Kryptonians

Revision as of 09:08, 24 April 2018

Kryptonians in Superman v1 #681.

The Kryptonians are a race of humanoid beings that feature in DC Comics.

History

Pre-Crisis

During ancient times, their homeworld did not rotate and during this era the only habitable region was the twilight zone between the sunlight area and the dark side. In this era, there were only two tribes left that lacked enough food to support them both. To settle the matter of survival, champions were selected from the tribes to fight with the winner gaining the food for his people. During the battle, the champions learnt of two metals native to Krypton that caused a rock to rotate when they came into contact. Using this knowledge, the champions began to stockpile enough of the metals in two different locations to cause the world to rotate thus allowing both tribes to be saved. (Superman v1 #260)

In later years, signs of war appeared to be growing on Krypton with Jor-El seeking to stop the outbreak of hostilities. To achieve that, he built a prop city on an uninhabited moon and placed a large number of old Kryptonian war machines into a ship destined for the planetoid. Once there, his robot Z-4 was tasked with directing the machines to destroying the prop city in order to show the horrors of warfare to his people. He later abandoned this project after there were reports of a mounting catastrophe that could erupt from the planet's urananium core with the ship containing the war machines leaving for deep space where they would eventually head towards Earth to continue their mission. (Action Comics v1 #216)

Post-Crisis

The ancient Kryptonian Bolmeth people credited their Golden Age to a benevolent collaboration between the deities Yla-Uth the Sun Lord and Kor-Op the Earth-Giant. (Superman: Man of Steel v1 #100)

The New 52

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of history was created with a different series of events.

Ten billion years ago, the first manned colonization mission was launched from Krypton. (Green Lanterns v1 #28)

Overview

It was believed that humans and Kryptonians were incapable of bearing a child together. (Action Comics Annual v1 #11)

Their species were vulnerable to a number of diseases that included:

• Virus Alpha : noted for being a highly infectious fever. (Action Comics v1 #314)
• Pythagra Fever : a fatal incurable disease that was not contagious but was the second most deadliest ailment after Virus X. (Action Comics v1 #506)

Kryptonians were divided into caste-like Guilds that included:

• Labor Guild : Their existence was based on service to others and on Old Krypton they were not even allowed a seat on the governing council. Protocol dictated that they addressed members of the other Guilds with respect. (Superman: World of New Krypton v1 #1)
• Science Guild :
• Artists Guild :
• Military Guild : Its structure was the most rigidly defined and enforced with all members of the Guild beginning as 'enlisted' personnel whereupon officers were selected as well as trained from their ranks. (Superman: Secret Files 2009 v1 #1)
• Religious Guild :

Each had varying different viewpoints and dress codes. (Superman: World of New Krypton v1 #1) One profession was that of a Kurlan that was a term given to their ecologists. (Superman v1 #367)

An old Kryptonian custom was naming a child based on the constellation in the sky that were named after Krypton's deities. (Action Comics v1 #314) Within their society, they conducted the Quelloran that were the traditional mock trials of their people. These included a defence and prosecution for the accused criminal with a judge in charge and a jury present to witness the event. (Action Comics v1 #336)

On Krypton, there was an elite Military Guild unit called the Red Shard tactical response unit that traditionally handled law enforcement and civic defense. (Superman: World of New Krypton v1 #2)

An area on Krypton was home to the Hill Dwellers that were primitive savages that lived isolated from the rest of their world. These were the descendants of Kryptonians and aliens that had landed on the planet with the two interbreeding. The Kryptonian language was passed onto these hybrid descendants who lived a life of superstitions and engaged in ceremonies with them being hostile to outsiders. (Superman v1 #367)

The Krytoniad was an epic told to Kryptonian children that told the tale of how their ancestors made their planet into a civilized world. It began with the words, "Great Krypton lay in savage night-". (World's Finest v1 #146) On the Day of Truth, Kryptonians honoured Val-Or's sacrifice to speak the truth during the Vrangish invasion that they spoke the truth no matter how blunt or brash. (Supergirl v7 #8) There was an annual festival that honoured Zor who was a famous explorer who discovered the continent of Rabu. (Action Comics v1 #299) Other legendary heroes on Krypton included Zim-Ra the archer, Val-Kon the winged man and Dru-Mar the monster slayer. (Action Comics v1 #336)

Figures within their pantheon and beliefs included:

• Rao :
• Cythonna : Goddess of Ice who ruled Krypton in its earliest era where she pursued Rao until he rejected her whereupon she waged the Wars of Ice and Fire against him until he imprisoned here in the void where she was to remain until the destruction of Krypton. (Superman: The Last God of Krypton v1 #1)
• Lorra : a goddess of beauty in the pantheon of ancient Krypton. (Action Comics v1 #299)
• Mordo : six-armed god of strength in the pantheon of ancient Krypton. (Action Comics v1 #299)
• Telle : a god of wisdom in the pantheon of ancient Krypton. (Action Comics v1 #299)
• Kara : an ancient goddess of beauty who had her own constellation in the sky of Krypton. (Action Comics v1 #314)
• Kor-Op : a deity known as the Earth-Giant who was the forge of the gods that drew strength from the planet itself who collaborated with Yla-Uth. (Superman: Man of Steel v1 #100)
• Yla-Uth : a deity known as the Sun Lord who was master of the sky and bringer of life from the heavens who collaborated with Kor-Op. (Superman: Man of Steel v1 #100)
• Yuda : the Mistress of the Moons who was the goddess called upon for love and marriage whose worship diminished following the beliefs in Rao. (Krypton Chronicles v1 #3)
• Trolius : the mythical lord of Krypton's red skies. (Superman v1 #243)
• Flamebird : she was stated to be a necessary part of life as she destroyed in order to prevent stagnation and to allow new life to grow in the aftermath. (Action Comics v1 #886)
• Vohc : the Builder and also known as He-Who-Builds who was responsible for crafting the world, he desired the Flamebird and went mad after she rejected him for the Nightwing causing him to turn against them causing him to be known as Vohc the Breaker. (Action Comics v1 #886)
• Nightwing : in Rao-orthodox doctrine was called "Rao-the-Father's watchful eyes in the darkness". (Action Comics v1 #886)

According to the book of Rao, the Kryptonian pantheon contained 14 major deities, 211 demigods and 1402 titans. (Action Comics v1 #886) On Krypton, the trickster figure in mythology was associated with the terrifying energies of the electromagnetic field itself who imitated the familiar whereby melding with the trusted in order to be guaranteed a welcome in hearth and home. (Superman: Man of Steel v1 #100) A legend told on Krypton by teachers was that the progenitors of their race were two space explorers that landed on their world during ancient times. These two were a pair known as Kryp and Tonn who were the parents of the Kryptonian race. (Superman v1 #238) A creature of fiction was the legendary Eorx Necroli that was a brown skinned monstrous humanoid with many mouths over its body. (JLA v1 #49) Hell in Krypton was populated by numerous demons that included the Glass-Lords, Seven Courtiers, Flame Brethren, the Corpse Mother and those of the Eret-Ha who all died when the planet exploded. Only a single red skinned minor demon named Rakkar the Nothing managed to survive the destruction of the planet. (Superman v1 #666) Another figure was the demon-god Kvorg who was revered by the Torgs that were a prehistoric demon worshipping clan. (Action Comics v1 #400)

When facing the final threshold of death, Kryptonians faced the Ytrrym Effect key events of their future life flashed in their minds in those last few moments. (Action Comics v1 #492) One funeral practice among scientists was that when they died their brains were kept into within spheres so that they could continue to provide counsel to the living and did so to their custodian. (Adventure Comics v1 #323)

The native language of the Kryptonians was known as Kryptonese. (Superman v1 #205)

Technology

Kryptonian plastoid were noted for being unbreakable and used to make windows on-board their starships. (Adventure Comics v1 #304)

On Krypton, every member of their kind were provided small crystalline spherical machines. When calibrated to the users life-signs, it periodically monitored their cellular structure for flaws. If anything developed, it built the offending cells in packets of condensed quantum strings thus effectively rewriting the genetic code within moments. When translated from Kryptonian, the name of the machine could mean 'sourcedoc' or 'reset button'. (Supergirl v5 #9)

They had constructed small crystals to serve as books that established neural links with their user and mentally educated them on certain subjects. These computer systems were highly interactive and answered queries whilst placing the user in the system lobby before generating representations of the subject matter such as that in the Book of Rao. (Action Comics v1 #886) Thought-Writers were used to type material with the user simply thinking and the words being written for them. Entertainment was made through helmets that beamed mental movies into the minds of the wearer. (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #21)

Many of ancient crimes were solved by the use of an ingenious machine known as the Computer Detective. (World's Finest v1 #143) They made use of a Robot Factory in the construction of robots. (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #21)

One handheld armament was the Archer-class infantry assault long arm with its firing sequence being user enabled allowing it to fire in a variety of different modes. (Superman: World of New Krypton v1 #2)

Transportation across their cities were achieved through flying cars that were known as bubble-ships. (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #21)

Members

• Jor-El :
• Kal-El :
• Garf-Og : male scientist who when he died had his brain placed within a sphere with Jor-El being his custodian and him providing scientific advice. (Adventure Comics v1 #323)
• Va-Kox :
• Zo-Mar :
• Gra-Mo :
• Zar-Al : male teenager who was the son of Zol-Zu, his father sent him into a time ship to the future to Earth to find Zeelium to save Krypton. On Earth, he began calling himself the Krypton Kid but after failing to find the substance he distracts Superboy in order to go back in time to Krypton to perish alongside his father. (Adventure Comics v1 #242)
• Roz-Em : (Adventure Comics v1 #304)
• Than-Ol : (Superman v1 #158)
• Jo-Mon :
• Ar-Ual : (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane v1 #93)
• Bar-Nes : (Superman v1 #360)
• Val-Mer : (Superman v1 #360)
• Ta-Tem : (Superman v1 #360)
• Zinn-Zal : a male who as a great hero who ended war and taught Krypton that the greatest glory was peace with a statue made in his likeness. (World's Finest v1 #146)
• Dru-Zod I : a male who served as an Admiral in the stellar navy many generations ago during the height of the Kryptonian empire. (Superman v1 #669)
• Karsta Wor-Ul : female from the Ansomlands who was a sub-command third in Admiral Zod's forces who did peacekeeping duties on the Possession Worlds. (Superman v1 #669)
• Har-Zod : a figure during the height of the Kryptonian empire who believed he had won the election but the military council lost Bav Sor-El's Science Council. (Superman v1 #669)
• Zan Zoll : a scientist from Krypton who created the Evolution Cabinet that changed those using it in strange ways without a means of reverting the process leading to him being branded a criminal and sentenced to 20 Decatrons to the Phantom Zone with the device launched into deep space. (Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen v1 #66)
• Asha Del-Nar : a female Kandorian Kryptonian who was ninth generation in the Military Guild and had risen to the rank of lieutenant where she was assigned as Commander Kal-El's XO. (Superman: World of New Krypton v1 #2)
• Van-Varo : a great male detective on Krypton who was a scientific sleuth that used an ingenious x-ray telescope to spot criminals. (World's Finest v1 #143)
• Tec-Aben : a great male biologist detective who pursued the criminal Lars-Eden who had stolen a sacred Winged One. (World's Finest v1 #143)
• Ab-Zorna : a male detective who conquered the great menace of the Metalloids. (World's Finest v1 #143)
• Tron-Et : male who became a secret crime boss and managed to get himself onto the Science Council until his true nature was revealed by Jor-El. (Superman v1 #234)
• Vanaria : a swordswoman of ancient Krypton who was tricked into falling in love with a warrior who stole her enchanted sword. (Superman v1 #271)
• Reena : a princess of Krypton who was saved from a thought-beast by the glassman El-Kin. (Superman v1 #275)
• Ca-Rox : a stage magician from old Krypton who actually had magical powers. (Superman v1 #279)
• Maz-Ma : male who served as an apprentice to Ca-Rox where he secretly helped in his masters deception. (Superman v1 #279)
• Kar-Lu : a male Kandorian who lived prior to the unification of Krypton where on his 12 birthday he refused further education or citizenship with him becoming a surveyor where he along with his friend Jan-De were attacked by Urrikans with the pair fleeing into the forest. Kar-Lu's lack of knowledge caused him to be nearly killed but he was saved by Jan-De with the experience teaching him to continue his citizenship training in Kandor. (Superman v1 #352)
• Sen-Tal : male leader of the council that ruled Erkhol many planet turns ago. (Superman v1 #356)
• Lok-Nor : male member of the Nor family that sat on Erkhol's ruling council many planet turns ago who wanted to depose Sen-Tal but lost the vote among his comrades. He later encountered an alien ship that claimed they came in peace and would install Lok-Nor as council leader. In reality, the aliens had placed a mind control helmet on him to cause him to enslave his comrades. He managed to free himself and led a rebellion against the invaders thus defeating them but feeling he had betrayed his people - Lok-Nor had entered into exile where he left Krypton on the alien ship. The ships travels had extended Lok-Nors life and he used the vessel to stop a Yion-Cloud from hitting his homeworld when he returned generations later where he was greeted as a hero by his great-grandchildren. (Superman v1 #356)
• Kro-Na : a male Kurlan scientist who was married to fellow ecologist Zara who lived in an era when drought affected Krypton that was caused by the Hill-Dwellers burning of an alien fungus that sapped moisture from the soil. (Superman v1 #367)
• Jor-Ne : a story spoke of this Drom of the mythic Zal City who during the Wars of Ice and Fire who was given the choice by the goddess Cythonna to either spare his son or spare his city with Jor-Ne choosing his people leading to the death of his son. (Supergirl v7 #6)
• Rem-Ul : a scientist that authored Rem-Ul's Almanac of Old Krypton that had details of various lifeforms on the planet including the Bloodmorel from the Scarlet Jungle. (DC Comics Presents v1 #85)
• Zor : a famous explorer that discovered the continent of Rabu in the Sea of Flames. (Action Comics v1 #299)
• Jan-Al : female from 10 billion years ago whose family named meant 'Faith' that they held towards Rao and who was part of the first colonization mission from Krypton whose arc was damaged by a purple sun with the crew stranded on an inhospitable world with her being chosen by one of the first seven Green Lantern Power Rings to be recruited to defeat Volthoom. (Green Lanterns v1 #28)
• Roz-Em : a male criminal who used a facial surgeon to appear as Nim-El the keeper of the Armory of Forbidden Weapons in order to steal from it but the real one returned with him and his brother Jor-El apprehending him after which he was placed in suspended animation and launched into orbit. He survived the destruction of Krypton and escape from his capsule where he gained superpowers from the yellow sun and later targeted Jor-El's son Kal-El on Earth. (Adventure Comics v1 #304)
• Zar-Al : young son of Zol-Eu who was sent on a time-ship to recover Zeelium to stabilise Krypton's core from destruction where he came upon Earth and met Superboy with Zar-Al taking the guise of the Krypton Kid. He came to be a good friend of the young Kal-El but returned to his time with him dying with Krypton upon its destruction. (Adventure Comics v1 #242)
• Zol-Zu : a male scientist who was the father of Zar-Al and listened to the warnings from Jor-El about the impending destruction of his world. After checking the calculations, he knew them to be true and constructed a time ship tasking his son to recover the rare element Zeelium so that it could be used to stabilise the core of Krypton but failed to accomplish this goal. (Adventure Comics v1 #242)
• Raf Arlo : one of the planets greatest scientists before its destruction who developed a retro-light viewer which proved that most crimes were perpetrated by an unknown race of invisible people. (Superman v1 #170)
• Lon Gorg : one of the planets greatest scientists before its destruction who developed supra-psyche treatments which transformed morons into geniuses. (Superman v1 #170)

Notes

• Kryptonians were created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster where they made their first appearance in Action Comics v1 #1 (June, 1938).

Alternate Versions

In other media

Television

• In Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, the Kryptonians were seen in the 1990s live-action television series. Superman was believed to had been the only survivor of Krypton until the shows fourth season. It was revealed then that a previously unknown colony of Kryptonians had survived on a world orbiting a red sun that they called New Krypton.
• In Superman: The Animated Series, Kryptonians were shown in the DC Animated Universe where it made its first appearance in "The Last Son of Krypton". They were shown to had developed a highly advanced civilization who were ruled by a planetary council and sought guidance from the artificial intelligence named Brainiac. At some point, they had banished their worst criminals to the Phantom Zone. The scientist Jor-El determined that their world faced impending destruction and tried to warn his people but they refused to believe him as Brainiac dismissed his claims. Jor-El later discovered that Brainiac had hid the truth of Krypton's destruction as the artificial intelligence uploaded himself onto a satellite to save himself. It was then that Krypton exploded but not before sending his newborn son Kal-El on a rocket to safety that headed towards Earth.
• In Legion of Super-Heroes, Kryptonians were shown in the animated series primarily with Superman but further members of the race were shown in the episode "Messenge in the Bottle". Their backstory was shown whereby their world faced geological destruction and it's salvation in Jor-El's device known as the Messenger was lost when the Terror known as Brainiac stole the city of Kandor. The loss of Kandor saw the Messenger lost as well whereupon Krypton exploded thus killing the vast majority of Kryptonians. Beyond Superman, the only other survivors were in the Bottle City of Kandor until the 31st century when they were restored to their original size on the reformed Krypton.
• In Smallville, Kryptonians featured in a number of episodes in the live-action television series. They were shown as an advanced human appearing race native to the planet Krypton that came to dominate their homeworld. Their race was once a fierce people of savage warriors but became peaceful after many centuries as they devoted themselves towards science as they came to be governed by the Ruling Council. Their language was noted to consist of hex code. Kryptonians were demonstrated to hold a religion with them believing in the dictates set in the Book of Rao.
• In Supergirl, Kryptonians appeared as part of the background in the live-action television series. The episode "Blood Bonds" stated that long ago Kryptonians were split into warring warrior tribes on the wastelands of their world before they developed into a highly advanced society. An ancient proverb of their people was, "Blood bonds us all" with family seen as important in their culture. On Krypton, it was said that it was a point of strength for one to acknowledge their weakness. In "The Faithful", it was said that the Kryptonians were a deeply religious people that believed in their peaceful god Rao. They built probes that transmitted knowledge of Kryptonian society and belief with these transmitters being powered by a Betahedron. A priestess named Jindah Kol Rozz spoke of a dark prophecy leading to her imprisonment within Fort Rozz and the prison being named after her.
• In Krypton, Kryptonians featured in the live-action television series that was set on the planet Krypton around two generations before its destruction. It was shown as an advanced society that did not know contact with alien life and had fallen under the religious control of a figure known as the Voice of Rao who was referred to as His Eminence and was tended to by clerics called the Word of Rao that wore white garments with Kryptonian writing. Their civilisation was dominated by the caste-like guilds such as the military guild, lawmaker guild, science guild and others with families falling into houses that were identified by their crests. Crests were shown to be important as they determined status among their society and those stripped of it had effectively no status. Genetic pairing and cloning in Genesis Chambers was shown as a means of procreation that was deemed as efficient. Defence of their society was achieved by the military guild who trained the elite Sagitari soldiers. Outside their domed cities resided the cold outlands and their world was plagued by a terrorist threat known as Black Zero. Their people took part in a festival known as the Nova Cycle that was a celebration of birth and rebirth whereby individuals celebrated Rao as they began anew with them being absolved of sins from their prior cycle.

Films

• In Superman, Kryptonians appeared in the 1978 live-action film where they were shown primarily through flashbacks. It was shown that long ago they were an advanced civilization on Krypton ruled by the Council who punished Zod along with his fellow insurrectionists by sending them to the Phantom Zone. The scientist Jor-El discovered that their world was going to be destroyed and warned the Council who refused to heed his warnings. This led to Jor-El sending his new born child Kal-El away from Krypton towards the planet Earth so that he would be the sole survivor of Krypton after it exploded.
• In the DC Extended Universe, Kryptonians were seen in the shared continuity setting.
  • In Man of Steel, Kryptonians made their first appearance in the live-action film. They were a highly advanced civilization from the planet Krypton who once colonized many worlds before retreating back to their homeworld. Those colonies declined and collapsed into ruin where they were abandoned. On Krypton itself, the inhabitants had done away with natural forms of birth and instead used cloning that used genesis chambers with a pure sample of their DNA being known as the Codex that guarded safely.

Video games

Novels

Appearances

• Superman:
• Action Comics:

External Link

• Wikipedia Entry
• DC Database Entry

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