Kryptonite-X Amplified His Powers: 10 Most Devastating Superman Encounters in DC Comics

Ra’s al Ghul’s calculated attack

In JLA #44, Ra’s al Ghul used Batman’s stolen contingency plans to target the Justice League. His daughter, Talia, carried out the prepared assault on Superman with synthetic red Kryptonite based on Batman’s research.

The substance made Superman’s skin transparent and caused his body to take in too much solar energy. He was left in severe pain, with sensory overload and an inability to function normally.

Metallo brings Superman near death

Metallo’s artificial body runs on a Kryptonite heart, giving the cyborg a direct way to attack Superman. In Superman #316, he fired radiation at the hero in the Metropolis Natural History Museum, then escaped with more Kryptonite.

Their fight continued in underground caverns. Metallo’s beam and nearby fragments weakened Superman until he was close to death; water from the ceiling helped him reach an underground river, whose current carried him away from the radiation.

Batman turns the battle around

In The Dark Knight Returns #4, the American government sent Superman to apprehend Batman. Bruce met him in Crime Alley wearing a powered exoskeleton, while Oliver Queen supported his former ally with a synthetic Kryptonite-tipped arrow.

Kryptonite’s unexpected effects

In Superman #82, Cyborg Superman attacked the recovering hero with green Kryptonite. The Eradicator absorbed the strike to protect him, but radiation passed through in an altered state and restored Superman’s depleted powers rather than killing him.

The apparent recovery led to another danger: Kryptonite-X accelerated Superman’s solar absorption, causing his strength and size to grow uncontrollably. Professor Emil Hamilton identified the substance and warned that the effects could fatally overwhelm him.

A risky attempt to regain power

At an A.R.G.U.S. archive in Hawaii, Superman entered a restricted facility holding a large Kryptonite reserve. Mutated cells had blocked his ability to absorb solar energy, and he hoped radiation would remove the damaged layer so healthy cells could function again. Steve Trevor accompanied him.

Opening the reserve immediately incapacitated Superman. He sensed his powers returning and exposed himself further, gaining enough strength to face the attacking Puzzler.