Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique radiation that weakens Kryptonians. It is generally harmless to humans in the short term, but deadly in the long term. There are other varieties of Kryptonite, such as red and gold Kryptonite, which have different but still generally negative effects. Due to Superman's popularity, Kryptonite has become a byword for an extraordinary exploitable weakness, synonymous with "Achilles' heel". Batman and Lex Luthor are two notable individuals who have pieces of Kryptonite with them—the former being trusted by Superman to stop him if he goes rogue, and the latter using the mineral to ward off Superman, sometimes incorporating it into weapons to try to kill him.
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283, and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp. It was frequently used in the Superman comics before the continuity was rebooted in the 1980s, after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and has appeared occasionally since.
Bizarro is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68 (1958).
Brainiac is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino and first appeared in Action Comics #242 in July 1958. Brainiac is usually depicted as an extraterrestrial android or cyborg who serves as one of Superman's greatest enemies and a major adversary of the Justice League. He is known for shrinking and stealing Kandor, the capital city of Superman's home planet Krypton, and is even responsible for Krypton's destruction in some continuities.
Doomsday is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as one of Superman's deadliest foes, as well as the Justice League. Created by writer-artist Dan Jurgens, the character had a cameo appearance in Superman: The Man of Steel #17 and made his first full appearance in Superman: The Man of Steel #18.
The Fortress of Solitude is a fictional fortress appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The fortress functions as a place of solace/occasional headquarters for Superman and is typically depicted as being in frozen tundra, away from civilization. Its predecessor, Superman's "Secret Citadel", first appeared in Superman #17, where it was said to be built into a mountain on the outskirts of Metropolis. By issue #58 it is referred to as the Fortress of Solitude, seems at a glance to be a freestanding castle, and is said to be located in a "polar waste". When the Fortress reappears in 1958 and for the first time takes center stage in a story, it is again an underground complex in a mountainous cliffside.
General Zod is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The character, who first appeared in Adventure Comics #283, was created by Robert Bernstein and initially designed by George Papp. As a Kryptonian, he exhibits the same powers and abilities as Superman and is consequently viewed as one of his greatest enemies alongside Lex Luthor, Darkseid and Brainiac.
Superman/Batman is a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular characters: Clark Kent/Superman and Bruce Wayne/Batman. Superman/Batman premiered in August 2003, an update of the previous series, World's Finest Comics, in which Superman and Batman regularly joined forces.
Metron is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
The American comic book character Superman has appeared in many types of media. Since his first comic book appearance in 1938, Superman has appeared in radio, television, movies, and video games each on multiple occasions, and his name, symbol, and image have appeared on products and merchandise.
The Superman dynasty, an extension of the House of El, is a lineage of DC Comics superheroes. The term is used for the descendants of Kal-El, the original Superman, who continue to uphold his legacy of heroism well into the 853rd century, as depicted in the DC One Million crossover. Repeated references to members of the Superman dynasty as Superman's "descendants" and at least one reference to them as the "blood of his blood" would seem to indicate that they are, in fact the biological descendants of Superman in some fashion.
The character of Superman, also known as Kal-El from Krypton, who adopts the identity of Clark Kent when not fulfilling his superhero role, was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and has been continually published in a variety of DC Comics book titles since its premiere in 1938. There have been several versions of Superman over the years, both as the main hero in the stories as well as several alternative versions.
Samuel Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the father of Lucy Lane and Lois Lane and the father-in-law of Clark Kent/Superman.
Christopher Kent (Lor-Zod) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #844 and was created by Richard Donner, Geoff Johns, and Adam Kubert.
The DC Universe Animated Original Movies are a series of American direct-to-video superhero animated films based on the DC Comics characters and stories produced primarily by Warner Bros. Animation. The films are usually stand-alone projects that are either adaptations of popular works or original stories. From 2013 to 2020, the DC Animated Movie Universe was a subset of this series featuring several movies that took place in a shared universe, influenced predominantly by The New 52. They are usually made for an older audience compared to that of the DC animated universe and other projects, and also featuring DCAU alumni such as Bruce Timm, who mainly served as executive producer or as producer until Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, before returning for Justice League: Gods and Monsters.
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is a 2009 animated superhero film based on the DC Comics story arc "Public Enemies" in the Superman/Batman comic book series, written by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, which focused on Superman and Batman teaming up to prevent a meteorite from striking Earth, and taking down Lex Luthor, who has been elected President of the United States. Directed by Sam Liu and released by Warner Bros. Animation on September 29, 2009. It is the sixth film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. The film received generally positive reviews upon release.
Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles is a 2015 animated superhero web series featuring Justice League characters from DC Comics. It first aired on June 8, 2015, on Machinima, a multi-channel network, and was developed by DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation, and Blue Ribbon Content. The series serves as a companion to the animated film Justice League: Gods and Monsters. The first season consisted of three episodes and concluded on June 12, 2015.
Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor, Jr. is a fictional character in the DC Extended Universe based on the DC Comics supervillain of the same name. He is portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg. Luthor first appears in the film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, pitting Batman and Superman against each other in an attempt to eradicate the two superheroes. He also appears briefly in Justice League and its director's cut. Eisenberg's portrayal of Lex Luthor has been described as unorthodox compared to most depictions of the character, with his performance in Batman v Superman receiving mixed reviews at the time, though later retrospective reviews have been more positive.
Lois Lane is a fictional character in the DC Extended Universe, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. As with her comics counterpart, Lane is a reporter for the Daily Planet and the love interest for Clark Kent / Superman. She is portrayed by Amy Adams and appears in all films in the DCEU featuring Superman: Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as well as Justice League and its director's cut. Lois's character was designed to be a modern-day reporter in a world with superheroes.
Dru-Zod is a fictional character in the DC Extended Universe based on the DC Comics supervillain of the same name. He is portrayed by Michael Shannon. Zod first appears in the film Man of Steel as a rogue general trying to lead a coup against the ruling elite of the planet Krypton, forcing the planet's chief scientist, Jor-El, to send his son Kal-El to Earth. Zod is punished for his war crimes, with him and his subordinates intended to be sent to the Phantom Zone, but following Krypton's destruction, he and his followers escape and follow Kal-El to Earth, forcing him to become Superman and protect the planet and its inhabitants. Shannon's portrayal of Zod has received positive reviews, and the character is considered one of the best villains in the DCEU.
