Why did he do that?

[xxhanzyxx]

Right guys sorry this is a superman query (but who better to ask than you lot right?)
My mum and I were just watching the original Christopher Reeves superman film and it came to the scene where Supermans home planet was going to blow up (for what better word) And supermans dad lays Clark into the cot and sends him on his way (well done dad)
I thought nothing of it until about ten minutes later my mum turned to me, clearly confused and said
"The green rock... that hurts Superman doesnt it?"
"Yes thats Kryptonite mum" I replied knowledgeably
"Well why did Supermans dad put it in the crib with him before sending him to earth?"
I sat and looked at her in silence, the comic geek didnthave an answer to give, so tail between my legs I ask of you to give me an answer please so that I can tell my mum :)

Thank you

[Game Weasel]

This one mostly comes down to a simple misrepresentation within the movie universe.

Traditionally, in the comic universe, Kryptonite is dangerous because it is shards of Krypton that became irradiated during the eruption that blew up Kal-El's home planet. This makes kryptonite very dangerous to Kal, but also dangerous to any normal human. In earlier plots within the comics Luthor got cancer due to prolonged exposure to Kryptonite due to all his attempts to kill Superman.


Now if we followed this logic in the movie, than the shard of the planet that Jor-El put into Kal's escape pod should be completely innert, it shouldn't even be green, just a simple piece of mineral crystal from Kal-El's home world, placed there by a loving father who wanted his son to have a piece of their planet to keep with him always. A way for him to always have a little piece of his home.


Enter the movie industry. The Donner films did an excellent job of trying to capture Superman's essence, but they had a few little blooper moments too, such as the Kryptonite. They just seemed to run with the idea that the planet's chunks somehow drain and weaken Superman. No radiation required, just being a chunk of the planet was enough.

Of course... If you think about that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If the planet itself weakened him then how the heck did his people even survive on a world which saps them of all physical strength? Basically just a case of Hollywood not putting full detail into aspects of the back story, nothing particularly unusual. :)

[xxhanzyxx]

This one mostly comes down to a simple misrepresentation within the movie universe.

Traditionally, in the comic universe, Kryptonite is dangerous because it is shards of Krypton that became irradiated during the eruption that blew up Kal-El's home planet. This makes kryptonite very dangerous to Kal, but also dangerous to any normal human. In earlier plots within the comics Luthor got cancer due to prolonged exposure to Kryptonite due to all his attempts to kill Superman.


Now if we followed this logic in the movie, than the shard of the planet that Jor-El put into Kal's escape pod should be completely innert, it shouldn't even be green, just a simple piece of mineral crystal from Kal-El's home world, placed there by a loving father who wanted his son to have a piece of their planet to keep with him always. A way for him to always have a little piece of his home.


Enter the movie industry. The Donner films did an excellent job of trying to capture Superman's essence, but they had a few little blooper moments too, such as the Kryptonite. They just seemed to run with the idea that the planet's chunks somehow drain and weaken Superman. No radiation required, just being a chunk of the planet was enough.

Of course... If you think about that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If the planet itself weakened him then how the heck did his people even survive on a world which saps them of all physical strength? Basically just a case of Hollywood not putting full detail into aspects of the back story, nothing particularly unusual. :)



WOW thankyou for that brilliant answer, it was more than I was looking for :) can go tell my mum now in confidence lol ;)