Kandor

**Kandor**, commonly known as the **Bottled City of Kandor**, was a city on the planet Krypton before the planet's destruction. It was one of Krypton's largest and most important cities until it was shrunken and abducted by Brainiac.

## History

### Founding

Kandor was founded thousands of years ago when the ancient Kryptonians advanced far enough to warrant urbanization.

The Kryptonian city was originally a trading point between the island of Vathlo and the continent of Twenx. From this, it developed into a center of commerce. People flocked to the city from all corners of the map, seeing the city as a chance to gain work and make a fresh start.

It consistently grew larger over countless generations, becoming the planet's dominant settlement and capital.

### Kandor on Krypton

Thousands of years later, Kandor continued to serve as Krypton's capital and leading cultural center. It was the original location of the Kryptonian Council, Krypton's governing body. The city had theaters, temples to Rao, and shining pyramids. There was a wide variety of vastly different types of architecture, as the guilds on Krypton chose different styles for their edifice. Some towers on Kandor were even constructed entirely from Sunstone Crystal.

Kandor was governed by guilds, each responsible for an aspect of society: the Military Guild, the Science Guild, the Artists Guild, and the Labor Guild. A council controls the megacity with representatives from every guild except the Labor Guild.

#### Theft of Kandor

*"No one escapes Brainiac."*
―Brainiac[src]

Prior to the cataclysm of Krypton, an alien starship arrived, belonging to the Coluan alien Brainiac, the intergalactic collector of worlds. First, the Coluan reduced the city to a microscopic size. Then, he preserved it, people and buildings intact, inside a glass bottle aboard his spacecraft.

General Zod, outside of Kandor when Brainiac absconded, attempted to fight against Brainiac's probes and save the city but failed. His inability to prevent the abduction of Kandor deeply affected him, and he vowed revenge.

Among the citizens of Kandor, Brainiac earned the nickname: "The Terror of Kandor."

### Trapped in the Bottle

The bottled city was lit by an artificial red sun, presumed to be a holographic representation of the sun, Rao, which was once just a curiosity in Kandor. Brainiac also duplicated Krypton's gravity conditions to allow the Kandorians to live everyday lives in the environment characteristic of their native planet.

Inside the bottle city, life goes on much as it did before Brainiac stole it. With the Kandorians "going about their daily business," almost as though their native planet had never exploded. Kryptonese, the language of Krypton, is still spoken. Likewise, Kandorian scientific progress has continued despite the limitations imposed by the artificial glass-walled environment.

The Kandorian Council governs Kandor, a body of distinguished citizens modeled after the form of planetary government that prevailed on Krypton before the cataclysm.

Such institutions dominate the city proper as the Museum of Kryptonian History, a well-stocked library, the Kandor City Zoo, and the majestic Hall of Justice, where, once each year, the Phantom Zone Parole Board meets to consider the pleas of Phantom Zone prisoners seeking parole. Those prisoners deemed worthy of parole are released from the Phantom Zone to begin new lives as Kandorian citizens.

Outside the city is a neatly landscaped suburban region characterized by elegant mansions and fine houses. Beyond the suburbs are "strange forests" filled with Kryptonian wildlife and "weird vegetation."

Some time later, its inhabitants were augmented with the survivors of Argo City, whom Brainiac found and integrated into the city.

### Rescued by Superman

When Brainiac came to Earth to harvest more cities for his collection, he encountered Superman. Unfortunately, Brainiac's formidable technology challenged the Man of Steel. Still, he could rescue the cities stolen from Earth and return them to their standard size. However, there wasn't enough energy in Brainiac's shrinking ray, so Superman took it back to his Fortress of Solitude.

Kandor now resides in the same bottle in the Fortress of Solitude, its inhabitants waiting while Superman looks for ways to restore them.

## Locales

* Central Tower
* The Cathedral
* The Cal-La Opera House
* Labor Guild Residential District
* Military Guild Compound
* Fort Rozz: A Kryptonian prison later deposited into the Phantom Zone.

## Known Residents

* Ak Var
* Dik-Zee
* El Gar Kur
* Lesla-Lar
* Lili Van-Zee
* Lily-Zee
* Sylvia DeWitt
* Van-Zee

## External Links

* Kandor on DC Database
* Kandor on Wikipedia