What Does Blue Kryptonite Do to Superman?

We all know Green Kryptonite as one – of Superman’s greatest weaknesses, appearing in comics quite frequently and yet, being incredibly hard to come by. However, Green Kryptonite is not the only version of the stone. There are other versions of Kryptonite that have different effects on Kryptonians, humans, and other species. So, what does Blue Kryptonite do to Superman?

Blue Kryptonite originally had no effects on Superman and other Kryptonians but had the same crippling effect on Bizarro (Superman’s odd, opposite double) as Green Kryptonite does on Supes. Some versions of Blue Kryptonite stripped Superman of his powers.

But, there’s more. Blue Kryptonite later had healing properties on non-Kryptonians, while in other instances, it made Bizarros highly intelligent, which was terrifying to them. Let’s go through the history of Blue Kryptonite in comics and other media to see its original effects, and all the alternative versions, along with their effects on Superman.

When did Blue Kryptonite first appear & what did it do to Superman?

Blue Kryptonite first appeared in comics back in October 1960, when Superman #140 came out. In the comic, Superman goes to Bizarro World, a place where Bizarro lives – an odd, low-intelligence double from Superman. 

There are numerous Bizarros, even for other Kryptonians like Supergirl, and they were building an advancing army. That’s when real Supes stepped in. He used the Duplicator Ray (which essentially created Bizarro) on Green Kryptonite, making it an opposite double, changing its structure, and making it Blue.

Blue Kryptonite was harmless to Superman and to humans but affected Bizarros dramatically. Essentially, the effects were the same as the effects of Green Kryptonite on Superman. It caused incredible pain, crippling Bizarros. Longer exposures could cause more serious damage, even death.

Other versions of Blue Kryptonite & its effects on Superman

Post-Crisis Blue Kryptonite

This particular version of Blue Kryptonite was natural but had the opposite effect as Green Kryptonite. Again, it did not affect Superman but had great effects on Kryptonian-based Bizarros.

Bizarros were usually very low-intelligent, but exposure to Blue Kryptonite changed that and made them highly intelligent – the longer the exposure, the higher the intelligence. However, that was an incredibly scary process for Bizarros.

Prime Earth Blue Kryptonite

In Action Comics Vol. 2 #16, Blue K-Man is Superman’s enemy and a member of the Anti-Superman Army. He radiates with Blue Kryptonite at a wavelength that, as he states, has cancerous effects – not on the body but the soul. Longer exposures caused spiritual death.

That’s why the Phantom King escaped when he was in the presence of Blue K-Man, as he was an ethereal, spiritual being, meaning the radiation could kill him.

Smallville Blue Kryptonite

This was probably the most interesting version of Blue Kryptonite to me. It first appeared in Season 7 of Smallville as a ring that was given to Clark Kent as a tradition (it was actually a trap). 

While Clark was exposed to the ring, it completely stripped him of his powers for as long as he was exposed. It also made him immune to the effects of Green Kryptonite, which was actually quite handy for him.

The effects were temporary if a Kryptonian was simply in contact with Blue Kryptonite. However, if their DNA were irradiated by it – for instance, if they were stabbed with a knife made out of Blue Kryptonite – it would make them permanently lose powers under a yellow sun but gain powers under a red sun.

Smallville’s Blue Kryptonite also had different effects on Bizarros and other non-Kryptonian beings. Instead of crippling Bizzaro in the same way that Green Kryptonite cripples Superman, Blue Kryptonite overloaded Bizarro with power.

His power levels kept growing rapidly and exponentially, and the process couldn’t be stopped. It came to a point where his power grew so much that his body couldn’t handle it, causing Bizarro to start shaking and eventually explode.

As for humans, animals, crops, and other life on Earth coming into contact with Blue Kryptonite, it had a magical healing effect on them. When chunks of Blue Kryptonite landed in a lake, and people started continually consuming the water, it took them – and their livestock – to the point of perfect physical health.

However, it rendered them somewhat mentally unreliable, even accepting human sacrifice without a second thought.

Super Friends Blue Kryptonite

In the Super Friends TV Series, Superman claimed that Blue Kryptonite is made when the radiation of Red Kryptonite passes through his special blue suit. He then used Blue Kryptonite to reverse the effects of Red Kryptonite, which, in that particular situation, caused Superman to age rapidly.

Supergirl Blue Kryptonite

This particular version of Blue Kryptonite had the same effects as the original Blue Kryptonite from the comics – it crippled Bizarro. The difference is, it wasn’t created with a Duplicator Ray but rather synthesized by the DEO, creating Blue Kryptonite as the opposite of Green Kryptonite, reversing its ionic charge.

Red-Green-Blue-Gold Kryptonite

It’s not Blue Kryptonite, per se. Blue Kryptonite is just one segment of it. In Superman #162 from July 1963, we get an imaginary story called The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue! In the story, Superman creates a machine that uses the amalgamation of Red, Green, Blue, and Gold Kryptonite to boost his intellect. 

However, it splits him into two beings – Superman-Red and Superman-Blue, who go on to live two separate lives.

Is there a way to counteract the effects of Blue Kryptonite?

Like almost every other version of Kryptonite, the effects of Blue Kryptonite can be counteracted with lead. We’ve seen Superman dab with Blue Kryptonite in a lead suit in the comics and even in the Smallville series.