Silver Age Dru-Zod is a
megalomaniacal Kryptonian and the leader of Krypton's military forces. When Krypton's space program was abolished after
Jax-Ur's destruction of the inhabited moon Wegthor, Zod tried to take over Krypton using an army of robotic duplicates of himself, all bearing a resemblance to
Bizarro. He is sentenced to exile in the
Phantom Zone for 40 years for his crimes. In the present, Superman releases Zod after learning that he has already served his sentence, but is forced to return him to the Zone after he attempts to conquer Earth. During the remaining years before
Crisis on Infinite Earths, Zod and other Zone inmates such as Jax-Ur,
Faora, and others, escape from the Phantom Zone and battle Superman and Supergirl numerous times, always being defeated in the end and returned to the Zone.
Modern Age Interim Zods: 1985–2005 '' #589 (April 2001). Art by
Duncan Rouleau and Marlo Alquiza. The first Zod to be introduced following
Crisis on Infinite Earths is the Zod of a so-called "pocket universe" resembling pre-
Crisis continuity; this allowed for a "Kryptonian" Zod to be introduced while maintaining Superman's status as the last of his race in the universe proper. This Zod's universe is created by the
Time Trapper. Zod (along with companions
Quex-Ul and
Zaora) devastates the Earth of that universe following the death of its Superboy, despite the efforts of a
Supergirl created by that world's heroic
Lex Luthor. The survivors of this world manage to contact the Superman of the main universe to help them, and he is able to take away the powers of the three super-criminals with gold
kryptonite; since he is not from that universe, the kryptonite of that reality has no effect on him. However, the three vow to some day regain their powers and return to Superman's world to kill him. Acknowledging that he can neither afford to leave them on the now-dead pocket Earth to let them die alone nor imprison them on his world, Superman is forced to kill them with green kryptonite. A second incarnation of General Zod is introduced in the 2001 storyline "Return to Krypton"; this Zod is portrayed as that of an alternate reality created by
Brainiac 13. He is the head of the Kryptonian military in the alternate reality. Like the pre-
Crisis version, Zod holds the Kryptonian equivalent of fascist beliefs. He sends aliens to the bottle city of
Kandor and plans a military coup. Zod is defeated by Superman and the
Jor-El of Zod's alternate reality Krypton. The third attempt to bring Zod to Modern Age comics is the "Russian" Zod, a Zod of human origin whose origin story is connected to Superman's. This General Zod (born
Avruiskin) is a
Russian who was affected before his birth by his parents' exposure to kryptonite radiation. As such, he is empowered by red sunlight and weakened by yellow, the opposite of Superman. After his parents die from radiation, he grows up in a
KGB laboratory under the name Zed. This Zod lives alone in an alternate Phantom Zone and resents Superman for tampering with it. By his own account he comes from the same Krypton as Superman and was exiled to the Phantom Zone by Superman's father, Jor-El. This Zod wears large, spiked black armor and when unmasked, is a bald, white-bearded old man. This incarnation also uses a variation of "Kneel before Zod". He appears in Metropia, a version of the Phantom Zone created by Superman to resemble a living world (including apparently-living beings). This version was superseded by the present storyline (which features a new Zod, freed from the Phantom Zone).
General Zod returns: 2006–2011 General Zod returns to post-
Infinite Crisis comics in
Last Son, penned by
Geoff Johns,
Richard Donner, and
Adam Kubert.
Dru-Zod II,
Ursa, and
Non escape from the Phantom Zone and come to Earth to try to turn it into a "New Krypton". This incarnation is the first Post-Crisis Zod who comes from Superman's Krypton, and not from an alternate reality. '' #30 (October 2007). Art by
Gary Frank and Jon Sibal. The backstory for the three Kryptonians was recounted in
Action Comics Annual #10 (April 2007), and Zod's origin was revealed in
Countdown #30 (October 2007). Prior to the destruction of Krypton, Zod, his wife Ursa, and accomplice Non rebel against their planet's oppressive government, but soon become lawless would-be tyrants who lust for power. After an ill-fated insurrection led by Zod, the government sentences the trio to death. However, Superman's father Jor-El pleads for the government to mitigate their sentence to imprisonment in the Phantom Zone, accepted on the condition that he would assume responsibility as their jailer. While in the Phantom Zone, Zod and Ursa are able to have a child who is born immune to the Phantom Zone's effects, ultimately facilitating their escape, and name him Lor-Zod. On Earth, the boy is discovered by Superman and his wife Lois Lane, who adopt him as their own son and name him
Chris Kent. Alongside Zod, Ursa and Non, 25 other Kryptonian criminals also escape the Zone and defeat a number of Earth's heroes, beginning their quest to conquer the planet. Zod ambushes Superman in revenge for Jor-El's actions and traps him in the Phantom Zone, which he later escapes with the help of the heroic Phantom Zone prisoner
Mon-El. With assistance from his traditional enemies
Lex Luthor,
Metallo,
Parasite and
Bizarro, Superman takes on Zod's army. Out of nearly thirty Kryptonians, Superman's temporary allies successfully kill several, driving the rest back into the Phantom Zone alongside Zod and Ursa, who take Chris Kent with them. . In the later
New Krypton arc storyline however, Zod is freed from the Phantom Zone once again by Supergirl's mother
Alura. The "bottled city of
Kandor" is transformed into a populated Kryptonian planet ("New Krypton"), and Zod is appointed the leader of its army. In the "World of New Krypton"
Action Comics storyline, when Superman decides to see what life is like on New Krypton, he is drafted into the Military Guild under General Zod. Zod and Superman maintain a mistrustful professional relationship. Despite their past, neither seems prepared to behave with marked aggression toward the other. Later, during a Kryptonian ceremony, Zod is shot by the Kryptonian Ral-Dar (who is working with Lois's father
Sam Lane), leading Zod to appoint Superman as temporary General until his recovery. The two are involved in a Kryptonian political plot, but ultimately apprehend the planet's traitor and see a reform of New Krypton's Council. Peace is short-lived, however, due to an attack by the alien
Brainiac, who had been responsible for the bottling of Kandor in the first place. In
Last Stand of New Krypton, New Krypton comes under attack by Brainiac, and Zod engineers a plan to defeat him; Zod is driven by an urge to avenge his prior defeat at the hands of the Coluan Brainiac, when Kandor was bottled from Old Krypton. The storyline ends with the planet's destruction, leading Zod to declare war on Earth, sparking the
War of the Supermen storyline. After a fierce conflict between Superman and Zod in defense of Earth, Zod is pushed back into the Phantom Zone by his son, Chris Kent, who had freed himself from the Phantom Zone and became active as an adult superhero on Earth.
The New 52: 2011–2016 In 2011, DC chose to revamp its continuity, rebooting many characters while retaining the histories for some others, as part of its
The New 52 publishing event. Zod is reintroduced in
Action Comics #23.2:
General Zod (September 2013), written by
Greg Pak, with art by Ken Lashley. A new origin for Zod is introduced. In it, Zod is born to scientist parents. When he is a young boy, Zod and his parents travel to Krypton's wilderness to discover new creatures. Their ship is attacked by the creatures, leaving the family stranded in the jungle. While his parents are killed, Zod manages to survive for one year until Jor-El and his older brother
Zor-El save him. After reaching adulthood, Zod becomes one of Krypton's best soldiers, attaining the rank of general. Zod develops a hatred towards an alien species called the Char and secretly orders the creation of a Char-looking creature, unleashing it on Krypton's population, so he can justify a war against the Char. Jor-El discovers the deception and turns Zod over to the authorities. The council finds Zod guilty of treason and banishes him and his closest followers, Faora and Non, to the Phantom Zone. Many years later, a mysterious event causes the Phantom Zone to weaken, allowing some of its prisoners to escape. Zod travels to Earth, landing in the
Sahara desert. There, his Kryptonian powers manifest and he brutally kills a group of travelers. Zod is soon attacked by the Justice League of America until Superman and
Wonder Woman arrive, the latter restraining him with her magic lasso. Zod recognizes Superman as Kal-El, the son of Jor-El. Superman decides to keep Zod in the Fortress of Solitude's alien zoo. While there, he reveals that Faora also traveled to Earth with him, and vows to track her down. '' vol. 5 #17 (July 2017). Art by
Tony S. Daniel and
Sandu Florea.
DC Universe In June 2016, the
DC Rebirth event relaunched DC Comics' entire line of comic book titles, in which General Zod continues to appear within DC titles. In December 2017, DC Comics ended the
Rebirth branding, opting to include everything under a larger
DC Universe banner and naming. As part of the DC Rebirth relaunch, Zod is once again imprisoned within the Phantom Zone. He is trapped within the boundaries of the Black Vault, a secret facility hidden in the
Laptev Sea.
Amanda Waller sends the
Suicide Squad to steal the contents of the Black Vault and bring them back to her, but they unwittingly allow Zod to escape. She attempts to 'recruit' Zod by implanting a kryptonite explosive in his head, but he finally proves too dangerous when he uses a mirror and his heat vision to literally cut the bomb out of his own skull, forcing
Rick Flag to sacrifice himself to seal the Zone before Zod can release his army. Zod manages to retrieve his family from the Zone while fighting alongside the
Superman Revenge Squad -
Cyborg Superman,
Eradicator,
Mongul, and Metallo - and escapes Earth to establish himself as a dictator on another planet with his family. He nearly kills
Hal Jordan when the
Green Lantern Corps discover his presence on the planet before both sides are forced to withdraw and recuperate. ==Powers and abilities==