What does pink Kryptonite do to Superman? Explained

Kryptonite is a vital material for Superman and other Kryptonians. This includes pink Kryptonite, blue Kryptonite, gold Kryptonite and more such colorful rocks from the DC universe. This controversial material keeps cropping up in different storylines of the Superman series.

It is essential to know about Kryptonite because of the effect it has on the Superhero. Now that various colours of the material have been introduced to DC fans, a look into the influence of each is warranted.

Though introduced almost two decades ago, pink Kryptonite is rarely brought back into stories. It is therefore pertinent to ask what the writers intended to show with this substance, since it affects Superman’s gender-specific behaviour. This article explores the various aspects of pink Kryptonite – how it works and what its variations are.

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Pink Kryptonite: What is it?

This Kryptonite is a version of the Green Material from Krypton (Image via DC and Mercado Livre)

Presented first in Supergirl Vol.4 #79 in 2003, pink Kryptonite was an amusing and controversial addition to the story. Exposure to this stuff changed the flying hero’s behavior towards Jimmy. He then complimented Jimmy’s choice of clothing, referring to his looks in a bow tie. Moreover, the superhero admired the window design near Jimmy Olson.

Though clichéd, the transformed dialogs and behavior hinted at a change in the superhero's gender orientation. It is unclear what the writers wanted to achieve with this. However, readers are still entertained by this transformation in their favorite fighter.

The storyline gives no indication of the origin of the pink-K. It is unclear whether it was lab-created or made accidentally. The red and white Kryptonites come from the original green one, but changed color and properties due to their journey through space and space materials. The pink shade may have also been formed due to the space travel of the green one.

Kryptonite-X and red-green-gold Kryptonite are examples of malevolently created Kryptonite. It could be that pink-K was a similar kind of substance meant to cause confusion in the fighter’s actions and performances. At the very least, it puts him Superman in awkward situations.

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How does Pink Kryptonite affect Superman?

The pink-K changes Superman's gender orientation (Image via Pinterest and iQuilibrio)

With its gender reorientation abilities, pink Kryptonite turned Superman temporarily gay. The otherwise balanced superhero turned funny with his praises on fashion sense and interior décor. This stereotypical attitude was a satire on the plots and characters of Silver Age comics.

However, this bizarre depiction by the writers did not clarify whether this was a one-off case. It leaves a lot to the imagination about the outcomes on a person with a different prior orientation.

The pink super material has had very few panels dedicated to it. Besides the Supergirl comic, it also featured in a short animation called True Colors.

In this episode of Justice League, Firestorm turns Metallo’s Kryptonite heart pink. It transforms the Man of Steel into a Woman of Steel but holds onto his powers and traits.

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Are there other colours of Kryptonite with similar effects?

Superman has come across various colours of Kryptonite (Image via DC Comics)

Green Kryptonite is the original and main material that exists throughout all the stories of Superman. However, pink Kryptonite came into the scenario for a very short spell, and has made just two appearances so far. A similar Kryptonite is the purple one, which too was shown just once.

Krimson Kryptonite was created by Mr Mxyzptlk to give to Lex Luthor. It was not radioactive and temporarily stripped the powers of the Man of Steel.

Regarding the unusual effects, pink Kryptonite can be compared to orange Kryptonite, which gives superpowers to animals, or periwinkle Kryptonite, which takes away all inhibitions.

With various other Kryptonite colours, each offering a different consequence on exposure, this radioactive material from Krypton will continue to add spice to Superman’s life in DC Comics.