Promethinite

Promethinite is a metal alloy native to meteorites from the debris trail of the Farmer’s Star asteroid. It can be worked, given substantial magical or technological investment, into an incredibly hard steel-like alloy with energy-absorbing properties. Dayton Industries has marketed this form of the alloy under the tradename Promethium.

The fictional metal promethium was introduced in New Teen Titans #9 (Marv Wolfman & George Perez, July 1981) as a wonder material that was incredibly strong but also had energy-absorbing properties. The trouble is that there is also a real element called promethium, an incredibly rare radioactive element with atomic number 61. We suggest that the actual fictional alloy is more appropriately called promethinite and that the name promethium is a tradename used by Dayton Industries.

Forms

The most common form of promethinite is astro-promethinite, which is found in meteorites that originated from the debris trail of Farmer’s Star. Most of its matrix is iron with traces of nickel, titanium, vanadium, and some mysterious and exotic elements. These exotic components give promethinite its legendary properties and strange powers. Its nickel component is substantially lower than ordinary solar system meteorites. The “active” elements within promethinite have an extremely short half-life, losing their more harmful effects after just a few days at most.

Astro-promethinite decays into depleted-promethinite, a slag-like metallic ore. This ore can be reprocessed into a metal with remarkable energy-absorbing capabilities. However, working with depleted promethinite is highly challenging because any energy typically used for heating or hardening the metal is instead absorbed by it. Only when certain technological or mystical innovations are applied can the energy-absorbing properties of depleted promethinite be temporarily blocked, allowing it to be forged and manipulated like conventional steel.

Steve Dayton of Dayton Industries was a pioneer in the modern forging and smelting of promethinite. His experiments led to an exotic variant known as volatile-promethinite. In this form, depleted promethinite is restored to a state closer to astro-promethinite, enhancing its energy-absorbing properties. Dayton Industries processes and markets this variant under the Promethium tradename (despite the fact that Promethium is also the name of an existing element).

Many legendary and mystical weapons are believed to have been crafted from this material. Promethinite is also known for its anti-magical properties and is often referred to as “cold iron” due to its tendency to absorb heat. The volatile promethinite created by Dayton Industries has made its way onto the black market and is known to be used in the arms and armour of the mercenary Deathstroke.

Properties

Promethinite rarely exists in thermal equilibrium with its surroundings. Even when inert, promethinite feels cold to the touch as it attempts to leach heat energy from its environment. The metal becomes excited by absorbing almost all forms of energy directed at it, including kinetic, heat, and electromagnetic energy. This absorbed energy is then re-radiated as low-grade heat over a prolonged period, ranging from hours to weeks. When in this excited state, promethinite will feel warm to the touch, even long after it has absorbed its current energy load.

Astro-promethinite, the form it has upon first falling to Earth, appears to emit an unearthly glow. This metal seems to be already charged with an unidentified energy, with its radiation known to trigger a meta-genetic response. When processed, depleted-promethinite can be forged into a metal that is visually indistinguishable from high-quality steel. It is virtually invulnerable in this form, and its ability to absorb energy is most pronounced.

Dayton Industries’ volitie-promethinite (i.e., promethium^TM) possesses enhanced energy-absorbing properties, but it emits waste energy as X-rays rather than infrared radiation. While Dayton Promethium is highly sought after for armour manufacturing, the radiation it produces often makes it too hazardous for routine use, especially for anyone concerned about their health or the wellbeing of those around them.

The active elements within promethinite have never been successfully isolated.

Known Samples

The most famous example of astro-promethinite is the Ra meteorite, which fell to Earth during the 1652 BCE passage of Farmer’s Star. This event is considered the beginning of the Egyptian 15^th Dynasty and marked the arrival of the Hyksos kings. The Ra meteorite was preserved in an Egyptian temple as a revered artefact until around 1200 BCE when it was crafted into its current form, known as the Orb of Ra.