While most fans know Superman‘s immense power is thanks to radiation from Earth’s yellow sun, many might not know that a different kind of radiation is also one of his biggest weaknesses. Countless foes have used various strategies to dampen Superman’s strength; from sound amplifiers that deafens his super-hearing, to locking him in a room with kryptonite, to exploiting his vulnerability to magic. However, perhaps Superman’s most exploitable weakness has been overlooked by writers in recent years – red sun radiation.
This weakness isn’t new to comics as it debuted in the Silver Age of Comic Books. The Silver Age was certainly a strange time for Superman. Many of his stories dealt with ridiculous scenarios that writers have since retconned. Some examples include Superman sneezing away solar systems and shooting rainbows out of his hands. The Silver Age is primarily known for being a joke in DC Comics history, however, there were hidden gems in the era, introducing some of the most classic Superman traits.
Action Comics #300 by Edmund Hamilton, Curt Swan, and Al Plastino introduced the first time an adult Superman dealt with a red sun, like Krypton’s. Superman was sent one million years into the future where Clark caught sight of the Superman Revenge Squad, a group of mischievous time travelers. As he was chasing them through time, he suddenly lost his ability to fly thanks to this future world’s red sun and was stranded in a Metropolis with little to no resources. Some DC Animated Universe fans may recognize this as the premise for “Hereafter,” an episode of Justice League which adapted this story. He finds a way to get back home via more time travel, but Superman was nervous. He thought being stranded under a red sun might be the end of him. But a red sun doesn’t take away Clark’s determination.
Red sun radiation doesn’t necessarily weaken Superman; it merely leaves the Kryptonian at his most human-like state. However, there have been times where Superman encounters weaponized versions of red sun radiation. For example, at the beginning of Injustice 2, Batman threatens him with a red solar grenade to stop Clark from going down a dark path. The last Czarnian, Lobo, also has weaponized red sun blasters that hurt Superman during their frequent battles. Red sunlight opens several options to take down Superman, as well as any other Kryptonian.
Superman himself can have uses for red sun radiation, too. If Superman wants to revert himself to a more human-like state, he can bathe under red solar energy without pain. Many fans still wonder how Superman and Lois Lane can conceive a son without Lois being destroyed. It’s entirely conceivable that Clark willingly exposing himself to red sun radiation could allow the Man of Steel to be intimate with a human woman without causing harm.
Kryptonite may be the most well-known of Superman’s weaknesses, but it’s far from his only one. It can get tiring to see a glowing green rock used so often as a plot device to defeat Superman, so maybe it’s about time writers consider his lesser-known weaknesses.
