Superman Just Changed Everything About Kryptonite in the DCU

Superman is getting more attention than ever, and DC Comics has gone all in on putting out the best Superman stories in years. Superman Unlimited #1 kicks off a new age for the hero with writer Dan Slott and artist Rafael Albuquerque giving readers an amazing Superman story, and they’re about to change the game for the entire DC Multiverse. Superman is called in to stop a massive meteorite made of Inertron, a nearly unbreakable metal that humanity won’t be able to work with for millennia. However, the meteor only has a think layer of Inertron, and Superman breaks through it to find a meteor made of pure Kryptonite. Suddenly, the story takes a turn and Superman’s life hangs in the balance as he tries to stop a massive ball of Kryptonite from destroying the Earth.

Superman is able to stop the meteor, but it breaks up and showers the Earth in Kryptonite. Superman Unlimited #1’s cover boasts that this is the beginning of the Emerald Age, and things change rapidly throughout the story. Superman Unlimited #1 changes everything for the DC Universe. Superman is able to survive, but even he’s changed into something that he’s never been before. The massive amount of Kryptonite on the Earth is a massive change to Superman’s status quo, and this is almost certainly going to have massive consequences for the world.

Kryptonite Is Now as Common as Steel

Kryptonite is an extremely well-known part of the Superman mythos. Kryptonite first appeared in The Adventures of Superman radio serial in 1943, but wouldn’t be a part of the comics until 1949’s Superman #61. It then wouldn’t become the green rock that we all know and love until 1951’s Action Comics #151. Kryptonite would become a massive part of the DC Universe from then on. The Silver Age would see multiple types of Kryptonite introduced, the different colors having different affects on Superman and other Kryptonians. Kryptonite is the last shards Krypton made radioactive, and it’s been the basis for all kinds of anti-Superman weapons over the years. Lex Luthor is well-known for creating all kinds of weapons from it and it powers Metallo and Kryptonite Man. Kryptonite has proven to be a very useful rock, even beyond its efficacy for weakening and killing Kryptonians. While it doesn’t have the same affect on humans as it does in Kryptonians, its radiation can be used as a power source, its extremely durable, and powerful lasers can be created with it. There’s always been a lot of Kryptonite on Earth, but Superman Unlimited #1’s massive Kryptonite meteor — it’s described as being of phenomenal size and is large enough to cause an extinction level event — has completely changed the balance of Kryptonite power on the planet.

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Superman is able to keep the meteor from hitting the Earth, but its vast bounty of Kryptonite does land. Superman survives being exposed to the Kryptonite (more on that later), but is put out of commission for three months. During that time, Kryptonite has come the new wonder substance on Earth, sold around the world by a small South American country known as El Caldero. The entire global economy changed while Superman convalesced, and he soon learns the consequences of this when Superboy and Supergirl show up. The two Kryptonians (well, one full-blooded Kryptonite and one half-Kryptonian/half-human clone) tell Superman about the problems they’ve faced since the meteor hit and El Caldero began to mass produce all kinds of Kryptonite based technology. Everyone has been using it against them, and it’s become a part of building materials all over the world. Superman and his family of heroes have long been the Earth’s greatest defenders, but they’re now at their weakest. However, Superman has also been changed by his exposure to Kryptonite — Batman shows him that he’s now immune to Kryptonite, having become what appears to be Gold Kryptonite, the type of Kryptonite that usually takes away the powers of Kryptonians.

The Emerald Age Has Begun

The world becoming inundated with Kryptonite is an insane change for the heroes of the Earth. Superman and the corps of Kryptonian heroes have become a key part of the heroes’ defense of the Earth. With Kryptonite suddenly everywhere, the most powerful heroes have become the most vulnerable. Someone seems to have thrown this meteor at the Earth — it had a micron-thin skin of Intertron covering it, implying it was definitely created by someone — and what their plans are for it is anyone’s guess, but it’s safe to say it wasn’t just to make El Caldero wealthy. It also implies that it’s almost certainly someone with access to 31st century technology. However, this isn’t the biggest change.

Superman is seemingly made of Gold Kryptonite, which before was known for taking away Kryptonian powers. How this works is anyone’s guess; however, it has made him immune to the effects of Kryptonite, which is going to be a huge boon for him. Now, it’s not just powerful villains having access to Kryptonite; everyone has access to Kryptonite. Thugs have just as much chance of killing Kryptonians as Lex Luthor or Doomsday. The Emerald Age is going to change everything for the heroes of the Earth.

Superman Unlimited #1 is on sale now.