon being hit in the head with a sandbag.
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| Negative kryptonite |
Debuted in the last episode of Adventures of Superman “All That Glitters” (Season 6, episode 13) on April 28, 1958. Professor Pepperwinkle isolates negative kryptonite from green kryptonite. It is said to have the ability to take away Superman's powers. This turns out to be a hallucination Jimmy Olsen had upon being hit in the head with a sandbag.
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| Red kryptonite |
Debuted in Adventure Comics #252 (Sept. 1958). Originally red kryptonite simply weakened Superman, but to a greater degree than green kryptonite. Red kryptonite was later shown to cause odd behavior or bizarre transformations, albeit temporary and non-fatal. The effects of red kryptonite typically last anywhere from one day (24 hours) to two days (48 hours), although in some accounts the effects may persist up to three days (72 hours) or even several weeks.[15] In the Smallville spin-off, red kryptonite affects Clark's mental state and the effect wears off as soon as he stops being in close proximity to the stone. Clark becomes selfish and uses his powers recklessly. He is also shown drinking and philandering. On Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, red kryptonite initially makes Superman apathetic, while another piece transfers his superpowers into other humans when used as a laser generator, and a third case causes him to lose fine control of his powers.
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| Anti-kryptonite/fool's kryptonite |
Debuted in Action Comics #252 (May 1959). Resembles green kryptonite, but is harmless to Kryptonians; however, it has the same effect as green kryptonite on humans. Anti-kryptonite is also the power source for one version of the character: Ultraman, Superman's evil counterpart from an antimatter universe.[16]
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| X-kryptonite |
Debuted in Action Comics #261 (Jan. 1960). Created by Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) in an unsuccessful attempt to find an antidote to green kryptonite. Harmless to Kryptonians, the mineral gives normal lifeforms superhuman abilities, as in the case of Supergirl's pet, Streaky the Supercat. Revised in Superman Family #203 (Oct. 1980) to have the same effect as the green variety on Kryptonians.
In Superman & Lois, X-kryptonite (also known as X-k) gives humans one Kryptonian power which varies depending on the person. It also makes people more susceptible to having a Kryptonian consciousness implanted in them.
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| Blue kryptonite |
Debuted in Superman #140 (Oct. 1960). An imperfect variety of kryptonite which affects the imperfect Superman duplicate Bizarro, the members of the Bizarro League and the inhabitants of htraE, the Bizarro World, in the same way that green kryptonite affects Kryptonians. Kryptonians, however, are unaffected by it. The only substance in the universe that its radiation cannot penetrate is imperfect lead (this weakness is unique to this variety). In the Super Friends franchise, blue kryptonite works as an antidote to the random and bizarre effects of red kryptonite.
In the 2001-2011 Smallville TV series, blue kryptonite temporarily nullifies the powers of Kryptonians. When a Kryptonian is in close proximity to blue kryptonite, he (or she) has no powers, and but once the blue kryptonite and the Kryptonian are separated by a sufficient distance (perhaps six or ten feet?), the Kryptonian’s powers return.
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| White kryptonite |
Debuted in Adventure Comics #279 (Dec. 1960). Kills all plant life from any planet in the universe.
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| Red-green kryptonite (first version) |
Debuted in Action Comics #275 (April 1961). An alloy created by the villain Brainiac, red-green kryptonite caused Superman to mutate, temporarily growing a third eye in the back of his head.
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| Gold kryptonite |
Debuted in Adventure Comics #299 (Aug. 1962). Kryptonite affected by atomic radiation, capable of permanently removing a Kryptonian's ability to process yellow sunlight, which nullifies all superpowers. In post-Crisis stories, this variety only removes a Kryptonian's superpowers temporarily (in Superman II, the crystal chamber from Superman's Fortress of Solitude exhibited the same effect, although this process was reversed via Jor-El's green crystal).[17]
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| Red-green-blue-gold kryptonite |
Debuted in Superman #162 (July 1963). An imaginary story in which Superman combines the minerals to power an intelligence-expanding device. An explosion occurs and the hero is split into two separate beings ("Superman-Red" and "Superman-Blue"), both of whom possess enhanced intelligence.
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| Silver kryptonite |
Debuted in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #70 (July 1963). Revealed by Jimmy Olsen to be a hoax. In post-Crisis stories, silver kryptonite first appeared in Superman/Batman #46 (April 2008), modeled after the version that appeared in the Smallville TV series[citation needed] in season 5 episode 7 "Splinter", where Clark suffers paranoid delusions. Silver kryptonite causes Kryptonians to suffer from altered perceptions, loss of inhibitions and extreme hunger cravings.[citation needed] On the Supergirl TV series, this kryptonite causes Superman to hallucinate his "greatest fear" of an attacking General Zod during the final episode of season 2, "Nevertheless, She Persisted".[citation needed]
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| Jewel kryptonite |
Debuted in Action Comics #310 (March 1964). Made from the fragments of Krypton's Jewel Mountains. Amplifies the psychic powers of the criminals imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, allowing them to project illusions or perform mind control.
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| Bizarro-red kryptonite |
Debuted in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #80 (Oct. 1964). Affects humans in the same way that red kryptonite affects Kryptonians.
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| Red-green kryptonite (second version) |
Debuted in Superboy Comics #121 (June 1965). This variety caused Superboy to lose his superpowers permanently, but the Phantom Zone criminal Vakox unwillingly cured him, thus restoring his superpowers.
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| Red-gold kryptonite |
Debuted in Superman #178 (July 1965). Temporarily deprives Kryptonians of their memories.
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| Magno-kryptonite |
Debuted in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #92 (April 1966). Created by the villain Mr. Nero, this variety is magnetically attracted to all substances originally from Krypton.
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| Red-green-gold kryptonite |
Debuted in Superman #192 (Jan. 1967). An imaginary story in which the alloy permanently removes Superman's powers and all memories of himself as Superman.
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| Slow kryptonite |
Debuted in The Brave and the Bold #175 (June 1981). A modified variety of green kryptonite produced by the supervillain Metallo that affects humans in a manner similar to how green kryptonite affects Kryptonians.
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| Kryptonite-X |
Debuted in The Adventures of Superman #511 (April 1994). A one-time fluke, kryptonite-X was created when the Eradicator filtered a harmful barrage of kryptonite discharged by the villain the Cyborg Superman at Superman. The result was beneficial for Superman, supercharging him and restoring his ability to process solar radiation.
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| Clear kryptonite |
Debuted in Smallville’s “Visage” (Season 2, episode 11) on January 14, 2003. Clear kryptonite is green kryptonite that has been neutralized of all radiation. It is harmless to everyone, including Kryptonians. Both Kal-El's ship and Bizarro have transmuted green kryptonite to clear kryptonite.
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| Pink kryptonite |
Debuted in Supergirl (vol. 4) #79 (April 2003). Pink kryptonite turns Kryptonians into homosexuals. This type of kryptonite was mentioned in a single panel in a story that was a satire of the plots of many Silver Age comic book stories (such as those listed above) which featured some strange new variety of kryptonite. In the Justice League Action short "True Colours", it switches a Kryptonian's physical sex, but not their gender identity.
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| Black kryptonite |
Debuted in Smallville’s “Crusade” (Season 4, episode 1) on September 22, 2004. In Pre-Flashpoint continuity, it could split a Kryptonian into two separate beings: one good and the other evil (the kryptonite manufactured by the villains of Superman III had just such an effect on Superman). In Dark Nights: Metal – The Batman Who Laughs #1, set on the Dark Multiverse's Earth −22, a Batman corrupted by the Joker creates a modified strand of black kryptonite. He tests it first on Supergirl, causing her to murder her family before dying herself. He then uses it again on Superman and Superboy, who literally tear Lois Lane apart before they kill each other.
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| Orange kryptonite |
Debuted in Krypto the Superdog #4 (Feb. 2007). Provides super-abilities to any animal that comes into contact with it for one day (24 hours).
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| Periwinkle kryptonite |
Debuted in Superman Family Adventures #9 (March 2013). A non-canonical variety. Exposure to periwinkle kryptonite causes Kryptonians to lose all their inhibitions.
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| Platinum kryptonite |
Debuted in "True Strength", a story from Batman Secret Files #001 (Dec. 2018) and Batman (vol. 3) #85 (Feb. 2020). From "an impossible universe inside the Phantom Zone, on an impossible planet". When touched by a normal human, platinum kryptonite changes their cells in an instant, giving them Kryptonian superpowers for life. Used by Batman to restore Gotham Girl's powers.
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| Turquoise kryptonite |
Debuted in Dark Nights: Death Metal #3 (Aug. 2020). A variant of Kryptonite from one of the worlds found in the Dark Multiverse, used by Darkfather (a version of Batman who attained Darkseid's powers) to torture Superman. It appears to have a similar effect on Kryptonians as green kryptonite.
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