Sunstone (DC)
The Sunstone is an artifact that features in DC Comics.
Contents |
History
Origin
Sunstones were crystals that were products of the highly advanced Kryptonian civilization. Sunstone was an element that was native to the world of Krypton and actually served as the basis for much of their technology. (Action Comics v1 #837) At some points, the inhabitants of that planet created an advanced civilization where in time they managed to create an interstellar fleet that was the deadliest ever constructed or concieved due to the use of this mineral. Kryptonian Sunstone ships were so powerful that they were able to devastate entire planets with only a single vessel needed for this task. With this power, they struck fear in nearby civilizations and held galaxies in their grip. (Superman v1 #653)
At Argo City, Zor-El had been conducting research into Sunstones where he sought approval from the Kryptonian Science Council. During this time, the world had been infested by ethereal parasites called Phantoms that had emerged from the Phantom Zone and possessed host bodies that caused carnage on Krypton. None believed Zor-El's warnings of the Phantoms and the Science Council banned him from attendance for his theories. Thus, with limited resources, Zor-El conducted research into Sunstones that he learnt were able to exorcise a Phantom from its host but at the cost of the hosts life. Hiding his work from the Science Council, he used his own daughter Kara Zor-El as a subject of his experiments where he implanted Sunstone within her. Together, the pair began eliminating Phantoms but the death of the hosts caused their arrest by Kryptonian authorities. Jor-El later freed his brother to use his Sunstone technology to build a starship for his son Kal-El to escape Krypton that was facing imminent destruction as its core was set to explode. (Supergirl v5 #16)
Kal-El's rocket ship that was sent to Earth had a Sunstone crystal from the House of El that contained all the information Jor-El had programmed for his son. (Superman: Secret Origin v1 #1)
Following their escape from the Phantom Zone, General Zod and the other Kryptonian criminals came to create a massive Sunstone hive mound in Metropolis with the structure being destroyed after their defeat. (Action Comics Annual v1 #11)
After the battle with Superboy-Prime, the Fortress of Solitude was destroyed in the struggle against the mad Kryptonian. Lex Luthor managed to find a crystal shard of the Fortress which he stole and later studied whereupon he determined its advanced properties. (Action Comics v1 #837) With the fragment, Luthor created a signal to track down the Kryptonian starship The Doomsday that had crashlanded on Earth in 1938. (Action Comics v1 #838) This led to fragments of the the ships Sunstone rupturing across the surface of Metropolis and forcing a newly empowered Superman to arrive to protect its inhabitants. (Action Comics v1 #839)
Superman once used Sunstone to create a small vessel capable of interstellar flight through its star-drive. This allowed him to take his adoptive father Jonathan Kent on a tour of outer spae where they visited the Kepler Nebula in the constellation of Ophiuchus. The Man of Steel allowed his Jonathan to also pilot it for several hours whilst he was busy dealing with a Sun-Eater in a neighbouring star system. (Action Comics v1 #847)
In Ohio, two science students at a high school in Danville where they discovered a Sunstone and thought it was a meteorite where they brought it to their teacher Lisa Jennings. Whilst examining it, Superman was passing by the building whereupon the stone linked to his mind. It led all his grief, doubts and sadness from the events of the destruction of New Krypton being filled into the mind of Jennings due to it being an interrogation Sunstone. This caused Jennings to develop Kryptonian level abilities and she directed her anger at Superman in an attempt to destroy him. However, he took her through a Lightning Door from the Fortress of Solidarity into the Still Zone where he shattered the Sunstone by instilling it with his hope and convictions. Fragments of the stone were scattered throughout time and instilled Superman's abilities and convictions to people across history on Earth with each unaware of the true source of the power that lay within the crystal. (Superman v1 #714)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of history was created with a different series of events.
Whilst with the D.E.O., Supergirl had provided Director Cameron Chase with a Sunstone crystal that contained data on Krypton. (Supergirl v7 #1)
After being freed from the Phantom Zone, General Dru-Zod along with his wife Ursa and their son Lor-Zod travelled to the planet Jekuul whose twin-yellow suns gave them their super-powered abilities. They were seen as gods by the natives and forced into serving the House of Zod with them mining Sunstone ore leading to the creation of advanced Kryptonian structures on the planet such as the Fortress of Zod. Their activities attracted the attention of the Green Lantern Corps with Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner being sent to investigate. (Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps v1 #39)
Overview
They acted as a form of memory crystal with the ability to store more data than any computer on Earth. (Action Comics v1 #837) It was self-replicating and infinitely programmable allowing small fragments bring about large scale Sunstone formations. (Action Comics v1 #839) This substance acted as a miracle mineral with properties such as being light, infinitely programmable, self-repairing, stored vast power, and had the capacity to transmit data at lightning speeds. (Superman v1 #653)
Sunstone ore was noted to be hold heavy Kryptonian military applications. (Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps v1 #39) Whilst a potent construction tool, it was equably capable of being used as a weapon. Sunstone vessels were able to launch fragments of themselves as massive crystal missiles that dealt impact damage to enemy infrastructure. However, the damage did not end there as the crystals then rooted to the ground of their new environment. It then began to draw upon the target planets own matter and used its atoms to convert, reshape as well as reconfigure itself into automated battle constructs to pacify the world. (Superman v1 #653)
A variation of the stone was designed for use as an interrogation tool. The interrogation Sunstone was designed to extract memories from a Kryptonian mind and project them into another Kryptonian mind. (Superman v1 #714)
The unique properties of Sunstone was capable of disrupting teleportation capabilities and create a neutral kill zone. This led to the development of Tele-Disruptors with the Model X3.1 that was deployed by Admiral Dru-Zod I at the Battle of Daxam to combat tactical teleportation capabilities. (Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps v1 #46)
Notes
- In Action Comics v1 #336 (1966), an artefact known as a Sun-Stone appeared in the issue with it being described as a revered relic and was kept in a museum on Krypton. It was described as a strange heavy crystal that absorbed solar light and heat all day which it then emitted at night. In ancient times, primitive Kryptonians huddled by Sun-Stones that kept them warm during cold winter nights with them being hot to the touch in the day time. Ak-Var and his accomplices attempted to steal it with him claiming it was a prank but he was captured leading to him being given a sentence of 30 years in the Phantom Zone.
In other media
Television
- In Supergirl, Sunstones was referenced in the live-action television series where it was mentioned in the episode "Mr. & Mrs. Mxyzptlk". They were stated to be in the core of the Fortress of Solitude where served they powered the great structure with Supergirl triggering an overload in order to scare Mister Mxyzptlk.
- In Krypton, Sunstone appeared in the live-action television series set on the planet Krypton. A time travelling Adam Strange brought with him a Sunstone from the Fortress of Solitude on Earth that was to be used as a key to the hidden Fortress of Solitude on Krypton that had been constructed by Val-El. This allowed his grandson Seyg-El to enter into the Fortress whose location and entry had long been sought out by the religious authorities of the Voice of Rao.
- In Superman & Lois, Sunstone appeared in the setting of the 2020 live-action television series. Superman used it to access the computer logs at the Fortress of Solitude in order to consult the A.I. version of Jor-El to help teach his son Jordan Kent.
Video games
- In DC Universe Online, Sunstone made numerous appearances throughout the setting where its included in items collected by the players such as armor. During General Zod's cutscene, it was shown that he once commandeered the Fortress of Solitude and molded its Sunstone crystals to forge a giant mecha. When Brainiac attacked the Fortress, he sought to assimilate its technology and created Sunstone constructs to attack both the heroes and villains that arrived at the site. Among these included Sunstone Assassins and a corrupt AI version of Jor-El.
- In Infinite Crisis, Sunstone features as one of the abilities of Mecha Superman who can cause a Sunstone eruption in the ground.
Appearances
- Action Comics v1:
- Supergirl v7:
External Link
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