Kryptonian

Kryptonian
Flag of Krypton
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Action Comics #1 (June 1938)
Created by	Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Characteristics
Place of origin	Krypton
Notable members	Kal-El Jor-El Lor-Van Lara Lor-Van Zor-El Alura Karsta War-Ul Kara Zor-El Cir-El (half-Kryptonian half-human heritage) Ariella Kent (half-Kryptonian half-metahuman heritage) Kon-El (half-Kryptonian half-human DNA) Jon Lane Kent (half-Kryptonian half-human heritage) Jon Kent (half-Kryptonian half-human heritage) General Zod Ursa Non Nam-Ek Seyg-El Thara Ak-Var Lor-Zod Dev-Em Jax-Ur Mala Faora Quex-Ul Astra Krypto (Kryptonian dog) Beppo (Kryptonian monkey) Doomsday (prehistoric Kryptonian) Karen Starr (Powergirl, Earth-2) Bizarro (Kryptonian clone) Val-Zod (Superman, Earth-2) H'El (Kryptonian clone) David Conner/Eradicator Kong Kenan (metahuman with half-Kryptonian elements) Kal-Il (Ultraman, Earth-3)
Inherent abilities	None Under yellow sun: Superhuman strength, stamina, endurance, speed, agility, reflexes, intelligence, longevity, and hearing Solar radiation absorption and projection Enhanced vision EM spectrum vision Microscopic vision X-ray vision Telescopic vision Infra-red vision Invulnerability Ice and wind breath Flight Heat vision

Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race within the DC Comics universe that originated on the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman. The stories also use "Kryptonian" as an adjective to refer to anything created by or associated with the planet itself or the cultures that existed on it.

Members of a dominant sentient species of the planet Krypton are indistinguishable from Terran humans in terms of their appearance in their physiology and genetics, but they are vastly different. In some continuities Kryptonians are difficult to clone because their DNA is so complex that human science is not advanced enough to decipher it. The cellular structure of Kryptonians allows for solar energy to be absorbed at extremely high levels. On the planet Krypton, whose parent star has often been depicted as an ancient red supergiant with a relatively low energy output, their natural abilities were the same as humans. When exposed to a young yellow star like Earth's Sun, which is much smaller than their own sun and with a vastly higher energy output, their bodies are able to absorb and process so much energy that it manifests as vast superhuman powers (such as superhuman strength, superhuman speed, invulnerability, flight, x-ray vision, heat vision and superhuman senses).

Almost all Kryptonians were killed when the planet exploded shortly after the infant Kal-El was sent to Earth. In some continuities, he is the planet's only survivor. In other versions of canon, there is a last daughter of Krypton Kara Zor-El, cousin of Superman and known as Supergirl. Krypto was the family dog in Jor-El's home and was used for a test flight of the rocket that ultimately brought baby Kal-El to Earth. These three were the surviving Kryptonians, who became Earth's heroes.