Submitted 11 months ago by ObviouslyNotBanana@lemmy.world to [deleted]
In literature, mythology, and comic books, heroes often have a “kryptonite” or “Achilles’s heel”, basically a weakness that makes them vulnerable. I’m curious, what would be considered Superman’s “kryptonite”?
Reminds of when Barney on How I Met Your Mother was trying to remember the holy grail of cups
Per Glen Weldon in his book Superman: The Unauthorized Biography, kryptonite representing the destructive force of nostalgia and survivor’s guilt, reminding us that clinging to the past can undermine the present.
Siegel and Shuster had created the Man of Steel as the ultimate immigrant, the personification of the promise America represented to them. His abilities are metaphors for limitless potential and opportunity, for new horizons stretching out before us: the American Way.
It seems fitting, then, that the only thing capable of harming him would be a reminder of the Old World he left behind, a past that is irrevocably gone. Only the past—our past—can hurt us.
To this day, kryptonite functions in the Superman mythos as the physical manifestation of both survivor’s guilt and a particularly toxic kind of nostalgia, a reminder that when we dwell on what we’ve lost, we can kill what we have.
First time I’ve ever read of this interpretation and that’s super fucking cool.
It’s a really great book that I recommend to even the most casual Superman fan and especially people who think Superman is just an overpowered boy scout. It explores how Superman has evolved over the decades through the influence of different writers and artists and how their personal experiences and cultural shifts helped to evolve the character. He also examines the character’s transformation across other media, including radio, television, and film. Like how the now cheesy sounding, “It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman” originated from the radio broadcasts that had to adapt a comic to a non-visual medium. Or why they didn’t just write a Superman comic in the 40’s where he goes and defeats Hitler, because they didn’t want to take away from the GIs or give kids false hope that Superman could just swoop in and save the day in a real life situation. But they also didn’t want kids to think Superman would ignore what was going on, so that’s when they started introducing a lot of off-world stories.
🤨
Literally kryptonite.
I think you mean “figuratively”
Childhood trauma
Same
Superman’s Kryptonite is that he can never, ever be fed after midnight!
Superman’s kryptonite is the fact that he is popular and everyone thinks the character would make great media, but the character is way too overpowered to write good plots for.
Oh, that and actual Kyrptonite.
Superman makes for great stories, as long as you don’t focus on his power. You can’t beat him with physical strength, so stop trying to write strong villains. Probably stop writing villains at all. What Superman struggles with isn’t physical embodiments of evil, it’s the good intentions paving the way to hell. You can’t punch a person with good intentions for their bad outcomes. It’s hard being the ultimate arbiter of good in a world of complex morality.
Counterpoint: Lex Luthor is awesome. He takes advantage of social structures that Superman can’t punch. He fights Superman using everyone else as his shield. A true mustache-twirling villain.
Zack Snyder.
He’s super pee-shy, can we use that against him?
Superpeeshyman
Solid JJ
Preparation time?
I’m like 99% sure that he is afraid of bald people. Whenever the reoccurring token bald guy shows up he gets really scared. He could just be afraid of robots, I remember he was afraid of batman’s robots too, I don’t believe batman is bald, but I’ve never seen batman without his suit. Superman has X-ray vision though, and I’m not sure he can turn that off so maybe he is afraid of batman because he is bald and not because he is afraid of robots.
Robots and bald people, final answer.
His ultimate weakness: bald robots
he needs a telephone booth to change?
Change?
pretty much take off his glasses and spin, looks like.
The color yellow
Seems likely
Little blind girls.
True heterosexual love between a biological man and a biological woman. It’s why he never hooks up with Lois Lane and keeps sneaking peeks at Jimmy’s junk at the gym.
I’m pretty sure it’s magic.
Psychic abilities too.
yep, which is why a lot of the magic team ups in DC start with superman getting owned.
Horses.
Mice
Herbertwestium, specifically the crystallised form.
Trying to recreate that reddit post, huh?
What is Reddit idk
Superman’s kryptonite is still unkown, unfortunately.
Scientists have speculated that understanding the physiology of Subman (Superman’s greatest threat) may help us find it, but so far polite requests for non-invasive experiments have been declined and we cannot, in good conscience, forcefully subject him to them.
They got the wrong guy, subman is a breeze in the wind compared to subparman.
Dats a shitpost alright
Obviously loss of glasses, making him recognizable in civilian life.
Superman doesn’t wear glasses tho
Contacts. Super contacts.
Yeah, what a dumb thing to say. He’s super, he’d never wear glasses.
Running out of hair gel is a big weakness though
Superman’s kryptonite is interesting writing
As a life long Superman fan with like 4 notably good Superman stories in his 87 year history. Fuck you… but yes.
I wouldn’t know, I haven’t seen smallville
ooli2@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Now I wonder what “Achilles’s heel” would be for the immortal great hero Achilles
ObviouslyNotBanana@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Agamemnon probably