General Dru-Zod was a Kryptonian war criminal and the former leader of the Warrior Guild who later founded the Sword of Rao, with the goal of having possession of the Growth Codex to preserve his race.
Having survived the destruction of his native planet of Krypton after escaping with his followers in the Black Zero, he viewed his life purpose to be the successful re-establishment of Krypton on another planet; Earth. Zod was the first and last great enemy of the heroine Supergirl, who was destined to always be killed by him in every timeline.
Dru-Zod was born on the distant planet Krypton, in the huge capital megacity of Kandor, with him being genetically engineered as a commanding leader and fierce warrior. He was one in a long line of warriors all who served in the Kryptonian Warrior Guild, rising to the rank of general (leader of the entire guild).[1]
Fighting for Krypton[]
Murdering Kal-El[]
"We found him. We intercepted his pod. But your cousin wasn't the one we needed. You are the one, Kara Zor-El. It is your blood, what we must harvest."
In 1980, General Dru-Zod led a Kryptonian rebel faction known as the Sword of Rao, aiming to preserve his race by having possession of the Growth Codex. When told that Jor-El had stolen the Codex, Zod and a few men traveled to the House of El Citadel, where Zod confronted Jor-El face to face as the latter's wife launched Kal-El and Kara Zor-El off the planet. On their battle, Jor-El managed to hurt Zod by giving him a wound on his forehead, however, at the end Zod would end up murdering Jor-El with a retractable blade from his armor.
After this and with the 2 starcrafts gone, Zod failed and was condemned along with the entire Sword of Rao to the Phantom Zone by the Council of Five, being put into somatic reconditioning and sent to the dimension inside the Black Zero. After the implosion of Krypton and seeing that their planet had been destroyed, Zod declared the Black Zero his new flagship and began searching the universe, eventually intercepting the starcraft of newborn Kal-El, whom he murdered believing he housed the Codex within his cells. However, Zod discovered that actually, Kal's cousin, Kara Zor-El, was the bearer of the Codex.[1]
"My name is General Zod. I come from a world far from yours. For some time, your world has sheltered one of my citizens. I request that you return this individual to my custody. For reasons unknown-..."
In the following years, Zod continued his search for the Codex across the universe until, in 2013, he located a signal from Kara Zor-El's Starcraft on planet Earth. While in the orbit of the planet, Zod and his henchmen broadcasted a transmission signal that was captured by all the screens on the planet. Zod, without his helmet, presented himself to humanity as an extraterrestrial being in search of a Kryptonian refugee who had been hiding on Earth for several years. Likewise, he requested the delivery of this individual to his custody.[1]
War Declaration[]
"You bring me nothing. I gave you a warning. Your failure to deliver the Kryptonian traitor is being taken as an act of war."
The next day, Zod and the Sword of Rao headed their flagship, the Black Zero, to Edwards Air Force Base, hoping to receive the Kryptonian individual as he had requested. When he descended accompanied by commander Faora-Ul, he noticed that the United States Army and Air Force did not have the traitor with them. Considering this an act of war, Zod deployed his blade to assassinate General Calvin Swanwick, sparking a war between the Sword of Rao and the Earth soldiers. At that, Zod was alerted by Faora of the presence of an individual in the sky who was observing them, being Kara Zor-El.[1]
"Is it your blood we must harvest?" "What did you do to Kal-El?" "Your sacrifice that will allow Krypton to live again." "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" "...The infant did not survive."
In the midst of the confrontation between both armies, the Justice League arrived at Edwards Air Force Base, forcing Zod to leave his ship in a floating platform. Upon seeing him, Kara Zor-El flew towards him, destroying two turrets with Kryptonians that were firing at the human army, directly confronting the general. Zod began the terraforming process with the Black Zero and the World Engine from a gauntlet device in his armor, mentioning to Kara that the Earth must die for Krypton to live again. At that, Zod revealed that he had found and executed the newborn Kal-El in search of the Growth Codex, which was actually found in Kara's cells.
At the revelation, an enraged Supergirl fired her heat rays at Zod, who prepared to directly confront the Kryptonian adversary. Zod pushed himself off the ground and threw Supergirl into a helicopter, before blowing it up and knocking Supergirl away with the explosion. The two then launched multiple punches and Zod was kicked towards one of the destroyed Kryptonian Dropships, with Supergirl taking advantage of the moment to hit him repeatedly with a pole detached from another ship. Believing she had defeated her adversary, Supergirl fell to the ground momentarily, recovered shortly afterward, and approached Zod to attempt to use the gauntlet device on his armor to stop the terraformation.
Zod extracts the Codex from Kara's genetic material.
Without Supergirl realizing it, Zod recovered from the blows and while she was distracted, he deployed the retractable blade of his armor and stabbed it into her chest from behind. After freeing himself from the dents in the destroyed dropship, another dropship approached the site and two soldiers emerged carrying an extraction device. Zod proceeded to take it and stab it into Kara's chest, ultimately recovering the remains of the Codex within her genetic material, and killing her in the process. Once the process was completed and the Codex was recovered, Zod departed aboard the dropship with his soldiers, hoping to fulfill his purpose of terraforming and rebirthing Krypton.[1]
After Supergirl's first death, the young Flash and his older self would go back in time in the Chronobowl to save Batman and Supergirl, with the young Flash going to save the latter from Zod but every time he tried, Zod would kill Supergirl in brutal ways such as stabbing her with his blade or snapping her neck. The older Allen would soon realize that Supergirl being killed by Zod was an Inevitable Intersection and tried to warn his younger self but he would ignore him and would continue trying to save Supergirl from Zod for years until he became the Dark Flash. Ultimately, Zod would be erased from existence by the older Flash after the sacrifice of his younger self to save him from the Dark Flash.[1]
Personality[]
The personality of this version of General Zod is virtually identical to that of his Earth-1 counterpart. However, the Zod of the Flashpoint Timeline seems a bit more deceptive and even more ruthless, as he killed the infant Kal-El (instead of raising him as an ally) and gave Earth an impossible ultimatum (demanding that they turn in Kal-El, whom he had already secretly killed). This version of Zod is also somewhat cunning, as he pretended to be beaten by Supergirl, in order to get her to come close enough for him to stab her to death.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
Kryptonian Physiology: As a Kryptonian, General Zod's bone structure is almost identical to that of a human. On a planet near a yellow G-type main-sequence star (like Earth), he has many powers, all of them far beyond the capabilities of humans and even metahumans, making him appear godlike (indeed rivalling an Old God in power). Unlike his Earth-1 counterpart, Zod never discards his armor and visor, so he never unlocks the powers of heat vision, super breath, Arctic breath, or flight. Despite that, Zod never withheld the powers that he did have, which allowed him to kill Supergirl (who had all her powers), managing to adapt to any new circumstance presented with Flash's numerous timeline resets.
Superhuman Strength: General Zod has a tremendous level of superhuman strength, virtually incalculable, as he can carry millions of tons. He can generate large shock-waves with his mighty punches, he can effortlessly hurl cars and trucks, and even overpower and kill fellow Kryptonian Supergirl in every timeline.
Nigh-Invulnerability: General Zod's body is virtually indestructible. Hence, he can withstand the extreme heat of massive explosions, the extreme cold of the Arctic, intense air-vortexes, exposure to the vacuum of outer space, falls from great heights, high-caliber bullets, anti-tank depleted uranium rounds, Maverick missiles, plasma bolts from Kryptonian weaponry, torrents of Speed Force lighting, other Kryptonians' heat vision (though it does cause him burning pain), blows from speedsters, and even numerous mighty blows from fellow Kryptonian Supergirl. While Zod can be affected by the considerable force of powerful impacts, they only at most cause him to stumble and briefly knock him down, leaving him unscathed. The only known things capable of breaking through Zod's invulnerability and harming him are beings of comparable incalculable strength (such as other Kryptonians), as they are strong enough to physically break through his invulnerability, as shown when Supergirl could harm Zod.
Regenerative Healing Factor: General Zod, in the rare instances when he is hurt, is capable of healing at superhuman speeds, especially in direct sunlight. However, if the injuries are serious enough to instantly kill him, his healing factor will not be able to save him, which is what happened when Zod mortally stabbed Supergirl, in multiple timelines.
Superhuman Speed: General Zod can run, fly and react at incredible supersonic speeds. He notably pushed out his arm-blade and slashed a human soldier's throat before the latter could react. Also, during Zod's final duel with Supergirl, he was able to land several blows on her before she could react. The only known being capable of moving slightly faster than General Zod is the speedster Flash. However, once Zod's reflexes adjusted, he was able to perceive the Flash running around him (through the generated air-vortex), and managed to synchronize his movements to the speed of his opponents, which allowed Zod to quickly knock down both Supergirl and the Flash. In another timeline, Zod adjusted again, knocking Flash backwards with a flick of his arm. In yet another timeline, Zod managed to grab the Flash by the neck before the speedster could attack him, forcing the Flash to phase out of his grip.
Superhuman Reflexes: General Zod's speed extends to his reflexes as well, as he managed to mostly keep up with the equally fast Supergirl, catching her off-guard with a mortal stab, in most iterations of their battle. In alternate timelines, Zod's senses and reflexes quickly adjusted to the Flash's superior speed, allowing Zod to synchronize his speed with his faster opponent, knocking the speedster down one time, and grabbing the speedster by the neck another time. Like the Flash, Zod sees others as slowed to the point that they're all but frozen in place, though Supergirl and the Flash move at normal speed while in this state.
Superhuman Stamina: General Zod rarely grows tired if he is continuously powered by the yellow sun of Earth. He doesn't need to eat, sleep, or even breathe. Hence, he ferociously battled with Supergirl, without ever needing to slow down and catch his breath.
Superhuman Vision: General Zod has eyesight far beyond that of humans. He possesses a superior sensory arrangement of telescopic, infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray visual capabilities. He can see the entire electromagnetic spectrum when he desires, through mental focus.
Telescopic Vision: General Zod has the ability to focus his vision to see past great distances, mentally zooming in. Hence, after hearing Supergirl's voice when she hovered in the clouds over the military base, Zod quickly honed in on the source of the voice.
X-Ray Vision: Zod saw Supergirl hiding in the clouds, and saw the Flash's movements through the air-vortex.
Superhuman Hearing: General Zod can hear both infrasound and ultrasound. When Supergirl spoke, while hovering miles above him, Zod clearly heard her.
Abilities[]
Gifted Intellect: General Zod, despite his often angry tone and demeanor, is exceptionally intelligent.
Master Tactician: Zod, as the General of the Kryptonian Warrior Guild and the Sword of Rao, was a highly skilled and capable tactician. Arriving on Earth, General Zod came up with an effective strategy to force Supergirl to turn herself over to him. While battling Supergirl in the first timeline, Zod seemingly pretends to be beaten by her, in order for her to come close enough for him to quickly stab her to death.
Expert Leader: Zod, as the General of the Kryptonian Warrior Guild and the Sword of Rao, was a highly skilled and charismatic leader, inspiring fierce loyalty from all of his allies, since even after his Kryptonian Civil War had failed, they still looked up to Zod and unquestionably followed his lead for the 33 years that Zod tirelessly searched for a planet suitable for terraforming into a new Krypton.
Multilingualism: General Zod, apart from his native Kryptonian, was somehow able to quickly learn how to fluently understand and speak many of Earth's languages, which included English while speaking with Supergirl.
Master Combatant: Zod, as the General of the Kryptonian Warrior Guild, is a highly fierce, formidable and ruthless combatant, being incredibly skilled in a vast array of Kryptonian martial arts, second only to Faora in this regard. Hence, in each alternate timeline Zod battled Supergirl in, he defeated and stabbed her to death, despite her having the advantages of flight and heat vision over him, as well as help from the Flash. Each time, despite being overwhelmed for a few minutes, Zod found an opening in his opponents' guard - one time he made them crash into each other, another time he quickly backhanded the Flash, and yet another time he grabbed the faster Flash by the neck before the speedster could attack him. The Flash was forced to go intangible to escape Zod's grip that time. Hence, even without his powers, General Zod is still extremely dangerous and versatile in battle and lethal.
Indomitable Will: General Zod's tremendous determination and strength of will make him an extremely formidable opponent. After Krypton's destruction, Zod refused to fall into despair, and tirelessly lead his followers on a long search for a planet suitable for terraforming, never seeming to lose hope. Zod was shown to keep this determination in every alternate timeline, always stabbing Supergirl to death.
Weaknesses[]
Limited Free Will: Zod's greatest psychological weakness stems from the fact that he was genetically engineered in a genesis chamber, with the boundaries of thought programmed into his engineered DNA. Although he was clever in seeing how ineffective the Kryptonian Law Council was and in devising plans to survive in deep space, the boundaries of thought programmed into his engineered DNA made him completely unable to live a different lifestyle he was born from. Above all, Zod demonstrated a complete lack of empathy for humans, quickly declaring war against them after they failed to deliver Kara Zor-El to him. Indeed, Zod is willing to kill anyone who stands in his way of rebuilding Krypton at all costs, even if it proved useless.
Red Starlight: Zod derives his powers from the yellow Sun. If exposed to the radiation from a red star, such as Krypton's sun Rao, he would no longer be able to access his powers and would be only be as powerful as an ordinary human.
Kryptonian Metal: Zod, even under a yellow sun, can be wounded by sharp pieces of Kryptonian metal. Hence, Zod stabbed fellow Kryptonian Supergirl to death with his arm-blade in many versions of their final duel.
Equipment[]
Weapons[]
Zod's Retractable Blade.
Retractable Blade: Zod has a retractable blade that comes out of his armor through his right arm, which he used to kill Supergirl in several timelines.
Other Equipment[]
Armor: Zod wore a battle armor made of Kryptonian Metal with a dark cape on the back. The armor was strong enough to withstand Supergirl's and Flash's blows.
Codex Extraction Device: Zod used a device made of Kryptonian metal with a sharp blade protruding from it, which he drove into Supergirl's dying body to extract the Growth Codex everytime he defeated her.
Vehicles[]
Black Zero: Zod's flagship in which he and the Sword of Rao traveled across the universe in search of the Growth Codex. After arriving on Earth, Zod sent a message to the entire planet from the Black Zero, asking for Kara Zor-El's surrender, and then, he and all of his troops descended to Edwards Air Force Base in their flagship. Later, Zod would send the Black Zero to Metropolis where he would begin terraforming with his armor gauntlet device.
Kryptonian Floating Platform: Zod left the dropship to confront Kara on a floating platform, where he showed her on a Liquid Geo screen how the terraforming of Earth began.
Dru-Zod was the first main antagonist of the DC Extended Universe due to appearing as the main villain of Man of Steel. By appearing in The Flash, even though he isn't the same Zod, it can be said that Zod book-ended the villain roster of the DCEU before its soft-reboot into the DC Universe.
It's very difficult to notice but Zod has the same scar as his Earth-1 counterpart which means that just like in the original timeline, Zod fought and killed Jor-El.
Despite being the main villain or at least the most predominant threat in The Flash, Zod is not a Flash villain in the comics.
Zod is the only main villain of the DCEU to never interact, fight or even know about the existence of the main protagonist which in the film is Barry Allen.
Behind the Scenes[]
Michael Shannon asked and got Zack Snyder's blessing to return as the character in The Flash given the tense relationship Warner Bros. had with him. Despite this, though he enjoyed working in the film with director Andy Muschietti and Ezra Miller, Shannon didn't feel that satisfied over reprising the role given how Zod serves more like an "obstacle" to the heroes with little to no characterization in contrast to his complex depiction in Man of Steel.[2]
.png "Captura de pantalla (172).png (596 KB)")
