Kryptonopolis
Encyclopedia
Kryptonopolis is a fictional city in the DC Comics
universe. Located on the planet Krypton
, it is the birthplace of Superman
.
. After Kandor was stolen by the alien criminal Brainiac
, Kryptonopolis became the new capital. The history of the city is tied to the history of the El family, the ancestors of Superman, as the original layout was designed by Superman's ancestor, Gam-El.
Kryptonopolis is also the home of Jor-El
and Lara, the parents of Kal-El. When Jor-El's researches discover that Krypton is fated to explode, Jor-El constructs an escape rocket for his young son. Jor-El launches Kal-El (the future Superman) into space shortly before the destruction of Krypton. Kryptonopolis is also destroyed in the explosion.
and Argo
, which are Kryptonian words, "Kryptonopolis" is an anglicisation
. The suffix "opolis" comes from the Greek word "polis
", meaning city, and can be seen in the names of modern Earth cities such as Annapolis, Minneapolis, Indianapolis
and even Superman's home of Metropolis
. How the city was spoken of in the alien language of Krypton has yet to be addressed.
.
In the 2007 novel The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J. Anderson
, Kryptonopolis is established on top of the ancient ruins of Xan City built by the Tyrant Jax-Ur centuries before. After the capital city of Kandor
is shrunk and taken away by the Brain Interactive Construct, Commissioner Zod
takes his followers to the old ruins and announces that he would reestablish the capital city there. While reconstruction of the city is in progress, Zod announces that "Xan City is a mark of the past, a reminder of lost glory". He then proceeds to rechristen the city as Kryptonopolis to "stand for our whole planet, our entire people". When Krypton is destroyed, Kryptonopolis is destroyed along with the rest of the planet, while scientists are trying to make a last minute effort (ineffectual) to create arkships that would allow people to flee from the impending disaster.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe. Located on the planet Krypton
Krypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
, it is the birthplace of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
.
Fictional history
Kryptonopolis was the largest city on Krypton after the capital, KandorKandor
Kandor is the name of the former capital city of the fictional planet Krypton in the DC Universe. It is best known for being stolen and miniaturized by the supervillain Brainiac...
. After Kandor was stolen by the alien criminal Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, Kryptonopolis became the new capital. The history of the city is tied to the history of the El family, the ancestors of Superman, as the original layout was designed by Superman's ancestor, Gam-El.
Kryptonopolis is also the home of Jor-El
Jor-El
Jor-El is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial in the . He was created by the writer Jerry Siegel and the artist Joe Shuster, and he first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 as Superman's biological father....
and Lara, the parents of Kal-El. When Jor-El's researches discover that Krypton is fated to explode, Jor-El constructs an escape rocket for his young son. Jor-El launches Kal-El (the future Superman) into space shortly before the destruction of Krypton. Kryptonopolis is also destroyed in the explosion.
True name
Unlike the cities of KandorKandor
Kandor is the name of the former capital city of the fictional planet Krypton in the DC Universe. It is best known for being stolen and miniaturized by the supervillain Brainiac...
and Argo
Argo City
Argo City is a fictional Kryptonian city in the DC Comics Universe, and the birthplace of Supergirl. Argo City was first seen in Action Comics #252 .-Earth-One:...
, which are Kryptonian words, "Kryptonopolis" is an anglicisation
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
. The suffix "opolis" comes from the Greek word "polis
Polis
Polis , plural poleis , literally means city in Greek. It could also mean citizenship and body of citizens. In modern historiography "polis" is normally used to indicate the ancient Greek city-states, like Classical Athens and its contemporaries, so polis is often translated as "city-state."The...
", meaning city, and can be seen in the names of modern Earth cities such as Annapolis, Minneapolis, Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and even Superman's home of Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
. How the city was spoken of in the alien language of Krypton has yet to be addressed.
Other versions
In Superman #200 (October 1967), an imaginary story has Kryptonopolis, not Kandor, shrunk by Brainiac. This Brainiac is a sympathetic scientist who takes the shrunken city of Kryptonopolis to Earth after the destruction of Krypton. On Earth, it is Kal-El's younger brother Knor-El who becomes Superman; Kal-El instead becomes Hyperman, hero of CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
In other media
In the 1978 film Superman: The Movie, the city of Kryptonopolis is shown in the first part of the film. While the name of the city is not mentioned in the film, it is named Kryptonopolis in the script. In this appearance, Kryptonopolis is portrayed as being constructed out of a white, crystalline material. As in the comic books, Kryptonopolis is destroyed when the planet Krypton explodes.In the 2007 novel The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...
, Kryptonopolis is established on top of the ancient ruins of Xan City built by the Tyrant Jax-Ur centuries before. After the capital city of Kandor
Kandor
Kandor is the name of the former capital city of the fictional planet Krypton in the DC Universe. It is best known for being stolen and miniaturized by the supervillain Brainiac...
is shrunk and taken away by the Brain Interactive Construct, Commissioner Zod
General Zod
General Zod is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, a supervillain who is one of Superman's more-prominent enemies. The character first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
takes his followers to the old ruins and announces that he would reestablish the capital city there. While reconstruction of the city is in progress, Zod announces that "Xan City is a mark of the past, a reminder of lost glory". He then proceeds to rechristen the city as Kryptonopolis to "stand for our whole planet, our entire people". When Krypton is destroyed, Kryptonopolis is destroyed along with the rest of the planet, while scientists are trying to make a last minute effort (ineffectual) to create arkships that would allow people to flee from the impending disaster.