Do you think other Kryptonians could have survived Krypton's destruction?

[Castiel]

I mean Jor El wasn't the only scientist on Krypton I can't imagine that he was the only one that predicted it's destruction. I've always felt that Clark/Cal finding out there are other survivors scattered across the universe would be interesting especially if some were on Earth (in hiding). I came up with the idea after watching Lois and Clark (1990's TV series) and saw a story line where there was if I'm not mistaken a colony of surviving Kryptionians. Ever since I've often wondered what the odds of Cal El and Kara not being the only survivors. I mean at most a few hundred could have been off world I know a few hundred sounds like a lot but compare to numerous species across the DC universe and I think a few hundred scattered kryptonians might fly under the radar.

[adkal]

Others did - a whole city full of them.

It isn't just the prediction of the destruction of Krypton - in various continuities it has been shown that there were others who believed him - but the added aspects of:

- finding an alternative and hospital world
- creating a craft that could get off-world
- creating a craft that could get off-world without being detected and shot down
- creating a craft that could get off-world without being detected and shot down and be able to travel to the alternative planet
- creating a craft that could get off-world without being detected and shot down and be able to travel to the alternative planet without taking centuries to do the journey

And so on.

Anyway, like I said, there are already other survivors. There have been a range of them over the years, including ones hiding on Earth (and being here before Kal arrived)...and, technically, there's at least one in the current movie-verse, too...

[TickTock]

I've always had issues buying that such an advanced race didn't have anyone else offworld. Even if they were still in the vicinity of Krypton. We know there were other inhabited worlds around there (Daxam, fer instance). But compared to Krypton, Earth is in the Stone Age and we're already looking at colonization. I just do not believe that such an advanced race did not have space stations and colonies out there (even if they were just from before isolationism). I mean, they were advanced enough for Jor-El to create some FTL ships. That's not just technology you'd invent on the fly. I feel like lost Kryptonian colonies is a story waiting to happen.

[Jim Kelly]

For a question like this, you have to ask which Krypton before you can answer it, because there have been several and the answer is different for each one.

[adkal]

In the MoS-verse, the Zod Crew spent 33 years trying to find an existing colony. They failed.

Before the New52 relaunch we learned there were Kryptonian colonies out there (or there used to be) and it's suggested that there is a lost city out there (in this continuity the bottled city of Kandor wasn't Kryptonian).

In the Byrne-verse, the activation of the Eradicator resulted in the death of any Kryptonian not on Krypton, and stopped any other Kryptonian from being able to leave the planet until Jor figured it out and 'corrected' the genetic bond in him, which would then pass on to Kal and enable him to leave.

[Ascended]

I think there's potential to the idea, but its one of those things you cant just do. You have to carefully weigh the pro's and con's and have a solid exit plan in place before you even begin.

I've always struggled with the idea of this myself, and DC has jumped through hoops in every continuity, trying to explain why (almost) no one else survived Krypton's destruction (as well as why so few people noticed it to begin with).

I think that, perhaps, the best and easiest answer lies with the MoS version. Krypton used to have a wide galactic Empire. But they misused their resources and eventually "went broke". They have the technology to travel space, they just can't afford the gas to go anywhere. Without Krypton's aid, none of the colonies could survive on their own, and they eventually died off as well (even if it took generations). There's a lot of obvious social commentary here, and it avoids a lot of complicated nonsense. It also opens up the idea of Clark finding the ruins of these colonies, and whatever the people there may have left behind. And that's a pretty powerful idea full of pathos and emotion, and offers a great way to introduce new concepts.

[Slaughter]

They did. Its called Daxam.
Althrough Daxam seems to always be some colony from the distant past, before the Kryptonians became isolationistic.

[bholderman]

I think there's potential to the idea, but its one of those things you cant just do. You have to carefully weigh the pro's and con's and have a solid exit plan in place before you even begin.

I've always struggled with the idea of this myself, and DC has jumped through hoops in every continuity, trying to explain why (almost) no one else survived Krypton's destruction (as well as why so few people noticed it to begin with).

I think that, perhaps, the best and easiest answer lies with the MoS version. Krypton used to have a wide galactic Empire. But they misused their resources and eventually "went broke". They have the technology to travel space, they just can't afford the gas to go anywhere. Without Krypton's aid, none of the colonies could survive on their own, and they eventually died off as well (even if it took generations). There's a lot of obvious social commentary here, and it avoids a lot of complicated nonsense. It also opens up the idea of Clark finding the ruins of these colonies, and whatever the people there may have left behind. And that's a pretty powerful idea full of pathos and emotion, and offers a great way to introduce new concepts.

This thread and quote open up a lot of exploratory ideas for Superman, great ones. I've been noting an underlying theme through a number of DC titles appreciating, the who am I, where did I come from appreciation. The recent Grayson annual, the "just a guy" statemen and both Clark and Dick ackowledging their changes are a good example.

But does Superman/Clark go on a never-ending journey? Or do we look at things from stand-alone one-shots, where Superman isn't even involved? There was an issue of the Great Adventures of Superman (I think), the short series featuring the more classic Superman. One tale was the encounter between Superman and the Green Lantern of Krypton's sector and was struggling with the remorse of not being able to save the planet.

I'm not sure why I brought particular episode up, but it's one of the reasons I am looking forward to the Krypton tv series, maybe they can come up with some ideas. But yes, there are social, political, historical and even economic issues that could have limited such things, worthy of some very creative writing.

"The Rise and Fall of the Kryptonian Empire," its a tale worth writing.

[FishyZombie]

Maybe the Green Lanterns evacuated some of them?

[Castiel]

Maybe the Green Lanterns evacuated some of them?

Now that I can believe

[5red]

This always used to make me ponder too.

As a kid I watched Doctor Who, and I sometimes wondered if Krypton was a little like Gallifrey -- on Gallifrey you had a race of people so technically advanced that they could travel in time, yet the only examples of Gallifreyans outside of their home planet tended to be rogues, renegades, or oddballs. The sophistication of the Time Lord race meant that they became aloof, distant, and prone to introspection: they simply retreated to their home planet, almost like gods to the top of Mt Olympus, and had little reason to interact with the other 'lesser' planets elsewhere.

The other possibility is that there were religious or cultural reasons why Kryptonians didn't go off planet much. Almost like a cosmic version of the Amish, they chose to isolate themselves for cultural reasons. They could visit other planets, but they preferred not to mix.

And then I think of how many Americans don't even own a passport, let alone have ever strayed outside of US borders, and I begin to wonder that maybe it isn't so mad after all that a technologically advanced and highly sophisticated culture wouldn't have too many people off planet.


R5

[sunofdarkchild]

In the original 1930s version Jor El's baby ship was experimental and no Kryptonian had ever left their planet before.

As the mythos developed and they explored Krypton more it became a more advanced planet and it no longer made sense for Kal El to be the last son, though the way they went about bringing in other Kryptonians still made no sense (what's with these floating Kryptonian cities).

Post-COIE Krypton was an isolationist planet that built a device specifically to ensure that no one could ever contaminate their culture by leaving the planet.

After the 2000s embrace of silver age tropes Krypton went back to being a regular space-faring race and there were again more survivors. At least this time there was an attempt at a colony, though it was only decades later.

[Jon Clark]

I still hold to making Krypton an isolated world where space travel was not a viable option. Heavy gravity making for a high escape velocity. No natural satellites in Krypton's system to allow for an Apollo program or a Mars-base scenario as a step towards interstellar travel. The coming of Brainiac (whatever he's called) is what gives Jor-El the ideas he used to develop the rocket's drive (much like the force-field tech was adapted to create Argo's dome).

[Savage Savant]

This always used to make me ponder too.

As a kid I watched Doctor Who, and I sometimes wondered if Krypton was a little like Gallifrey -- on Gallifrey you had a race of people so technically advanced that they could travel in time, yet the only examples of Gallifreyans outside of their home planet tended to be rogues, renegades, or oddballs. The sophistication of the Time Lord race meant that they became aloof, distant, and prone to introspection: they simply retreated to their home planet, almost like gods to the top of Mt Olympus, and had little reason to interact with the other 'lesser' planets elsewhere.

The other possibility is that there were religious or cultural reasons why Kryptonians didn't go off planet much. Almost like a cosmic version of the Amish, they chose to isolate themselves for cultural reasons. They could visit other planets, but they preferred not to mix.

And then I think of how many Americans don't even own a passport, let alone have ever strayed outside of US borders, and I begin to wonder that maybe it isn't so mad after all that a technologically advanced and highly sophisticated culture wouldn't have too many people off planet.


R5

Great post right here. Yeah even though the Doctor & Superman are pretty different characters, I'd argue they have more similarities than differences. IMO I believe DC/WB & the Superman writers could learn a lot from the Doctor Who series and mythos overall.