Golden Age: Naturally. All Kryptonians having superpowers as a natural part of their genetic make up like super strength, flight, invulnerability, etc, etc.

Silver Age: Earth's lighter gravity+Yellow sun. Basically the idea that since Krypton had SUCH a high level of gravity, Kryptonians were naturally more hardy and FAR stronger than humans, even invulnerable to pretty much all human weapons... BUT since they were on their planet it balanced out for them. However on Earth, or any other planet with lighter gravity, they would have INFINITELY increased strength, speed, and invulnerability, and Earth's yellow sun giving them the power of flight, as well as vastly increased senses along with heat vision, freeze breath, super breath, etc.

Modern Age: Yellow sun as the ONLY source for any and all superpowers

Golden Age because that shit makes sense.

@smart_dork_dude:

None of them.

Because in the end none totally explains a kryptonian power set, and their level of power.

So for me the answer is, none of those ages.

Silver Age(New 52 also). Solar battery + atmospheric difference.

You don't have to know exactly how something works especially in fiction. No one cares how Starships create wormholes for FTL travels in Sci-fi. Just that they do, so we can have our story. Same with Superman, we don't have to know exactly how his powers do.

@squalleon:

True. We don't need to know how something works to read stuff about it. After all I do it all the time when I read any book or comic.

But there's a difference between not knowing because what it depicts is beyond understanding, and knowing that what they're saying isn't real. It doesn't matter how much they try to change a few details, if the basis that we know is wrong remains there.

That's why all explanations even the golden age one, is ultimately wrong.

But I'm not telling people what they should or should not believe. If they're happy with an explanation (even if it's fundamentaly wrong), then I have no problem with it. Has long has no one tries to make me swallow gibberish.

The Silver Age one is most likely the best mix Earth's lighter gravity giving Kryptonians their incredible strength, speed and flight and the yellow sun giving them advanced sensory powers. But impossible as it may be, I kind of like the pure solar battery power origin, it seemed cool to me.

When was it stated that New 52 Superman gets his powers from yellow solar radiation and the atmospheric differences? I'd be interested in knowing which Superman issue this was mentioned in.

Ι think it was in Morrison's run (obviously). I don't remember the exact issue(I will search and I will reply you again) but I remember that it was a nice nod to GA that they included it. Ι could be wrong though.

@squalleon: Cool if so, nice to get the combination of both power origins back into canon. Though the solar battery part has been focused more on recently than atmospheric differences.

I too, would love to see that, if you can remember the issue.

Because honestly the only issue that said anything about the matter was Action Comics 5. And atmosphere didn't played into Superman powers.

Here, let me show you.

See. The ship was only analyzing Earth atmosphere, not that it played any role on him having powers or not, because of it.

That's the one. The mention of lighter gravity by Jor-El was what I meant. "Lighter gravity to seem like he can fly", I thought it was a clear nod to his T-shirt and Jeans days that homage the GA.

@heavenlydarkdragon: Thanks for providing the pages.

@squalleon: It does seem like the gravity factor was subtly reintroduced by Morrison, but that's to be expected based on Morrison's fascination of the Golden and Silver Age, since he uses characters, plot points or inspirations in most of his modern comic writing.

@saintwildcard:

Really?? You liked that idea of having a kryptonite junkie Superman?

It would be different, I'll give you that. Ahahahaha.....

@heavenlydarkdragon: The world needs an even more edgy Superman

@fuzzylittlerodent:

Ahahahaha.... That would be too edgy. He would be seen letting criminals go away, if they had a chunk of kryptonite to trade for their freedom.

And parents would go berserk about it. Can you imagine this talk on the dinner table:

- Dad can you get me some kryptonite?

- What? Kryptonite! What's that? And why do you want it?

- Oh. It's what gives Superman his powers. He smashes it up to a powder and then sniffes it all up his nose.

- WHAT THE HELL HAVE BEEN READING! SHOW ME THAT!...... FROM NOW ON YOU DON'T READ THIS SH#% ANYMORE. If I see you reading this garbage you're grounded.

Oh, man! I can almost see it in the news, specially FOX News "DC Comics has turn Superman, into a junkie. Are your sons and daughters being pushed to the world of drugs because of Superman? Parents beware!"

And I can see the next arcs:

Superman: Goes On Rehab

Superman: The Sponsor

Superman: And The Mystery Of The Stolen Kryptonite

Superman: Caught

Superman: Return To Rehab

Modern Age

@darkdetective27:

The only thing I personaly don't like is "Yellow sun ONLY..."

It removes Superman potential to become stronger if exposed to more powerful types of stars.

I know many people already think that Superman is OP, but exposure to more powerful types of stars didn't needed to bring with it a power boost, it could simply improve the one's he already has, give new powers and/or diminish some of his vulnerabilities.

did it ever explain why more of them didn't survive when they were basically unkillable machines

@heavenlydarkdragon: That is true.

@w0nd: My best bet would be the Kryptonite core of the planet was exposed when it exploded and thus killed them all.

thats a good answer

@w0nd:

But you got to admit that it's strange that no one else worried about the earthquakes and clear signs that something was wrong.

Not that it would do them any good one way or another.

After all, golden age Superman, couldn't survive in space. So even if all kryptonians admited that the planet was doomed, there wouldn't be enough ships to save them all.

Although I got to point out that golden age Superman went through one change in terms of power origin. In the original version in 1939 all kryptonians were already super on Krypton, it was only in the mid's 40's that gravity was introduced has the factor that made them not super on Krypton.

Only by leaving Krypton would they become Super. And their powers weren't in any way linked to stars.

Silver Age by far. Modern Age is just stupid in how he gets his powers. "The Sun makes him stronger and faster" get out of here.

@heavenlydarkdragon: Not really. Silver Age does the best job.

Krypton's gravity is far stronger than that of Earth's, so on Earth he gained Superhuman strength and speed, due to his muscles being far stronger compared to humans. Also, with denser gravity comes stronger lungs and ears, since their body's have to produce stronger frequencies of sound so the words can travel through the dense air. This would also result in superhuman hearing on Earth, along with Super breath. Scientist suggest that telekinesis is THEORETICALLY possible, if the users brainwaves are strong and large enough (note: NO human has ever displayed telekinesis, they were all frauds). Maybe Kryptonians brain waves are much stronger than that of humans, allowing them flight through tactile telekinesis, and maybe even invulnerability. Also, maybe Krypton's atmosphere was way harsher than Earth. So since Superman grew up on a planet with a more nourishing atmosphere, his body grew to be physically stronger than if he were on Krypton. This also allows his eyes to see all forms of the UV spectrum, giving him X-Ray vision. Also, maybe Kryptonians gain energy though food AND solar rays, like planets. Thus on a much stronger, brighter Earth, his cells are much stronger. Maybe he also has much better control of his body temperature, allowing him, to expel freezing breath from his mouth at will. I honestly can't explain his heat vision though.

that always bothered me. being 100% in denial about that, like come on...ahaha

Sorry but I'm not on board with any age. Gold, silver, bronze or modern. All lack something, all have flaws.

But because you were speaking of the silver age let's talk about that.

First of all gravity. It was said that on Krypton gravity was much bigger than on Earth. Add to that a red sun, and you get an impossible situation.

From what you've said I assume you've read Birthright. But let me tell you this. Birthright was more than 90% wrong. About how kryptonians got their powers.

Lets go to the facts. All lifeforms, it doesn't matter if it's on Krypton or here on Earth evolve according to their environment. If you increase a planet's gravity you will inherently make so every lifeform that develops there is shorter in size.

Just to give you a few more facts, if a human is subjected to lets say 9G's (9 times the gravity of Earth). Prolonged exposure of just a few minutes can kill about any human. Doesn't matter how strong you are, you'd die. Don't believe ask anyone that's in the Air Force.

If you increased said gravity to lets say 33X that of Earth, a human bones would liquefy. And flesh would simply lose all molecular cohesion, basically turning a human being into nothing more than a smear on the ground.

Even habitable planets are limited in size. Has you know there are super-Earths, planet's that go from 5 to 15 times the size of the Earth. But what most people don't know is that above the 15X range, planets start to become extreme, and by extreme I mean extremely volcanic. Well, safe to say that little to no life at all except bacteria can develop there. So having a planet like in Birthright that was 33x bigger than Earth, with life, does not exist. Period. And for Superman to have the molecular density to do some of the most basic stuff he does, he'd need a gravity around what you'd find if Jupiter was a solid planet instead of a gas giant. About +200G's.

Now you know about gravity. Let's talk about the sun. The difference in frequency between types of stars, is in the order of micro hertz, and they are so close (the frequencies) that that alone can't explain the powers. The main difference in the stars are the diffraction lines in the sunlight. Basically it's how astrophysicists now the elements that make the star. And that red stars only emit about 1/100 of our star energy, that's why they have much greater lifespans. And although in theory a red sun would demand the development of much more nerve connections to the eyes, in order to catch every amount of light. Those eyes would at best see like us and in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum, but that's it. No X-Rays, no gamma, no radio waves, no microwaves. Even ultraviolet would be only a little, if anything at all.

So we arrived at this point. Where first the gravity required for Superman to do what he does simply does not exist in planets, only in the core of stars. Second, lifeforms that have to deal with great gravity and a weak star would have no means to obtain the energy required to evolve into anything resembling us. All life would be much shorter, and their metabolism would be much slower than ours to preserve every bit of energy.

And now we do the "math". And the result is... No kryptonians! No Superman!

Actually, tall, multicellular organism are possible on planets with such high gravity. The only difference is that their cellular structure has to be much denser, reulting in denser, stronger skeletal systems or an exoskeleton system entirely. It would NOT be impossible, just highly unlikely, but none the less, possible. The fact is that you are making a comparison between a HUMAN and that of a being from an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT GALAXY. Increasing a planets gravity only makes organisms from EARTH, that have adapted for millions of years to EARTH'S gravity, shorter. However, since we've never even encountered even the simplest forms of life on any other planet, the fact is that scientist do not definitely know how gravity would affect other life forms from different planets. To form a conclusion like "no life could exist on such a planet", you would need to first go through the scientific method, which would be impossible, because we don't even have access to single celled extraterrestrial life, let alone a complex multi cellular organism. So don't just say its impossible, because it isn't. Just like life on Earth has spent millions and billions of years adapting to it's environment, so would theirs.

Secondly, the largest terrestial planet FOUND is 15x Earth's mass. However, astronomers are making new discoveries every year and haven't even discovered the full scope of the observable Universe, none the less the entire one. Only about 500 planets have been discovered, and something in the upper 100's have been terrestrial planets with in a solar system. This number gets even smaller when we take into account planets with in their habitable zone (a few dozen at most). Again, it being very volcanic means that life is less likely, not impossible.

All this means is that Kryptonians are HIGHLY, HIGHLY unlikely, but not impossible.

Also, you don't even need to travel to other planets to find species far stronger than humans. Chimps for example weigh 80% of that of a full grown male, yet can be 2x as strong, due to their muscles being structured differently. Another example is a Jaguar, who weighs half that of a Tiger, but has a bite twice as strong, making it 4 times as powerful. Wolverines have been noted to bring down animals as strong as Caribou. Gorillas can lift 10x their body weight. Even here on Earth their are cases of VERY similar species being vastly different in raw strength and power. Now imagine that from a species with a stronger gravity.

The only part I agree with you on is that Kryptonians would look nothing like us. However, everything else you've stated is based off of evidence accumulated with VERY low data and sample sizes.

@petey_is_spidey:

Actually many of the things I've pointed out have been tested in simulations made by the most powerful supercomputers in the world.

Granted life is much more complex than any supercomputer can simulate. If we had quantum supercomputers we might know for sure. Maybe one day.

Also, yes they would need to develop much more denser molecular structures. But here lies the problem. Nature has limitations. And what one species might have in greater magnitude a specific aspect, it lacks others. No species has everything.

Look at the cockroach. By almost all genetic analysis and physical aspects, they're much more superior to human beings. But they lack a lot of things. Powerful brains to allow them to think like us or at least have intelligence, large enough size to actually do things in great magnitude, and the physical adaptations to do them.

Nature has limitations. Many that are beyond any convencional means of evolution.

But here's the thing. The solution to Superman "problem" is the solar battery stuff. By all you've said, and I've seen you say in other posts, you're very well informed. You're not one that writes things out of thin air. You have good, I'd even say great knowledge of things. Inside and outside comics. And you know that the solar battery thing is BS at best. If DC Comics simply changed the explanation to "Their powers come from the higher types of stars" or simply "They get them from the sun" and nothing else. Then there would be a solid basis, supported by the unknown. By what can't be measured or studied.

The Flash and the Speed Force, the Lanterns and the Emotional Spectrum, magic, higher dimensions, we all have to take it on faith, so to speak. Because there's no way to say it's false or true and has such, there's no need for explanations, because they would be a farse, an illusion, a joke.

To me that's the only problem. When writers try to use what's been in many ways proven wrong or extremely likely to be wrong or impossible and try to sell it has possible.

Sorry for the length of the text. Just needed to make everything crystal clear.

Firstly, I'd like to say the post length isn't much of an issue. I like a good read.

But anyways, you are right, no species can have everything. What they gain in one thing, they lack in the other. Humans are very intelligent, but lack physical strength compared to other species. Tigers are large and strong with a thick hides, but aren't as fast as lets say, a cheetah. But that's the thing about comics, and really nature in general. It allows for the unaccepted and unlikely. Things may be HIGHLY unlikely, but not impossible. Warp Machines aren't impossible, just unlikely. Worm holes that can teleport through time and space aren't impossible, just unlikely. If something isn't completely IMPOSSIBLE, than it can still be enjoyable while believable.

However, I do find it quite annoying when authors give a characters abilities, with no rational explanation behind it. At the end of the day I understand this is fiction, however at least some slight realism could be added. Like when beings can move faster than light with out the aid (whether it be magic or extra dimensional speed forces), despite needing either infinite mass and/or energy to do so, such as Superman for example. To me his powers aren't the problem or the thing I have trouble wrapping my head around, but rather the extent of it. I'm not saying just completely dumb down his powers, but sometimes it gets out of hand (I'm looking at you, Silver Age). Moving at speeds several times faster than sound, understandable. Moving MFTL, laughable. Being able to lift skyscrapers, believable (if you can suspend your belief a little, of course), but movie planets, honestly is idiotic. And the dumbest thing of all, when a human/alien does something like "Punch a hole in the fabric of reality", LOL WHAT?!?! Sometimes I just wish we had better writers.

@petey_is_spidey:

Firstly, I'd like to say the post length isn't much of an issue. I like a good read.

But anyways, you are right, no species can have everything. What they gain in one thing, they lack in the other. Humans are very intelligent, but lack physical strength compared to other species. Tigers are large and strong with a thick hides, but aren't as fast as lets say, a cheetah. But that's the thing about comics, and really nature in general. It allows for the unaccepted and unlikely. Things may be HIGHLY unlikely, but not impossible. Warp Machines aren't impossible, just unlikely. Worm holes that can teleport through time and space aren't impossible, just unlikely. If something isn't completely IMPOSSIBLE, than it can still be enjoyable while believable.

However, I do find it quite annoying when authors give a characters abilities, with no rational explanation behind it. At the end of the day I understand this is fiction, however at least some slight realism could be added. Like when beings can move faster than light with out the aid (whether it be magic or extra dimensional speed forces), despite needing either infinite mass and/or energy to do so, such as Superman for example. To me his powers aren't the problem or the thing I have trouble wrapping my head around, but rather the extent of it. I'm not saying just completely dumb down his powers, but sometimes it gets out of hand (I'm looking at you, Silver Age). Moving at speeds several times faster than sound, understandable. Moving MFTL, laughable. Being able to lift skyscrapers, believable (if you can suspend your belief a little, of course), but movie planets, honestly is idiotic. And the dumbest thing of all, when a human/alien does something like "Punch a hole in the fabric of reality", LOL WHAT?!?! Sometimes I just wish we had

True that some feats are hard to swallow at best. But it's like you said before, how can WE say that something is impossible.

In all of our history, we had legends about the impossible. And for millenia the impossible was simply that. The impossible. Until it wasn't.

It no longer existed solely on the minds of writers and was called fiction. Fiction became reality.

Quoting Tommy Lee Jones in his role in MIB: "Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow.".

And in a way comics are the door to what well know tomorrow. I'm not saying we'll become superhumans, or godlike, but I'm also not saying that we won't.

All I know today is from the baggage that I brought from the past, and maybe one day, when the future is present, what I thought I knew, will turn out to untrue.

I don't mind that Superman can fly faster than light, emit energy through his eyes, bench press planets. What I do mind is the explanation they insist on giving about how his powers work.

There's so much we still don't know. Why not simply say, if they want to be scientific about it "You see kryptonians absorb sunlight just like any living being, but there's something in their bodies, that uses that stored sunlight has a catalyst to initiate another process that allows them to tap into another more abundant, more powerful source of energy." this way, they could come up with all sorts of fictional or non-fictional sources of energy. Like for example, subatomic energy, dark energy, extradimensional energy (I know, Marvel would sue them because of Cyclops), neutrinos, even that their bodies absorbed energy in the entire know EM spectrum and beyond, would be more than enough to explain if not all, at least most of his powers.

If their bodies could tap into the entire EM spectrum and beyond, and also had a type of lets say bio-superconductivity. It could in theory allow a biological body to contain a immense amount energy.

And because what made kryptonians this way, would remain never truly explained. Then people could say that kryptonians can tap into the energy of the cosmos itself. The Earth, the sun, cosmic radiation, all of it and maybe more would all be absorbed to fuel their powers. And if they included a fictional incredible rate of absorption, then all would be explained has where the energy comes from.

Has for the powers. Any physical augmentation would also result in a mental increase. Superhuman level brainwaves that allowed them to control and manipulate the immense energy their bodies contained. If they chose to use a mix of energy production and psionic manipulation, it would fit quite well.

Has for how they became that way. The most logical explanation would be something like the movie Prometheus. In which all life on Krypton was engineered somehow.

Or they could say that instead of the lifeforms, it was the planet that had been created to possess certain unique properties (kryptonite comes to mind) and that it was because of those unique properties that all lifeforms on Krypton evolved to have powers outside the red sun. They could even say that it was the god Rao, that created Krypton.

Because after all comics were made to make us dream and wonder about possibilities. And has time goes on, our readers expectations when reading comics or simply books, is to travel to a world that seems so close and at the same time out of reach.

You are right. It's kind of amazing how far we've came in the past 100 years alone. Imagine how this world, or even solar system will be in 500 years.

You know what would be really cool? If in the near or distant future someone had a genetic mutation that actually gave them powers. We all have genetic mutations all through our bodies, some of them go unnoticed while a lot of them affect us negatively. But what if someone actually had one similar to that of mutants. That's the one thing I like about mutants though, their fiction, but their power source isn't completely illogical or even impossible in the real world.

Golden Age. Definite no – doesn’t explain how whole race of super powered beings died during Krypton’s destruction. They could have simply fly away from there to the very next planet (with their powers environment doesn’t pose much of the problem). At best they could be as strong as recent depowered Supes (or how he was in early AC), but that means too weak Superman in his comics.

In addition, I like the idea that his abilities are gift from Clark’s adopted home (our planet, our sun).

So, just no for GA power origin.

Silver Age. A bit better, but still, no, no and again, no.

Let’s see – lighter gravity gives strength, invulnerability, endurance and speed (first three physical characteristics can be affected by gravity, but how the h…k speed fits into that) and sunlight responsible for the rest. Way too selective and implausible.

I actually like idea of krypton having some serious gravity, so on Earth even completely depowered (or under red sun light) Kryptonian would be pretty much on Captain America’s strength level, but not more.

Here, for Earth surface gravity to give such power levels, Krypton must have enormous gravitation, at least dozens of thousands times stronger compared to our conditions. In such case, Krypton must be the planet-giant, enormously big, and made of incredibly solid elements. Chances that life forms (including Kryptonians) that developed and undergone evolutional process on such planet would look even remotely like human, not only slim, they’re nonexistent

(Moreover, there easily could dozens of other arguments why it’s impossible).

SA power origin simple does not hold on.

Modern origin. Yellow sun as the ONLY source for any and all superpowers Now, that’s simply not the modern origin. Yellow sun written as main power source, but not only one. Let’s see. In Pre-New-52:

Blue sun – gives increased abilities plus “power granting”-vision;

After DoS Superman was depowered and somehow Kryptonite radiation restored him to full strength;

After Infinite Crisis – Superman gets his powers back after jumping into energy maelstrom;

In one of possible futures, Superman was injured and trapped somewhere in Earth’s core, surviving for years on heat energy.

Earth One Superman – yellow sun listed as only one of several power sources.

New-52 – see H’El: travelling through universe and absorbing different kinds of sun emissions granted him “Kryptonian on steroids” power level with various additional abilities.

In short, none of those explanations can actually be used to explain Kryptonian abilities :P

Silver age/New 52- I see it like this-

Krypton's higher gravity being 5 times more than earth's according to Action comics #5 (scans above), and attribute the corresponding enhancements to Kal's biology, (5 times stronger, faster....Kinda like humans on the moon) and then you have Solar energy from a main sequence star which kryptonians absorb, store (take the potential energy of couple dozen nuclear bombs and put it inside a man) and with time metabolise into their super sensory powers, also greatly boosting all physical abilities, at the same time enriching their cells so there is no atrophy of muscles and bones thereby preserving optimum kryptonian body structure( this also does away with the imo irritating 'completely powerless/human strength when solar energy is exhausted' when in actuality he should be captain america level or what he is in Truth now until after a period of time when atrophy degrades his muscles)

I have a working fictional theory about kryptonians and suns but that does away with the stupid red son renders kryptonian powers inert weakness.

Also this is a kinda simple explanation for a fiction, i don't tend to think and go too much into detail on it, urge others to do the same. It's pretty sweet, suspension of disbelief, it can make you believe a man can fly :)

This universe is bigger than anyone can imagine. Super beings relative to us could exist (maybe not empowered kryptonian level) and we wouldn't even know it 1 billion years after the earth is swallowed by the sun. Don't think on it too much it's a really scary thought.

The math cannot be done. Enjoy comics.

@ultimatesmfan:

You have a working theory. Love to read it someday. I also have mine, and even posted in a thread, but doubt many people took notice.

It goes into areas that most people have little to no interest in.

Has for the math. It can be done to some extent.

In Superman Unchained, Bruce tells Clark he absorbs at any given moment 1,40 gigawatts of solar energy. Now taking into account that the sun emits yearly around +1500 to -50.000 exajoules of sunlight. And that everyday the Earth receives in optimal conditions 7kWh for square meter, of sunlight. That alone proves the solar battery DC so much clings to, is pure nonsense. The math simply doesn't add up.

I told you how much solar energy in the form of sunlight is emitted by the sun every year.

Now here's some more interesting details, the Earth produces in overall, thermal and magnetic, around 2000 zetajoules a year. And the world consumption goes around 0.5 zetajoules.

For Superman to be able to move the Earth he would require something along the lines of 1.4x10^33 Joules. That's so far up the scale we don't even have a name for that unit. Even the highest unit, Yottajoule is 10^24.

That said, Superman would take decades (nearly a century) to store enough energy to move the Earth from its current position to where Mars stands now. And then wait more decades to store up all that energy once again.

So has solar battery goes, that theory is completely and utterly false. They might as well come up with something new.

Seeing that biological speaking the solar battery, even with a completely false idea of hypermetabolism, could not work for the simple lack of solar energy in sunlight, and that the solar battery is described has a biological process, the natural more effective way to make it credible would be to do this...

1. Change the solar battery to solar reactor.

2. Say that sunlight affects kryptonians on a subatomic level. Because only saying that, is the window open to make it theoretical possible to obtain the amounts of energy required to have those levels of power.

So has you see part of the math is possible, unfortunately it only serves to prove that what's said is completely false.

I prefer the silver age.

@heavenlydarkdragon: My theory is for the fictional dc universe so it's in the simplest terms comic logic to explain more comic logic, with some real life physical parameters. Just clarifying before you get too excited sorry :P

I have to say that's a helluva job on that research, nicely done, but i have really no interest in delving so deep into what makes Superman's powers possible, i mean i even said in the third last line of my previous post.

About the math i was referring to physics as we understand it effecting alien life in certain ways. There are anomalies in the universe that physics as we understand it cannot explain and there in is the possibility for the impossible,(the sheer scope of the universe) for however much we do know, there's a lot we don't. So making conclusions on possible alien physiology on the basis of what we know however comforting and appeasing it may be, may not be a 100% accurate.

Lastly, before this forum gets anymore scientific, let me drop some acid and get back to y'all ;)

I think Byrne's idea of Kryptonite radiation from the planets core poisoning and sickening them over time was a good idea and a good explanation for why they were powerless to save themselves on Krypton.

I also think the Krypton-Dheron premise in Superman: Earth One had some potential. If the two races engaged each other in warfare every few years it's a plausible explanation for why they never progressed very far in terms of star travel etc and therefore never understood the effects different types of stars had on their physiology.

@azza04:

Wait a second... Wasn't Byrne's that introduced the genetic link to the planet that stopped them from leaving the planet? If memory serves me well, it was him.

Kal was able to leave Krypton because Jor-El created an antidote to the genetic link to the planet that would only work on his offspring. So kryptonians were doomed one way or another.

Yes. Earth-One story was interesting. At least they initially did away with the constant crystal tech, too bad they brought it back by pieces.

But although the initial intrigue about who was responsible for Krypton's destruction was very good, when the motives were revealed it was the lamest story I ever had the displeasure to read. So Zod destroys his entire species because he couldn't rule it. That's overkill and beyond insane.

If it was Brainiac fearing the two speciea would eventually make peace and develop space travel that would unlock what they didn't know about the powers they could get. I could accept that.

Even if Zod had somehow tried to create a superweapon to destroy Krypton's enemies, he had been proibited to used it, because Jor and the other scientists feared the effects it could produce, and Zod thinking he knew better than anyone else activated the weapon and it backfired, would've been far better.

Although the first hypothesis I purposed would've fit better with someone coming and offering the tech that would lead to Krypton's destruction.

Just saying.

@heavenlydarkdragon: The Earth-One series had so much potential. I really liked JMS as a writer, his work on Supreme Power is one of my favorite series but his Earth-One books have been so poor. The story and character motivation and dialog are terrible I like to think that he has done it deliberately to appeal to the tween twilight generation.

I remember Jimmy Olsen in the first book came out and stood in-front of a robot that was about to kill him and refused to move, he came out with a line like staying and dying for a picture was the only thing worth dying for. Of course Superman swoops in and saves him but it was one of the stupidest things I've ever read and it also happened to be the act that inspired Clark to become Superman....a move by Jimmy Olsen of sheer moronic stupidity was Clark's inspiration to step out and save humanity.

Superman should be a solar reactor,where the sun is a catalyst to his powers,but not where he gets every drop of energy from,that should come from within.

@stephens2177:

Please specify.

Because when I said in the past that to me sunlight is just the catalyst to make his powers work, and that sunlight should affect him on a subatomic level. I was thinking in terms of how stars work, more precisely, white dwarfs, neutron stars even black holes.

To me the logical even if fictional way around it, would be by this steps:

1. His body absorbs sunlight.

2. Kryptonian physiology reacts to it on a subatomic level

3. At a subatomic level three things could happen, in theory...

3.1 The space between protons and electrons on his body atoms would decrease, and by doing so, they would generate huge amounts of energy. By a form a nuclear friction, just like it happens in white dwarfs. Those type of stars emit energy not by nuclear fusion but nuclear friction. Because of the still not well understood factor that keeps protons and electrons apart.

3.2 Instead of decreasing the space between the protons and electrons, kryptonian atoms would tap into what for many years was called vaccum energy, more known now has quantum energy. So basically Superman and kryptonians alike would tap into the most powerful energy we know of. Quantum energy. It's that same energy that (in theory) keeps protons and neutrons apart, makes nuclear fusion so hard to make it work outside of stars, powers white dwarfs and neutron stars, and for all we know it's what also enables black and white holes to exist.

3.3 The subatomic effect on kryptonian physiology would enable their bodies to tap into the EM spectrum. Red stars would only allow for a very limited but still more efficient energy production, making kryptonians super compared to humans, even on Krypton, only not has super has they become when exposed to the sunlight of higher types of stars. G class (our sun) would enable the production of far more energy than a K or M class stars (orange and red), and as they got exposed to higher class of stars the more energy they could tap into.

Basically I'm making (with the exception of point 3.3) kryptonians to be like living miniature stars, that can be as powerful as the normal one's.

But this are my ideas, my view, of how and where Superman gets the energy that he needs to support those levels of power, while keeping him tied up to stars.

And not some other source, like pure psionic/willpower. For that to even be remotely possible, then DC would have to create like a link between Martians and Kryptonians. And use The Burning, origin story that in the pre-N52 explained how green and white Martians came to be, and why they were vulnerable to fire. For kryptonians there would have to be like a different species of The Burning, one that created instead of just destroying, and that somehow they were bound to physical bodies, and that sunlight, just like fire was to Martians, is nothing more than a psychic trigger. Where kryptonians aren't really solar batteries but instead psionically limited to the stars they're exposed to.

This is a interesting theory developed by my good friend Wri-El, that isn't part of the Vine, but does posts his ideas and theories on other comics related sites. But one that I don't actually agree with, because it simply doesn't fit any of the previous versions and current version of Superman.

@heavenlydarkdragon: yeah one of those lol.

Would like to know what differences superman and Superboy have when it comes to powering their very powerful different powers

@stephens2177:

Has I see it there's only one logic approach to Superboy powers.

We know kryptonians need different sunlight to activate their powers, but Kon doesn't. His powers as he said it so many times, come from him, and they rely on his focus.

So what is it about the gene splice that makes Kon so unique.

From today's genetic knowledge, and gene splicing we know that the objective is to add attributes that something else lacks. Now, in both versions his human donor's were human. Pre-N52 was Lex and now it's Lois. Both normal human, not metas. So as far as powers go, he shouldn't receive any from his human part.

And while kryptonians are said to have a much more complex dna than ours, they need a trigger to activate their powers.

So the mix in my opinion worked like this:

The kryptonian genes allow for the absorption/production of huge amounts of energy, and the human part disables the need for a trigger. That also would explain why is powers are actually one sole power. Telekinesis. And not physical stuff.

Kryptonians are known to possess natural high intellects. Above human level. While we humans possess extremely inefficient biological energy storage capabilities. So Kon, somehow inherited a kind of middle ground. He can absorb energy from his environment, he doesn't need sunlight, and although some of his higher body functions work naturally, like not needing to eat, sleep or breath. Other things like his strength, invulnerability and flight do require him to consciously draw more energy to him. That are all part of is telekinesis. Telekinesis that is a result of higher brain function, that comes from his kryptonian side.

That's why I believe that when Superman had to place his bio-armor on Superboy to save his life, his telekinesis was severely reduced. Superman said it himself, that what he was seeing looked more like Kon TK had been compressed into a more compact form, that still granted him superhuman abilities, but were not connected to his TK, but were actually something physical. Even his TK was reduced to how the original Kon from pre-N52 worked. Basically the bio-armor that was designed to respond to kryptonian dna, reinforced his kryptonian side while diminishing his human side.

This is my theory. Or at least one of them. The one I believe to be more accurate.

@heavenlydarkdragon: I actually really liked that explanation,and I wouldn't mind DC using this as the blueprint for the new kon