Superman : Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

There is no explanation given in the movie why he would think that rock from Superman's planet would have negative effects on him. How did he know? And actually, why does it have that effect on him?

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

'Cause he's Lex F'n Luthor, greatest mind on the planet! Duh!

Seriously, it is a bit of leap in logic. Within the comics, kryptonite was irradiated in the explosion of krypton. It was actually introduced on the radio show, though Jerry Siegel had an idea for something similar, in an unused story.

In the early days it only affected kryptonians; but, in the Post-Crisis revamp, John Byrne presented the idea that it could be harmful to humans, with prolonged exposure.

After it was introduced, we started to get variants of it: red, which has unpredictable temporary effects, gold, which can permanently remove his powers, white, which kills plant life, blue which affects only Bizarro, and some others that were introduced.

Fortunately, Ah keep mah feathers numbered for just such an emergency!

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

So the movie relies on the notion that people should know about kryptonite? That doesn't make sense. The whole movie goes to great length to dumb down every notion so that everybody gets his origins and why he's doing what he does, and yet they leave out something this big?

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

Is there really much explanation needed? It's an element from his home planet that hurts only kryptonians. We got that much from Lex's dialogue, and the comics don't usually go into that much depth about it either.

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

How would they know from where this rock flew, when its source is several galaxies away?

That is a bigger puzzle to me than how Lex would knew it might hurt the man of steel..

Or said differently; I can rationalized that if they would know this to be Kryptonite (which I cannot explain, unless it was on his space pod - and it wasn't) then perhaps this same article with the dude holding the rock also mentioned that the type of radiation from the rock (it glows, remember) was so piercing that even though the rays would pass right through humans then when piercing massive objects like hardened steel, heavy led or let’s say Kryptonians, damage would occur on a molecular level.... and so Lex deduced what he did and took the chance. He is after all a bit of a crazy.




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** I am normally not a praying man, but if you are up there, please save me Superman **

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_spectrometry

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

Lex Luthor knew from the Lois Lane interview with Superman about the kryptonite and that he couldn't see through lead.

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

There was nothing in that interview about Kryptonite.

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Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

This was a plothole. In order for Lex to know the effects of kryptonite he would have to see Superman's reaction to kryptonite.Another question is how could Lex knew that the rock came from Krypton cause it could have come from anywhere.

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

This was a plothole. In order for Lex to know the effects of kryptonite he would have to see Superman's reaction to kryptonite.Another question is how could Lex knew that the rock came from Krypton cause it could have come from anywhere.

The only logical explanation is that Luthor was a science genius he calculated where Krypton was positioned at in space and figured that the rare green rocks he saw in the article are meteorite radiactive fragments that could be lethal..

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

Well, he read about the meteorite that was found in Addas Abbaba and used logic from what he read about it.
As to why it affects Superman, it is because it is from his home planet.

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

Except there is nothing to suggest that anything from his home planet could hurt him, in dialogue form or in print. Luthor just makes that assumption. There is nothing to suggest the meteorite is radioactive. It makes more sense that Luthor would be doing a series of tests on Superman's invulnerability and come across the meteorite, with odd radiation levels; and, then, run a test. However, the script just went with "It's kryptonite and Luthor is a genius."

When John Byrne revamped the character, in the mid-80s, he addressed the kryptonite issue and how it gets to Earth. There is one piece of kryptonite, embedded on the propulsion system of the capsule (in this version, it's not quite a rocket) that brings Superman here. Someone discovers the system and removes the element and makes tests. Luthor eventually gains control of the kryptonite specimen and has a ring made, with the kryptonite as a stone, to prevent Superman fom coming near him. However, the radiation proves lethal to humans, with prolonged exposure. The ring itself eventually comes into possession of Superman, who gives it to Batman for safekeeping and to use if Superman should ever lose control of his abilities.

In the film, you are left to fill in a lot of gaps with your own ideas and knowledge of Superman's history. In the end, the audience didn't care.

Fortunately, Ah keep mah feathers numbered for just such an emergency!

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

As mentioned here, the meteorite had radioactivity in it, so that was why he deduced it would be lethal to Superman.

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

Luthor acknowledged that a meteorite found in Addis Ababa is actually a radioactive piece from the explosion of Krypton..

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

I always figured that since radioactive pieces of OUR home world would negatively affect US ( most likely kill us) that Luthor's deduction was rather elementary.

Also he read in the article that Superman was "over 21" and clearly closer to 30 from the photograph.

So he deduces that he must've landed in our atmosphere roughly thirty years prior and if his planet exploded around the same time as his lift off, then debris probably traveled with him.

It's not too grand a leap for a mad genius like Lex.

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

This may sound dumb on my part, but I watched this movie over 100 times and I never caught the speech...when young Clark creates the fortress of solitude and finds Jor-El Marlon Brando...it goes to a star field voice over...at the end of it, we "arrive back on Earth" where 12 years have passed. In essence, he'd traveled twice. This was to bridge the gap between the two actors Jeff East & Chris Reeve. And to explain why he is 30. Amazing.

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

He's able to think for himsef. He's probably able to pay attention to the dialogue in movies so that he can pick up on little tidbits like that.

Glasgow's FOREMOST authority Italics = irony. Infer the opposite please.

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

Kryptonite on its own could never reached Earth. Even with Krypton exploding and escaping Krypton's gravity and its Sun they never moved faster than light aka Warp Speed or hyperspace. It would take at least hundreds of thousand years to reach Earth and if they luckily had a clear trajectory to Earth not hitting any planet, moon, star or any asteroid on its way. Then it will have to deal with Earth's atmosphere of burning it up.

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

It's obviously a minor plothole

"Some people are immune to good advice."
-Saul Goodman

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

This must be the reason the movie flopped at the box office and is the least well received Superman movie.

Oh... wait.

"Who can't use the Force now?! I can still use the Force!" - Yarael Poof

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

I feel dumb. I still don't totally get it, but even Otis got it.

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Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

That's the same thing I thought of when I just rewatched it on Netflix. Also I hated the 2nd and 3rd movie due to Superman using powers he doesnt have. Such as making Lois forget by kissing her and using some kind of power by pointing his finger. Zod also did the same thing.

Re: Kryptonite: how did Lex know?

There is a 3 hour version of the movie. Perhaps it is explained there.

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