General Zod
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| General Zod | |
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| Publication information | |
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| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Adventure Comics #283 (April 1961) |
| In story information | |
| Species | Kryptonian |
| Place of origin | Krypton |
| Team affiliations | Non, Ursa (Superman Movies) |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, senses, intelligence, regeneration, and longevity; super breath, heat vision, and flight |
General Zod (full name and rank General Dru-Zod) is a a DC Comics supervillain and an adversary of Superman, one of the most poignant villains of the franchise due to the character hailing from Superman's home planet of Krypton. He has appeared in various Superman media spin-offs. Wizard magazine rated him the 58th greatest villain of all time.[1]
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[edit] Silver Age Zod
Dru-Zod, or simply Zod, was often portrayed as a megalomaniac. Zod was originally one of a number of Kryptonian villains trapped in the Phantom Zone. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 (April 1961).
Once Military Director of the Kryptonian Space Center, Zod had known Jor-El, Superman's father, when he was an aspiring scientist. When the space program was abolished after the destruction of the inhabited moon Wegthor, which had been caused by renegade scientist Jax-Ur, he attempted to take over Krypton. Zod created an army of robotic duplicates of himself, all bearing a resemblance to Bizarro. He was sentenced to exile in the Phantom Zone for his crimes.
Zod was first released by Kal-El (during his career as Superboy) when his term of imprisonment was up. However, he attempted to conquer Earth with powers gained under the yellow sun. Zod was sent back into the Phantom Zone, occasionally escaping to target Superman.
[edit] Later versions of Zod
[edit] Pocket Universe Zod
This Zod came from a Krypton in a pocket universe created by the Time Trapper. He, along with companions Quex-Ul and Faora, devastated the Earth of that universe following the death of its Superboy, despite the best efforts of a Supergirl created by this world's heroic Lex Luthor. Eventually, the survivors of this world managed to contact the Superman of the main universe to help them, and he was able to take away the powers of the three super-criminals with gold kryptonite (As he was not from that universe, the Kryptonite of that reality would have no effect on him). However, as the three vowed to some day regain their powers and return to Superman's world to kill him, Superman was forced to execute them with Kryptonite, and it was this action that caused him to question his powers and how to deal with evil doers. This version of Zod is based closely on the Pre-Crisis version, the significant difference is he has killed everyone on the pocket Earth rather than conquering them with ease since there's no Superboy/Superman to stop him.
[edit] "Return to Krypton" Zod
This incarnation of General Zod was introduced in the 2001 storyline "Return to Krypton." He was the head of the Kryptonian military in an alternate reality created by Brainiac 13. Like the Pre-Crisis version, Zod held the Kryptonian equivalent of fascist beliefs. He sent aliens to the bottle city of Kandor and planned a military coup. Zod was defeated by Superman and the Jor-El of that Krypton.
[edit] Russian Zod
This General Zod is a Russian who was affected prior to his birth by Kryptonite radiation because he was the son of two cosmonauts whose ship was too close to Kal-El's rocketship. This Zod is unnaturally weak under a yellow sun, but superpowered under a red sun (the opposite of Superman). After his parents died of the radiation, he grew up from birth in a KGB laboratory under the name "Zed."
Apparently spoken to by the spirit of the Pocket Universe Zod, Zod created a suit of red armor that filtered the sunlight and declared himself ruler of the former Soviet state of Pokolistan. After several inconclusive encounters with Superman, he revealed his long-range plan to turn the sun red and take Superman's place. This was temporarily successful until Lex Luthor rescued Superman, gave him a blast of yellow solar radiation to regain his powers, and worked to restore the sun. Superman returned to battle Zod, but refused to kill him. When the sun turned yellow again, the now vulnerable Zod still struck Superman with all his power, but was killed.
[edit] Phantom Zod
Introduced in the twelve-issue For Tomorrow (Superman #204-#215) storyline, written by Brian Azzarello and penciled by Jim Lee, this Zod resides in an alternate Phantom Zone alone and resents Superman for tampering with it. According to him, he comes from the same Krypton as Superman, and was exiled to the Phantom Zone by Superman's father Jor-El. This Zod wears black armor, and when unmasked, slightly resembles an older version of the film Zod. This interpretation also uses a variation of 'Kneel before Zod'. It is possible that this Zod is not a real Kryptonian, however. He appeared in Metropia, a version of the Phantom Zone created by Superman to resemble a living world, including seemingly living beings. Since Superman created the world of Metropia to bear similarities with Krypton, it has been revealed that this, yet again, is not the real Zod.
[edit] One Year Later
One year after the events of Infinite Crisis, Lex Luthor used a shard of sunstone, which had the word "doomsday" engraved upon it in the Kryptonian language, along with a stockpile of Kryptonite to reactivate the Kryptonian battle cruiser, Doomsday, which had been dormant within the earth for an unknown period of time. Luthor revealed that the vessel was in fact the flagship of the Kryptonian fleet, had belonged to an Admiral Dru-Zod and scoured entire planets clean of life.
In October 2006, film director Richard Donner, noted for his work on the first two Superman movies, became co-writer of Action Comics along with Geoff Johns. At the end of Action Comics #845, Zod, Ursa, and Non have apparently been freed from the Phantom Zone by someone he refers to as his and Ursa's son, implying that the Kryptonian boy that landed on Earth in the story is his son. Somehow owing their freedom to the landing on Earth of Dru-Zod and Ursa's son, after a brief stop to the newly restored Fortress of Solitude to gain information from Jor-El's projection they fly to Metropolis, where Ursa confronts Lois to win her unwilling son back and Zod sends Kal-El to the Phantom Zone after freeing the other Kryptonian inmates.
The back-story for the three Kryptonions was revealed in Action Comics Annual #10; Non had once been a brilliant scientist on par with Jor-El. Both were researching the event that would ultimately destroy Krypton. Zod entered their lab with troops (at this point Zod was still working for Krypton's Council). Both Jor-El and Non were arrested by Zod and given a warning by the High Council to halt their research, then released. Jor-El set to work creating the rocket that would send his son Kal-El to Earth, while Non began to spread the word of the planet's impending doom. Non's message swayed both Zod and Ursa that Krypton was soon to be destroyed. Non then disappeared from public life, only to return with a mutilated brain. The council had transformed him into a mindless brute and this act inspired Zod and Ursa to rebel against the Kryptonian government. Without any sense of right and wrong, Non now fought alongside Zod and Ursa. Zod attempted to recruit Jor-El to their cause; however Jor-El saw the plans were fueled by greed, a lust for power and violence.
This rebellion was short-lived and the rebels were again arrested and set to be executed. Not wishing to resort to execution, Jor-El appealed on their behalf, to exile them instead. The council accepted this on the condition that Jor-El would be the jailer. Thus Zod, Ursa, and Non were imprisoned, and embittered against Jor-El for years to come. In addition, it is hinted that the revolution and war they attempted resulted in instability of Krypton's core.
The origins of Zod, Ursa, and Non are similar to the events shown in Superman II. Zod now closely resembles his movie counterpart, with the addition of a black trenchcoat.
[edit] Alternate versions
The General Zod of Earth-15 became Superman instead of Kal-El, and is semi-retired but is on call if needed. This version of Zod first appeared in Countdown #30 when the Red Hood, Donna Troy, Kyle Rayner, Bob the Monitor and the Jokester traveled to Earth-15 where Jason, Kyle, and Donna met their own counterparts, who has assumed the roles of Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman respectively, along with that world's Superman and the Atom. This Zod, along with all of the heroes of Earth-15 were killed by Superman Prime.
[edit] Zod in other media
[edit] Novels
In the novel The Last Days of Krypton (by Kevin J. Anderson) General Zod, (also known as Commissioner Dru-Zod)is the son of Cor-Zod, formerly the head of the Kryptonian Council and legendary politician leader. He is assisted by Nam-Ek, Zod's ward -a burly mute similar to Non of the Superman movies. Rather than taking his famous father's place on the Council, the younger Zod is put in charge of the Commission for Technology Acceptance. Commissioner Zod reviews, and at the instruction of the Council, usually rejects the inventions and theories brought forth by Jor-El. After Brainiac shrinks the capital city of Kandor, Zod steps into the now Council-free power vacuum and begins a military build-up with the help of Jor-El who is unaware of his more sinister plans for Krypton. Zod marries Aethyr-Ka in an unorthodox ceremony and begins to eliminate dissidents, trapping them in the Phantom Zone which, among many of Jor-El's devices, Zod has secretly hoarded in an effort to build up an arsenal. Although Jor-El receives long-awaited cooperation from Zod, he comes to distrust the new leader of Krypton. Zod moves his capital city to Xan City, formerly inhabited by Jax-Ur, a warlord responsible for a very dark period in Kryptonian history. With the help of the mute Nam-Ek and his wife Aethyr-Ka, Commissioner Zod declares himself General Zod and declares war on Zor-El, brother of Jor-El, attacking Argo City. The attack fails and Zod and his cohorts are captured and banished to the Phantom Zone. ISBN 006134074X
[edit] Movies
The movie version of Zod has immense popularity amongst comic fans. The recent reintroduction of Zod into DC comics continuity (co-authored by Richard Donner and Geoff Johns) shares the same back-story and Svengali-influenced appearance as the movie version.
[edit] Superman
At the beginning of Superman, General Zod (Terence Stamp) is introduced as one of three Kryptonian criminals on trial. Zod was originally the leader of the Kryptonian military, who was entrusted with the defense of Krypton by the governing council. Conspiring with Non and Ursa, Zod was planning to overthrow the Kryptonian government and replace it with his own, which would have been a military dictatorship. The three were captured instead, and the council unanimously agreed to exile Zod, Ursa, and Non to the Phantom Zone. Before Zod is thus exiled, he attempts to persuade Jor-El to join them. When Jor-El refuses, Zod becomes enraged, swearing revenge upon him and his offspring. The Phantom Zone portal is launched into space shortly before Krypton's destruction.
[edit] Superman II
In Superman II, the detonation of a hydrogen bomb that Superman throws into space destroys the Phantom Zone portal that has trapped Zod and his cohorts. For the 2006 Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, the original written scene was created, tying into the climax of the first film (which was the original ending). In this version, their escape is made possible by the shock wave created by the exploding XK-101 nuclear missile flung into space by Superman.
After discovering that their Kryptonian physiology gives them each the same powers as Superman under Earth's yellow sun, they quickly subdue the U.S. Army and force the President of the United States to abdicate his position to Zod. This occurs shortly after Superman, unaware of their escape and presence on Earth, has stripped himself of his powers to be with Lois Lane as an ordinary human. After witnessing Zod's megalomania and defiance on a television news broadcast, Superman realizes the mistake he has made.
While Clark treks back to the Fortress of Solitude in a desperate attempt to regain his powers, Lex Luthor approaches the Kryptonian villains at the White House. In exchange for Zod's promise to give him Australia (another attempt to acquire "beachfront property" after failing to do so in the first film), he offers to bring them to Metropolis to confront Superman. The villains invade the Daily Planet; although Superman is not present, Luthor quickly points out that Lois Lane, whom Ursa calls Superman's "favorite" human being, will be effective bait to draw the Man of Steel out.
Superman, with his powers restored, arrives and accepts Zod's challenge. This leads to a devastating, comic-book-style battle throughout downtown Metropolis. It quickly becomes clear that the villains have the upper hand. They outnumber Superman, and, significantly, they care nothing for the lives of the city's inhabitants. Continually distracted trying to save people whom the battle is endangering, Superman finally realizes he needs to rethink his strategy and move the battle away from a populated area, and he withdraws to the Fortress.
Luthor offers to tell Zod about the Fortress of Solitude in exchange for sparing his life, and the three villains pursue Superman north, bringing along Luthor as guide and Lois Lane as hostage. In the climactic battle, Superman outwits the villains and gains the advantage, almost defeating Zod. But Non and Ursa grab Lois and threaten to tear her apart, forcing Superman to surrender. In a whispered aside, Superman tells Luthor about the molecule chamber which earlier stripped away his own powers and proposes tricking the villains into it. Luthor betrays Superman and tells Zod about the chamber, and Superman is forced inside and seemingly loses his powers again. With this, General Zod's revenge on Jor-El seems complete, as he commands Superman to kneel before him, take his hand, and swear eternal loyalty to him. But Superman has not lost his powers a second time; instead, he has stripped Zod, Ursa, and Non of theirs while he remained safe in the molecule chamber. As he takes Zod's hand, he crushes it and then overpowers him, throwing him into an icy crevasse, where the general disappears into the mist. Non and Ursa are similarly dispatched; Non tries to fly over the same pit, but instead falls down it, and Lois punches Ursa down the pit as well. Luthor realizes that Superman used him to trick the Kryptonian villains: knowing that Luthor would betray him, Superman reconfigured the molecule chamber so that its red sun radiation would be projected throughout the Fortress, robbing Zod, Non, and Ursa of their powers while Superman was protected inside the chamber.
[edit] Superman II - deleted scenes
A scene deleted from the movie (but shown in some TV versions) shows the trio alive and in custody, implying that they lost their powers permanently and were captured. The 2006 reedited version Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut shows Zod and his cohorts getting re-imprisoned into the Phantom Zone when Superman rotates the Earth backwards once again, though the footage of their arrest by Arctic police is included in the deleted scenes.
Terence Stamp portrayed Zod as a pathologically arrogant and pompous aristocrat, almost bored with his incredible powers and disappointed with the ease of overtaking Earth. Stamp's portrayal has led to Zod becoming one of Superman's best-known villains. Zod's line "Come to me, son of Jor-El! Kneel before Zod!" has become part of pop culture.[2]
[edit] Superman: the children of Krypton
General Zod makes a brief cameo apperance in the fan film [Superman: the children of Krypton]
[edit] Animation
[edit] Super Friends
A Phantom Zone villain named Zy-Kree, who resembled the movie-version of Zod, appeared in the Super Friends animated series.[episode needed]
[edit] Ruby-Spears Superman series
General Zod was featured in the Joseph Ruby-Kenneth Spears animated Superman series in an episode titled "The Hunter," where he is in the Phantom Zone and creates a monster called the "Hunter" in an attempt to free the Zod trio from the Phantom Zone. He appears on Earth very briefly near the end of the episode. His appearance in the episode differs from that of Superman II. He is seen in his "Silver Age" Pre-Crisis grey military uniform with a general's hat and clean-shaven as opposed to Superman II, where he is seen with a mustache, a goatee beard, and a plain black outfit. Being Kryptonian like Kal-El, Zod is superpowered under the yellow sun of Earth and is seen flying like Superman. However, in the Ruby-Spears animation, Zod's criminal companions are two women, rather than the woman and the man as whom the Zod trio is usually portrayed. Rene Auberjonois provided Zod's voice.
[edit] Superman: The Animated Series
Zod was not featured in the cartoon Superman: The Animated Series, although a similar villain named Jax-Ur did. Jax-Ur had been featured previously in some Silver Age stories of Phantom Zone criminals. In the animated series, he appeared along with a new character called Mala, who was seemingly based on Faora/Ursa. However, in the accompanying Superman Adventures comic book series in issue 21, Zod was portrayed as an Argosian (like the animated Supergirl) who co-opted Jax-Ur and Mala as his lieutenants (essentially giving Jax-Ur the Non/Quex-Ul role). It is revealed that in this universe Zod had staged a coup d'etat on Supergirl's homeworld of Argo, killing all of Argo's leaders and anyone else who he wanted.
General Zod had already prepared a fleet to attack Krypton when it emerged that his colonels had secretly become convinced Zod had become too murderous and power-hungry. They had turned on Zod, exiling him to the Phantom Zone. Following Zod's removal from power, the colonels took over as the new leaders of Argo and worked to reinstate Argo's republic as it was before the coup. From that point on, the name of Zod instilled fear in all Argosians, and he was used as a "boogeyman" to Argo's children. This character resembles the Terence Stamp version from Superman: The Movie and Superman II. When Supergirl uses Kryptonite to weaken Jax-Ur and Mala, as it has no affect on her Argosian body, she suddenly realizes who she has met when it has no effect on Zod. It is unrevealed if General Zod suffers any weaknesses.
[edit] Justice League Unlimited
General Zod later appeared issue #34 of the Justice League Unlimited comic based on the series. This time, he is portrayed as his reqular Kryptonian general role. He and his group of foot soldiers were banished into the Phantom Zone for insurrection against the Krypton ruling council. This group included Mala and Jax-Ur. In this issue, Zod and Mr. Mxyzptlk worked together to kidnap Superman. Their plans were foiled when the Justice League came to rescue Superman. When Mxyzptlk was accidentally sent to the Phantom zone, Zod and his men took him. They probably tortured him too. This issue, released June 2007, marked the first meeting of Superman and Zod in the animated continuity. In the Justice League Unlimited episode "For The Man Who Has Everything," while under the influence of an alien plant, Superman has a dream in which he has a wife and son on Krypton. His wife briefly mentions her son will be attending a birthday party for "little Zod."
[edit] Legion of Super-Heroes
Zod is a voice in the Legion of Super-Heroes animated series, a character named Drax appears too. A young man who Clark accidentally frees from the Phantom Zone, Drax has the typical array of Kryptonian powers, in addition to an immunity to Kryptonite. On his chest, in a sort of parallel to Superman's "S", you can see a "Z". It is speculated that Drax could be Zod's son because in the episode, Drax mentioned his parents. Zod is capable of contacting him, prompting him to attempt to free them and the other phantom zone criminals. Like his father, Drax has a hatred of Superman, as well an air of superiority about him, and taunts the young Clark with the fact that he has no idea of his future or what he will become. He was born in the Phantom Zone and claims that's where he gets his powers from. The Pre-Crisis version of Zod can be seen as a cameo as one of the many Phantom Zone villains attacking the Legion members when they were temporarily trapped there. He is shown speaking to the trapped Legionnaires in a similar voice as the one speaking to Drax.
[edit] Smallville
In Smallville, the voice of Jor-El is provided by Terence Stamp. This, combined with the apparent difference in character from other versions of Jor-El- apparently having sent Clark to Earth with the intention that he would rule the planet, often attempting to force Clark to become the 'perfect Kryptonian' that Jor-El felt he should be to fulfill his dstiny-, led to fan speculation that Jor-El was really Zod. Series creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough denied this rumor, and it is later revealed that Jor-El's characterization was misinterpreted. Recent portrayals of the character are somewhat closer to his normal characterization, showing compassion for his son and providing him with aid and advice when needed, although he still tends to demand obedience.
In the series' fifth season, General Zod was featured as an off-screen presence. The fifth season premiere, "Arrival", featured two Kryptonian disciples of Zod searching for Clark shortly after their arrival on Earth during the recent kryptonite meteor shower that bombarded Smallville in the fourth season finale, "Commencement." After finding Clark, they opened a portal to the Phantom Zone and attempted to throw Clark into it. Clark managed to overpower them and send the two of them through the portal, trapping them in the Phantom Zone.
In the episode "Solitude", Milton Fine, the human identity of the Kryptonian artificial intelligence known as Brainiac, persuades Clark to take him to the Fortress of Solitude. After arriving at the Fortress, Fine tricks Clark into freeing Zod from the Phantom Zone, temporarily opening a vortex in which the image of a figure similar to Terence Stamp's Zod can be glimpsed. It is also insinuated that Zod was a fascist leader on Krypton and ruled with an iron fist, and apparently considered Jor-El as his primary nemesis.
At the end of the episode "Oracle", Lionel deciphers a Kryptonian message which Clark reads as, "Zod is coming." In the following episode, "Vessel", Jor-El reveals that Zod was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone for crimes that resulted in Krypton's destruction. Zod's physical body was destroyed to prevent him from escaping from captivity, and therefore, he now required a vessel to inhabit on Earth. Brainiac had earlier injected Lex Luthor with a vaccine that granted him Kryptonian superpowers, and therefore, Lex was to be the vessel for Zod's consciousness. Through the actions of Clark and Brainiac, Zod is freed. After inhabiting Lex's body, Zod imprisons Clark inside the Phantom Zone, leaving no one to stop him, and begins his plans to conquer Earth as the trapped Clark is sent flying into space.
In the sixth season premiere, "Zod", after a brief sojourn in the Phantom Zone, Clark escapes with the help of a Kryptonian woman who claims to have been Jor-El's aide. She gives Clark a crystal bearing the sign of the House of El (Superman's characteristic stylized "S"). Back on Earth, Clark confronts Zod/Lex, but Zod, a trained soldier, easily pummels Clark into submission. In homage to the climactic scene in Superman II, Zod issues his infamous command, "kneel before Zod" although in a much more serious tone, and then wordlessly commands Clark to take his hand. But instead of crushing Zod's hand as in the movie, Clark takes the opportunity to press the crystal into it, evicting Zod from Lex's body and sending him back into the Phantom Zone (in another allusion to the movie, the face of Zod's spirit as it is forced out of Lex strongly resembles that of Terence Stamp as Zod). Lex returns to normal with no memory of these events. However, he later discovers a shard of a Kryptonian device that Zod left on his laptop; Brainiac's hard drive. Plus, It has been recently revealed in Smallville Legends:"Kara From Krypton" that Zor-El, Kara's father, worked for Zod.
[edit] In popular culture
- Zod is perhaps most popularly quoted as a Superman villain with the phrase, "Come to me, son of Jor-El! Kneel before Zod!" For example, Jay does so in the Kevin Smith film Mallrats after knocking out the head of mall security.
- American Midwest rapper Tech N9ne says "I will make you kneel before Zod" in the song "Sinister Tech" from his album Anghellic
- Zod appeared in the Robot Chicken episode "The Munnery," voiced by Seth Green. He is seen as the host of Bod by Zod, in which he commands all to "kneel before Zod." After the camera zooms out to reveal he is in fact doing a workout video, he begins to command the viewer to do various aerobic exercises "before Zod."
- Russell Brand's Got Issues, a UK comedy discussion show on Channel 4, included a sidekick named Andrew Zod, who was supposedly Zod's nephew in its first few episodes.
- The sixth Fedora Core distribution is called Zod.[3]
- Zod is the highest Rune in the computer game Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. It makes armor and weapons indestructible. The lowest rune is called El, and grants the player a slightly better attack and increased Light radius.
- In the MTV sketch comedy show, Human Giant, there are three characters, known as the Space Lords, based on the trio of Phantom Zone villains from Superman II, though all three are male. Zerg, played by Paul Scheer, is clearly based on Zod, in the similar sounding name, and his tendency to request people to "Kneel before" him.
- In World of Warcraft, during the item gathering stage of the War of the Shifting Sands event, a Horde ambassador named General Zog could be found in Ironforge. Players who typed /kneel in front of him would see a message saying that Zod acknowledges their obedience.
- In the song "Rip It!" by American Indie-Rock band Electric Six Zod is mentioned in the lines: "Your rituals and superstitions/ Don't you find them kind of odd?/ Might as well kneel before Zod.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Wizard #177
- ^ KNEEL BEFORE ZOD stickers. Retrieved on November 7, 2006.
- ^ Announcing Fedora Core 6 (Zod) | FedoraNEWS.ORG
[edit] External links
- General Zod at the Internet Movie Database
- Alan Kistler's Profile On: ZOD! - Comic book historian Alan Kistler does an in-depth article reviewing the long history of Zod from 1961 all the way to 2005, going into detail on the various incarnations and changes in the character. Includes several artwork scans of the different versions of Zod and a discussion of the show Smallville.
- GeneralZod.net - The original General Zod spoof site in which Zod continues his life on planet "Houston" while believing himself to be the ruler of all humans.
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