X-Kryptonite is a variant of Kryptonite.
History
Earth-One
On Earth-One it was accidentally created by Supergirl in an attempt to create an antidote to Kryptonite poisoning. X-Kryptonite temporarily endowed non-Kryptonians, such as Streaky the Supercat or Ellie Leeds, with Kryptonian-like super-powers.
Arrowverse
On Superman's world and John Henry Irons' Earth, X-Kryptonite is a naturally occurring but extremely rare and largely unknown form of Kryptonite. It can be found in multiple locations on Earth but the world's largest deposit is in Smallville, Kansas.[1][2] It is orange-yellow in colour and can endow humans with some Kryptonian-like super-powers, although an outside catalyst (such as an explosion or intense heat) is required, simply being near or touching X-Kryptonite does not result in super-powers. The effects can be unstable and debilitating,[3] and even fatal in some extreme cases.[4] X-Kryptonite has a similar effect on Bizarro as Green Kryptonite does on Kryptonians.[5]
X-Kryptonite is a potent energy source,[6] but also unstable and potentially explosive if heated.[7][8]
Tal-Rho developed a procedure to endow humans with Kryptonian superpowers using X-Kryptonite. Only people who have been exposed to trace amounts of X-Kryptonite over a long period are fully receptive to the procedure. The people of Smallville are the only viable subjects.[9] Humans who are granted Kryptonian powers by X-Kryptonite also become vulnerable to Green Kryptonite.[10]
After Tal-Rho was defeated, the US government contracted Amertek Industries to remove the remaining X-Kryptonite from the mines.[11] Before they began work, a drug dealer named Phillip Karnowsky stole a significant quantity of X-Kryptonite from the mines and converted it into an inhalable gas that granted the user temporary superpowers.[12] The drug has varying effects on different people, some may only experience heightened senses or enhanced strength,[13] while others develop almost the full suite of Kryptonian powers, including flight and heat-vision.[14] The military captured large amounts of the drug and stored them in Vault 7734. Mitch Anderson stole multiple vials when he went AWOL.[15]
The X-Kryptonite drug was sold around the country by an organised and well-funded trafficking ring. Jon Kent's girlfriend Candice Pergande sold the drug to Smallville teenagers, but later agreed to inform on her suppliers when she realised how dangerous they were.[16][17] After Ally Allston was defeated, Sam Lane ordered the Shuster mines shut down for good.[18]
Nevertheless, Intergang somehow obtained a quantity of the mineral, likely from former mayor George Dean, and used it to create a serum which treated cancer while also giving the people that were injected with it superpowers.[19] Bruno Mannheim administered the serum to his wife Peia and seemingly cured her cancer, but in fact aggravated it and augmented her powers beyond her ability to control, killing her.[20][21]
See Also
- Appearances of X-Kryptonite
- Item Gallery: X-Kryptonite
- Images featuring X-Kryptonite
External Links
Footnotes
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Broken Trust"
- ↑ Earth-Prime #2
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Haywire"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "The Best of Smallville"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Girl... You'll Be a Woman, Soon"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Truth and Consequences"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Lies That Bind"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Waiting for Superman"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Loyal Subjekts"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "O Mother, Where Art Thou?"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "What Lies Beneath"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "The Ties That Bind"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "The Inverse Method"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Bizarros in a Bizarro World"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Anti-Hero"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "The Thing in the Mines"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "30 Days and 30 Nights"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Closer"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Of Sound Mind"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Collision Course"
- ↑ Superman & Lois: "Complications"