WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #5!Kryptonite has always been lethal to Superman, with its most common green variation draining his powers, weakening him, and leaving him extremely vulnerable. However, DC just introduced a new way Kryptonite can kill a Kryptonian—one that is brutally effective despite its simplicity.

...depicting Jor and Lara’s deaths in film at the hands of Kryptonite would make the green rock more integral to Superman’s lore than ever before.

Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval, Ulises Arreola, and Becca Carey’s Absolute Superman returns with issue #5, following the Man of Steel as he hunts down Peacemaker Christopher Smith in the present while flashbacks take readers to the destruction of Krypton.

The latter is particularly notable, as it reimagines Superman’s iconic origins with an Absolute Universe twist. Among these changes, Jason Aaron introduces a new, brutally simple yet uniquely effective use of Kryptonite—smashing Kryptonians to death.

Absolute Superman Shows Kryptonians Dying From ‘Kryptonite Impact’

Comic Page Comes From Jason Aaron’s Absolute Superman #5 – Art by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola

When Kryptonite appears in Superman’s stories, it’s usually in small amounts or, if larger, broken into smaller pieces. It’s rare for Superman or any other Super-Family member to encounter massive chunks of Kryptonite—let alone ones large enough to crush multiple Kryptonians mid-air. Yet, Absolute Superman #5 rewrites the deaths of Jor-El and Lara-El by having them presumably killed in this exact way. In this issue, the Els and a group of Kryptonians manage to escape into the sky as their planet begins to self-destruct, thanks to the ship Jor and Lara built.

However, their escape is short-lived. As Krypton’s core implodes, radioactive chunks of the planet—AKA massive hunks of Kryptonite—are blasted into the sky. One enormous piece rips through their ship, sending the Kryptonians plummeting. Fortunately, Jor and Lara’s foresight saves them from immediate death, as the spacesuits they provided had synced with the ship, allowing them to transform into individual escape vessels. But relief is fleeting. More gigantic Kryptonite fragments tear through the sky, crushing the escape ships one by one.

Sandoval’s artwork captures the devastation in stunning yet tragic detail, depicting the ships exploding, with Kal-El’s being the only one shown successfully escaping the atmosphere. While Jor-El and Lara aren’t explicitly shown being destroyed on impact, it’s heavily implied. Kal had been communicating with them moments before, but suddenly, there’s only silence. His present-day narration further reinforces this, as he reflects, “...no matter the depth of the love… it can all go away. Every last speck of it. In an instant.” While there’s a slim possibility that Jor and Lara survived this moment, all signs point to their demise.

Giant Hunks of Kryptonite Smashing Kryptonians Is a Unique Use of the Green Rock

Comic Page Comes From Jason Aaron’s Absolute Superman #5 – Art by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola

Despite the simplicity of Kryptonite chunks flying through the air and killing escaping Kryptonians on impact, the concept is surprisingly unique. Typically, when Kryptonite is used against Superman or his fellow Kryptonians, it’s wielded by a villain, forged into a weapon, or used to weaken them enough for other attacks to be effective. However, in Absolute Superman, Kryptonite isn’t a tool—it’s the threat itself. This fresh take on the iconic lore is especially intriguing, as it plays a pivotal role in redefining how Jor-El and Lara supposedly meet their end.

DC Reimagines Superman’s Parents’ Deaths with Kryptonite as the Killer

Comic Page Comes From Jason Aaron’s Absolute Superman #5 – Art by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola

Despite DC revisiting the destruction of Krypton and the deaths of Jor-El and Lara multiple times across various continuities, their fate has remained relatively unchanged—sending their infant son off in a spaceship while they remain behind, perishing with the planet. However, Absolute Superman introduces a major twist by having Lara, Jor, and several others Kal-El on the ship before meeting their demise in the sky. As previously mentioned, while it’s not entirely certain that Lara and Jor died in the Kryptonite collisions, the implication is strong.

Absolute Superman’s Kryptonite Explosion Needs a Film Adaptation

Comic Page Comes From Jason Aaron’s Absolute Superman #5 – Art by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola

If DC ever decides to revisit Krypton's destruction in film or adapt Absolute Superman, they could draw significant inspiration from Sandoval’s artwork in issue #5. While undeniably tragic, the visuals are breathtaking—particularly the toxic green hunks of Kryptonite streaking across the sky. No existing film has captured Krypton’s destruction with the same striking imagery as this comic, but with today’s technology, it would be entirely possible to do justice to Sandoval’s art and create an adaptation that redefines how audiences perceive the fall of Krypton.

In particular, showcasing Kryptonite smashing into escape ships would fundamentally reshape how people view Superman’s most iconic weakness. Typically, Kryptonite appears in narratives as small, detached fragments, with its origin as pieces of Superman’s homeworld often an afterthought, if acknowledged at all. Seeing it play a direct role in killing Superman’s parents would cement its connection to Krypton’s destruction in the minds of casual fans. If this series serves as inspiration for future films, depicting Jor-El and Lara’s deaths at the hands of Kryptonite would make the green rock more integral to Superman’s lore than ever before.

Absolute Superman #5 is available now from DC Comics!