Kryptonite Man was the ruler of a race of hairless, tough-skinned, humanoids that inhabited Krypton ("Ny'L'Uyl" in his tongue) one hundred thousand years before the births of Superman and Supergirl.
History
Feeling threatened by the proximity of a passing meteor, the Kryptonite Man's race decided to build an underground complex of stasis chambers where they would sleep for twenty years until the surface was habitable again. Their ruler was to stay outside in order to watch and wait from the planet's highest point. When the meteorite -which they called "Wanderer World"- came near, he programmed the stasis chambers to awaken them after two decades and put himself to sleep.
Still something went wrong, and he woke one hundred millennia later to find Krypton was inhabited by another race, and his own people was missing. He prepared himself to seek them out when the planet exploded. A chunk of the mountain he stood upon was spared, and he survived by absorbing Kryptonite radiation. He managed to endure until he came upon an alien starship belonging to a race known as the "Seeders". He brutalized the crew and stole their starship, determined to search the universe and find any survivors of the humanoid Kryptonian race whom he blamed for destroying Krypton in his madness.
During his travels he found Superman and followed him back to Earth. Kryptonite Man attacked the Man of Steel. And although Superman tried to tell him the truth, Kryptonite Man wouldn't listen. He was about to kill Superman when a fleet of Seeders turned up, intending to make Kryptonite Man pay for his actions, even if they had to destroy Earth.
The ensuing melee drew Supergirl's attention, which joined the melee. Kryptonite Man was eager to take on the Kryptonian pair and the Seeders at once. Kryptonite Man was actually driving back both Kryptonians in spite of the Seeder starship draining his Kryptonite energies when the alien ship bombarded him with waves of super-charged radiation. Enraged, Kryptonite Man streaked towards the ship, ignoring the waves of energy disintegrating his body and crashed into it. K-Man blew up together with the alien craft.
After the battle, Superman and Supergirl wondered if Kryptonite Man was trying to prevent another world from being destroyed or he was just murderously mad.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Ny'L'Uyl Physiology: Kryptonite Man shares many powers with Superman's race, but the Man of Steel notes K-Man lacks several of them, such like super-speed and super-breath.[1]
- Superhuman Strength
- Superhuman Durability
- Flight
- Energy Projection
- Self-Sustenance: As long as Kryptonite Man's body has stored enough Kryptonite radiation, he is able to survive in the space vacuum.
Abilities
Weaknesses
- Kryptonite Man's powers are dependant on the amount of Kryptonite radiation stored in his cells. If said radiation is drained, he can be hurt and even killed.
Notes
- This version of Kryptonite Man, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.
Recommended Reading
Main article: Supergirl Recommended Reading
Related
- 3 Appearances of Kryptonite Man (Earth-One)
- 1 Images featuring Kryptonite Man (Earth-One)
- 1 Quotations by or about Kryptonite Man (Earth-One)
- Character Gallery: Kryptonite Man (Earth-One)
Footnotes
  This character has been primarily an enemy of Superman in any of his various incarnations, or members of the Superman Family. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Superman Villains category." |
 This character, team, or organization, is or was primarily an enemy of Supergirl. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Supergirl Villains category." |