What blew up Krypton?

[DrNewGod]

Normally, I try to keep an open mind about Krypton's destruction since it's just a small aspect in Superman's history. What matters is that Krypton blew up and Superman survived to have a full life. Krypton's destruction, in my opinion, isn't something that should be constantly modified because it doesn't need to be modified. Who cares if it was a natural disaster or an act of terrorism? Make all the explanations you want, but Superman's personality and ideals wouldn't change.

IMO, it's a function of writers that feel an adversarial confrontation isn't compelling without some kind of vengeance-driving personal stake in the conflict. Superman's home is Earth, and has been for almost all of his remembered existence, nor is he usually portrayed as a Kryptonian Patriot, so I'm not really sure a "[insert supervillain] destroyed my home" approach is right for Superman.

[adrikito]

i don't think superman needs a primal villain who still plagues him to this day. Natural causes was fine and should be left alone.

same opinion.

[Lvenger]

I don't think Superman needs a primal villain who still plagues him to this day. Natural causes was fine and should be left alone.

+1 on that opinion for Krypton's destruction.

[Zero Hunter]

I have always liked it better when Krypton was destroyed through natural causes or because of the Kryptonians own actions. I don't like Brainiac being connected to Krypton in anyway except for him stealing Kandor, but the TV show saying that because of Brainiac stealing Kandor it started the chain of events that two hundred years latter led to the destruction event was a very clever idea. I could see the taking of Kandor and the proof of alien life making the Kryptonians paranoid about aliens after that and them tapping the planets core for more power for defense and such.

[Kuwagaton]

Over the years with Superman (though I did not give Truth a fair shake anyway) I've come to think that there are very few things for me that "must be." No sacred cows, especially with the origin. I really hated the birthing matrix at first, for example, and now I miss it. Krypton dying of natural causes will always be that respectable default, but it's really fun when it's used instead of perched on a shelf.

For me the big thing is answering a simple problem: why would a planet full of scientists just shrug off a scientific finding instead of doing the work to see if Jor-el was right? And then they just got caught butt naked when the end of the world started going down?

IMO, it's a function of writers that feel an adversarial confrontation isn't compelling without some kind of vengeance-driving personal stake in the conflict. Superman's home is Earth, and has been for almost all of his remembered existence, nor is he usually portrayed as a Kryptonian Patriot, so I'm not really sure a "[insert supervillain] destroyed my home" approach is right for Superman.

Of all the villains at that "evil Superman" level of strength and "like Superman but angry" story parallels, this is one of the ones significantly bolstered by a whole world of developments outside of his plain threat. Even if Bendis plays the Zaar story straight, he still put in the work. Zaar is mysterious and we have no way of knowing how to assess his story until it's done. He's also shown that instead of Superman being vengeful, like say Batman if a villain killed the Waynes, he's mournful. Superman is not a character of vengeance and so I don't think that "villain who made the hero" trope really plays here like it does everywhere else. Whether or not Zaar killed Krypton, he definitely killed Kandor and the Els really haven't sunken to his level of animosity at all.

[Jon Clark]

Over the years with Superman (though I did not give Truth a fair shake anyway) I've come to think that there are very few things for me that "must be." No sacred cows, especially with the origin. I really hated the birthing matrix at first, for example, and now I miss it. Krypton dying of natural causes will always be that respectable default, but it's really fun when it's used instead of perched on a shelf.

For me the big thing is answering a simple problem: why would a planet full of scientists just shrug off a scientific finding instead of doing the work to see if Jor-el was right? And then they just got caught butt naked when the end of the world started going down?

Because the Council already knew Jor-El was wrong. If he was right they'd have known it and have already resolved the problem. Accepting that his research was worth looking at would be admitting they weren't in complete control of Krypton. The Council was basically made up of guys who had a vested interest in Jor-El being wrong- like a tobacco company being shown a study connecting smoking to cancer or an oil company being shown data on climate change. Or the Pope being shown evidence that the Earth was not the center of the Universe.


Personally, if I was telling the story I'd add in a history of people who had seen the same things Jor-El had, but that each one had predicted the destruction to have already occurred so that most scientists now considered the idea as a discredited idea.

[Flash Gordon]

Gene Simmons blew it up in those Earth One books that JMS did.

[Kuwagaton]

Because the Council already knew Jor-El was wrong. If he was right they'd have known it and have already resolved the problem. Accepting that his research was worth looking at would be admitting they weren't in complete control of Krypton. The Council was basically made up of guys who had a vested interest in Jor-El being wrong- like a tobacco company being shown a study connecting smoking to cancer or an oil company being shown data on climate change. Or the Pope being shown evidence that the Earth was not the center of the Universe.


Personally, if I was telling the story I'd add in a history of people who had seen the same things Jor-El had, but that each one had predicted the destruction to have already occurred so that most scientists now considered the idea as a discredited idea.

Unlike your other examples, we're talking about scientists. Science is based on research, and this research came from their most respected scientist, not just some end of the world loon. If he was completely wrong they could prove it, and the chance of him being right meant absolutely every single one of them would die painfully. So there was still no consideration at all for precaution, even when they already knew earth would make an all powerful safe haven that could easily be molded.

My reference is Superman #53 btw.

[Minerboh]

Ιn the Donner films, it was the central star of Krypton's system that went nova and destroyed the planet.
In the DCEU, i do not remember what caused the explosion. Was it explained?

[Kuwagaton]

That was a little closer to the greedy industry allusion. Krypton was harvesting its planets as well as conquering them, but the harvesting process drew from the core and at least made Krypton itself unstable.

[Celgress]

I liked the Krypton show's version where Brainiac taking Kandor led to the core becoming unstable.

I liked it as well.

[Mistah K88]

Now did the DCAU (Specifically Superman the Animated Series) come up with Brainiac being connected to Krypton's destruction? As it is the first time I remember anyone connecting the two... Now granted in that cartoon Krypton blowing up was still due to unknown natural causes so Brainiac wasn't REALLY responsible, he was just lazy because he didn't want to be tasked with finding a solution so he just lied about the problems of the planet. (A.I. everyone...it doesn't want to do it's job....even on Krypton). Was there any comics before the DCAU that had Brainiac as the cause of Krypton's demise?

[Restingvoice]

Seeing people including in the government refuse to believe that global warming is happening or at least trying to ignore it because it hurts their industry or funding, I came to like the self-inflicted caused by hubris version.

[Captain Smith]

We will find out that the house of Trump-el did it. Thanks for the answers.

[Osiris-Rex]

Normally, I try to keep an open mind about Krypton's destruction since it's just a small aspect in Superman's history. What matters is that Krypton blew up and Superman survived to have a full life. Krypton's destruction, in my opinion, isn't something that should be constantly modified because it doesn't need to be modified. Who cares if it was a natural disaster or an act of terrorism? Make all the explanations you want, but Superman's personality and ideals wouldn't change.

One TV Supergirl it doesn't seem to be either. It was the Kryptonians themselves by overusing the planet's natural resources.