Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Superman, X-Men | Tagged: 5g, grant morrison, the authority

Grant Morrison On The Great Lie Of Kryptonite, 5G And "Lightray Is"

Grant Morrison on The Great Lie Of Kryptonite, 5G and "Lightray Is" from Superman And The Authority back in the day...

Published Fri, 17 Oct 2025 11:57:06 -0500

Article Summary

Grant Morrison reveals the abandoned "Great Lie of Kryptonite" plot from Superman and the Authority's 5G plans.
Kryptonite was intended to be an Earth mineral, making the planet itself toxic to Superman over time.
The original plan involved Lightray ending the threat of Apokolips and exploring cosmic balance through new leadership.
Initial storylines included splitting Superman into opposing ideologies, echoing Superman Red/Blue themes.

One month ago, Phillip Kennedy Johnson held an AMA on Reddit, where he was asked by Redditor SevenSulivin "Hi, adore your Superman work. Is there any plan to pick up on Lightray Is and the great lie of Kryptonite from Superman and the Authority?" But there was no answer. So SevenSulivin asked the same question of Grant Morrison in their Reddit AMA to promote the Batman/Deadpool crossover from DC Comics, a few of which Bleeding Cool has compiled with this handy tag, asking, "Can you tell what your plans for the Great Lie Of Kryptonite and Lightray Is was from SATA?"

Both appeared in Superman And The Authority, a comic book series that spanned Dan DiDio's plans for 5G, all of which had to be abandoned when the comic book was published. And that seemed to include these two particular plotlines. And Grant Morrison gave an answer. Or at least part of one.

: Superman And The Authority #4

: Superman And The Authority #4

"The great lie was going to revealed when a crazed Supergirl returns from space and reveals that Kryptonite is actually an Earth mineral! It's the Earth that is toxic to Superman, and is sapping his power over time, hence his diminished abilities in Superman and the Authority. This was to be the reason he's forced to leave Earth and I thought it could tie in with PKJ's sojourn on Warworld but I think it opened up too many potential problems. It would have worked in the 5G continuity but not so well in what was eventually published. Lightray was to end the threat of Apokolips and take over where Darkseid fell. The dangers of a fierce and moral Lightray trying to balance the universe would then be examined."

And also from Superman And the Authority #4, from a previous Xanaduum;

"As I may have mentioned Brainiac was not the first choice for this villain reveal… In the original take, Brainiac's place in the narrative was occupied by a duplicate Superman! When it was still part of the 5G concept and a little more parodic, I had this big daft idea to update the classic utopian Superman story Superman Red/Superman Blue from 1963 by having an older Superman face a literalization of his contradictory impulses towards anti and pro authoritarianism."

"My suggestion was we split Superman not into Superman Red/Superman Blue but Superman Left/Superman Right – collectivism versus competition – authoritarianism vs. libertarianism with each half starting closer to the centre, then growing ever more hardline as time went by and they remained separated. With dire consequences for the world, of course! A final scene in the original plot for issue #4 had Superman Red unveiling his own team – only for it to turn out to be the ORIGINAL Authority with Damian Wayne and Jon Kent in place of the Midnighter and Apollo! The echoes of this idea that remain can be seen in the series' obsession with resolving duality – light and dark, good and evil – and the need to unify opposites to make progress, as well as in the – 'No – WE'RE the Authority…' scene at the end of issue #3."

"When I outlined this plot to the Superman editorial team and Phillip Kennedy Johnson, I could see Phillip visibly recoil, and I promised to change the ending so as not to commit him to all the implications of a divided man of Steel impinging on a story he'd been meticulously building and setting in motion. The solicitation copy for the issue however does refer to Superman splitting – so now you know what that was about!"

And there it is…

SUPERMAN AND THE AUTHORITY #4 (OF 4)
(W) Grant Morrison (A) Mikel Janin
Is the team ready for what's next? Will the Man of Steel's new super-group fall apart before they even begin? The Ultra-Humanite has put together his own team of rogues designed to match the Authority fist for fist. This series comes to an explosive conclusion that will threaten to split the Man of Steel in half!In Shops: Sep 07, 2021 SRP: $4.99

Batman/Deadpool goes to FOC on the 27th of October and is published by DC Comics on the 19th of November.

DC MARVEL BATMAN DEADPOOL #1
(W) Various (A) Various (CA) Dan Mora
THE MOMENT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! Written by Grant Morrison, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Tom Taylor, Mariko Tamaki and G. Willow Wilson Art by Dan Mora, Hayden Sherman, Bruno Redondo, Amanda Conner and Denys Cowan The Dark Knight and the Merc with a Mouth team up for an adventure so mind-bending you'll think you're in a dream! Brought to you by legendary creators Grant Morrison and Dan Mora! And be sure not to miss these incredible extra stories: Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson team up with Hayden Sherman for a magical Constantine/Doctor Strange tale! Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo bring you an epic Nightwing/Dick Grayson and Laura Kinney/Wolverine story! Mariko Tamaki and Amanda Conner smash Harley Quinn and the Hulk together! G. Willow Wilson and Denys Cowan tell an electrifying Static and Ms. Marvel yarn! $7.99 11/19/2025

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!