History KryptoniteFactor / TheDCU

[[folder: Comic Books]]

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':

* In one ComicBook/{{Deadman}} story, the CIA uncovers some weird alien technology in a Mayan temple capable of disabloing Deadman's intangibility, allowing them to briefly capture him.

[[folder: Films]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

* ''Series/LoisAndClark'', setting the tone for most [[Series/{{Smallville}} adaptations]] [[Series/Supergirl2015 after]] it, has red kryptonite affect him mentally instead of the comicverse rules of random one-off effects. Just how dark-side it makes a Kryptonian go depends on the tone of the adaptation, but one thing remains the same: under Red K, Kryptonians are dicks. However, this series also had Red K used to power devices that ''would'' affect him in different ways. You get dickishness out of merely putting a chunk of it near him, though.

[[folder: Web Animation]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

* Interestingly, in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', it was originally planned that ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}, being in this iteration not from Krypton, but rather the sister-planet of Argos, would not have a weakness to Kryptonite. This is demonstrated in the "Superman Adventures" comic based on the series. By the time of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'', though, the weakness was firmly in place.
* The ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' cartoon downplayed or ignored the Kryptonite Factor of every character ''except'' Superman. ComicBook/GreenLantern's vulnerability to yellow was never actually mentioned (though occasionally, if you watch closely, you'll see yellow stuff getting through his force barricades). [[ComicBook/MartianManhunter J'onn J'onnz]] had no particular vulnerability or [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes phobia]] regarding fire (though he had a bad case of TheWorfEffect in the first season, and he would occasionally struggle in situations where there was a lot of fire). {{ComicBook/Aquaman}} never seemed overly discomfited by being out of water for extended periods. ComicBook/WonderWoman... well, she'd lost most of her Kryptonite Factors by the time the series started anyway. Hawkgirl eventually ''gained'' a Kryptonite Factor that was more emotional than physical and ended up resolved by series end anyway. ComicBook/TheFlash almost never used his powers to their full extent (not unlike Superman), with the idea that he never really pushed himself to excel...and when he did, he was given a convenient excuse not to again. ComicBook/{{Batman}}'s "Kryptonite Factor"--that he was a perfectly mortal human--came up time and again, but, [[MemeticBadass being Batman]], doesn't really count.
** When ComicBook/LexLuthor was in the body of The Flash ("The Great Brain Robbery"), he took down Green Lantern with a cup of (yellow) pudding.
** Fair enough, though, they used the weaknesses against Amazo, particularly Kryptonite.
** Heroes actually abused this, by having Martian Manhunter pretend to be Superman in front of Lex Luther to get a confession for a crime.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' cartoon, ComicBook/{{Starfire}} is allergic to metallic chromium. The allergy is more dangerous to others than herself, as it causes her to sneeze energy blasts. It even turns out to be an advantage, as it allows the team to track a chromium-based bomb. It's also a big case of artistic license, as chromium is used in a lot of common technologies.

* The animated film ''WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday'' contains an almost amusing example in that even ''Superman'' needed Kryptonite to defeat his clone with identical powers. Admittedly, the real Superman isn't quite at full strength at this point.
--> '''Superman''': You have all my strengths... and weaknesses.

* Specifically parodied in one episode of the ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim'' animated series. Jim is helpless against the substance known as Wormtonite (which Peter Puppy claims they found at the back of the fridge, and might once have been cheese). Bizarrely, its effects include turning Jim into a bowl of candied corn.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls2019'', this is referenced by name when it turns out Wonder Woman -- who is still in high school and relatively young for her age -- goes from, in their words, [[TheAce "crushing it" in all matters]] to losing the ability to ''function'' outside of [[SmittenTeenageGirl adoring gibberish]] whenever she sees Steve Trevor, the first man she ever saw in the "World of Man". Supergirl, as one who knows the TropeNamer ''personally'', has issues with her experience being used as a point of comparison. ("''Kryptonite'' is Kryptonite. It's extremely painful, and awful, and ''that dude'' [Steve Trevor] is not Kryptonite.")

*** Zod's Kryptonians similarly initially lose control of their powers and pass out while trying to adapt to Earth's native atmosphere.

* A common vulnerability of aquatic superheroes like ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} and the ComicBook/SubMariner is the need to remain hydrated (moreso than a normal person, that is). Generally, it's relatively mild - the need to be submerged in water at least once every 24 hours, for example -- and comes up more as a way for villains to keep them prisoner than as something they need to worry about on a regular basis, but it does make them extra vulnerable to villains with heat-based powers, and a CrazyPrepared villain will always find a way to exploit it (Aquaman was [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmericaTowerOfBabel once made to be afraid of water]], for instance). Aquaman's hydrophobia is especially notable because it was (albeit indirectly) brought about by Batman, as [[CrazyPrepared the contingency plans he had in place to pacify any rogue League members]] were discovered and put in place by his enemies.

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'' is extremely vulnerable to the cold; coldness robs molecules of their vibrations, and as a result their super speed is drained by cold temperatures. Though sometimes this is used for environmental threats, like having the Flash struggle to work in a snow storm, its mostly weaponised by only a single enemy, Captain Cold, and to a lesser extent, his sister Golden Glider and her boyfriend(s) Chilblaine. This is one that's not as readily exploited as Kryptonite and the color yellow are for their respective heroes, strangely, despite the trouble often cited with making a challenge for a hero with super-speed.

* The ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' cartoon downplayed or ignored the Kryptonite Factor of every character ''except'' Superman. Franchise/GreenLantern's vulnerability to yellow was never actually mentioned (though occasionally, if you watch closely, you'll see yellow stuff getting through his force barricades). [[ComicBook/MartianManhunter J'onn J'onnz]] had no particular vulnerability or [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes phobia]] regarding fire (though he had a bad case of TheWorfEffect in the first season, and he would occasionally struggle in situations where there was a lot of fire). {{ComicBook/Aquaman}} never seemed overly discomfited by being out of water for extended periods. Franchise/WonderWoman... well, she'd lost most of her Kryptonite Factors by the time the series started anyway. Hawkgirl eventually ''gained'' a Kryptonite Factor that was more emotional than physical and ended up resolved by series end anyway. Franchise/TheFlash almost never used his powers to their full extent (not unlike Superman), with the idea that he never really pushed himself to excel...and when he did, he was given a convenient excuse not to again. {{Franchise/Batman}}'s "Kryptonite Factor"--that he was a perfectly mortal human--came up time and again, but, [[MemeticBadass being Batman]], doesn't really count.

* ''Film/ManOfSteel'':
** Exposure to Krypton's native environmental conditions weakens and at first even incapacitates Superman.
** Zod's Kryptonians similarly initially lose control of their powers and pass out while trying to adapt to Earth's native atmosphere.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** Superman is the {{Trope Namer|s}}, with his weakness to Kryptonite (radioactive GreenRocks from his home planet) established back in the 40's. Since then, he's gained a few other vulnerabilities: he has no particular resistance to magic (DependingOnTheWriter, it may either be a bona fide weakness or that he's just as vulnerable to magic as anyone else, meaning it's a relative weakness for someone immune to almost anything else), red sun radiation can temporarily rob him of his powers, and there's a whole spectrum of coloured Kryptonite with varying effects (from Red Kryptonite that causes a random change for 48 hours, to Gold Kryptonite that robs him of his powers ''permanently''). He can still be killed by a huge amount of brute force from a similarly powered being such as Doomsday.
** In Post-Crisis continuity, Gold Kryptonite part is "powerless for 30 seconds", mostly because [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt it couldn't credibly be used for much storytelling otherwise]].
** He even has at least three villains -- Metallo, Conduit, and [[ManOfKryptonite the Kryptonite Man]] -- possessing powers that boil down to ''being Kryptonite.'' And due to Gold K being {{Nerf}}ed, minor villain Radion was revised into this in ''ComicBook/SupermanUpUpAndAway'' as well.
** Ironically, Superman is infamous for [[FightOffTheKryptonite ignoring Kryptonite]] through sheer HeroicWillpower. The only thing he is always shown as vulnerable to is magic. This has gives [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] [[SuperHeroSpeciation a firm place]] in Franchise/TheDCU as a valuable ally for the Man of Steel.
** ComicBook/{{Brainiac}} once used a special mix of red and green Kryptonite that gave him a third eye in the back of his head (in ''ComicBook/ActionComics #275''). In order to protect his secret identity, Supes pretended that the kryptonite had addled his brain to make him wear whatever hat is near him.
** ''ComicBook/LetMyPeopleGrow'' proves that; not even Superman can withstand an exploding supernova (he needs to wear a special armor suit, and even so he passes out due to the strain); and Brainiac is able to build Kryptonian-killing weapons.
** There are at least six colors of kryptonite, each with its own effects -- [[ComicBook/ManyHappyReturns including Pink Kryptonite, which can change your sexual orientation]].
** In Bronze Age storyline ''ComicBook/KryptonNoMore'', orange sun radiation can temporarily make Kryptonians blind and cut their powers in half. Superman, Supergirl and ComicBook/{{Krypto|TheSuperdog}} learn this the hard way as they are fighting an alien army.
** In ''ComicBook/SupermanVsTheAmazingSpiderMan'' ComicBook/LexLuthor uses beam weapons powered with red sunlight to destroy Superman.
** In ''ComicBook/WarWorld'', ComicBook/MartianManhunter tries to stop Superman using Kryptonite-tipped missiles.
** In ''ComicBook/KryptoniteNevermore'', all Kryptonite on Earth is turned into iron. Comicbook/JimmyOlsen notes magic is still a problem, though.
** ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' has the same weaknesses as her cousin Superman. Namely: kryptonite, red sunlight, and magic.
** In the ''ComicBook/NewKrypton'' storyline, Supergirl faced off against [[ArchEnemy Reactron]], an enemy powered by golden kryptonite which nullified her powers. It becomes a plot point in ''ComicBook/WhoIsSuperwoman'' when the titular villain no-sells Reactron's Kryptonite-fueled blasts, thus revealing she's not Kryptonian.
** In the ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'' arc, Silver Banshee managed to contain Supergirl for a short while when they fought because her sonic attacks are magic, and Kryptonians are vulnerable to magic. Later on, Kara was weakened when she fought [[spoiler:Worldkiller-1]] because Earth's atmosphere was poisoned with kryptonite.
** In the first ''ComicBook/SupergirlRebirth'' story, Red Kryptonite -which is non-lethal but does weird things to Kryptonians- turns a Kryptonian into a werewolf. Supergirl's foster mother Eliza Danvers uses a red solar grenade against Lar-On when she notices he speaks Kryptonian.
** Several times in ''ComicBook/ElseworldsFinestSupergirlAndBatgirl'', Supergirl feels weak and sick without knowing why… until Lex Luthor reveals what Kryptonite is and does to Kryptonians.
** In ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton2004'', Kara Zor-El's pod crash-lands on Earth after spending three decades and a half stuck inside a Kryptonite giant asteroid. Although she survived thanks to her pod's sunlight generators, [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 she suffered from Kryptonite poisoning for over one year]].
** In ''ComicBook/Supergirl1982'' issue #21, both Super-cousins fight the Kryptonite Man. His power weakens them and hurts them.
--->'''Supergirl:''' Kryptonite... Cutting through me... like a knife.
** Kara is vulnerable to magic because it bypasses her natural invulnerability. In ''Comicbook/DemonSpawn'' Nightflame's attacks hurt her because that villain is a sorcerer.
** Notably PlayedWith regarding ComicBook/PowerGirl. As a Kryptonian from Earth 2 (and in fact, the alternate universe counterpart of Supergirl above), she's vulnerable to the same weaknesses...on Earth 2. Kryptonite from Earth 1, where she now resides, does nothing to her (and likely red sunlight too). Magic still affects her, but as above, its typically more a 'has no immunity to it' rather than something that makes her weaker.
** Notably, during a time where DC were insisting on keeping Superman as the ''only'' Kryptonian, Power Girl was retconned into an Atlantean who had incorrectly believed herself to be Kryptonian, and her powers were now magic in nature. During this time, she was given a weakness to "natural, unprocessed materials" (IE, rocks and trees). Its now explained that this was a result of reality trying to find a 'place' for her after her universe was destroyed, and was attempting to recreate her Kryptonite Factor. Nowadays this period is largely forgotten and ignored.
** Daxamites are descended from ancient Kryptonian colonists who intermingled with the native population of Daxam and have similar weaknesses save for Kryptonite itself, instead they're irrecoverably fatally allergic to lead:
** ''ComicBook/{{Superboy}} (1949)'' #89 story had Superboy meet [[ComicBook/{{Valor}} Mon-El]], an amnesiac with powers like his, who assumed due to this that he was Kryptonian. Near the end of the story, Clark gets suspicious and lobs lead boulders painted to look like Kryptonite at him. Mon-El collapses, and Superboy flies in to accuse him of fakery -- but the trauma has [[EasyAmnesia brought his memory back]]; he's a Daxamite, a member of a race similar to Kryptonians, but with a weakness to lead poisoning instead of Kryptonite. To keep him from dying, Superboy puts him in the PhantomZone, preserving him for a thousand years until the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes finds a cure. Later retellings have Clark and Mon-El seeing if Mon-El was a Kryptonian (whose memories were slowly coming back) and Mon-El getting sick after Clark takes out a lead box containing some Kryptonite.
** Bizarro and his race are vulnerable to ''blue'' Kryptonite. In ''ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}'', Supergirl and Dr. Light discover they can block Bizarrogirl's powers with light of a K-class star.
--->'''Supergirl:''' Because I just had an interesting conversation with a brilliant scientist I know. Y'see, a yellow sun gives a Kryptonian powers and a red sun takes them away.\\
'''Bizarrogirl:''' Bah! Science am boring!\\
'''Supergirl:''' Ha. You are an imperfect Kryptonian clone, Bizarrogirl, super-powered by a blue sun. Dr. Light theorizes the light of a K-Class star will take your powers away.
** Originally, the blue kryptonite weakness was because Bizarro was a copy of Superman, imperfectly duplicated by a machine. Normal kryptonite had no effect, until Superman thought of using similarly imperfectly duplicated Kryptonite. Just as Bizarro himself has chalk-white skin and a skewed color scheme, the duplicated kryptonite was a different color than the regular stuff.
** ''ComicBook/LastDaughterOfKrypton'': Kara's attempt to retrieve her pod from Simon Tycho's base fails when she gets knocked out by the bits of Kryptonite stuck to the pod's hull.
** Subverted in ''ComicBook/TheImmortalSuperman'', where Superman has become invulnerable to Kryptonite after aging several thousands of years.
** In ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'', the Eradicator's "Last Son of Krypton" body had an ironic weakness to bright lights. His body, made out of materials from around Superman's tomb, was imperfect and he was unable to see in light. Thus, he is forced to wear a pair of shades to filter the light. In his fight with Steel, Steel is able to punch off Eradicator's glasses, forcing him to flee.
** In ''ComicBook/SupermanVsShazam'', since she is vulnerable to magic, Supergirl gets hurt by [[EvilSorcerer Karmang]]'s fire spells.
** ''ComicBook/TheUntoldStoryOfArgoCity'': After being driven crazy by a Kandorian animal's venom, Edna Danvers uses a cache of Kryptonite rocks to attempt to murder Zor-El and Allura.
** Downplayed in ''ComicBook/SupergirlWomanOfTomorrow''. When she travels to Ruthye's homeworld, which revolves around a red star, Kara is weakened and can be hurt, but she is still inhumanly strong and tough. Arrows pierce her skin but they do not reach her muscles or vital organs.
** In ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman1961'', Lex Luthor kills Superman by strapping him to one stretcher and exposing him to Kryptonite radiation.
** ''ComicBook/TheHuntForReactron'', the eponymous villain tries to use Golden Kryptonite to depower his Kryptonian enemies in order to destroy them easily, but he is rendered helpless when Flamebird crushes his chunk of rock.
** ''ComicBook/TheGirlWithTheXRayMind'': After giving Lex Luthor powers, the Phantom Zone criminals intend to trick him into retrieving a sample of Golden Kryptonite to remove Superman and Supergirl's powers, as well as Luthor's.
** Subverted in ''ComicBook/TheStrangeRevengeOfLenaLuthor''. Supergirl wakes up in a chamber which supposedly uses high-gravity generators and fluorescent panels which emit red sunlight to nullify her powers by duplicating Krypton's environment. She soon realizes, though, that her kidnappers are gaslighting her and those red lamps have no effect on her.
** Subverted again in ''ComicBook/KingdomCome''. Spending two decades soaking up rays in rural Kansas and not using his powers has supercharged the Big Blue Boyscout to the point where Lex Luthor believes that a kryptonite-doped nuke wouldn't even be able to muss his hair, much less kill him. The only vulnerability he is shown to have is magic, and he gets a shallow cut from Wonder Woman's sword, which was forged by Haphaestus and is, according to her, sharp enough to carve the electrons off an atom.
** Though there is a caveat we should mention: Kryptonite is ''not'' a harmless substance. It's more-or-less a radioactive isotope, and can cause harm to anyone if exposed to it for long periods without the proper protection. In some continualities Lex Luthor develops cancer, or goes crazy, thanks to repeated exposure.
** ''ComicBook/WayOfTheWorld'' features Krallian aliens, who are depowered by a substance called Selenite.
** In ''ComicBook/ThePlagueOfTheAntibioticMan'', Amalak creates a yellow energy cocoon around Green Lantern to nullify his Power Ring, and uses Dr. Light's Kryptonite Light to attempt to kill Superman.
** In ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlBatgirlPlot'', Superman believes he cannot be harmed by a meteor thrown by Supergirl until his XRayVision tells him there's Kryptonite inside the rocky outside. The fat that "Supergirl" was not harmed by the Green-K clues him in that he is not fighting his cousin but an impersonator.
** ''ComicBook/TheLeperFromKrypton'': In at least one instance, though, Kryptonite saved Superman's life. When Kal-El is dying from an incurable disease, two ComicBook/{{Bizarro}}s try to make his demise quicker and less painful by tossing chunks of White Kryptonite at him. The Bizarros are too dumb to understand that white Kryptonite cannot kill Superman because it has no effect on animal lifeforms...but it does destroy other lifeforms, such like the bacteria which was killing him.
** In ''ComicBook/Supergirl1984'', there is not Kryptonite to found anywhere in the story, and magic takes its place as the tool used by the villain to hurt the Kryptonian hero.
* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'':
** The color yellow was a major weakness to the Green Lantern Corps. This was eventually explained in ''ComicBook/GreenLanternRebirth'' by the influence of a fear demon the creators of the rings had entrapped corrupting their powers, but also authorically served to constantly remind them their potential godlike power has limits (a Green Lantern Ring being otherwise limited only by the intelligence, creativity, and willpower of the wielder). When Kyle Rayner was the only Green Lantern, thanks to Hal Jordan's BrainwashedAndCrazy FaceHeelTurn, his ring had no vulnerability to yellow. However, when Hal was brought BackFromTheDead and the four Earth Lanterns took down Parallax, the Entity of Fear (and thus, the Yellow Impurity that prevented Lanterns from harming yellow objects), it was reinstated and {{retcon}}ned that Lanterns can overcome the weakness by recognizing fear.
** Alan Scott, the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Green Lantern, had no vulnerability to yellow, but a similar vulnerability to wood. This was due to his more magical ring being connected to "green, growing things".
** This was {{retcon}}ned into a long story involving one of Earth's first [=GLs=]. He was mad with power, so the Guardians gave him the wood weakness so primitive humans could club him to death. However, instead of dying, he put his soul into the power ring and battery, which collided with a Meteorite, becoming the Starheart. Alan Scott got his ring from the Starheart. Seriously. (It's hard to reconcile the original Green Lantern with the current Green Lantern Corps, and it ''ain't'' just down to his different weakness.)
** The entire 'wood weakness' may have been a {{retcon}} itself; some of the earliest comics indicate he has 'invulnerability to metal' but not really anything else, allowing him to be, among other things, knocked unconscious by a teak vase.
** It's worth noting however that because of this on-again/off-again vulnerability, the fact that Sinestro always has a yellow power ring is almost a GrandfatherClause.
** Not quite. He was assumed to be dead while the fear entity was out doing whatever fear entities do.
** In the ''Elseworlds'' storyline ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'', it was revealed that the yellow vulnerability was just a hoax made up by the Guardians to keep the Green Lanterns from getting too cocky. Alan Scott's wood weakness, however, was psychosomatic and imposed by himself; during his early adventures, while fighting some ruffians, one snuck up behind him and hit him with a wooden club. While the truth was that he just didn't pay attention and thus allowed the foe to get in a cheap shot, he instead convinced himself that he had a weakness to the wood and thus couldn't defend himself. Guess he had a bit of an ego going...
** The Blue Lanterns are a bit different. Instead of having a weakness to another color, the Blue Lanterns are dependent on another color, namely green, in order to use their powers effectively. This is because green is the color of willpower and blue is the color of hope. You can hope all day long that something good will happen, but that won't accomplish anything unless you also have the will to help your hopes come true.
** The Red Lanterns will die if their rings are ever removed, even for a few seconds. This is because upon their induction in the Corps, the Red Light of Rage replaces their blood. If someone removes the ring, the light goes out, and their body is suddenly devoid of blood -- which is almost always fatal, for obvious reasons.

* In one ComicBook/{{Deadman}} story, the CIA uncovers some weird alien technology in a Mayan temple capable of disabloing Deadman's intangibility, allowing them to briefly capture him.