Kandor
Kandor is a city that features in DC Comics.
Contents |
History
Pre-Crisis
Kandor was a Kryptonian city that was once the capital of the planet Krypton. (Action Comics v1 #242)
At some point, the alien Brainiac came to Krypton where he captured Kandor within a bottle that he took for his collection. Unknown to the Kandorians, this allowed them to escape the eventuaal destruction of their world. (Action Comics v1 #242)
The Kandorian scientist Rad-Zee requested that human scientist Ray Palmer come to the Bottle City in order to consult him due to his expertise on size control. Whilst on Kandor, an experiment led to all the energy within the Kryptonian city leaving and entering the frame of a human robot constructed by the entertainment mogul Morty Rivers for a movie. This machine animated by the super-science energy from Kandor became known as Junk-Man and went on a rampage where it was attracted to the greatest source of its power which was in the Bottle City. Thus, it travelled to the Fortress of Solitude where it battled Superman only for Green Arrow to use shrinking technology to send the robot into Kandor. Once in the Kryptonian environment, it lost its power and was re-programmed as a robot butler. (Action Comics v1 #455)
Superman and Supergirl's efforts later allowed them to find the means of restoring Kandor with the Kandorians desiring to be on their own world that orbited a red sun like Krypton. With an enlarging ray, they restored the city on the new world but Kandor itself crumbled to dust as it could not handle the effects of the technology. Thus, Kandor was destroyed but the Kandorians desired to build their own future under their initiative rather than remain dependent on Superman with them thanking him for his efforts. (Superman v1 #338)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
The Kandorians began to develop superhuman abilities as a result of being under a yellow sun with Zor-El believing that they should keep to themselves for now. However, the emergence of the city came to be seen as a threat by the inhabitants of Earth. (Superman: New Krypton Special v1 #1)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. It was held as the greatest dream on Krypton with its brilliant doctors having cure the Sky Flu and its mighty warriors apprehended the criminal scientist Dr. Xa-Du. The Kandorians were said to had been a proud people who dismissed and laughed at Jor-El when he told them that their homeworld was going to explode. (Batman/Superman v1 #19)
The Phantom King Xa-Du took over the Bottled City and brainwashed its inhabitants with the Living Death where he directed them to hate the House of El. Thus, when Superman found the missing Kandor, the Kandorians attacked him until Kal-El along with Batman managed to defeat Xa-Du by damaging his equipment forcing him back to the Phantom Zone. With his defeat, the Kandorians were returned to normal but 3% of the population still remained afflicted with the Living Death that included Kal-El's maternal family in his aunt Kela and grandmother Mother Prime Mara Lor-Van who had an intense hatred of Superman. As a result, these victims were all placed in temporary comas until the Kandorians could cure them of the brainwashing. (Batman/Superman v1 #20)
Rogol Zaar in his effort to purge the universe of Kryptonians broke into the Fortress of Solitude where he seemingly destroyed the Bottle City leaving its remains for Superman and Supergirl to find as he intended to eliminate them as well. (The Man of Steel v2 #3) After the defeat of Rogol Zaar, General Zod came to mourn the people of Kandor. It was then that he came to learn about the Lazarus Pit’s that contained fluids able to resurrect the dead. Zod sought to use the pits as a means of restoring the Kandorians to life. This led to him seeking out Ra's al Ghul who protected the Lazarus Pits but the human master assassin refused the Kryptonian’s request. This sparked a conflict between the pair with General Zod seeking out the pits. He came to find one hidden in a temple with him defeating its protectors. Zod then placed Kandor within the pit where its shrunken inhabitants were restored to life but left in a state of madness before Superman and Batman could stop them. (Batman/Superman v2 #7)
Overview
A number of places within Kandor included:
- Sky Palace : a large floating dome structure suspended in mid-air by anti-gravity forces and accessible by jet taxi. (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #59)
- Cosmo Machine Shop : (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #134)
- Kandorian Penal Complex : (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #134)
- Nightcave : a secret subterranean hide-out used by Kal-El and Jimmy Olsen when they operated as the masked crime-fighters Nightwing and Flamebird. (Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen v1 #69)
- Kandor Press : site of a news agency that disseminated information publically to the people of Kandor. (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #21)
- Moon Tower : a structure that maintained the moon structures in the Kandor skyline when the city was in its shrunken bottle. (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #21)
- Mt. Dral : a small mountain whose top had spaces for cabins. (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Crystal Hill : a historic zone that old historic scrolls stated were a sacred area in prehistoric times. (Action Comics v1 #400)
- Cal-La Opera House :
One of the regions was the garden district. (Batman/Superman v1 #19)
As a Bottled City, Brainiac had constructed gravity generators to prevent damage during any form of transport. (Batman/Superman v1 #19) To replicate Krypton's sky, Kandor suspended two similar artificial moons as giant lamps with this being achieved by anti-gravity forces. (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #21)
Quarrels were settled in a fair duel using force charged swords with the fight held at the ancient arena. (World's Finest v1 #143)
Inhabitants
- Rad-Zee : a male scientist that was involved in size control and energy research who consulted Ray Palmer but the result led to a force of energy animating a human robot that became the villain Junk-Man. (Action Comics v1 #455)
- Vital :
- Dazor : (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #134)
- Lura-Ux : (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #134)
- Yllura : (Action Comics v1 #400)
- Arvor : (Action Comics v1 #400)
- Van-Tarr : a renegade Kandorian who started a religious commune where he called himself as the Master. (Action Comics v1 #406)
- Dazor :
- Lura-Ux :
- Vas-Quor : (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Brenn-Bir : (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Kyl-Ibo : (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Kimda :
- Web-Nu : a grey haired male who was observing Superman on a monitor and noted that he was behaving strangely. (Superman v1 #297)
- Nar-Kor : a white grey haired male with a bald patch who was a Professor that was city's eminent scientist that was skilled in the art of Kandorian advanced surgery techniques such as brain-cell transplants that was performed on the human David Grahm who had sustained head injuries. (Supergirl v1 #4)
- Dik-Zee : twin brother of Van-Zee with both resembling Superman with him working at the Kandor Press. He was introduced to Lois Lane with the two having a romantic relationship until she was returned to normal on Earth. (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #21)
- Dev-Re : wheelchair bound male who was a leader in the city and father to Sarna. (Superman Family v1 #173)
- Sarna : blonde haired daughter of Dev-Re who contracted an illness leading her to became violent and a radical in Kandor. (Superman Family v1 #173)
- Ak-Var : a male from Kandor who joined a gang that sought to steal the revered Sun-Stone relic with him being apprehending and sent to the Phantom Zone for a 30 year sentence. (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Vas-Quor : male Kandorian who was part of a criminal gang with Ak-Var. (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Brenn-Bir : male Kandorian who was part of a criminal gang with Ak-Var. (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Kyl-Ibo : a male Kandorian who was part of a criminal gang with Ak-Var. (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Sirma Sen : (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Thara : (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Gan-Lar : (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Hab-Dis : (Action Comics v1 #336)
- Dik-Rey : a young male Kandorian who was took the identity of Tom Baker and operated as Power Lad alongside Superman. (Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen v1 #45)
- Gnor-Ax : a male operator who alongside his compatriot detected an unknown organism having penetrated and possessed the Fortress of Solitude where they attempted to warn Superman of the danger. (Superman v1 #204)
- Lira : a female Kandorian who became an actor and wanted to portray Lara in an enactment of Superman’s origin. (Action Comics v1 #299)
- Mar-Sin : a male Kandorian who became an actor who wanted to portray Jor-El in an enactment of Superman’s origin. (Action Comics v1 #299)
Notes
- Kandor was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino where it made its first appearance in Action Comics v1 #242 (July, 1958).
- In a Superman comic strip from April through August 1958 a similar story showed a Superman's foe was named Romado who was responsible for placing a Kryptonian city in a bottle with this being Dur-El-Va.
- In Supergods (2010), Grant Morrison wrote about the city, "This living diorama, this ant colony of real people, had great appeal for children, adding to the childlike nature of this era's Superman. In Kandor, lost memories were preserved under glass, and Superman could go there, in private, to experience a world he left behind. Kandor was every snow globe and music box that stood for every bittersweet memory in every movie there would ever be. Kandor was the tinkling voice of a lost world, a past that might have been, unreachable. Kandor was survivor's guilt endowed with new meaning."
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Legion of Super-Heroes, Kandor appeared in the animated television series where it was shown in the episode "Message in the Bottle". It was stated to had been the capital of Krypton long ago. When Krypton facing destruction, Jor-El constructed the Messenger that was stationed at Kandor. However, the Terror also known as Brainiac arrived where he shrunk Kandor into a Bottle City for his collection. It remained within Brainiacs collection until at some point Superman saved the Bottle City but failed to re-enlarge it. He kept it within the Fortress of Solitude and had a shrinking ray allowing him to visit and had a power suit to maintain his abilities as the Bottle City had a simulated red sun. In the 31st century, Imperiex and his forces entered the city to claim the Messenger but was opposed by the 21st century time displaced Superman who was aided by the Legion of Super-Heroes. After Imperiex was destroyed feared, Brainiac 5 learnt how to re-enlarge Kandor from his ancestor Brainiac 1.0. With this knowledge, they used the Messenger to recreate Krypton with Kandor and it's restored Kryptonian population placed on that world.
- In Justice League Action, Kandor appeared in the animated television series in the episode "Battle for the Bottle City" where it was said to had been the capital of Krypton until it was shrunken into a Bottle City by Brainiac. It later came into possession of Superman who kept it secure at his Fortress of Solitude and sought to find a means of restoring it. Among its most famous locations was the Hall of Krypton that was a notable shopping area in the city.
- In Krypton, Kandor City featured as the setting in the live-action television series that was set on the planet Krypton several centuries ago. It was a domed city during an era when the surface of the planet was engulfed in an eternal snowstorm with it being ruled by a theocracy headed by the Voice of Rao with it being maintained by the ruling guilds and houses. Kandorian warriors served as Sagitari with these being bound by Kandorian warrior rites to show no mercy to their enemies. Soldiers were able to evoke the spirit of the warrior Jo-Mon and their ancient traditions to challenge others to brutal duels to the death that could be used to challenge superiors in order to take over their position.
Films
- In All-Star Superman, the Bottle City of Kandor made an appearance in the animated film where it was said to had been the greatest city of Krypton that had been shrunken by Brainiac. It was kept in the Fortress of Solitude where Superman spent many years to restore its inhabitants but failed. When Superman learnt he was dying, among his last acts was taking the Bottle City to a suitable planet for them to colonize with the journeying taking him much time to accomplish.
- In Superman: Unbound, Kandor made an appearance in the animated film that was an adaptation of the comic storyline. It was said to had been the capital of Krypton at one point until Brainiac arrived on the planet. Upon his arrival, he dispatched numerous probes that attacked the populace where they killed a number of the populace in order to collect information to determine who held importance in the city. This assault was responded to by the Kryptonian military who were powerless to stop the advanced alien probes. At the time, Zor-El along with his wife Allura and daughter Kara Zor-El were visiting relatives in Kandor when they quickly made their escape to evade the alien invaders. They managed to leave Kandor just as Brainiac deployed a dome that trapped the remaining populace inside of it whereupon he shrunk the settlement into a Bottle City for his collection. He departed into space to continue his collection of other cities though Zor-El had begun study of the probes destroyed in order to find a weakness in Brainiac. However, this simply attracted the attention of Brainiac who captured the settlement he was residing in with the Kryptonians there being incorporated into the Kandor bottle. Superman would battle Brainiac in an effort to stop the villain from finding Earth but he was defeated and integrated into the Krypton specimen of Kandor. Once there, he learnt of the plight of the people where he also met his aunt and uncle after which he orchestrated a plot to escape. After returning to normal size, he proceeded with taking the Bottle City of Kandor away from Brainiac who pursued the hero to Earth.
- In Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Kandor was briefly mentioned in the live-action movie set in the same universe as Man of Steel. After Lex Luthor gained access to the crashed Kryptonian ship, he took the dead Zod's body into the vessels genesis chamber that identified him as General Zod of Kandor.
Video games
- In Injustice 2, Kandor appeared in the setting of the fighting video game where it was shown in a flashback during the campaign mode. It was a city on Krypton when the planet came under attack by Brainiac who digitised it and its inhabitants who were placed in his collection of cities from numerous worlds. After acquiring Kandor, Brainiac proceeded to destabilise Krypton causing its destruction killing most of the Kryptonian civilization. Kandor remained in a digital bottle state with Kara Zor-El hearing them when she as Supergirl entered the Skull Ship when Brainiac attacked Earth.
Other
Appearances
- Action Comics v1: (1958)
- Superman v1:
- Adventure Comics v1:
- Superman: New Krypton Special v1:
- Batman/Superman v2:
External Links
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