Kryptonite is the most harmful substance a superhumanly powered Kryptonian can encounter, as extended exposure to it can be fatal. However, this is not the only deadly radiation that can cripple a Superman. There is also... Q-Energy!
The Superman of Earth-One first encountered Q-Energy in February 1968, shortly after a prominent scientist named Lorraine Lewis discovered it. She had on three separate occasions tried to assist the man whom she secretly loved, Superman, using her intelligence and her inventions. However, each time, it was three other women with double L initials... Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris... who ultimately helped him and outshined Lorraine. Seeking revenge, she devised a trap harnessing the Q-Energy that would kill Superman, although this backfired as he escaped... and it killed her instead.
However, when explaining this mysterious radiation to Superman, Lewis said that it came from "another dimensional universe". And a few years later, some agents sent by the Weaponers of Qward from the Anti-Matter Universe used weapons charged with Q-Energy to immobilize Superman, and then use him as a conduit to mentally mesmerize the entire population of Earth-One in order to control and colonize it. Thankfully, the android Red Tornado proved immune to this energy, and destroyed Qward's device freeing humanity. During this encounter, Kaman who led the Weaponers, was curious as to why Tornado was immune to it. Part of this was due to his android nature, part due to his origin.
Red Tornado originated in the Earth-Two universe, having crossed over to Earth-One while saving the world of his "birth". Interestingly, another resident from his universe, Princess Ramia of the planet Myrg, possessed this energy. Ramia brought Q-Energy with her in June 1966 to Earth-One, while being pursued by her tyranical suitor Prince Peril, using it to enable Doiby Dickle's cab Goitrude to fly. Ramia, Doiby and Peril returned to Earth-Two's universe... with the latter defeated by the Green Lanterns of both Earths... while the former two ended up marrying. However, some of Ramia's Q-Energy remained on Earth-One*, later discovered first by Lorraine. Meanwhile, Kaman’s technicians on Qward harnessed a version of Q-Energy in their universe to empower the Thunderers’ Qwa-Bolts..
Q-Energy's properties include, but are not limited to: anti-gravity or flying, mind-control, potent energy blasts. It seems this may be the Earth-Two universe's equivalent to the emerald energy harnessed by the Guardians of the Universe and their Green Lantern Corps... a portion of which they sent to Earth-Two's universe to stabilize this subsection of the multiverse. It seems, that the Q-Energy arriving from Earth-Two to Earth-One helped rebalance both universes... as each had the others' energy**. As would the Anti-Matter universe of Qward.
* After the taxi cab Goitrude was injected with Q-Energy by Ramia, the energized form of Sinestro entered the taxi and absorbed the energy from it. Sinestro was then restored to his physical form and became a carrier of the energy, spreading it both throughout Earth-One’s plane of existence and that of Qward’s, where he periodically returned to on occasion.
** Q-Energy also existed in Existence Level 24 in the 86th planet known as Gobdor which like Earth-Two was in a parallel dimensional plane to that of Earth-One. A tele-vis director used a device to manipulate this energy against the Flash of Earth-One, controlling molecular bonds in water and causing the speedster to become super-heavy. Similarly, the Thinker and later Vandal Savage used a heavy ray device versus his arch-enemy, the Flash of Earth-Two. Undoubtedly, this was most probably powered by Q-Energy. As for the Earth-One Flash being a carrier of Q-Energy prior to Princess Ramia's appearance on Earth-One, this seems improbable as the Scarlet Speedster had complete control over his molecules, and returned to normal following his encounter with the Gobdor people.
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