Superman's Biggest Fear: It's Not Green Kryptonite!
Superman's Secret Weapon: Gold Kryptonite, the Ultimate Threat
Everyone knows Superman's weakness: Kryptonite. That classic green rock is trouble. But did you know there’s a variant that scares the Man of Steel way more than the good old green stuff? We're talking about Gold Kryptonite and this is going to create a serious challenge to Superman.
This comes from Action Comics #1070 (written by Mark Waid, art by Clayton Henry, colors by Matt Herms, and letters by Dave Sharpe). This newly upgraded fortress is now fully operational, yet a nasty surprise from the Phantom Zone shows up and totally messes things up. A bunch of Kryptonians, fused together into one giant, super-angry being is rampaging through Metropolis. Superman (aided by his cousin Supergirl) tries to stop them but their power is overwhelming.
Imprisoning them back in the Phantom Zone won't work, meaning Superman has only one extremely dangerous choice – retrieve his ultimate secret weapon; the single sample of gold Kryptonite he keeps buried on Earth! Even thinking about this stuff totally freaks him out, but that is just what he’ll need in that incredibly challenging battle. He emphasizes, thinking out loud, the inherent problems: Those kinds of difficulties caused by that green and red varieties might not have permanent results, yet the simple use of gold kryptonite has permanently crippling consequences which cause severe de-powering. The existence itself makes him tremble and shakes him.
Why Gold Kryptonite Is Superman's Worst Nightmare
Superman’s faced tons of Kryptonite-wielding villains—Lex Luthor, Metallo, Titano, the works! Green kryptonite causes intense pain, but it's temporary. He always pulls through! And even Red Kryptonite, the craziness-inducing stuff? It’s been used before – it gave Superman some seriously wacky temporary abilities – or even turned him into a giant ant (yes, really—that happened in Action Comics #296 (1963)!) But even that ridiculousness was brief. Nothing long-term.
But gold kryptonite? That's a permanent, irreversible game changer that only exists because it is unbelievably rare and difficult to create; and for the good people involved it creates a profound problem which affects anyone who gets this specific substance upon their person; even in contact for incredibly short periods! That extremely quick depowering; a tiny bit causing total weakness; completely irretrievable after. It totally disarms powerful Kryptonians and there is no way to reverse this negative consequence for that depowering. And while this rare substance remains exclusive only to him; and even then only one sample exists throughout all of Earth; that knowledge still brings significant dangers to every single Kryptonian in the entire DC universe!
Should Superman Destroy His Ultimate Secret Weapon?
It’s obvious, right? That Gold Kryptonite should be destroyed; getting rid of this serious possibility for depowering himself completely! However this particular substance serves a necessary purpose: Superman knows the risk is real; that potential of complete depowering still remains; this extremely important possibility greatly drives his considerations regarding destroying it entirely.
That thought alone scares him beyond imagination; not just him, but his family! If Superman is this concerned— this is a really critical piece and there could be an alternative that he could take that wouldn't necessarily involve destruction of his most powerful asset! Destroying it completely is an unnecessary risk; especially if there's other ways out that involve other alternatives for handling a catastrophic emergency.
Conclusion: Facing Fear, and the Ultimate Risk
In Absolute Power, Superman experienced the terrifying possibility of complete de-powering – creating those incredibly tense moments and it highlights the potential risks for future storylines. That was just awful; showcasing how truly profound the loss could actually become! Gold kryptonite offered him an escape during this storyline, however this is exactly the kind of potential nightmare fuel to remind viewers about the potential risk. His fear is deeply understandable. Even if it does sound extremely reasonable. He even considered keeping that possibility of utter powerlessness; using it during extreme conditions could have severe long-term consequences for Superman and all Kryptonians, making the simple existence a risk all of those involved have to constantly live with!
That gold kryptonite, his biggest fear, could easily turn into reality. The existence of gold kryptonite remains deeply problematic— its consequences severely terrifying, leading toward those increasingly high-stakes situations; highlighting what truly matters within these kinds of stories; emphasizing just why he should probably destroy this extremely dangerous asset once and for all.
