I've had all I can stand and I can't stand it anymore. The one "reason" I hate the most in terms of low-balling Superman isn't the excuse that "he is invincible". It's not even the nerve-racking "Superman isn't that smart" or even the propaganda that is known as "Superman can't fight because he relies solely on power as opposed to prowess." It's, you guessed it, "All you have to do is grab some kryptonite and the guy's toast!" "Fashion kryptonite into bullets and he's finished!" That is the most infuriating thing I have ever heard in all my years as a Superman fan.
If it were really that easy, why hasn't he been killed by that stuff awhile back? Kryptonite may not have been around as long as he has, but it was still existent long enough to be used in a storyline to kill him (in the mainstream universe). And about the bullets, people forget he is "Faster than a speeding bullet". The bullets being made out of kryptonite won't make them go any faster. And I'm pretty sure that with super-vision and the ability to perceive the world in slow motion with his speed, he would notice that the bullets are GREEN and will take measures to avoid them. The only reason why people think that is because they have been misled by sorry, lazy, prejudiced authors. The cartoon movies and animated series are the primary reason for this obviously. Never mind Smallville. That is a whole nother discussion. They constantly use kryptonite to render him completely helpless and it's sickening and aggravating to say the least. That's why I'm glad to have learned of its use (or uses) in the comics. To this end, I'll tell all those misinformed dudes and dudettes the REAL truth about kryptonite and Supes.
Superman has four enemies who use kryptonite effectively against him: Lex Luthor (his battlesuit being powered by kryptonite energy and having a kryptonite arsenal), Metallo (a cyborg with a kryptonite heart that emits the radiation in a very painful way), Kryptonite Man (there are different versions, but each of them have proven a major threat to him), and Conduit (basically an improved version of Kryptonite Man). Despite this, on almost every occasion they've gone after him, HE, Superman, was the one left standing. If he wasn't, he'd be dead, right? Now, to be fair, I will admit that often his victories against these opponents have involved assistance and intelligence more than anything, but there are notable occasions where he has bested them in combat in addition to there being hypothetical ways for him to win.
*He has fought and defeated a kryptonite-suited Luthor during the Public Enemies storyline
*In Secret Origin, he beat Metallo by slamming a manhole cover over his heart and suffocating him in space
*On each occasion he fought Conduit, despite his kryptonite blasts seriously hurting him, he still beat him each of the three-four times they fought
*When he fought K-man (Clay Ramsay), he had help from Steel, who gave him a radiation suit, and because of this, he won. But before that, and the new 52 in general, anyone with kryptonite would prove ineffective due to the one thing:
Lead. He can't see through it, but it protects him from kryptonite radiation. Prior to the new 52, he built himself a lead-lined radiation suit and was able to trounce anyone with kryptonite. And if it weren't for sorry, lazy, prejudiced authors causing him not to think about it despite his eidetic memory, super-brain, and common sense, NO ONE would be saying that "you will automatically win against Superman with kryptonite". And even if he didn't have the lead, he could still at least hold his own with his ranged powers. He could fly out of the radiation's range and either blast the guy with heat vision or freeze him in a block of ice. As if he isn't smart enough to think of that (again, SLP Authors).
Of course, traditionally, kryptonite's effects solely depend on the writer, but if I was writing it for Supes' stories, personally, I would make it so that it could hurt and kill him, but NOT weaken him in any way whatsoever. He already has a weakness that does that: Red Sun Radiation. Magic can be used to drain his power, too, but NO! It has to be kryptonite! Does anyone else feel this way? Sensitive and angry about DC's flagship character and the blueprint of all modern superheroes is constantly being mocked for his susceptibility to a green home-stone on different levels due to age-old inconsistences and shameless neglect?
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