Gene Newtrich is a villain who appeared in the series.
It was he who discovered Red Kryptonite and Superman's apathy when exposed to it. This would be later be used by his siblings, Lucille and Nell, as well as his friend Jerry White, to their advantage.
He was portrayed by O'Neal Compton.
History[]
Not much is revealed about Gene's past except that he was possibly the eldest of three children who became a well known scientist. At some point he was approached by the criminal organization Intergang and became one of their top leading scientists.
Season 2[]
During an excavation at one of the sites that had previously been owned by Bureau 39. Gene found the mysterious meteorite. It wasn't however the green variety that he had been asked to find, it was red. He showed it to the head of the organization Bill Church, Jr. and said that it was still Kryptonite but it could affect Superman in a way that could serve their purposes. They soon discovered that this variety of Kryptonite made Superman apathetic, so he would be less of a threat to them. Unfortunately the Man of Steel discovered what was going on and managed to foil their plans resulting in both Gene and Church being arrested and imprisoned.
It was unknown if Gene learned that Red Kryptonite could have other causal effects on Superman, but it is likely that his arrest impeded his chances to further study potential adverse actions of the Kryptonite. (Individual Responsibility)
Season 3[]
During his imprisonment, he was visited by his two sisters Lucille and Nell who learned from him the secret of the red Kryptonite. The two sisters decided to make a laser that would make Superman permanently apathetic so they could steal a $20 million shipment of cash without interference and also get revenge on the Man of Steel for imprisoning Gene.
However it ended up transferring Superman's powers to Lois Lane. Lucille found this out and later had Nell use the device on Lois to transfer the powers to her so they could proceed with their planned robbery. However Superman and Lois foiled their scheme and used the laser again to give the Man of Steel his powers back. Superman then disposed of the device for good and the sisters were arrested and imprisoned. (Ultra Woman)
Season 4[]
While imprisoned, he was assigned to a cell with Jerry, son of Daily Planet owner Perry White, who had been convicted of check fraud. Newtrich had befriended White to the extent that he revealed to Jerry he hid a stash of red Kryptonite, which Jerry was free to use in his future crimes in order to defend himself from the forthcoming responses from Superman. When Jerry's punishment was over and he was released from prison, he resumed his criminal career aided by Gene's Kryptonite. However, instead of resulting in apathy, this caused Superman to become turbo charged; losing control of his powers and unknowingly using excessive force in stopping minor crimes and causing greater danger when he attempted to rescue people in distress.
However this also attracted the attention of a criminal known as Mr. Gadget who wanted Superman out of the way so he could hold the city for ransom and forced Jerry to help him. However Jerry later had a change of heart after some encouragement from his father and helped Superman stop him. (Lethal Weapon)
Episode Appearances[]
Season 2[]
Season 3[]
- Ultra Woman (mentioned)
Season 4[]
- Lethal Weapon (mentioned)