Every mighty superhero has a weakness because an unbeatable hero becomes boring. They face the deadliest threats imaginable while protecting the people and are known for their ability to almost touch death. All of DC’s powerful heroes have succumbed to their weaknesses and the villains have had fun playing with it.
The Man of Steel is endowed with abilities that make him almost unstoppable and more importantly he has the heart of a hero, but a great hero like him also has vulnerabilities. Time and again, it has come up in DC comics and films. However, we have come up with three reasons why kryptonite is the most illogical and overutilized weakness of Superman.
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The Element More Dangerous Than Kryptonite
While many believe that Superman’s only weakness is kryptonite, there is yet another element that is even more dangerous: Magic and Mind Control. Although Superman’s weakness to magic isn’t as famous as his vulnerability to kryptonite, it is far more dangerous and emphasizes how crucial magic is in the DC universe. As Superman has a glass chin when it comes to magic – he either deals in a dismissive fashion like sitting out while Batman rescued Lois Lane in Lois Lane issue 10. Or takes control of him like with the Justice League. The magic made the Man of Steel attack his own teammates.
Along with magic, Superman is also vulnerable to telepathy and has no innate resistance against psionic attacks. He’s fallen under the control of villains like Queen Bee in the New 52 and also during the battle with Psycho-Pirate. Maxwell Lord betrayed the Justice League when he took over Superman’s mind and used him to attack the League. Superman was only stopped because Wonder Woman killed Max Lord by snapping his neck.
Superman Can Withstand The Effects Of Kryptonite
Throughout the multiple comics, The Man of Steel has proven to be powerful and his constant weakness is shown to be a radioactive substance -kryptonite. These shards of Krypton’s exploded mass are deadly to Superman. Despite how iconic and famous this weakness has become, there have been times when Superman’s powers have allowed him some extent of invulnerability against kryptonite.
The ‘Sandman Saga’ marked the first instance where Superman was being unaffected by kryptonite radiation. In another landmark story Kingdom Come, Superman no longer feared the green K metal from Krypton. In this dark future, an older Superman had grown impervious to kryptonite’s radiation after years of living in a yellow-sun solar system. These stories explain how Superman became stronger, but the science behind the effects of kryptonite is somewhat suspicious and seems illogical.
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Kryptonite Is Not The Only Element That Can Weaken Superman
Earth’s yellow sun is the source of Superman’s power. His cells absorb the star’s radiation making him faster and stronger. These powers can be immediately stripped of if he is exposed to the red sun instead of the yellow sun. Ironically Superman’s home planet of Krypton is circled by a red sun, resulting in the lack of power among the Kryptonians.
While the Man of Steel can retain some of his powers for a limited time when exposed to the red sun, he would eventually lose his abilities. Villains like Lex Luthor have replicated red solar radiation and weaponized it against Superman to gain the upper hand a few times over the years.
Throughout the comics, even though kryptonite is highlighted as Superman’s weakness, there are other elements like magic, mental control, and the red sun which equally affect The Man of Steel. With the overutilization of kryptonite, the other vulnerabilities often get ignored or even forgotten. Since Superman has now developed tolerance and resistance again kryptonite, then perhaps the other vulnerabilities should be explored.
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