It seems to me that Supergirl may heading in the same direction as Smallville, and overusing kryptonite as a plot device. Any time Kara is battling someone who is not a fellow Kryptonian or a "magician" (like Mr. Mxyzptlk), her opponent uses kryptonite (which is supposed to be a really rare substance) to subdue her. About the only major exception I can think of offhand is in the "How Does She Do It?" episode in Season 1 when Max Lord used a very large conventional explosive bomb (presumably something like a MOAB) to knock Kara out cold.
I'm thinking that the show's writers are probably mostly former English majors who may not realize that the powers of the show's metahuman villains can be easily duplicated by real-world technology today. (This is 2018, not the Silver Age of DC Comics!) Livewire's "lightning bolts" can be mimicked today by a large Tesla coil (yes, the physicist that the car is named after!) or a Van de Graaf generator. Something very similar to Reactron's hot gas (or plasma) blasts can be generated by an electrolaser or an oxyacetylene flamethrower. And thermite produces temperatures in the same range as well. There are ultrasound generators today that can probably come pretty darn close to a Silver Banshee shriek, too. Long-range laser weapons have already been developed that can knock out an incoming missile from a mile away - just check out this GIF:
https://media.giphy.com/media/5Q4u4nJuRcJKmcJHbXi/giphy
I'm not sure if Kara can do that with her heat vision - after all, a mile is a long way off!
(And if that laser can knock out a missile, it ought to be able to knock Kara for a loop, too...)
What I'm trying to say is that with today's rapidly-advancing technology, the human "bad guys" don't always need kryptonite to be a real threat to Supergirl. At least, not on this show, where we've already seen that she is vulnerable to hazards besides kryptonite and "magic".
-
Stewart Tick
- Supergirl General Discussion
- Sunday, 14 January 2018
"Impressive weapons? Buy them in foreign countries? Realize -- Superman has been around for a while -- that they are a waste of money against a Kryptonian?"
Ummm, no ........Not necessarily - at least not against this version (the TV version) of Supergirl. The writers have already shown us that she is vulnerable to conventional weapons, provided that they are powerful enough (not the usual TV show street gangs with AK-47s or Glocks). Remember the "How Does She Do It?" episode in Season 1? Max Lord knocked Kara out cold with a very large conventional high-explosive bomb (probably the equivalent of a MOAB). Then she fell unconscious into the ocean, and the DEO immediately rescued her, apparently because they thought she might drown. There was no kryptonite and no aliens (or alien technology) involved in that scene at all, and yet we saw that Kara was in mortal danger.
Ummm, no ........Not necessarily - at least not against this version (the TV version) of Supergirl. The writers have already shown us that she is vulnerable to conventional weapons, provided that they are powerful enough (not the usual TV show street gangs with AK-47s or Glocks). Remember the "How Does She Do It?" episode in Season 1? Max Lord knocked Kara out cold with a very large conventional high-explosive bomb (probably the equivalent of a MOAB). Then she fell unconscious into the ocean, and the DEO immediately rescued her, apparently because they thought she might drown. There was no kryptonite and no aliens (or alien technology) involved in that scene at all, and yet we saw that Kara was in mortal danger.
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl General Discussion
- # 1
Impressive weapons? Buy them in foreign countries? Realize -- Superman has been around for a while -- that they are a waste of money against a Kryptonian?
"Kryptonite was used far more heavily in some of these episodes than others. In comparison to Smallville, though, I feel like it's a drop in the bucket."
True - I'll agree with you there! (Smallville really got ridiculous with the "kryptonite overkill"...)
"But why would the average criminal have access to these high tech, real world based weapons? Or know how to weaponize them? "
Maybe steal them form their inventor, or from a nearby military installation.(They have those in Southern California...) Maybe they know someone at a military base who has access to weapons like these, and has seen them being tested (and therefore has a good idea how to use them). The motivation to use them could be just to be able to chase Supergirl away, if she shows up (if not personal vengeance). After all, it's still fiction, not the "real world."...
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl General Discussion
- # 2
Yes, you're right - if you look at all the episodes together, kryptonite really hasn't been used as much as I was thinking it was (especially this season).
But at any rate, this version of Supergirl does have other vulnerabilities that human criminals might be able to take advantage of, too. It was a different story on Smallville, because on that show Clark was practically invulnerable to everything except kryptonite.
But at any rate, this version of Supergirl does have other vulnerabilities that human criminals might be able to take advantage of, too. It was a different story on Smallville, because on that show Clark was practically invulnerable to everything except kryptonite.
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl General Discussion
- # 3
Nah, Kryptonite has been pretty scarce, especially since Superman took it all away last season. In Smallville it was literally in nearly every episode, or at least it felt like it, particularly in the earlier seasons. It was like Clark couldn't walk two feet off the farm without running into Kryptonite rocks.
Imra: "What about Tommy and Gina? 'You live for the fight when it's all that you've got!'"
Mon El: "Bon Jovi."
Imra: "Or was that all a lie?"
Mon El: "No. He speaks the truth."
Mon El: "Bon Jovi."
Imra: "Or was that all a lie?"
Mon El: "No. He speaks the truth."
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl General Discussion
- # 4
Another idea - How about Kara taking on the drug lords from the Mexican cartels? Those are certainly standard TV and Hollywood villains, straight out of Central Casting, as they say. Those drug kingpins have all kinds of "big money", and could easily afford the latest high-tech weaponry! Maybe there would be a "turf war" over the National City territory, and Kara decides to get involved to put a halt to the mayhem....
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl General Discussion
- # 5
"Kryptonite was used far more heavily in some of these episodes than others. In comparison to Smallville, though, I feel like it's a drop in the bucket."
True - I'll agree with you there! (Smallville really got ridiculous with the "kryptonite overkill"...)
"But why would the average criminal have access to these high tech, real world based weapons? Or know how to weaponize them? "
Maybe steal them form their inventor, or from a nearby military installation.(They have those in Southern California...) Maybe they know someone at a military base who has access to weapons like these, and has seen them being tested (and therefore has a good idea how to use them). The motivation to use them could be just to be able to chase Supergirl away, if she shows up (if not personal vengeance). After all, it's still fiction, not the "real world."...
True - I'll agree with you there! (Smallville really got ridiculous with the "kryptonite overkill"...)
"But why would the average criminal have access to these high tech, real world based weapons? Or know how to weaponize them? "
Maybe steal them form their inventor, or from a nearby military installation.(They have those in Southern California...) Maybe they know someone at a military base who has access to weapons like these, and has seen them being tested (and therefore has a good idea how to use them). The motivation to use them could be just to be able to chase Supergirl away, if she shows up (if not personal vengeance). After all, it's still fiction, not the "real world."...
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl General Discussion
- # 6
Kryptonite has been used against Kara relatively rarely.
Pilot (very brief use of Green K darts and restraints)
Hostile Takeover (threatened with Green K knife)
Falling (Red K)
Myriad (shot, briefly, in arm with Green K bullet)
Better Angels (fought Green K Exosuit Alex)
Last Children of Krypton (Metallo)
Luthors (Metallo)
Distant Son (Rhea's Green K sai)
Nevertheless, She Persisted (Rhea's Green K sai)
The Faithful (Green K sample from pod)
Crisis on Earth X (Metallo)
Kryptonite was used far more heavily in some of these episodes than others. In comparison to Smallville, though, I feel like it's a drop in the bucket.
But why would the average criminal have access to these high tech, real world based weapons? Or know how to weaponize them? A Luthor, or Max Lord, or Edge, fine. But the average criminal, whether they be human, meta-human, or alien, does what they do for financial gain. If they could afford these high tech weapons, they wouldn't need to resort to criminal activities, unless they're primary reasoning wasn't financial, but personal, such as vengeance against Supergirl.
Pilot (very brief use of Green K darts and restraints)
Hostile Takeover (threatened with Green K knife)
Falling (Red K)
Myriad (shot, briefly, in arm with Green K bullet)
Better Angels (fought Green K Exosuit Alex)
Last Children of Krypton (Metallo)
Luthors (Metallo)
Distant Son (Rhea's Green K sai)
Nevertheless, She Persisted (Rhea's Green K sai)
The Faithful (Green K sample from pod)
Crisis on Earth X (Metallo)
Kryptonite was used far more heavily in some of these episodes than others. In comparison to Smallville, though, I feel like it's a drop in the bucket.
But why would the average criminal have access to these high tech, real world based weapons? Or know how to weaponize them? A Luthor, or Max Lord, or Edge, fine. But the average criminal, whether they be human, meta-human, or alien, does what they do for financial gain. If they could afford these high tech weapons, they wouldn't need to resort to criminal activities, unless they're primary reasoning wasn't financial, but personal, such as vengeance against Supergirl.
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl General Discussion
- # 7
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