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Location Â» Krypton appears in 400 issues. A fictional planet in the DC Universe and the native world for Kryptonians.

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Krypton appears in 400 issues View all

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The Krypton wiki last edited by Darkside_of_the_Sun on 04/12/16 04:06AM View full history Location of Krypton

Krypton was located close to Earth, at least in cosmic terms. It was 50 light years from Earth and orbited a red giant star known as Rao. Krypton is roughly Earth sized and was part of Green Lantern sector 2813 (Earth is in sector 2814). However, in the story "Superman: Birthright", Krypton was said to be in another galaxy, approximately 2.2 million light-years away. Krypton is home to a race of people known as Kryptonians that are similar to humans but are more closely related to Daxamites. Under their red sun, the Kryptonians became a more technologically advanced society. The People and Culture

Krypton was a world renowned for its scientific achievement. As a culture, the people lead an idyllic life surrounded by robots and followed a ritual path through life. One of their achievements was their Clone Banks. Their mastery of cloning allowed them to live an eternal youth and their society grew ever more hedonistic. In these banks each Kryptonian would maintain three mindless Clones which could be used as spare parts if their "owner" was ever injured. There was growing concern however, that the clones too had rights. At first what started out to be a pacifist movement ended up being The Clone Rights Movement that began with the teachings of Sem-M. One clone gained independent sentience, causing the debate to escalate into conflict. Eventually the Clone Rights Movement formed such a large force that they rebelled against the ruling authority. The advanced scientific knowledge of the Kryptonians was turned into super weapons and Krypton's Clone War began. Two weapons were created at this time, the Eradicator and the Destroyer. The Eradicator had altered the genes of Kryptonians so that they could never leave their planet again. The Destroyer was aimed at the planet's core, by pro-clone forces causing a chain reaction. The Destroyer was stopped when the government ended hostilities and the planet was saved.

Krypton would never be the same. The world was left with no wildlife and the people began living in isolation from one another and other races. Direct physical contact became prohibited and procreation was facilitated by birthing matrices. Krypton had peace again, but their world

was sterile and joyless. Daxamites

The people of Daxam originated on Krypton. They left to explore the universe, though they were altered by the Eradicator as they left, leaving them fatally vulnerable to lead. Points of Interest The Anti-Gravity Sky Palace

A marvel of Kryptonian engineering - this domed structure hovers above the planet's surface. Argo City

This city was flung into space by a Krypton-quake. It was accompanied by a huge air bubble. On this space-fragment, later was born Supergirl. Atomic Town

One of Krypton's largest cities. Fire Falls

A place where Krypton's inner fires pour through a fissure and create a spectacular sight. Fort Rozz

A massive stronghold. The Gold Volcano

A volcano that spews forth molten gold. Great Krypton Sea

The planet's largest body of water. The Hall of Worlds

A museum containing replicas of hundreds of known planets and their moons. Jewel Mountains

An immense geologic formation of gem stones. Jor-El's Laboratory

Site from which the rocket bearing the infant Superman (Kal-El) was launched by Jor-El. Kandor Crater

Before Krypton blew up, this city was reduced in size by space-villain Brainiac and placed in a bottle the crater left behind is both a memorial site and one of scientific interest for the geological samples exposed. The city of Kandor is now kept in Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Kryptonian Zoo

Home to such creatures as the Metal-Eating Beast, The Living Wheel Creature, and the RadiumEating Gorilla. Lake Trom

A large lake on the continent's south eastern side. Meteor Valley

Long before life existed on Krypton, this valley was created by a monstrously gigantic meteor that glanced off the surface of the planet.

The Planetary Weather-Control Tower

The science facility tasked with maintaining control over the planet's weather. Rainbow Canyon

Site where a perpetual rainbow exists. Robot Factory

Where Krypton's robotic labor force is built. The Scarlet Jungle

A place of red vegetation; created by a weird experiment. Small Kryptonian Sea

A picturesque getaway in the continent's south west. The Xeno River

Krypton's largest West-East river, it feeds into Lake Trom. Global Catastrophe

The planet's core became increasingly unstable, due to the reactions the Destroyer had caused and began emitting deadly radiation. The scientist, Jor-El discovered that the planet would soon explode. Jor-El was unable to convince his associates of the impending danger, who could not conceive of leaving Krypton and was himself prevented from leaving. However, he sent his child's birthing matrix to safety shortly before the planet exploded. Notable Residents

Krypton is most famous for being the birthplace of Kal-El, better known as Superman. It was also home to his parents, Jor-El and Lara and his cousin, Kara Zor-El ( Supergirl). It was also the birthplace of General Zod (General Dru-Zod) and his allies Ursa and Non. The monster, Doomsday, was also created there by a scientist known as Betron. Betron is known for teaching Kryptonians the science of genetic engineering and for later being killed by his creation Doomsday.

Notable Cities

Antarctic City Argo City Atomic Town Bokos Island Erkol Kandor Kryptonopolis Vathlo Island Xan Borga City

Neighboring Planets

Rao (sun) Dheron (5th planet from Rao, Krypton was the 4th. According to Superman: Earth One, Krypton and Dheron were fierce enemies, who warred every 20 years when their orbit around Rao brought them within range.) Mithen (moon) Wegthor (moon)

Xenon (Possible former moon that spun out of Krypton's orbit.)

Note: There may have been another four unnamed planets in the Rao system. The sun Rao has also been designated Negus-12. Other versions of Krypton

Krypton of Earth-One

Silver-Age[Earth-One]Krypton

The Silver Age Krypton happened between the 50's and 70's. In Superman #238, in the story "A Name is Born!" the planet Krypton was discovered by the space explorers Kryp & Tonn. In recognition of their discovery the planet was named Krypton. Many people looking to add something new to Krypton, trying to find different ways about the dead planet's origin as their inspiration , began to realize that for a planet that exploded had a lot of survivors. So in Superman: The Movie this allowed designer John Barry (who also did Star Wars and A Clockwork Orange) to create Krypton into a crystalline utopia. This version of Krypton featured a highly advanced society, where this planet is crime-free. Criminals will be banished into outer space until the criminal's crime intention was completely erased and he/she will be put to use again after his/her sentence is over.This kind of sentence was completely ignored after Jor-El discovered the Phantom Zone.This Planet Krypton was destroyed due to Krypton's unstable uranium core exploding.

Krypton of Earth-Prime

This version of Krypton is where Superboy-Prime comes from. This Krypton had a unstable red sun that threatened to consume the whole planet. Jor-El and Lara initially tried to build a device that could teleport them across the galaxy. The prototype of the machine that they built was able to carry no more than fifty Kryptonian pounds of weight. Jor-El knew that the council of science was not considering taking action. At the very last moment when their red sun threatens to consumed their world, he put Kal-El in his prototype machine, where the machine transmitted Kal-El's atoms across the galaxy, so the child would be safely rematerialized on Earth. Moments after that, a large radioactive solar flare that was generated by Krypton's red sun completely

consumed the entire planet. Everyone there died instantly.

Krypton of Earth-Two

This is where the Golden Age Superman comes from.There is nothing much to know about this Krypton. However, it is stated that everyone of this Krypton possessed super-powers due to their "millions of years of evolution",although to a quite lower extant.This Krypton was destroyed due to "old-age". Krypton In JLU Krypton: In The Mind Of Superman Krypton: In The Mind Of Superman

In the Justice League Unlimited Episode, "For The Man Who Has Everything" Mongul enters the Fortress of Solitude on Superman's birthday and gives him a gift called the Black Mercy, an animal that attaches to your chest and grants people their every desire. When the animal attached itself to Superman, it made Superman a Krypton and on this planet his parents was still alive and he had a his own wife Loana and son Van-El. After having many tremors and hearing the voices of Batman and Wonder Woman, he realized that it was all a dream and he had to end up giving up everything he loved. Despite much pain from having to give up knowing what he had come to love more than anything, he was able to tear away from this dream world, resulting in another destruction of Krypton but this one being nothing more than just a dream. This episode was based on Superman Annual #11 by Alan Moore. Smallville Prehistory

When the Scrolls of Rao were written, the Ruling Council decided that, should Krypton be destroyed, a chosen Kryptonian could rise on another planet and make a utopia. They hid all of their knowledge in the form of a crystal that was broken into three parts, creating the Stones of Power. The chosen Kryptonian journeyed to the planet Earth where he hid the stones at three different locations; this Kryptonian also came across a tribe of Indians known as the Kawatche and started a new prophecy on Earth about how he would return from the stars to save their world or send another chosen Kryptonian.

Dax-Ur was one of the greatest scientists to live on Krypton. He designed the Brain InterActive Construct, a self-aware, conscious supercomputer that could permanently run Krypton on a dayto-day basis without the need for manual labor. Dax-Ur then realized the destruction his creation could cause if it fell into the wrong hands and abandoned his designs without completing their construction. He fled Krypton, seeking solace on Earth, where he planned to study the effects that the planet's yellow sun had on various Kryptonian minerals.

In 1961, Jor-El traveled to Earth as a rite of passage by his father, and unwittingly fell in love with Louise McCallum and met Hiram and Jessica Kent. He left his memories, stored in a memory pendant, behind on Earth and returned to Krypton.

Jor-El and Lara met sometime after his adventures on Earth, and the two were married sometime before he became a member of the Ruling Council.

In 1966, a terrible war was fought against the forces of Black Zero, who succeeded in destroying the Kryptonian city of Kandor; among those killed were the wife and young son of Zod who, at that time, was a major in Krypton's military. During this time, the Council commissioned Jor-El to construct an Orb containing the DNA of Krypton's strongest (including Zod and Jor-El himself) with the intent of sending it to Earth so they would be resurrected if Krypton was ever destroyed. Kandor was re-built sometime after its destruction by Black Zero.

Years after the death of his wife and son, Zod rose to the rank of General, married Faora and began his plans to take over Krypton. The War Early War

Zod was a strong believer in the old barbaric ways of Kryptonian society, and believed that his people had become weak and therefore needed to be dictated. So over the years as he grew in power, he gathered loyal disciples and forces that he would use in an attempt to overthrow the Ruling Council and conquer Krypton. When he believed that he had enough forces, Zod mounted an attack on Krypton, beginning a war with the Council.

After the war had been going on for some time, Zod had caused damage to the Council, so they

asked Jor-El to create Dax-Ur's Brain InterActive Construct to aid in the war against Zod, using its extensive knowledge to help the Council defeat Zod. However, Zod learned of the creation of Brainiac and was able to corrupt it, making it an ally to him and his disciples.

During this time, Zor-El attempted to kill Jor-El, believing that his brother had stolen Lara from him. After his assassination attempt on Jor-El, he was disgraced as a scientist and became the operator for Kandor's mine. Zod used Zor-El's hatred of Jor-El against Krypton, and Zor-El joined Zod's efforts to take over Krypton.

Since Zod and Faora were unable to conceive children after trying for so long, they decided that, by using genetic engineering, they would create their own ultimate son. Zod and Faora gathered the DNA of the most violent Kryptonian species and fused them all together with their own DNA. They planned to send their "son" to Earth, where he would destroy the population, leaving the planet deserted so that, in case Zod could not rule Krypton, they would rule Earth as a family instead.

Zod gave major roles in the war to his two closest disciples, Aethyr and Nam-Ek, whom he would let make decisions on where their forces should attack. Nam-Ek and Aethyr often conversed with Zor-El, who would tell them of the Council's plans and where would be best to attack and weaken the Council. Leading to Krypton's Destruction

Krypton began experiencing massive tremors during the war, and the Council asked Jor-El to investigate. Jor-El suspected that the tremors where caused because Zor-El was operating Kandor's mine (the last one remaining not in Zod's hands) at full capacity, mining too deep. When the Council questioned Zor-El, he claimed that, without the mine working at full power, the Council would not have enough resources for the war, and that the tremors were temporary and caused by the attacks suffered during the war. Convinced, the Council allowed Zor-El to continue operating the mine at the same capacity.

Zor-El, however, had a different agenda. A strong believer in Rao's prophecy, he believed himself to be the chosen Kryptonian who would rise on Earth and create a paradise. Because of this, when he realized that Zod was starting to fulfill the prophecy by ravaging Krypton, Zor-El decided that he would complete the prophecy by igniting the planet's core and destroy Krypton.

Jor-El and the Council eventually managed to apprehend Zod and most of his followers.Jor-El convinced the Council to destroy all portals leading to Earth in order to prevent the rest of Zod's followers from escaping through them. The Council and Jor-El destroyed Zod's physical body and placed his essence in the Phantom Zone, along with his wife Faora, leaving them with no escape unless they inhabited a Kryptonian vessel.

After Zod was captured, Jor-El learned about his association with Zor-El. He forced his brother to stop the dangerous mining operations and placed him under arrest by locking him inside the powered-off mine control room. Zor-El was almost finished with the ignition of the planet's core, so he commanded Brainiac to override the lockdown, allowing him to complete the ignition and escape. Destruction

Zor-El made plans for him and Kara to flee Krypton before its destruction, but she found out about his ties with Zod and tried to expose him. Zor-El, with the help of his disciple Augo, tried to stop Kara, but she was able to notify Lara. When Zor-El tried to stop Kara, she pushed him into a cluster of hologram crystals, injuring him. Zor-El then erased Kara's memory and sent her away to Earth in a spaceship along with a blue crystal that contained his DNA, which could create a clone of him since his injury prevented him from traveling to Earth with Kara.He also put Lara's DNA in the crystal for two reasons: Because of his feelings towards her, and to lure his nephew Kal-El to the crystal should Kara fail to complete her task.

After Kara contacted Lara, she warned Jor-El about Zor-El's plan to ignite Krypton's core. So they sent their only son Kal-El in a spaceship to Earth away from Krypton's doom. Sometime before Kal-El left Krypton, Zod and Faora had attached the genetic matter that was their "son" to Kal-El's ship.

Jor-El placed his assistant Raya in the Phantom Zone to escape while he and Lara went to try and stop Krypton's destruction.

In 2008, Brainiac traveled with Kara back through time to Krypton just before its destruction, in an attempt to kill Kal-El before he grew up to save Earth. He tracked down Kal-El and his ship, presumably killing Jor-El and Lara, before Kara attempted to stop him. Brainiac easily

overpowered Kara (who was powerless due to Krypton's red sun) when Clark arrived from the future; Brainiac overpowered him as well. That distracted him enough for Kara to find a sharp crystal and stab it through Brainiac, weakening him as Clark placed baby Kal-El in his ship, sending him to Earth as planned.

After Brainiac began igniting the planet's core, he contacted Nam-Ek and Aethyr, and told them that Zod had indeed been placed in the Phantom Zone and that the only way they could release him was to locate the Stones of Power before Kal-El; otherwise, they would have to force Kal-El. The three of them were able to escape from Krypton in another spaceship, known as the Black Ship.

Shortly after they all escaped, Krypton's core eventually ignited, leading to the total destruction of the planet, killing billions of people, including Jor-El, Lara, Zor-El, and the Ruling Council. Interplanetary Relationships

Krypton had noticeable relationships with other planets and galaxies, as it was one of the most powerful and advanced civilizations in the universe. Some planets saw Kryptonians as a cold and harsh race. Many other planets looked up to Kryptonians as god-like creatures whereas others would despise their power and greatly hate Kryptonians.

Some planets, such as Earth and Mars, had good relationships with Krypton, with Kryptonians traveling to Earth frequently via portals. These trips to Earth spawned many Kryptonian connections to Earth, including the birth of the Kawatche tribe and the occult interests in the Stones of Power by the witches Margaret Isobel Thoreaux and her disciples Brianna Withridge and Madelyn Hibbins. Kryptonians, benevolent or otherwise, saw Earth as a paradise due to the powers and abilities they gained under the planet's yellow sun; this caused Earth to become the prime conduit of Krypton's affairs. Martians also had a good relationship with Krypton, as the Martian Manhunter would often go to Krypton to aid his friend Jor-El, but some Kryptonians would look down on Martians as a lower species. The planet Almerac was a distant planet to Krypton, and their young would often be told stories about Krypton, in particular Kryptonian men and about how brave and gallant they were and many Kryptonian men were desired as mates by Almeracian women.

The destruction of Krypton is well-known throughout the universe, with many species having

knowledge of its destruction. Notable Citizens

Ruling Council: A democratic group that were established and appointed to office sometime after the Kryptonians evolved from strict, lethal warriors to gentle, technologically efficient people. Jor-El's Father: A citizen of Krypton, and father of Jor-El and Zor-El; he sent his son Jor-El to Earth as a rite of passage in 1961. Jor-El: The father of Kal-El, Jor-El was a highly-respected scientist on Krypton and an influential member of the Ruling Council. Lara-El: The mother of Kal-El and loyal wife to Jor-El, Lara was a loving mother and also aunt to Kara, and notified Jor-El about Zor-El's plan to destroy Krypton, giving their son a chance to get off the planet alive. Kal-El: The son of Jor-El and Lara, Kal-El was born on Krypton a couple of weeks prior to its destruction and sent to Earth by his parents, who believed he would be safe there and destined to save Earth from destruction. Zor-El: The father of Kara and brother of Jor-El, he caused Krypton's destruction by igniting its core, believing in Rao's prophecy that he would be resurrected on Earth and create utopia. Dax-Ur: A scientist who designed the Brain InterActive Construct, later dubbed Brainiac. He abandoned his life on Krypton and retreated to Earth. Kara Zor-El: The daughter of Zor-El, she too was sent to Earth with Kal-El along with a blue crystal so she could unknowingly resurrect her father and create a Kryptonian utopia on Earth. General Zod: A renegade army leader, he started a civil war with the Ruling Council in an attempt to conquer the planet with the aid of Brainiac and Zor-El as well as his army of followers. Faora: The second wife of Zod, as well as a former soldier in his army. Before marrying Zod, Faora's DNA was taken and placed in the Orb. Vala: Female member of Zod's army and sister of Faora. Vala's DNA was taken and placed in the Orb, which later resurrected her as a clone after Krypton was destroyed. Disciples of Zod: Loyal servants to Zod, they were given major roles in the civil war and, after Zod's capture, fled with Brainiac to Earth to locate Kal-El to release Zod and create a new Krypton on Earth. Basqat: A member of Zod's army, his DNA was taken and placed in the Orb that was sent to

Earth. Years later, he was resurrected as a clone. Alia: A female member of Zod's army, her DNA was taken and placed in the Orb, which later resurrected her after Krypton was destroyed. Raya: An assistant to Jor-El and loyal to the House of El, she tried to help Jor-El and Lara save Krypton, but was put in the Phantom Zone by Jor-El to be safe along with a Crystal of El to protect her from the phantoms. Augo: A student at Kara's school in Kandor, he was also Zor-El's disciple who strongly believed in Rao's prophecy and aided in any way he could to fulfill the prophecy. Bizarro: Created by accident in a laboratory experiment on Krypton, he was a backwards Kryptonian and was placed in the Phantom Zone for his cruel attitude and dislike for life. Brainiac: Krypton's supercomputer that ran every system on the planet, designed by Dax-Ur. Jor-El created a version of Brainiac that took a humanoid form to help win the war with Zod, but was corrupted so that it aided in the destruction of the planet, fleeing before its impending doom.

Geography

Krypton orbited the red sun. The planet's terrain was slightly similar to Earth's except for the crystalline architecture of its buildings, its constant cold temperatures and its icy ground; therefore, the Fortress of Solitude, with its crystalline appearance, is a re-creation of Kryptonian landscape, with its crisscrossing crystal towers. Krypton had oceans that ran between the massive continents of frozen plateaus, much like Earth's geography with its land sea.

Krypton's climate was cold and still. It is unknown how far Krypton was from its red sun, but had to be close enough to sustain life and water.

Doomsday is the result of his parents Zod and Faora fusing their genetic matter with DNA taken from the most violent, vicious and malevolent creatures that, apparently, can be found on Krypton; these creatures roamed the planet, and were most likely avoided by most Kryptonians. Education

In Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton, Kara attended an educational facility with other young Kryptonians. It was a crystalline structure similar in design to the Fortress of Solitude. The building was destroyed during the war with Zod, after Zor-El planned for it to be attacked by Zod's army in Kandor. Both Kara and Augo narrowly escaped damage from the blast. Location

Clark tells Chloe Sullivan that he's "not from anywhere near this galaxy." Later, Kara asks Clark how pieces of their home planet traveled through 23 galaxies. There are 28 known and inhabited galaxies in the Smallville universe, so that suggests that Earth and Krypton are very far apart.

The closest galaxy of comparable scope to the Milky Way Galaxy is the Andromeda Galaxy, which is approximately 2,560,000 light-years away. The closest body capable of being called a galaxy is the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, approximately 25,000 light-years away. Even if Krypton was in this mini-galaxy, it would still take at least 25,000 years before Earth would notice its disappearance. However, since kryptonite traveled across 23 galaxies, Krypton must be much further away than this.

We know that Jor-El came to Earth in the early 1960s, therefore meaning that Krypton may have existed at least until 40 years earlier. However, since Kryptonian technology has demonstrated the capacity to manipulate time, it is possible the teleportation portals connected different points in time as well as space. This would be consistent with our present understanding of the consequences of a fold in space-time, or wormhole.

Also, Dr. Virgil Swann states that he traced the signal from Krypton "billions of miles" to where the star should have been. While this is not technically wrong, a more logical and comfortable measure of the distance to the stars would be given in trillions of miles, not billions. Latest Images View all (154) images General Information Location Name Krypton Aliases

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1,334pages on this wiki Edit Talk0 Krypton Flag

The flag of Krypton.

Krypton is a distant planet which orbits a red sun. Before its destruction, it was home to a great civilization which boasted advanced science and technology. In many versions of the story, it was either barren or icy, and often the home to huge crystals and crystalline structures. Krypton had many strange creatures (Such as glass-eaters) and beautiful landscapes that simply don't exist on other worlds. The planet was destroyed late in its life due to internal pressures (In most versions).

Krypton appears, or is at least mentioned, in almost every version of the Superman mythos. It has changed completely over the years while retaining many elements from its past.

It is the homeworld of Superman, but also to Supergirl, Krypto and other Kryptonians. Unfortunately, the destruction of the planet also created Kryptonite, radioactive chunks of the planet which are deadly to all Kryptonians. Jor-El told Louise McCallum, that Krypton has colors that humans couldn't even dream of. Contents[show]

Overview

Krypton exploded as a result of highly unstable geological conditions. As originally depicted, the entire civilization and race of Krypton perished in the explosion and became a new asteroid field, except for only one survivor: the baby Kal-El who was placed in an escape rocket by his father, Jor-El, and sent to the planet Earth, where he grew up to become Superman, .

In some versions of the Superman mythos, additional survivors, such as Krypto, Supergirl, her parents (kept alive in the "Survival Zone", a different but similar parallel "dimension" from the Phantom Zone), the criminal inhabitants of the Phantom Zone, Dev-Em, Beppo the SuperMonkey, and the residents of the city of Kandor (presumably numbering in the many thousands, perhaps millions), reduced to microscopic size by Brainiac, were also introduced to the continuity.

More recent canonical accounts have greatly reduced the number of Kryptonian survivors, many to the extent that Kal-El is indeed the "last son of Krypton" (see below). In current continuity, the insistence of Superman's status as Krypton's sole survivor appears to be softening somewhat. Known species

Throughout the varying continuities krypton has been a host to an impressive array of lifeforms, save for continuities in which the world is barren and lifeless. Sapient

Kryptonian Xan Teklon Kryptonian Ape

Non-Sapient

Battle Acid-dwelling crocodile Balloonie Butterfly Fish Crystal Birds Courtship Birds Drang Droth Fish-snake Flamebird Flame Dragon Grillig Kiri-bird Kryptonian Dog (Most Continuities) Kryptonian Monkey Kryptonian Gorilla Metal-Eater Metal-Eating Mole Minobat Nightwing Needle-Fly Non-Breathing Beast Octosaur Prism-bird Quarn

Rokan (Super Friends) Rondor Rorrk Stantor Snagriff Shoggoth (DCAU) Torquat Thought-Beast Tripodal Curosiananium Tyrano-shark Winged Cat Tantho Flez

Vegetation

Bloodmorel Illusion-Trap Plant Oregus Plant Singing Flowers Silten Hantha trees Wedding Bell Bush

Versions of Krypton Golden Age Krypton

History

In its first appearance, Krypton was only depicted at the moment of its destruction, the nature of life on Krypton being unaddressed and frankly irrelevant to Superman's adventures on contemporary Earth; the plain fact of his extraterrestrial origin was considered sufficient enough to explain his superpowered status. Soon, beginning in the Superman comic strip, Krypton was shown to have been an evolved version of Earth, older by eons and possessed of all the beneficial progress that implied (though the downside was the hint that Krypton exploded due mainly to old age). This can be seen in the early descriptions of Superman having come from "a race of super-men" in early comics and serials, and one of the labels associated with him, "The Man of Tomorrow".

Kryptonians, though otherwise completely human, were superior both intellectually and physically to natives of Earth (further, Krypton had much heavier gravity, making them all stronger as well, their muscles evolved/adapted to the greater resistance). They lived under the rulership of a scientific elite, in cities of delicate art-deco towers, and wore costumes in the style of Alex Raymond characters. The trappings of Krypton were all rather reminiscent of the final technological utopia depicted in the H.G. Wells film Things to Come.

The debut of the Superman comic strip in 1939 also delved into further details about Krypton, including introducing the idea that all Kryptonians possessed a minimal level of heightened physical abilities, including super-strength and super-speed. In the early comics' version of Krypton, Superman's parents were named "Jor-L" and "Lora" (changed to the more familiar "JorEl" and "Lara" by the end of the 1940s).

The Golden Age Krypton would be revised into another form almost as soon as it was defined (see Krypton in Transition below), and very few stories were written about it. However, after the introduction of DC's multiverse in the 1960s, this version of Krypton was declared to be the Krypton of the Earth-Two universe (the native dimension of DC's Golden Age characters) and its Superman. This was especially so in the late-1970s run of All Star Comics, where Power Girl, the Earth-Two version of Supergirl, was introduced.

In the Golden Age, Superman was unaware initially of his true origins; in Superman (volume 1) #61, Superman discovered the existence of Krypton for the first time and learned of his Kryptonian heritage. He later encountered other survivors prior to Kara's arrival in the form of

three criminals, U-Ban, Kizo and Mala, who were exiled by his father before Krypton's destruction. Krypton in transition

Over the course of the 1940s and 1950s, various alterations and additions to the makeup of Krypton were made in the comics. Among them was explaining why the natives of Krypton perished if they had possessed superpowers on their native world (as was the case in the earliest versions of Krypton outlined above, although this only became a problem once Supermanâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and by extension anyone from Kryptonâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;was portrayed as increasingly powerful and able to withstand nuclear explosions, contrasted with his original power level in which a bursting mortar shell could penetrate his skin). Thus, it was explained by the early 1950s that Kryptonians were powerless on their own planet, and would only gain superpowers within a lower gravity environment. This matched the correct theories being published that when man reaches the moon (a lighter gravity environment) he will be able to lift great weights and leap great distances. In the early 1960s, added to this was the need to be exposed to the rays of a yellow sun (versus Krypton's red sun, which was older and "cooler", or put out less energy) to gain superpowers, with the yellow sun aspect soon gaining the much greater emphasis. Other changes to the concept of Krypton and its culture were introduced, many of which were stylistic. Silver Age Krypton

By the late 1950s, Krypton played an increasingly larger role in various Superman stories, with greater amounts of details given to Krypton's makeup. History

In the Silver Age version of Krypton, Kryptonians made use of their advanced science to create a world where scientific inventions and research influenced much of daily life. Robots and computers were used for many tasks on Krypton, even for determining what career paths young boys and girls would take as they grew up. Scientific and technological research was highly valued on Krypton, with the ruling body of Krypton named the "Science Council."

Several stories featured characters traveling back in time to visit Krypton before its destruction; the most well known of these is probably the 1960 story "Superman's Return to Krypton", in which Superman is swept back in time to Krypton some years before its destruction. Powerless, he spends some time on the planet, where he meets his future parents-to-be and falls in love

with a Kryptonian actress named Lyla Lerrol. A Superman "imaginary story" entitled "What If Krypton Had Not Exploded?" (reprinted in the trade paperback edition The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told) gave more insight into Krypton's society.

Superman's Kryptonian heritage was a frequent factor in Silver Age Superman comic storylines, as he was fully aware of his origins from an early age. Superman would use this knowledge for such tasks as constructing robots or observing some of Krypton's traditions.

The terrain of this Krypton was bright and vivid, featuring such landmarks as the Scarlet Jungle, the Gold Volcano, and the Jewel Mountains. The Scarlet Jungle in particular contained many strange beasts and plants, such as a species of giant mole that could eat through metal.

There were two consecutive capital cities on Krypton: Kandor and Kryptonopolis. The city of Kandor was shrunk by the evil android Brainiac and taken away; Kryptonopolis became the new capital of Krypton. In his first encounter with Brainiac, Superman discovered the city of Kandor preserved in a bottle. He rescued it and took it to Earth with him, vowing to someday discover a way to return the city to normal size. In the late 1970s, Kandor was enlarged, and its inhabitants left Earth to settle on a new planet named Rokyn.

Krypton had two moons, but one of them was accidentally destroyed by the Kryptonian scientist Jax-Ur when he was experimenting with space travel. The disaster killed millions of inhabitants of the moon, and because of this, Jax-Ur became the first criminal to be banished to the Phantom Zone, which had been discovered by Jor-El. This disaster also prompted the Science Council of Krypton to ban space flight completely, providing another explanation of why Krypton's civilization perished with the planet. Destruction Krypton Explodes

The explosive destruction of Krypton. The escaping space ship contains baby Kal-El.

There are several versions of the destruction of Krypton in the Superman mythos.

In one, Krypton exploded due to a build-up of internal pressures in its uranium core. The explosion transformed most of the matter which made up the planet into a radioactive material that became known as Kryptonite, which would have various (generally adverse) effects on the few survivors of Krypton in ensuing years.

Other versions of the Superman origin story (namely Superman: The Movie and Superman Returns) depict Krypton's red giant sun going supernova and subsequently destroying Krypton and any other planets in the Kryptonian system. Survivors

The Golden Age Superman was not alone in the survival of Krypton's destruction, being joined by his cousin Power Girl and three exiled criminals: U-Ban, Kizo, and Mala. A virtual reality created by Power Girl's father Zor-L also existed within her Symbioship, creating non-living duplicates based on deceased Kryptonians including her parents.

The Silver Age Superman was not alone in the survival of Krypton's destruction, being joined by his cousin Supergirl, the Phantom Zone criminals, Beppo the super-monkey, Krypto the Superdog, a juvenile delinquent named Dev-Em, and the entire population of the city of Kandor. When the planet exploded, one entire city of Krypton, Argo City, survived the cataclysm.

Argo City drifted through space on an asteroid-sized fragment of Krypton, which had been transformed into Kryptonite by the explosion. The super-advanced technology of its Kryptonian inhabitants gave the denizens of Argo City the ability to construct a life-sustaining dome that allowed them to survive for several years, in addition to building a lead shield that protected their city from the Kryptonite radiation of their asteroid. However, the protective shield was destroyed in a meteor storm, exposing the inhabitants to the deadly radiation. One sole survivor of Argo City, Kara Zor-El, was sent to Earth by her scientist father to live with her cousin Kal-El, who had become known as Superman. Kara adjusted to her new life on Earth and became known as Supergirl. It was later discovered that Supergirl's parents had survived in the Survival Zone, a parallel "dimension" similar to the Phantom Zone, from which she released them. When the bottle city of Kandor was finally enlarged on a new planet, Supergirl's parents joined its inhabitants to live there.

In 1979, a miniseries entitled World of Krypton was published, providing a great amount of detail

into Krypton's history just before its destruction, along with the life story of Jor-El himself. A three-issue miniseries entitled The Krypton Chronicles, published in 1981, tells of Superman researching his roots when, as Clark Kent, he was assigned to write an article about Superman's family by an assignment editor impressed with the television miniseries Roots. To do so, he and Supergirl travel to Kandor where they learn the history of the El family. In 1985, writer Alan Moore gave a somewhat darker glimpse into the world of Krypton in his story "For the Man Who Has Everything" (in Superman Annual #11), the premise being an elaborate dream of Superman's in which Krypton had not exploded and he'd grown to adulthood there. Background details are culled from other Krypton stories. This same story was retold in Justice League Unlimited animated series in an episode by the same name.

The race of Krypton was believed by some to be linked to the planet Daxam, whose inhabitants also acquired powers and abilities similar to Superman's when they were exposed to the radiation of a yellow sun. However, the Daxamites, as they were known, were highly susceptible to lead poisoning, which affected them in a manner similar to Kryptonite when they came into contact with lead; however, the poisoning was not stopped by taking the lead out of the Daxamite's vicinity. One Daxamite, Mon-El, was poisoned by lead, and preserved in the Phantom Zone until a cure was found by Brainiac 5 in the 30th century, thereafter Mon-El became a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. In this version, the Daxamites were originally Kryptonians who left their homeworld in order to explore the universe.

The Eradicator, programmed to preserve all Kryptonian culture, altered the birthing matrices (artificial wombs) the explorers took with them so that the newborns would be fatally vulnerable to lead. Thus, if they persisted in their anti-Kryptonian wanderlust, they would all die from it. Crisis on Infinite Earths

After the 1985 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, this version of Krypton was soon replaced by a newer version. However, the Silver Age Krypton made a rare post-Crisis appearance in The Sandman #48, during a flashback sequence featuring Death and Destruction of The Endless, beings who were evidently unaffected by the reality-altering events of the Crisis. In the relaunch of the Superman franchise, it was declared that the new version would never encounter another surviving Kryptonian. Modern Krypton The Man of Steel

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, which rebooted the history of the DC Universe and retroactively eliminated the existence of the Golden and Silver Age versions of Krypton, writer/artist John Byrne was given the task of recreating the entire Superman mythos. This rewrite was started in the 1986 Man of Steel miniseries, which addressed Krypton in both its opening and closing chapters.

Krypton itself was the main subject of the late 1980s The World of Krypton miniseries (not to be confused with the 1979 miniseries of the same name). This miniseries was written by Byrne and illustrated by Mike Mignola, and filled in much of Krypton's new history. History

The new Krypton was approximately the size of Earth and orbited a red sun called Rao 50 lightyears from our solar system. Over 100,000 years ago, Krypton had already developed scientific advancements far beyond those of present-day Earth, and by a few millennia past had conquered disease, learned to retard the aging process, and perfected cloning; vast banks of non-sentient clones held multiple copies of each living Kryptonian so that replacement parts were always available in the case of injury. All Kryptonians were effectively immortal and eternally young, and enjoyed an idyllic, sensual existence in an Arcadian paradise.

However, this society was tipping towards decadence and eventually political strife resulted from the debate as to whether clones should have rights (sparked by the presence of an alien missionary known as the Cleric). Eventually this disagreement led to open violent conflict, during which Kryptonian science was turned to warfare and several super-weapons were developed and used. Among them were the devices which became known as the Eradicator and the Destroyer.

Although the Eradicator's effects (altering the DNA of all Kryptonian life-forms so that they would instantly die upon leaving the planet) were felt immediately, the Destroyer's effects were possibly more significant: by the time the Kryptonian government admitted defeat and abolished the clone banks, a terrorist faction known as Black Zero had started the Destroyer, a device intended to trigger a massively explosive chain reaction in Krypton's core.

At the time, it was believed that the device had been stopped before it could achieve this, but eventually it was discovered, centuries later by Jor-El, that the reaction had only been slowed to

a nearly imperceptible rate and would eventually destroy the planet as intended. The Destruction of Krypton

In the meantime, though it had for now survived the war, Krypton was scarred deeply by it. The formerly lush garden world was burned and blasted, left mostly a lifeless desert. In direct contrast to the society that had existed prior to the Clone Wars, a sterile, emotionally dead civilization emerged. The population became isolated from one another, living in widely separated technological citadels and shunning all personal contact. Procreation became a matter of selecting compatible genetic material which would then be placed within an artificial womb called a "birthing matrix." Any attempt to contact other worlds was forbidden, and the planetary government maintained an isolationist stance, forbidding space exploration of any kind.

It was into this world that the young scientist Jor-El was born. By his adult years, the mysterious "Green Plague" was killing Kryptonians by the hundreds, and upon researching the matter, Jor-El discovered that the cause was growing radiation produced by Krypton's increasingly unstable core. Due to this process, the planet itself was going to explode.

Unable to convince his associates to abandon tradition and consider escape, Jor-El took the birthing matrix of his unborn son Kal-El, removed the Eradicator's planetary binding, and attached a prototype interstellar propulsion system to the vessel. Just as the planet began to shake apart, he launched the matrix towards Earth, where it would open and give birth to the infant upon landing (The post-Crisis Superman therefore was technically "born" on Earth). The Last Son of Krypton

A central theme of this version of the Superman mythos was that the character was to remain the last surviving remnant of Krypton. Thus, Silver Age elements such as Supergirl, Krypto, and Kandor had never existed in this version (though post-Crisis versions of these elements were eventually reintroduced).

The supervillain Doomsday was revealed in the 1990s as a being genetically engineered by Bertron, an alien scientist, on an ancient Krypton; this happened hundreds of thousands of years before the rise of Krypton's civilization (this fact explains how Kryptonians obtained their advanced technology).

In the newer continuity, Superman also only became aware of his alien heritage sometime after his debut as a superhero, when a holographic program encoded into the craft which brought him to Earth uploaded the information into his brain. Revisiting Krypton

In a late 1980s storyline, Superman traveled to the former site of Krypton to discover that the planet was slowly reforming from the vast sphere of debris remaining. However, it would take millions of years before the planet would be solid again. This sphere of debris had been turned to Kryptonite by the planet's destruction, and the radiation causes Superman to have a hallucination concerning an alternate scenario in which the entire population of Krypton comes to Earth.

In the 1990s comic series Starman, Jack Knight became lost in time and space, landed on Krypton several years before its destruction, and met Jor-El as a young man. The story boldly implies that it was this early meeting with a Terran that led Jor-El to study other worlds, and eventually choose Earth as the target for his son's spacecraft.

In an early 2000s storyline, an artificial version of the pre-Crisis Krypton was created in the Phantom Zone by Brainiac-13, a descendant of the original Brainiac who had traveled back in time to the present. It was stated to have been based on Jor-El's favorite Kryptonian historical period. Superman: Birthright

In the 2004 miniseries Superman: Birthright, a new retelling of Superman's origin and early years, Mark Waid depicted a Krypton, officially stated as being located in the Andromeda Galaxy 6 million light years away, with elements of various versions of the planet, but closer to the preCrisis version. It was later implied that the time-bending adventure in Superman v2, #200 and Infinite Crisis had rewritten history so this was now the "official" version, and later stories have held to Birthright as being the official current version of Superman's origin.

Waid also made use of Superman's "S"-shield in his version of Krypton. While in previous comic versions of the mythos, it was assumed the "S" simply stood for "Superman"; in Birthright, Waid

presented the symbol as a Kryptonian symbol of hope (borrowing and modifying a concept from Superman: The Movie). DC's mandate for Superman being Krypton's only survivor changed as well. Birthright heralded the return of Krypto, Kandor, and Kara Zor-El as Supergirl. Superboy's origins were retconned later revealing that he was the cloned son of Superman and Lex Luthor making him half kryptonian.

The series reversed a lot of John Byrne's decisions from The Man of Steel to reflect the more Silver Age-oriented version of Superman, similar to Smallville television series and Superman movies. Further Post-Birthright Revisions

However, a current storyline co-written by Geoff Johns and Superman director Richard Donner presents yet another version of Krypton which reintroduces the General Zod and the Phantom Zone criminals into mainstream continuity. With art by Adam Kubert, the design of Kryptonian society is distinct yet again from Birthright, incorporating elements of both pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity and Donner's work on the first two Christopher Reeve films, in particular the notion of Krypton's Council threatening Jor-El with harsh punishment were he to make public his predictions of their planet's imminent doom. Whether this further revision of continuity has an in-universe rationale is as yet unknown, but it may stem from continuity changes wrought by the reality-fracturing conclusion of Infinite Crisis. Krypton in other media Krypton-animatedseries1 Superman: The Animated Series Krypton-animatedseries2 Superman: The Animated Series Krypton-animatedseries3 Superman: The Animated Series Krypton-filmation The New Adventures of Superman Krypton-fleischer Fleischer cartoons

Krypton-lois&clark Lois & Clark Smallville Krypton Smallville Krypton-serial1 Superman serial Krypton-serial2 Superman serial

Radio

The first non-comics version of Krypton was presented in the debut storyline of the 1940s Superman radio series. In the radio show, Krypton was part of our Solar System, a Counter-Earth sharing Earth's orbit but on the opposite side of the Sun. Animation

Krypton was very briefly depicted in the first Fleischer Studios-produced Superman cartoon in the early 1940s as "a planet that burned like a green star in the distant heavens [and where] civilization was far advanced and it brought forth a race of Supermen whose mental and physical powers were developed to the absolute peak of human perfection", implying that all Kryptonians had Superman's abilities even on their own planet. The planet is seen only from a distance.

Depictions of Krypton on both The New Adventures of Superman and Super Friends are generally similar to those of the pre-Crisis comic books.

In Superman: The Animated Series, "The Last Son of Krypton", the first part of a three-part pilot episode, depicts Krypton as being basically similar to the pre-Crisis version (it was scientifically advanced, Kal-El appeared to be about two-years-old as in the Silver Age comics, there are depictions of peculiar animals) although with elements of the John Byrne version (such as the

appearance of the characters' wardrobe).

Krypton's climate is shown to have both temperate and Arctic conditions. According to commentary on the DVD collection for the show's first season, part of Krypton's appearance was influenced by the artistic style of American comic book artist Jack Kirby.

This version depicted the villain Brainiac indirectly destroying Krypton through a massive sin of omission (and even deception), as the care taking program for the planet. Later episodes have dealt with this issue. Superman: The Movie

With the release of the first feature-length Superman movie in 1978, a vastly less idyllic image of Krypton, compared to the previous comics' versions, was presented. Whereas in the comics, Krypton was colorful and bright, in Superman: The Movie, the planet was envisioned as having stark white terrain of jagged frozen plateaus, stretching broadly under heavy, dark skies.

Kryptonians themselves were portrayed as being a coolly cerebral society, clad in stark white, and treading halls of jet black under crystalline arches. The crystalline motif was employed not only in the architecture, but in the landscape and technology as well, suggesting that the entire planet had been adapted and altered by Kryptonian influence. Krypton was ultimately destroyed when its star began to collapse; the planet was pulled into the sun and ripped apart, then incinerated when the star went nova.

This version of Krypton was to have a strong influence on John Byrne's 1986 re-imagining of the world. However, the film's Krypton was still presented as having a society "better" than Earth's, unlike the Krypton that Byrne envisioned. For instance, there was no death penalty on Krypton because almost all criminals were rehabilitated (the ones that were not or were beyond rehabilitation such as General Zod were banished to the Phantom Zone). Superman himself thought very highly of the planet and was proud to have come from there. Also, in this version of the story, both Jor-El and Lara preserve some part of their essence in the starship that brings their child to Earth, so that on Clark Kent's eighteenth birthday, Jor-El appears to him within the Fortress of Solitude and initiates twelve years of Kryptonian education for the youth, and both remain as constructs within the Fortress until it is ransacked by Lex Luthor (see below).

The origin of Superman's symbol is given a Kryptonian origin in the film (as Mark Waid's Superman: Birthright would years later). Male Kryptonians are shown wearing unique symbols on the chests of their robes, similar to a family crest; Jor-El and Kal-El after him wear the familiar S-shield, which Lois Lane later assumes to be the letter 'S' from the familiar Latin alphabet, and thus dubs him 'Superman'.

The idea for Jor-El to have the symbol was suggested by actor Marlon Brando, who portrayed Jor-El in the movie, and eventually was retconned into the comics continuity as being the crest of the House of El, which both Superman and Kara Zor-El are part of. In more recent years it has been adapted by comics writers to be an actual letter/glyph in the Kryptonian alphabet, with the standard version of the shield meaning 'hope', and the inverted (upside-down) version meaning 'resurrection'. Television

The version of Krypton used on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was somewhat similar to the version in Superman: The Movie. Though they possessed highly advanced technology, this version's Kryptonians were more loving than John Byrne's Man of Steel version.

The television series Smallville presents a version of Krypton that borrows elements from the 1978 movie version of the planet. Superman Returns

The 2006 movie Superman Returns presents a version of Krypton almost identical to Superman: The Movie (since Superman Returns is more or less set in the same continuity as Superman: The Movie). In the beginning of the film, scientists discover remains of Krypton, and Superman leaves Earth for five years to look for it. His ship is seen leaving the dead planet. In the shooting script for the film (under the production title "Red Son", Lex Luthor reveals to a weakened Superman that his henchman actually set Superman up to space by sending false signals.

During the beginning, we see the city where Kal-El was born (including the famous white dome that housed the trial of General Zod, Ursa, and Non), then as to replicate the lift-off, other cities can be seen on the night side and then finally the planet's destruction by a supernova of its red supergiant sun.

Superman Returns extends the crystalline Kryptonian technology from Superman: The Movie which allowed young Clark Kent to "grow" the Fortress of Solitude. In the new movie, Kryptonian crystals are able to grow huge land masses and incorporate the properties of the surrounding environment; a sliver taken from of one of the crystals used to test the theory causes Lex Luthor's basement to be filled with a huge crystal structure. Growing land in this manner causes widespread power failure in the vicinity, inadvertently causing the emergency involving a spaceshuttle and an air-liner which acts as Superman's triumphant return. When he later returns to the Fortress of Solitude to find that the technology crystals that powered it have been stolen, Superman is visibly enraged. Lex Luthor later combines one of the crystals with kryptonite and shoots it into the ocean, creating what he calls "New Krypton". After being stabbed and falling into the sea, Superman uses his heat vision to get under the crust of the island and he then throws it into space. Bryan Singer has stated that the "New Krypton" island may return in the sequel. Cultural references

A planet generally assumed to be Krypton is featured in the Getting Into You music video created by Burning Vision Entertainment. In Issue #22 of Futurama Comics, In the last panels, Jor-El is seen warning the science council that Krypton is about to explode. The reason they ignore him is because their "Bender-brand Planetary Destruction Detector" would let them know an hour in advance. It goes off one minute after the planet blows up. In April, 2007, astronomers in Switzerland, France, and Portugal announced that they had found an Earth-like planet orbiting in the habitable zone around the red star Gilese 581. This planet, larger than Earth, is said to have a mass more than 5 times that of Earth, which would mean a commensurate increase in gravity. It is notable that the announcement of the discovery of this planet, which matches descriptions of Krypton, comes within days of the announcement of the discovery of a substances matching the characteristics of Kryptonite. In 90s show 'Married With Children', Al Bundy while insulting a fat female librarian, he says "And could the nails which hold your chair together, come from the planet Krypton?"