General Zod in The Adventures of Superman #589 (April 2001). ĭuring the remaining years before the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Zod and other Zone inmates such as Jax-Ur, Faora Hu-Ul 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. With Zod's threat now obvious, Superman is forced to oppose him and ultimately returns him to the Zone. However, he attempts to conquer Earth with the superpowers his Kryptonian body acquires under the yellow sun (the source of Superman's own super-powers). Zod is eventually released by Superman when his term of imprisonment is up. He is sentenced to exile in the Phantom Zone for 40 years for his crimes. When the space program is abolished after the destruction of the inhabited moon Wegthor (engineered by renegade scientist Jax-Ur), Zod attempts to take over Krypton using an army of robotic duplicates of himself, all bearing a resemblance to Bizarro. He knows Jor-El, Superman's father, when Jor-El is an aspiring scientist.

A different incarnation of Zod was portrayed by Michael Shannon in the DC Extended Universe films Man of Steel (2013) and The Flash (2023).įictional character biography Silver Age ĭru-Zod is a megalomaniacal Kryptonian, in charge of the military forces on Krypton.

Eventually, the character was reintroduced to the DC Multiverse with black hair and a goatee beard. Originally depicted as bald and clean-shaven, Zod's look in popular culture was defined by the character's depiction by Terence Stamp in the films Superman (1978) and Superman II (1981). He is also well known for his famous catchphrase, “Kneel before Zod!” As a Kryptonian, he exhibits the same powers and abilities as Superman and is consequently viewed as one of his greatest enemies alongside Lex Luthor, Darkseid and Brainiac. The character, who first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 (April 1961), was created by Robert Bernstein and initially designed by George Papp. General Zod is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly known as an adversary of the superhero Superman. Superhuman strength, stamina, endurance, speed, agility, reflexes, intelligence, longevity, and hearing.

Superman by Robert Bernstein