Zod

General Zod
Aliases:	General Zod; Doomsday
Franchise:	Superman film series DC Extended Universe
Notability:	Antagonist
Type:	Super-villain
Gender:	Male
Race:	Kryptonian
Location:	Krypton Planet Houston
Status:	Deceased
Died:	1980 2013
First:	Superman: The Movie Man of Steel
Final:	Superman II Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Actor:	Terence Stamp Michael Shannon

Zod is a fictional alien terrorist featured in comic books published by DC Comics. He has also appeared as a key antagonist in the original Superman film series as well as the DC Extended Universe. In the original series, General Zod was played by actor Terence Stamp. He made a brief appearance in the 1978 film Superman: The Movie, but took a more prominent role in the film's 1980 sequel Superman II. The character was re-imagined for modern audiences in Man of Steel in 2013 where he was played by actor Michael Shannon. This version of Zod also made a brief appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Biography

Superman film series

Zod with Non and Ursa.

Zod is an alien Kryptonian from the planet Krypton. He was a member of the planet's military holding the rank of General. Zod and his confederates, Ursa and Non, fomented an insurrection against the governing Kryptonian council, but were captured. Their trial was presided over by a man named Jor-El, who sentenced all three of them to be banished to an interdimensional pocket realm called the Phantom Zone. Even as the three were cast into exile, Zod swore that he would avenge himself against Jor-El and his heirs. Imprisonment in the Phantom Zone turned out to be the best thing for General Zod as shortly after his sentencing, the planet Krypton exploded.

Years later, Jor-El's surviving son, Kal-El, grew up on Earth and became the Kryptonian hero known as Superman. While dealing with some terrorists in Paris, Superman took a hydrogen bomb and threw it into outer space. The bomb exploded and the shock waves reverberated outward, shattering the pyramid-shaped gateway into the Phantom Zone. Zod, Ursa and Non were free.

A Zod amongst men.

They first arrived on Earth's moon where they killed a group of American astronauts. They then came to Earth where they each discovered that they now possessed superhuman strength, durability, the ability to fly and the power to fire laser beams out of their odds (except for Non, who seemed to have trouble with this latter power).

With these new abilities, they quickly realized that Earth was ripe for conquest. They terrorized a small mid-western town, defaced Mount Rushmore, and then made a play for the nation's capital. After forcing the President of the United States to kneel in supplication before him, he learned of the existence of Earth's hero, Superman. Zod soon discovered that Superman was the son of Jor-El - the man responsible for their imprisonment and had survived Krypton's destruction.

Through the course of events, Zod found himself entering an unlikely partnership with a scheming opportunist named Lex Luthor. Luthor, who had since learned the location of Superman's secret headquarters, the Fortress of Solitude, bargained with Zod by supplying him with the fort's coordinates. In exchange, Luthor only wanted a small piece of Zod's pending empire for himself - Australia.

"Kneel before Zod!"

Zod issued a public challenge to Superman, commanding him to face him. At this time however, Superman was without the benefit of his alien-born Kryptonian abilities. When Superman failed to answer the challenge, Zod, Ursa and Non went to Metropolis and began terrorizing the staff at the Daily Planet, even going so far as to injure managing editor Perry White. Superman regained his powers just in the nick of time and flew to Metropolis where he engaged the Phantom Zoners in battle.

As the fight raged on, Superman realized that they were causing too much risk to people and property. He flew off into the night, leading the Phantom Zoners to believe that he was retreating from battle, when in fact he was luring them to follow him.

Zod, Ursa and Non flew off after Superman, bringing Lex Luthor and Lois Lane with them until they reached him at the Fortress of Solitude. Luthor told them about the chamber that could take away a Kryptonian's super-powers. Zod forced Superman to step into the chamber or else he would kill Lois Lane. What the villains didn't realize was that Superman had prepared himself for this tactic, and switched the processes of the machine, keeping him safe inside the chamber while the others were exposed to energy that took their powers away. Superman feigned defeat at first, even taking a moment to kneel before Zod. As he took his hand however, he employed his super-strength, crushing the bones in Zod's hand. He then picked his nemesis up with one hand and threw him against a wall, after which he slid down a shaft, possibly to his doom. Where Zod ended up, and whether the drop was long enough to be fatal is unknown.

DC Extended Universe

Michael Shannon as General Zod in Man of Steel.

Zod was the leader of Krypton's military apparatus. Like his friend Jor-El, he knew that Krypton's days were numbered. Despite numerous pleas with the Kryptonian council to evacuate the planet, Zod and his followers decided to take matters into their own hands. Zod sought to secure the genetic codes of the Kryptonian race, which he believed was a vital component for propagating the race on another world. This brought him into conflict with Jor-El and the two fought, with Zod ultimately killing him. Zod and his officers were tried and convicted of treason and banished to the Phantom Zone.

Zod and the others survived the pending destruction of Krypton and remained trapped in the Phantom Zone for decades. They eventually escaped and intercepted a transmission beacon, which led them to Earth. Upon arriving on a planet revolving around a yellow sun, they found themselves suddenly developed enhanced physical strength, durability, stamina, the ability to fly and the power to fire beams of heat from their eyes.

Zod has resting poo face.

Zod knew that the genetic code to resurrect the Kryptonian race lied within Jor-El's surviving son, Kal-El, who had rocketed to Earth years earlier. Zod made a public demand for Kal-El to surrender himself, at which point, he and the others used alien technology to begin terraforming the planet.

Kal-El, who had possessed the same abilities as Zod, fought against him. The two engaged in a massive battle in the city of Metropolis, which leveled major portions of the city, and toppling giant skyscrapers such as the Wayne Financial building.

After a prolonged struggle, Kal-El decided that there was no way he could defeat his foe other than to take his life. As Zod prepared to kill his loved ones, Kal-El used his super-strength to break Zod's neck. Zod's body was recovered and quarantined inside of a military installation.

Some eighteen months after the Battle of Metropolis, a young billionaire entrepreneur named Lex Luthor finagled his way into acquiring samples of Zod's DNA. Mixing it with blood from his own body, Luthor was then able to create a powerful monster dubbed "Doomsday", which he then set against Superman.

Abilities

• Kryptonian physiology: Kryptonians are an alien race that hail from the planet Krypton. In their natural environment, they are physiologically no different than a normal human. This is because Krypton revolves around a red sun. If a Kryptonian is on a world that revolves around a yellow sun, such as Earth, they will develop fantastic superhuman abilities.

• Solar energy absorption: Under optimal conditions, this is the main source of Zod's super powers. They are contingent upon exposure to solar radiation from a yellow sun star system. Zod's biological make up includes a number of organs which lack analogues in humans and whose functions are unknown. Yellow solar energy is stored for later use, which also allows for the use of these powers to fade when yellow solar radiation is not available rather than immediate failure.
• Energy projection: Zod can project beams of intense thermal energy from the eyes. This is also known as "heat vision", and operates in similar function to that of an amplified laser beam. It is destructive enough to kill lesser beings, and cause significant damage to large structures and landmarks, including mountains.
• Enhanced vision: Zod's visual acuity is significantly greater than that of a normal human being and encompasses several sub-abilities or applications. This includes perception of different levels of the electromagnetic spectrum with varying degrees of range and focus.

• Telescopic vision: This is the ability to perceive something visually at a great distance, without external resources or violating the laws of physics. Though limited, the exact extent of the ability is undetermined. In function, it is similar to that of the zoom lens on a camera.
• X-ray vision: This is the ability to see through any volume of matter except lead. Zod can see things behind a solid, opaque object as if it were not there. Zod can focus this ability to "peel back" layers of an object, allowing hidden images or inner workings to be observed. The exact type of energy perceived including x-rays, cosmic rays, or some other energy invisible to normal humans may vary.

• Flight: Zod can defy the gravity of any environment for the purposes of levitation, and directional flying. This also includes flight capability in a zero-gravity environment such as outer space. Zod can fly at great speeds, crossing oceans in the matter of minutes.
• Invulnerability: Under a yellow sun, Zod is impervious to nearly all forms of conventional injury. Zod's skin cannot be scratched, scarred, penetrated for burned. Muscle tissue and ligaments will not tear or strain. Bones will not break. However, Zod's invulnerability, as well as the rest of the Kryptonian powers, diminish while in the presence of green Kryptonite. Kryptonite produces radiation which effectively burns out the absorbed solar power from a Kryptonian's cells. A Kryptonian will find him or herself drastically weakened while in its presence. Prolonged exposure to Kryptonite is fatal. Once the presence of Kryptonite is removed, their natural abilities will return to them.
• Self-sustenance: Zod's physiology does not process oxygen the same way that a human does. An application of invulnerability, Zod cannot starve or drown, and can also survive in the vacuum of space. Zod is also immune to most forms of poison and toxins.
• Super-hearing: Zod's hearing is sensitive enough to perceive nearly any sound at any volume or pitch. With skill and concentration, one can block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific localized source or frequency.
• Super-breath: Zod can expel volumes of breath with great force over a sustained period of time. This is an effective long-range attack strategy as the breath can exert enough force comparable to that of a gale-force wind. Super-breath enables Zod to blow people back several yards, overturn vehicles, and generate excessive damage to property and other sedentary objects.
• Super-speed: Zod is able to move at incredible speed by sheer force of will. This trait extends to Zod's perceptions and allows for other feats such as catching bullets in mid flight, as well as covering vast distances in little or no time. Super-speed is also an application of the ability to fly.
• Superhuman stamina: Zod does not suffer from fatigue and can function physically for extended periods of time without tiring. As an application of this, it is likely that Zod does not require the same amount of REM sleep that a normal human would in order to function at full capacity.
• Superhuman strength: Zod's strength is augmented by yellow solar radiation being absorbed into the body. Zod can conduct fantastic feats of strength such as lifting large objects such as satellites or ocean liners, and combating opponents of equal strength value. Zod's strength level will diminish to that of a standard human level while in the presence of green Kryptonite.
• Telekinesis: Telekinesis is the ability to psionically move objects with just the power of the mind. Sometimes this may be demonstrated through a visual effect such as a beam of light. One example of this power is when General Zod produced a telekinetic effect from his finger to lift a man several feet off the ground and then drop him.

Notes & Trivia

• The Donnerverse version of Zod was created by the director Richard Donner and the screenplay writers Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton and Tom Mankiewicz.

• The DCEU version was created by the director Zack Snyder and the writers David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan, as based on the Donnerverse version.

• Trademark phrase: "Kneel before Zod!"

• Zod somehow got it in his head that the planet Earth was called Houston.

• The Donner version of General Zod appeared in the 1988 Superman video game for the NES platform by Kemco.

See also

Superman Superman films Superman items Superman pages

Superman vehicles Superman locations Superman characters Superman miscellaneous

External Links

General Zod at IMDB General Zod at DCDP General Zod at Wikipedia

General Zod at DC Comics General Zod at Comic Vine General Zod at the Superman Wiki

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