History Main / KryptoniteRing

** The quote is a slightly truncated version from the storyline Batman got the ring, "Dark Knight Over Metropolis". In it, Superman and Batman work together to try to figure out why a homeless man was found dead with Lex Luthor's old Kryptonite Ring. Batman ultimately pieces together that the ring was actually in the possession of a woman who became manically determined to prove Clark Kent and Superman were one and the same and was killed by a bunch of random muggers, which lead the homeless man to take the ring. Batman initially kept the ring, but gave it to Superman at the end, only for the Man of Steel to return to Batman and give him the ring, feeling that he could trust Batman with such a dangerous weapon.

** ''ComicBook/WorldsFinest1941'': Subverted in issue #176 in which Batman appears to have Kryptonite gloves, but in reality they are fake. Curiously, before he reveals that they are props, no one -not even ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}- questions why he owns something that can kill his best buddy.

** In ''ComicBook/WarWorld'', the Martians prepared a cluster of miniature missiles armed with Kryptonite in case that Superman tried to seize the device that controls the eponymous super-weapon and they were tasked with guarding.
** To a lesser extent, the ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}!'' Captain Marvel is employed occasionally as the one superhero tough enough to take on a controlled Superman if necessary. Or rather, he's tough enough to stall Supes in a fistfight long enough to call his magical lightning enough times to knock out his Kryptonian foe[[note]]Most forms of magic are able to bypass Superman's NighInvulnerability and damage him just like a de-powered kryptonian. As for how the Kryptonite Ring trope comes into play: Superman isn't going to tell just anyone this fun little fact, but he can usually trust the goody-two-shoes Captain Marvel[[/note]]. Although, at least in [[ComicBook/KingdomCome one occasion]], it was ''Captain Marvel'' the brainwashed one, not Superman.

*** ''ComicBook/WorldsFinest1941'': Subverted in issue #176 in which Batman appears to have Kryptonite gloves, but in reality they are fake. Curiously, before he reveals that they are props, no one -not even ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}- questions why he owns something that can kill his best buddy.

** In Frank Miller's dark, [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture near-future]] miniseries ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'', Batman [[strike: actually uses his Kryptonite Ring (the cynical version)]] has ComicBook/GreenArrow shoot Superman with a [[TrickArrow Kryptonite arrow]] to beat the crap out of Superman. This inspired the writers to have the canon Superman give Batman a Kryptonite Ring (the idealistic version).

*** Subverted in Pre-Crisis story ''World's Finest'' #176 in which Batman appears to have Kryptonite gloves, but in reality they are fake. Curiously, before he reveals that they are props, no one -not even ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}- questions why he owns something that can kill his best buddy.

[[caption-width-right:300:Nothing says true friendship better than to give your buddy the only thing that can kill you. [[note]] But let's be honest; Franchise/{{Batman}} [[CrazyPrepared already had kryptonite.]] [[/note]] ]]

-> '''Franchise/{{Superman}}:''' I have many enemies who have tried to control me. And I live in fear that someday, they might succeed. If that should ever happen -- if I should ever lose control -- there would only be one sure way to stop me.\\
'''Franchise/{{Batman}}:''' Do you realize what you're asking?\\

* ''Franchise/XMen'':
** Professor Xavier had the "Xavier Protocols", a set of plans on how to stop the X-Men. Xavier himself is the subject of the first entry, which includes blueprints for a [[PowerNullifier telepathy-blocking battlesuit]]. However, these have rarely been mentioned since they were first introduced.
** In ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}: Origins'' Wolverine gives ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} his magical sword, which is capable of slicing through his adamantium skeleton and negating his healing abilities, in case he gets captured and brainwashed. Of course his son gains it later. Though at least Wolverine was able to use it to kill Sabertooth first (not that ''that'' stuck even a whole year).
* In Frank Miller's dark, [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture near-future]] miniseries ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'', Batman [[strike: actually uses his Kryptonite Ring (the cynical version)]] has ComicBook/GreenArrow shoot Superman with a [[TrickArrow Kryptonite arrow]] to beat the crap out of Superman. This inspired the writers to have the canon Superman give Batman a Kryptonite Ring (the idealistic version).

** Subverted in Pre-Crisis story ''World's Finest'' #176 in which Batman appears to have Kryptonite gloves, but in reality they are fake. Curiously, before he reveals that they are props, no one -not even ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}- questions why he owns something that can kill his best buddy.

** In ''Comicbook/WarWorld'', the Martians prepared a cluster of miniature missiles armed with Kryptonite in case that Superman tried to seize the device that controls the eponymous super-weapon and they were tasked with guarding.
** To a lesser extent, the ''Comicbook/{{Shazam}}!'' Captain Marvel is employed occasionally as the one superhero tough enough to take on a controlled Superman if necessary. Or rather, he's tough enough to stall Supes in a fistfight long enough to call his magical lightning enough times to knock out his Kryptonian foe[[note]]Most forms of magic are able to bypass Superman's NighInvulnerability and damage him just like a de-powered kryptonian. As for how the Kryptonite Ring trope comes into play: Superman isn't going to tell just anyone this fun little fact, but he can usually trust the goody-two-shoes Captain Marvel[[/note]]. Although, at least in [[ComicBook/KingdomCome one occasion]], it was ''Captain Marvel'' the brainwashed one, not Superman.

* In the BackStory of ''ComicBook/ExMachina'', The Great Machine (now the mayor of New York City) gave his two {{Secret Keeper}}s devices to cancel out his ability to talk to machines. As was his habit, he explicitly referenced the Superman mythos as he did so. As we later learn [[spoiler:it's just junk made out of old garage door openers and doesn't affect his powers at all. He lied and gave them to his {{Secret Keeper}}s so that, if they ever betrayed him or were forced to turn against him, their plotting would depend on something that doesn't work. (Though a major plot hole is that it did work in the first story arc.)]].
* There's no actual power-cancelling device, but ''Comicbook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderThePromise'' begins with Zuko asking Aang to kill him if he ever starts following in his father's footsteps. This comes directly after the series finale, in which Aang found a way around executing Zuko's dad (who is pretty much the most despicable man alive). He's not exactly thrilled, but Zuko insists he promise. Cut to a year later when {{Realpolitik}} has forced Zuko to enforce a slew of distinctive Ozai-like decisions. Cue drama.

* In ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', Iron Man and Bruce Banner discuss how they developed "Veronica", the Hulkbuster armor, as a "[[GodzillaThreshold last resort]]" to stop the Hulk. So when it needs to be employed, it serves this function perfectly.

** This is also inverted by the end of ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'': Batman gives each member weapons that simulate each WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague member's weaknesses because aliens have invaded and copied their powers. They call him out on being so paranoid until Superman steps forwards and [[ProperlyParanoid cites the time he was mind-controlled in a previous episode]].

** In the ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' cartoon, Drax steals Brainiac 5's kryptonite and tries to use it on Supes, but Superman kicked him through a conveniently placed PhantomZone portal, ''before he could even open the lead container''.

** There's also the piece he uses against A.M.A.Z.O. when it copies Superman's powers (and weaknesses.)

* ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'': In Superman's Arcade ending, he realizes that it wouldn't take much to corrupt him like the insane genocidal alternate self he just defeated, so he has a kryptonite ''bomb'' surgically grafted and gives the detonator on rotation to the other members of the Justice League - [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg except Batman]].

* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'': In the game's backstory, Yhorm the Giant was descended from a long line of brutal conquerors. But when he became king of the Profaned Capitol, he desired to be a good king to his people. To engender trust in him, he provided the people with an enchanted sword to which he has a fatal weakness, so they could kill him if they ever thought he was doing a poor job. All indications are that the sword was never used against him. [[spoiler:He gave a second blade to his trusted friend Siegward of Catarina, making Siegward promise to strike him down should he ever fail his duties. If you complete Siegward's questline, he will wield this blade in battle alongside you, because Yhorm has abandoned his duty as a Lord of Cinder.]]

* In the flashback arc of ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes'', Jane, recently out of prison, laments that people aren't inclined to trust an ex-con. Mr. Mighty says that ''he'' trusts her, and she points out that it's easy for him to trust someone who can't hurt him. A bit later, he [[https://eheroes.thecomicseries.com/comics/555 gives her]] one of his [[PowerNullifier superpower-dampening pills]] to prove that he trusts her when she ''can'' hurt him, then asks her to marry him. She accepts his proposal after flipping the pill into his mouth to enable them to have [[ManOfSteelWomanOfKleenex safe]] [[TheirFirstTime sex]].

* In the flashback arc of ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes'', Jane, recently out of prison, laments that people aren't inclined to trust an ex-con. Mr. Mighty says that ''he'' trusts her, and she points out that it's easy for him to trust someone who can't hurt him. A bit later, he gives her one of his [[PowerNullifier superpower-dampening pills]] to prove that he trusts her when she ''can'' hurt him, then asks her to marry him. She accepts his proposal after flipping the pill into his mouth to enable them to have [[ManOfSteelWomanOfKleenex safe]] [[TheirFirstTime sex]].

** There is another weapon in the 21st Century that can't be shut down effectively in America: the Internet. As the Internet is not controlled by the federal government but privately run by telecom businesses, any attempt to turn the United States of America into some Dictatorship of the New World Order would be set back by activists, especially if some of the activists turned out to be hackers! (An additional complication is that any government that ''did'' seriously try to shut down the Internet would cause economic disruptions that would be more disruptive than an army of hackers.)

[[folder:Film]]

* ''LightNovel/HowARealistHeroRebuiltTheKingdom'': After making a number of ShootTheDog moves to win the CivilWar in Elfrieden and then defeat Amidonia, Souma becomes so worried about potentially JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope in dealing with his political enemies that he secretly orders Carla, who is enslaved as a palace maid in lieu of a death sentence for treason, to kill him as a last resort should his rule turn tyrannical--a move that, due to the enchantments on her SlaveCollar, would also [[MutualKill mean her own immediate death]].