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    Krypton

    Location » Krypton appears in 605 issues.

    A fictional planet in the DC Universe and the native world for Kryptonians.

    Short summary describing this location.

    Krypton last edited by The_Kidd on 03/12/24 12:46AM View full history

    Location of Krypton

    Krypton was located close to Earth, at least in cosmic terms. It was 50 light years from Earth and orbited a red giant star known as Rao. Krypton is roughly Earth sized and was part of Green Lantern sector 2813 (Earth is in sector 2814). However, in the story "Superman: Birthright", Krypton was said to be in another galaxy, approximately 2.2 million light-years away. Krypton is home to a race of people known as Kryptonians that are similar to humans but are more closely related to Daxamites. Under their red sun, the Kryptonians became a more technologically advanced society.

    The People and Culture

    Krypton was a world renowned for its scientific achievement. As a culture, the people led an idyllic life surrounded by robots and followed a ritual path through life. One of their achievements was their Clone Banks. Their mastery of cloning allowed them to live an eternal youth and their society grew ever more hedonistic. In these banks each Kryptonian would maintain three mindless Clones which could be used as spare parts if their "owner" was ever injured. There was growing concern however, that the clones too had rights. At first what started out to be a pacifist movement ended up being The Clone Rights Movement that began with the teachings of Sem-M. One clone gained independent sentience, causing the debate to escalate into conflict.

    Eventually the Clone Rights Movement formed such a large force that they rebelled against the ruling authority. The advanced scientific knowledge of the Kryptonians was turned into super weapons and Krypton's Clone War began. Two weapons were created at this time, the Eradicator and the Destroyer. The Eradicator had altered the genes of Kryptonians so that they could never leave their planet again. The Destroyer was aimed at the planet's core, by pro-clone forces causing a chain reaction. The Destroyer was stopped when the government ended hostilities and the planet was saved.

    Krypton would never be the same. The world was left with no wildlife and the people began living in isolation from one another and other races. Direct physical contact became prohibited and procreation was facilitated by birthing matrices. Krypton had peace again, but their world was sterile and joyless.

    Daxamites

    The people of Daxam originated on Krypton. They left to explore the universe, though they were altered by the Eradicator as they left, leaving them fatally vulnerable to lead.

    Points of Interest

    The Anti-Gravity Sky Palace

    A marvel of Kryptonian engineering - this domed structure hovers above the planet's surface.

    Argo City

    This city was flung into space by a Krypton-quake. It was accompanied by a huge air bubble. On this space-fragment, later was born Supergirl.

    Atomic Town

    One of Krypton's largest cities.

    Fire Falls

    A place where Krypton's inner fires pour through a fissure and create a spectacular sight.

    Fort Rozz

    A massive stronghold.

    The Gold Volcano

    A volcano that spews forth molten gold.

    Great Krypton Sea

    The planet's largest body of water.

    The Hall of Worlds

    A museum containing replicas of hundreds of known planets and their moons.

    Jewel Mountains

    An immense geologic formation of gem stones.

    Jor-El's Laboratory

    Site from which the rocket bearing the infant Superman (Kal-El) was launched by Jor-El.

    Kandor Crater

    Before Krypton blew up, this city was reduced in size by space-villain Brainiac and placed in a bottle the crater left behind is both a memorial site and one of scientific interest for the geological samples exposed. The city of Kandor is now kept in Superman's Fortress of Solitude.

    Kryptonian Zoo

    Home to such creatures as the Metal-Eating Beast, The Living Wheel Creature, and the Radium-Eating Gorilla.

    Lake Trom

    A large lake on the continent's south eastern side.

    Meteor Valley

    Long before life existed on Krypton, this valley was created by a monstrously gigantic meteor that glanced off the surface of the planet.

    The Planetary Weather-Control Tower

    The science facility tasked with maintaining control over the planet's weather.

    Rainbow Canyon

    Site where a perpetual rainbow exists.

    Robot Factory

    Where Krypton's robotic labor force is built.

    The Scarlet Jungle

    A place of red vegetation; created by a weird experiment.

    Small Kryptonian Sea

    A picturesque getaway in the continent's south west.

    The Xeno River

    Krypton's largest West-East river, it feeds into Lake Trom.

    Global Catastrophe

    The planet's core became increasingly unstable, due to the reactions the Destroyer had caused and began emitting deadly radiation. The scientist, Jor-El discovered that the planet would soon explode. Jor-El was unable to convince his associates of the impending danger, who could not conceive of leaving Krypton and was himself prevented from leaving. However, he sent his child's birthing matrix to safety shortly before the planet exploded.

    Notable Residents

    Krypton is most famous for being the birthplace of Kal-El, better known as Superman. It was also home to his parents, Jor-El and Lara and his cousin, Kara Zor-El ( Supergirl). It was also the birthplace of General Zod (General Dru-Zod) and his allies Ursa and Non. The monster, Doomsday, was also created there by a scientist known as Betron. Betron is known for teaching Kryptonians the science of genetic engineering and for later being killed by his creation Doomsday.

    Notable Cities

    • Antarctic City
    • Argo City
    • Atomic Town
    • Bokos Island
    • Erkol
    • Kandor
    • Kryptonopolis
    • Vathlo Island
    • Xan
    • Borga City

    Neighboring Planets

    • Rao (sun)
    • Dheron (5th planet from Rao, Krypton was the 4th. According to Superman: Earth One, Krypton and Dheron were fierce enemies, who warred every 20 years when their orbit around Rao brought them within range.)
    • Mithen (moon)
    • Wegthor (moon)
    • Xenon (Possible former moon that spun out of Krypton's orbit.)

    Note: There may have been another four unnamed planets in the Rao system. The sun Rao has also been designated Negus-12.

    Other versions of Krypton

    Krypton of Earth-One

    Silver-Age[Earth-One]Krypton

    The Silver Age Krypton happened between the 50's and 70's. In Superman #238, in the story "A Name is Born!" the planet Krypton was discovered by the space explorers Kryp & Tonn. In recognition of their discovery the planet was named Krypton. Many people looking to add something new to Krypton, trying to find different ways about the dead planet's origin as their inspiration , began to realize that for a planet that exploded had a lot of survivors. So in Superman: The Movie this allowed designer John Barry (who also did Star Wars and A Clockwork Orange) to create Krypton into a crystalline utopia. This version of Krypton featured a highly advanced society, where this planet is crime-free. Criminals will be banished into outer space until the criminal's crime intention was completely erased and he/she will be put to use again after his/her sentence is over.This kind of sentence was completely ignored after Jor-El discovered the Phantom Zone.This Planet Krypton was destroyed due to Krypton's unstable uranium core exploding.

    Krypton of Earth-Prime

    This version of Krypton is where Superboy-Prime comes from. This Krypton had a unstable red sun that threatened to consume the whole planet. Jor-El and Lara initially tried to build a device that could teleport them across the galaxy. The prototype of the machine that they built was able to carry no more than fifty Kryptonian pounds of weight. Jor-El knew that the council of science was not considering taking action. At the very last moment when their red sun threatens to consumed their world, he put Kal-El in his prototype machine, where the machine transmitted Kal-El's atoms across the galaxy, so the child would be safely rematerialized on Earth. Moments after that, a large radioactive solar flare that was generated by Krypton's red sun completely consumed the entire planet. Everyone there died instantly.

    Krypton of Earth-Two

    This is where the Golden Age Superman comes from.There is nothing much to know about this Krypton. However, it is stated that everyone of this Krypton possessed super-powers due to their "millions of years of evolution",although to a quite lower extant.This Krypton was destroyed due to "old-age".

    Krypton In JLU

    Krypton: In The Mind Of Superman
    Krypton: In The Mind Of Superman

    In the Justice League Unlimited Episode, "For The Man Who Has Everything" Mongul enters the Fortress of Solitude on Superman's birthday and gives him a gift called the Black Mercy, an animal that attaches to your chest and grants people their every desire. When the animal attached itself to Superman, it made Superman a Krypton and on this planet his parents was still alive and he had a his own wife Loana and son Van-El. After having many tremors and hearing the voices of Batman and Wonder Woman, he realized that it was all a dream and he had to end up giving up everything he loved. Despite much pain from having to give up knowing what he had come to love more than anything, he was able to tear away from this dream world, resulting in another destruction of Krypton but this one being nothing more than just a dream. This episode was based on Superman Annual #11 by Alan Moore.

    Smallville

    Prehistory

    When the Scrolls of Rao were written, the Ruling Council decided that, should Krypton be destroyed, a chosen Kryptonian could rise on another planet and make a utopia. They hid all of their knowledge in the form of a crystal that was broken into three parts, creating the Stones of Power. The chosen Kryptonian journeyed to the planet Earth where he hid the stones at three different locations; this Kryptonian also came across a tribe of Indians known as the Kawatche and started a new prophecy on Earth about how he would return from the stars to save their world or send another chosen Kryptonian.

    Dax-Ur was one of the greatest scientists to live on Krypton. He designed the Brain InterActive Construct, a self-aware, conscious supercomputer that could permanently run Krypton on a day-to-day basis without the need for manual labor. Dax-Ur then realized the destruction his creation could cause if it fell into the wrong hands and abandoned his designs without completing their construction. He fled Krypton, seeking solace on Earth, where he planned to study the effects that the planet's yellow sun had on various Kryptonian minerals.

    In 1961, Jor-El traveled to Earth as a rite of passage by his father, and unwittingly fell in love with Louise McCallum and met Hiram and Jessica Kent. He left his memories, stored in a memory pendant, behind on Earth and returned to Krypton.

    Jor-El and Lara met sometime after his adventures on Earth, and the two were married sometime before he became a member of the Ruling Council.

    In 1966, a terrible war was fought against the forces of Black Zero, who succeeded in destroying the Kryptonian city of Kandor; among those killed were the wife and young son of Zod who, at that time, was a major in Krypton's military. During this time, the Council commissioned Jor-El to construct an Orb containing the DNA of Krypton's strongest (including Zod and Jor-El himself) with the intent of sending it to Earth so they would be resurrected if Krypton was ever destroyed. Kandor was re-built sometime after its destruction by Black Zero.

    Years after the death of his wife and son, Zod rose to the rank of General, married Faora and began his plans to take over Krypton.

    The War

    Early War

    Zod was a strong believer in the old barbaric ways of Kryptonian society, and believed that his people had become weak and therefore needed to be dictated. So over the years as he grew in power, he gathered loyal disciples and forces that he would use in an attempt to overthrow the Ruling Council and conquer Krypton. When he believed that he had enough forces, Zod mounted an attack on Krypton, beginning a war with the Council.

    After the war had been going on for some time, Zod had caused damage to the Council, so they asked Jor-El to create Dax-Ur's Brain InterActive Construct to aid in the war against Zod, using its extensive knowledge to help the Council defeat Zod. However, Zod learned of the creation of Brainiac and was able to corrupt it, making it an ally to him and his disciples.

    During this time, Zor-El attempted to kill Jor-El, believing that his brother had stolen Lara from him. After his assassination attempt on Jor-El, he was disgraced as a scientist and became the operator for Kandor's mine. Zod used Zor-El's hatred of Jor-El against Krypton, and Zor-El joined Zod's efforts to take over Krypton.

    Since Zod and Faora were unable to conceive children after trying for so long, they decided that, by using genetic engineering, they would create their own ultimate son. Zod and Faora gathered the DNA of the most violent Kryptonian species and fused them all together with their own DNA. They planned to send their "son" to Earth, where he would destroy the population, leaving the planet deserted so that, in case Zod could not rule Krypton, they would rule Earth as a family instead.

    Zod gave major roles in the war to his two closest disciples, Aethyr and Nam-Ek, whom he would let make decisions on where their forces should attack. Nam-Ek and Aethyr often conversed with Zor-El, who would tell them of the Council's plans and where would be best to attack and weaken the Council.

    Leading to Krypton's Destruction

    Krypton began experiencing massive tremors during the war, and the Council asked Jor-El to investigate. Jor-El suspected that the tremors were caused because Zor-El was operating Kandor's mine (the last one remaining not in Zod's hands) at full capacity, mining too deep. When the Council questioned Zor-El, he claimed that, without the mine working at full power, the Council would not have enough resources for the war, and that the tremors were temporary and caused by the attacks suffered during the war. Convinced, the Council allowed Zor-El to continue operating the mine at the same capacity.

    Zor-El, however, had a different agenda. A strong believer in Rao's prophecy, he believed himself to be the chosen Kryptonian who would rise on Earth and create a paradise. Because of this, when he realized that Zod was starting to fulfill the prophecy by ravaging Krypton, Zor-El decided that he would complete the prophecy by igniting the planet's core and destroying Krypton.

    Jor-El and the Council eventually managed to apprehend Zod and most of his followers Jor-El convinced the Council to destroy all portals leading to Earth in order to prevent the rest of Zod's followers from escaping through them. The Council and Jor-El destroyed Zod's physical body and placed his essence in the Phantom Zone, along with his wife Faora, leaving them with no escape unless they inhabited a Kryptonian vessel.

    After Zod was captured, Jor-El learned about his association with Zor-El. He forced his brother to stop the dangerous mining operations and placed him under arrest by locking him inside the powered-off mine control room. Zor-El was almost finished with the ignition of the planet's core, so he commanded Brainiac to override the lockdown, allowing him to complete the ignition and escape.

    Destruction

    Zor-El made plans for him and Kara to flee Krypton before its destruction, but she found out about his ties with Zod and tried to expose him. Zor-El, with the help of his disciple Augo, tried to stop Kara, but she was able to notify Lara. When Zor-El tried to stop Kara, she pushed him into a cluster of hologram crystals, injuring him. Zor-El then erased Kara's memory and sent her away to Earth in a spaceship along with a blue crystal that contained his DNA, which could create a clone of him since his injury prevented him from traveling to Earth with Kara. He also put Lara's DNA in the crystal for two reasons: Because of his feelings towards her, and to lure his nephew Kal-El to the crystal should Kara fail to complete her task.

    After Kara contacted Lara, she warned Jor-El about Zor-El's plan to ignite Krypton's core. So they sent their only son Kal-El in a spaceship to Earth away from Krypton's doom. Sometime before Kal-El left Krypton, Zod and Faora had attached the genetic matter that was their "son" to Kal-El's ship.

    Jor-El placed his assistant Raya in the Phantom Zone to escape while he and Lara went to try and stop Krypton's destruction.

    In 2008, Brainiac traveled with Kara back through time to Krypton just before its destruction, in an attempt to kill Kal-El before he grew up to save Earth. He tracked down Kal-El and his ship, presumably killing Jor-El and Lara, before Kara attempted to stop him. Brainiac easily overpowered Kara (who was powerless due to Krypton's red sun) when Clark arrived from the future; Brainiac overpowered him as well. That distracted him enough for Kara to find a sharp crystal and stab it through Brainiac, weakening him as Clark placed baby Kal-El in his ship, sending him to Earth as planned.

    After Brainiac began igniting the planet's core, he contacted Nam-Ek and Aethyr, and told them that Zod had indeed been placed in the Phantom Zone and that the only way they could release him was to locate the Stones of Power before Kal-El; otherwise, they would have to force Kal-El. The three of them were able to escape from Krypton in another spaceship, known as the Black Ship.

    Shortly after they all escaped, Krypton's core eventually ignited, leading to the total destruction of the planet, killing billions of people, including Jor-El, Lara, Zor-El, and the Ruling Council.

    Interplanetary Relationships

    Krypton had noticeable relationships with other planets and galaxies, as it was one of the most powerful and advanced civilizations in the universe. Some planets saw Kryptonians as a cold and harsh race. Many other planets looked up to Kryptonians as god-like creatures whereas others would despise their power and greatly hate Kryptonians.

    Some planets, such as Earth and Mars, had good relationships with Krypton, with Kryptonians traveling to Earth frequently via portals. These trips to Earth spawned many Kryptonian connections to Earth, including the birth of the Kawatche tribe and the occult interests in the Stones of Power by the witches Margaret Isobel Thoreaux and her disciples Brianna Withridge and Madelyn Hibbins. Kryptonians, benevolent or otherwise, saw Earth as a paradise due to the powers and abilities they gained under the planet's yellow sun; this caused Earth to become the prime conduit of Krypton's affairs. Martians also had a good relationship with Krypton, as the Martian Manhunter would often go to Krypton to aid his friend Jor-El, but some Kryptonians would look down on Martians as a lower species. The planet Almerac was a distant planet to Krypton, and their young would often be told stories about Krypton, in particular Kryptonian men and about how brave and gallant they were and many Kryptonian men were desired as mates by Almeracian women.

    The destruction of Krypton is well-known throughout the universe, with many species having knowledge of its destruction.

    Notable Citizens

    • Ruling Council: A democratic group that were established and appointed to office sometime after the Kryptonians evolved from strict, lethal warriors to gentle, technologically efficient people.
    • Jor-El's Father: A citizen of Krypton, and father of Jor-El and Zor-El; he sent his son Jor-El to Earth as a rite of passage in 1961.
    • Jor-El: The father of Kal-El, Jor-El was a highly-respected scientist on Krypton and an influential member of the Ruling Council.
    • Lara-El: The mother of Kal-El and loyal wife to Jor-El, Lara was a loving mother and also aunt to Kara, and notified Jor-El about Zor-El's plan to destroy Krypton, giving their son a chance to get off the planet alive.
    • Kal-El: The son of Jor-El and Lara, Kal-El was born on Krypton a couple of weeks prior to its destruction and sent to Earth by his parents, who believed he would be safe there and destined to save Earth from destruction.
    • Zor-El: The father of Kara and brother of Jor-El, he caused Krypton's destruction by igniting its core, believing in Rao's prophecy that he would be resurrected on Earth and create utopia.
    • Dax-Ur: A scientist who designed the Brain InterActive Construct, later dubbed Brainiac. He abandoned his life on Krypton and retreated to Earth.
    • Kara Zor-El: The daughter of Zor-El, she too was sent to Earth with Kal-El along with a blue crystal so she could unknowingly resurrect her father and create a Kryptonian utopia on Earth.
    • General Zod: A renegade army leader, he started a civil war with the Ruling Council in an attempt to conquer the planet with the aid of Brainiac and Zor-El as well as his army of followers.
    • Faora: The second wife of Zod, as well as a former soldier in his army. Before marrying Zod, Faora's DNA was taken and placed in the Orb.
    • Vala: Female member of Zod's army and sister of Faora. Vala's DNA was taken and placed in the Orb, which later resurrected her as a clone after Krypton was destroyed.
    • Disciples of Zod: Loyal servants to Zod, they were given major roles in the civil war and, after Zod's capture, fled with Brainiac to Earth to locate Kal-El to release Zod and create a new Krypton on Earth.
    • Basqat: A member of Zod's army, his DNA was taken and placed in the Orb that was sent to Earth. Years later, he was resurrected as a clone.
    • Alia: A female member of Zod's army, her DNA was taken and placed in the Orb, which later resurrected her after Krypton was destroyed.
    • Raya: An assistant to Jor-El and loyal to the House of El, she tried to help Jor-El and Lara save Krypton, but was put in the Phantom Zone by Jor-El to be safe along with a Crystal of El to protect her from the phantoms.
    • Augo: A student at Kara's school in Kandor, he was also Zor-El's disciple who strongly believed in Rao's prophecy and aided in any way he could to fulfill the prophecy.
    • Bizarro: Created by accident in a laboratory experiment on Krypton, he was a backwards Kryptonian and was placed in the Phantom Zone for his cruel attitude and dislike for life.
    • Brainiac: Krypton's supercomputer that ran every system on the planet, designed by Dax-Ur. Jor-El created a version of Brainiac that took a humanoid form to help win the war with Zod, but was corrupted so that it aided in the destruction of the planet, fleeing before its impending doom.

    Geography

    Krypton orbited the red sun. The planet's terrain was slightly similar to Earth's except for the crystalline architecture of its buildings, its constant cold temperatures and its icy ground; therefore, the Fortress of Solitude, with its crystalline appearance, is a re-creation of Kryptonian landscape, with its crisscrossing crystal towers. Krypton had oceans that ran between the massive continents of frozen plateaus, much like Earth's geography with its land sea.

    Krypton's climate was cold and still. It is unknown how far Krypton was from its red sun, but had to be close enough to sustain life and water.

    Doomsday is the result of his parents Zod and Faora fusing their genetic matter with DNA taken from the most violent, vicious and malevolent creatures that, apparently, can be found on Krypton; these creatures roamed the planet, and were most likely avoided by most Kryptonians.

    Education

    In Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton, Kara attended an educational facility with other young Kryptonians. It was a crystalline structure similar in design to the Fortress of Solitude. The building was destroyed during the war with Zod, after Zor-El planned for it to be attacked by Zod's army in Kandor. Both Kara and Augo narrowly escaped damage from the blast.

    Location

    Clark tells Chloe Sullivan that he's "not from anywhere near this galaxy." Later, Kara asks Clark how pieces of their home planet traveled through 23 galaxies. There are 28 known and inhabited galaxies in the Smallville universe, so that suggests that Earth and Krypton are very far apart.

    The closest galaxy of comparable scope to the Milky Way Galaxy is the Andromeda Galaxy, which is approximately 2,560,000 light-years away. The closest body capable of being called a galaxy is the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, approximately 25,000 light-years away. Even if Krypton was in this mini-galaxy, it would still take at least 25,000 years before Earth would notice its disappearance. However, since kryptonite traveled across 23 galaxies, Krypton must be much further away than this.

    We know that Jor-El came to Earth in the early 1960s, therefore meaning that Krypton may have existed at least until 40 years earlier. However, since Kryptonian technology has demonstrated the capacity to manipulate time, it is possible the teleportation portals connected different points in time as well as space. This would be consistent with our present understanding of the consequences of a fold in space-time, or wormhole.

    Also, Dr. Virgil Swann states that he traced the signal from Krypton "billions of miles" to where the star should have been. While this is not technically wrong, a more logical and comfortable measure of the distance to the stars would be given in trillions of miles, not billions.

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