The Kryptonian Crystals

The Kryptonian Crystals, also referred to as stones, elements, or artifacts, were the main plotline of the fourth season of the television series Smallville.

The storyline begins in the season premiere, "Crusade", where Clark Kent is returned to Earth after disappearing for three months and being re-programmed as "Kal-El", his Kryptonian alter ego. It is later revealed that his mission as Kal-El is to obtain three Kryptonian crystals, and unite them.

Throughout the season, Clark, Lana Lang, Countess Marguerite Isobel Theroux (a witch and Lana's 16th century ancestor whose spirit inhabits Lana on a few occasions), Lex and Lionel Luthor, Jason Teague, and his mother Genevieve all struggle to obtain the crystals for their own purposes. However, Jor-El reveals that the crystals are only meant for Clark, and having them in the hands of humans would cause Earth's destruction.

Jor-El's prophecy came to fruition in the season finale, "Commencement", when Lana is attacked by Genevieve. Isobel inhabits Lana's body once more, and she stabs Genevieve with the Air Crystal (see below). Genevieve's blood stains the crystal, causing another meteor shower to bombard Smallville. This time, the meteor shower brings to Earth a large, black Kryptonian spaceship containing the two disciples of General Zod, as well as the Kryptonian artificial intelligence known as Brainiac.

The storyline is resolved in the fifth season premiere, "Arrival", where the united crystals form the Fortress of Solitude, a crystalline structure in the Arctic that allows Clark to gain more knowledge about his Kryptonian heritage and his destiny.

The Crystal of Fire
The first crystal to be discovered is the one of fire. In the episode "Crusade", Lex finds it inside an ancient Egyptian statue. However, Clark, as Kal-El, steals it from him and places it on a hidden Kryptonian altar located inside a secret chamber in the Kawatche caves underneath Smallville. It is capable of healing and restoring what has been stripped, such as superhuman powers, immunity, and good health.

Clark's powers were magically stripped by the witch Countess Marguerite Isobel Theroux, who possessed Lana Lang and embarked on a quest to find the Stones of Power. When Isobel tried to remove the crystal from the altar, it burned her hand, and when Clark then grabbed the Crystal of Fire, his powers were restored.

The Crystal of Water
The next element to be introduced is the water crystal. Lionel discovers it in a Mayan statue, and intends to use its power to switch bodies with Lex, but ends up switching bodies with Clark instead (in "Transference"). Clark, in Lionel's body, comes into possession of the stone and uses it to reverse the process.

Dr. Bridgette Crosby, an assistant of Dr. Virgil Swann, obtains the crystal at the end of "Transference", and it doesn't resurface until the episode "Spirit", where Dr. Crosby is found dead. At this point, Jason Teague is in possession of the stone. In the episode "Ageless", Lionel forces Genevieve to give him the element.

In the season finale, "Commencement", Lex obtains the stone after it releases a pulse of strange energy and puts Lionel into a comatose state. The stone is placed in a storage vault hidden in Lex's office. By the end of the same episode, Clark finally obtains the water stone and unites it with the other two crystals on the Kryptonian altar.

The Crystal of Air
The last stone to be introduced during the season is the air crystal, in the episode "Sacred". In China, it is discovered inside a horse statue hidden at the base of a tree. After a battle between Clark and Isobel, Jason secretly claims the stone for himself, but later Lana steals it.

In the season finale, Genevieve attacks Lana, who once again becomes possessed by Isobel. During the altercation, Isobel stabs Genevieve in the chest with the crystal, killing her, and causing a second meteor shower. In desperation, Lana inexplicably decides to give the crystal to Clark, who then unites it with the fire crystal on the Kryptonian altar.

The Crystal of Knowledge
Once Clark unites all of the crystals on the Kryptonian altar in the Kawatche caves, they all merge into one single crystal. Upon grabbing it, he is suddenly transported to the Arctic. Once there, Clark throws the crystal into the snow, which then buries itself in the ground and forms the Fortress of Solitude.

Crystals in Related Film
The use of Kryptonian crystals and their importance in the Superman canon can be directly traced to Richard Donner's 1978 film Superman. The film established Kryptonian crystals as having properties that allow them to store information, much like a computer.

Like the premier episode of Smallvilles fifth season, Superman: The Movie depicts Clark (played at that moment in the film by Jeff East) throwing a "Mother Crystal," which lands on floating ice, then sinks into the frozen water below it, and constructs the Fortress of Solitude before Clark's eyes.

Clark then uses the crystals to speak to an artificial intelligence resembling his Kryptonian father Jor-El, where he learns the full story of his Kryptonian heritage.

The crystals figure prominently and are used again in Richard Lester's Superman II as well as Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, which was released in DVD format only late in 2006.

In Bryan Singer's 2006 film Superman Returns, Lex Luthor uses the crystals to summon a recording of Jor-El and thereby learns of the crystals' power to build land masses resembling the exploded planet Krypton.

Crystals in DC Comics
Prior to Superman: The Movie, Kryptonian crystals did not figure prominently in DC Comics' comic book Superman canon.

As of 2006, a new Superman storyline beginning with Action Comics #844 depicts the character once again contacting his long-dead Kryptonian father Jor-El using Kryptonian crystal technology. Superman: The Movie director Richard Donner co-wrote the story with Geoff Johns. The story is still unfolding.

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