DC Extended Universe character
Fictional character
Zod
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First appearance
| Man of Steel
(2013)
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Last appearance
| The Flash
(2023)
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Based on
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Adapted by
| Christopher Nolan
David S. Goyer
Zack Snyder
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Portrayed by
| Michael Shannon
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Full name
| Dru-Zod
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Species
| Kryptonian
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Title
| General
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Occupation
| Military commander
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Affiliation
| Sword of Rao
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Nationality
| Kandoran
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Abilities
| Genius
intellect, skilled martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant, invulnerability, superhuman strength, speed, sight, and hearing, frost breath, heat vision, X-ray vision, and flight
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Dru-Zod
is a fictional character in the
DC Extended Universe
based on the
DC Comics
character
of the same name
. He is portrayed by
Michael Shannon
. Zod first appeared in the 2013 film
Man of Steel
, as a rogue general trying to lead a coup against the ruling elite of the planet
Krypton
, forcing the planet's chief scientist,
Jor-El
, to send his son
Kal-El
to
Earth
. Zod is punished for his war crimes, with him and his subordinates intended to be sent to the
Phantom Zone
, but following Krypton's destruction, he and his followers escape and follow Kal-El to Earth, forcing him to become
Superman
and protect the planet and its inhabitants. Shannon's portrayal of Zod has received positive reviews, and the character is considered one of the best villains in the DCEU.
[1]
Shannon reprised his role in
The Flash
(2023).
[2]
Character creation and execution
[
edit
]
First appearance and previous portrayal
[
edit
]
General Zod
appeared for the first time in
Adventure Comics
#263. Since then, Zod has been considered as one of
Superman
's greatest archenemies. Like Superman, he has the ability to fly, possesses superhuman strength, heat vision, frost breath and other powers. Zod made his live-action debut in the
1978 film adaptation
, with
Terence Stamp
taking on the
role of Zod
and reprising it in the
1980 sequel
with a more prominent arc.
[3]
Casting and behind the scenes
[
edit
]
American actor
Michael Shannon
was cast as Zod for
Man of Steel
(2013), a reboot of the
Superman film franchise
that would eventually become the first entry into the
DC Extended Universe
.
[4]
Viggo Mortensen
and
Daniel Day-Lewis
were also considered for the role.
[5]
[6]
Director
Zack Snyder
stated, "Zod is not only one of Superman's most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don't. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role".
[7]
When screenwriter
David S. Goyer
was asked about why Zod was chosen as the villain, he stated, "The way
[Christopher] Nolan
and I have always approached movies as well is you never say, 'Hey, which villain would be cool for this movie?' You start with the story first. What kind of story? What kind of theme do you want to tell? So we worked that out. Then, usually the villain becomes obvious in terms of who's going to be the appropriate
antagonist
for that. When you guys see the movie, the only villain we could've used was Zod and the
Kryptonians
. I mean, when you see what the whole story is, nothing else would have even made sense".
[8]
Much like
Superman
actor
Henry Cavill
and
Faora
actress
Antje Traue
, Shannon trained extensively for his role, utilizing workouts that heavily featured
goblet squats
and barbell complexes under trainer
Mark Twight
.
[9]
General Zod's bodysuit was designed by
Michael Wilkinson
with an alien
chain mail
motif and his family crest in the front, similar to Superman, Faora,
Jor-El
, and other Kryptonian characters in the film.
[10]
The Kryptonian armor for Zod was constructed through
CGI
to allow Shannon "freedom of movement", due to the substantial weight that a practical suit of armor would yield.
[11]
The death of Zod at the end of
Man of Steel
proved to be heavily-debated during the film's production. Originally, much like with Faora and his other henchmen in the finished film, Zod was going to be sucked into the
Phantom Zone
. As that ending for Zod dissatisfied the filmmakers, Goyer suggested to some
DC Comics
employees to have Superman kill Zod, even though Nolan had shown aversion at the idea and dissuaded Goyer from even trying to write such a scenario. Much of DC's staff, like Nolan, were opposed to the idea, but Goyer and Snyder ultimately convinced everyone involved by pointing out that Superman would only dispose of Zod because the former would give him no other options, forcing Superman to kill him quickly to save a cornered family from Zod's heat vision.
[12]
For
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
(2016), the corpse of Zod appears in the film in a crucial role, being used by
Jesse Eisenberg
's
Lex Luthor
to create
Doomsday
; however, Michael Shannon did not film any scenes for the film and the corpse was created using the physique of fitness model
Greg Plitt
and a head-shot of Shannon.
[13]
Shannon was later approached by
Andy Muschietti
to reprise his role as Zod in
The Flash
(2023), the last installment in the DCEU before its soft-reboot in anticipation of the
DC Universe
managed by
James Gunn
and
Peter Safran
. Initially surprised at the offer for his character's death in his first appearance, Shannon was informed about how the concept of the DC continuity's
Multiverse
would enable him to return, a phenomenon Shannon wasn't aware of due to not particularly being a "
superhero genre
consumer". Shannon felt that revising Zod was enjoyable and that the few weeks of shooting at
England
he had were a "nice way" to spend some of his summer.
[14]
Working with Muschietti was something Shannon had been interested in doing due to how recommended Muschietti had been by some of Shannon's friends who had worked with him, praising Muschietti for being as creative as Snyder and a brilliant, visual artist who would often draw while Shannon and his co-stars
rehearsed
. Having so much fun filming
The Flash
, Shannon kept one of Muschietti's drawings at home with his permission and has expressed interest in working with him again if the opportunity arises.
[15]
Before accepting to return, however, Shannon requested to first be given the blessing of Snyder, with whom Shannon had sided with over his tumultuous exit from
Warner Bros.
, as Warner's mistreatment of Snyder was a factor for which Shannon was hesitant to reprise his role, and Snyder gave it.
[16]
Themes and characterization
[
edit
]
Zod is portrayed in
Man of Steel
as a highly skilled, determined, and charismatic warrior, fiercely loyal to his race and its ideals and unafraid to act on instinct. Despite caring for other Kryptonians at times, he views those of other races, such as
humans
, to be inferior, disregarding their extinction when he attempts to terraform Earth into Krypton-like conditions. He also does not grasp the concept of
free will
, and when his plans are thwarted, is driven mad by the loss of his people and failing at what he perceives to be his sole
purpose in life
, vowing to personally wipe out humanity in revenge until Superman is forced to kill him. Writing for
The Huffington Post
, Colin Liotta compared Zod in the film to
Adolf Hitler
, citing: "He feels his vision for a pure Krypton (i.e. a society like the one Hitler envisioned with his
eugenics program
) is the only answer for survival".
[17]
For his return in
The Flash
, Shannon stated prior to the film's release that his reprisal in the film was a "little different" than his
Man of Steel
one by virtue of Zod not counting with a long screentime than in his first appearance in order to not veer the attention away from
Ezra Miller
's
Barry Allen / The Flash
. Because of this, Zod's characterization isn't depicted as "deeper" like in his debut and the audience doesn't get to know what he's thinking.
[14]
As he later elaborated, Zod's appearance in the film serves more like a
plot device
, or an obstacle like Shannon referred to, than a pivotal in-depth role.
[16]
Appearances
[
edit
]
Man of Steel
(2013)
[
edit
]
General Zod is introduced as a warrior loyal to
Krypton
, having been genetically engineered in a Genesis chamber and assigned his role in Kryptonian society like all other
Kryptonians
. Zod was raised in the Kryptonian Warrior Guild and rose to the rank of general. During his youth, he also befriends Krypton's leading scientist
Jor-El
, for having the same interest to keep Krypton safe and in order. When Krypton is near destruction due to excessive mining of the
planetary core
, Zod considers the council too weak to keep their race alive, so he forms the
Sword of Rao
and recruits his followers to launch an uprising. Jor-El refuses to join and escapes an arrest attempt by Zod's followers. When Zod arrives at Jor-El's home, he realizes that the latter had stolen the genetic codex and is about to ship it off with his son,
Kal-El
, the first naturally born Kryptonian child in centuries.
Lara Lor-Van
, Jor-El's wife, launches Kal to
Earth
as the male Kryptonians scuffle, after which Zod kills Jor-El in cold blood. In the aftermath, Zod and his followers are arrested and sentenced to exile in the
Phantom Zone
after being convicted of treason. Zod vows to find Kal-El before he and his troops are
cryogenically frozen
and shipped off into the Phantom Zone.
After Krypton inevitably explodes, the Phantom Zone portal opens, freeing Zod and his followers, who mourn the destruction of their home world. With the portal's Phantom Drive, they repurpose their prison ship, the
Black Zero
, and travel across the galaxy to planets colonized by the Kryptonians. Despite failing to find survivors, they retrieve Kryptonian technology including a World Engine used to terraform planets to the needs of Kryptonians. Around 2013, Zod's forces intercept a signal from Earth after an adult Kal-El, now known as Clark Kent, activates a Kryptonian scout ship found in the
Arctic
. Suspecting that Kal-El is on Earth, Zod broadcasts a global address that he surrender or risk war. Clark reluctantly agrees to his demands, with
Daily Planet
reporter
Lois Lane
joining him as a hostage. When Zod finally meets Clark, the latter collapses while adjusting to the Kryptonian atmospherics. In a dreamlike vision, Zod tells Clark about how they managed to escape the Phantom Zone and find him. Zod also tells him that he possess several
terraforming
devices and his intentions to terraform Earth in order to create a New Krypton but the human race would go extinct as a result. Clark refuses to join, and Zod reveals he killed Jor-El as he ties up Clark, who has his blood drawn by Zod's science officer
Jax-Ur
. He leaves the ship to recover the codex which he suspects that is hidden on Clark's pod, in the Kent's farm. He confronts
Martha Kent
but before he can harm her, Clark, having escaped, attacks him, breaking open his helmet and exposing him to Earth's atmospherics. As Zod experiences what Clark did as a child, he collapses and is rescued by his troops.
Back on the ship, Jax-Ur tells Zod that Jor-El infused the genetic codex to Clark's DNA after examining his blood, and also tells him that with the genetic information, Clark is not needed alive to create new Kryptonians. Zod deploys the World Engine from the ship and it lands in the
Indian Ocean
. When the ship enters Earth and arrives above
Metropolis
, it begins firing a beam through the planet towards the World Engine, beginning the terraforming which severely damages the city. Zod heads to the Arctic to take the scout ship which contains a Genesis chamber. Jor-El's hologram speaks with Zod and attempts to convince him to abort the mission, but the latter refuses, deleting the AI and taking the ship to Metropolis. Zod attempts to destroy a
U.S. Air Force
aircraft aiming to attack the
Black Zero
, but Clark, now calling himself "
Superman
" and having destroyed the World Engine, infiltrates the scout ship and crashes it. This allows the American plane to crash into the
Black Zero
with the activated Phantom Drive of Clark's pod, which creates a singularity that sucks Zod's troops back to the Phantom Zone. With the ship destroyed and Krypton's only hope of revival gone, the now insane Zod vows to destroy the Earth and its inhabitants out of revenge, gaining the ability to fly after honing his senses. The two Kryptonians engage in a lengthy battle across Metropolis, causing more destruction, with Clark eventually gaining the upper hand, but when Zod attacks a cornered family in a train station with his heat vision and refuses to back down, Clark reluctantly kills Zod?the only other remaining Kryptonian?by snapping his neck.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
(2016)
[
edit
]
Eighteen months later, Metropolis has rebuilt itself after suffering catastrophic damage from the battle, with a park and monument built at the spot where the
Black Zero
landed. Zod's corpse is now in the hands of
United States government
, having been studied by several scientists on the Kryptonian scout ship now located in Metropolis and surrounded by a government facility.
Lex Luthor
attempts to persuade Senator June Finch to allow him to import
Kryptonite
discovered after Zod's
terraforming
attempt, so that it can be used as a deterrent against future Kryptonian and
metahuman
threats, but she declines, knowing it is a guise to assassinate Superman. However, Senator Barrows allows Lex to have access to study and analyze the body of Zod and the Kryptonian scout ship. Luthor eventually discovers that the exposure to kryptonite decays Kryptonian cells and significantly weakened Zod to mortal standards. Later, Luthor creates a
Kryptonian deformity
using the scout ship's Genesis chamber, Zod's corpse, and Luthor's blood as a "backup plan" to kill Superman, after failing to manipulate
Batman
into doing so. This formed an egg sack that the Kryptonian monster emerged from. Though the monster, which Luthor calls his "doomsday", is impervious to
nuclear weapons
and regenerates itself upon being harmed, Superman manages to kill it with a Kryptonite spear along with Batman and
Wonder Woman
's help, though it costs him his own life.
The Flash
(2023)
[
edit
]
An alternate timeline version of General Zod appears in the 2023 film
The Flash
, with Michael Shannon reprising his role.
[18]
Zod travels with his crew to Earth, which they were never locked in the Phantom Zone. Arriving on the planet, they begin the attack and in an encounter with
Kara Zor-El
, who learns that Zod killed Kal-El when his pod strayed as a baby, and that the Growth Codex needed to convert the Earth on Krypton is inside her, after a confrontation, he kills her by taking her blood sample, before this timeline was restored erasing him from existence by
The Flash
.
Reception
[
edit
]
Despite the polarized reception to
Man of Steel
overall, Michael Shannon's interpretation of General Zod in the film received critical acclaim.
[19]
Mark Birrell from
Screen Rant
ranked Zod as the second greatest DCEU villain in 2019, second only to
Amanda Waller
in
Suicide Squad
. Describing Shannon's performance as "operatic", he notes that "Shannon takes Terence Stamp’s infamously snooty ? almost
Disney
villain-esque ? interpretation of the fearsome military leader and gives him over completely to Zack Snyder’s supercharged
machismo
".
[20]
Fellow
Screen Rant
writer Jason Chamberlain shares this sentiment, writing that Zod's predetermined nature and role in Kryptonian society provided more depth to his motivations compared to Stamp's portrayal in
Superman II
(1980) and notes it as one of the failures of Kryptonian society.
[21]
Superman's decision to kill Zod at the end of
Man of Steel
was met with a divided response. While comics artists such as
Grant Morrison
and
Neal Adams
criticized the killing as unnecessary and out of character for Superman,
[22]
[23]
Trey Soto of
Geeks Under Grace
argues that Zod forced Superman's hand, leaving him no other choice, and notes the latter's anguish in doing so. He also comments that
Christopher Reeve
's
Superman
nonchalantly kills Stamp's
Zod
in
Superman II
after stripping him of his powers.
[24]
DC editor Joey Esposito opined that Superman killing Zod was the most selfless decision he could ever make. Among their reasons for the scene, Snyder and David S. Goyer cited the intention to modernize Superman for a new generation and the idea of Superman being forced to kill in his
origin story
making him think twice about doing it again as part of a
character arc
that could have been spawned in further films until he became the non-lethal hero he is in the source material.
[12]
Looking back at
Man of Steel
in 2023, Shannon reflected that he never understood why people argued that Superman shouldn't have killed Zod because he isn't supposed to do that, which gave him some concerns over reprising his role for
The Flash
at first.
[15]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
The plot description and characterization were adapted from
Dru-Zod
and
Man of Steel
at the DC Extended Universe Wiki, which are available under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA 3.0) license
.
- ^
"Every DCEU Villain, Ranked"
.
ScreenRant
. 2020-06-16
. Retrieved
2021-07-15
.
- ^
Romanchick, Shane (2023-02-13).
"
'The Flash' Synopsis Teases Michael Shannon's Return as General Zod"
.
Collider
. Retrieved
2023-02-16
.
- ^
Brew, Simon (December 12, 2012).
"Terence Stamp looks back at playing General Zod"
.
Den of Geek
.
Archived
from the original on December 13, 2020
. Retrieved
April 21,
2021
.
- ^
Kilday, Gregg (April 10, 2011).
"Michael Shannon Set to Play Villain General Zod in 'Man of Steel'
"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Archived
from the original on April 12, 2011
. Retrieved
April 11,
2011
.
- ^
Kit, Borys (February 25, 2011).
"Viggo Mortensen on Warners' Radar for 'Superman' Villain (Exclusive)"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Archived
from the original on February 26, 2011
. Retrieved
December 26,
2019
.
- ^
Lovett, Jamie (March 22, 2021).
"Justice League Director Zack Snyder Wanted Daniel Day-Lewis to Play Zod in Man of Steel"
.
Comicbook.com
. Retrieved
March 24,
2021
.
- ^
Hyde, David (April 10, 2011).
"Michael Shannon To Star As General Zod in "Man Of Steel" from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures"
.
DC Comics
.
Archived
from the original on May 28, 2014
. Retrieved
May 26,
2014
.
- ^
Chitwood, Scott (May 30, 2013).
"From the Set of Man of Steel"
.
Superhero Hype
.
Archived
from the original on January 29, 2014
. Retrieved
June 3,
2013
.
- ^
"The Michael Shannon Zod workout"
.
Postema Performance
. 2015-04-29
. Retrieved
2021-10-18
.
- ^
Zemler, Emily (March 12, 2014).
"Inside the Evolution of Superman's Look"
.
Esquire
.
Archived
from the original on March 13, 2014
. Retrieved
June 19,
2014
.
- ^
Wales, George (April 23, 2013).
"Michael Shannon talks Man Of Steel: the CGI suit and Goyer's script"
.
GamesRadar+
.
Archived
from the original on September 24, 2015
. Retrieved
June 21,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
Yehl, Joshua (June 19, 2013).
"Christopher Nolan Disapproved of Man of Steel's Controversial Ending"
.
IGN
.
Archived
from the original on May 26, 2018
. Retrieved
March 13,
2023
.
- ^
Wood, Matt (April 2, 2016).
"Batman V Superman Video Shows How General Zod's Body Was Made"
.
Cinema Blend
. Retrieved
2020-04-26
.
- ^
a
b
Lammers, Tim (March 8, 2023).
"Michael Shannon Discusses A Little White Lie And Bringing Back Zod For The Flash - Exclusive Interview"
.
Looper
.
Archived
from the original on March 9, 2023
. Retrieved
March 13,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Jones, Tamera (March 9, 2023).
"Michael Shannon Talks 'A Little White Lie,' Working With M. Emmet Walsh, and Reprising General Zod for 'The Flash' Movie"
.
Collider
.
Archived
from the original on March 11, 2023
. Retrieved
March 13,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Barfield, Charles (April 25, 2023).
"
'The Flash': Michael Shannon Says He Was Hesitant To Play Zod Again & Got Zack Snyder's Blessing First"
.
The Playlist
.
Archived
from the original on April 25, 2023
. Retrieved
April 26,
2023
.
- ^
Liotta, Collin (June 6, 2013).
"Theory on the
Man of Steel
Plot"
.
The Huffington Post
. Archived from
the original
on June 18, 2013
. Retrieved
February 6,
2015
.
- ^
Owens, Kelvin (December 22, 2021).
"Michael Shannon Appears on 'The Flash' Movie Cast List"
.
Collider
. Retrieved
December 23,
2021
.
- ^
Vejvoda, Jim Fashion (11 June 2013).
"Superman's Reborn in Grand"
.
IGN
.
Archived
from the original on June 11, 2013
. Retrieved
June 11,
2013
.
- ^
Birrell, Mark (2019-07-26).
"The 10 Best Villains From The DCEU, Ranked"
.
ScreenRant
. Retrieved
2021-08-19
.
- ^
"15 Things Man Of Steel Did Better Than Superman: The Movie"
.
ScreenRant
. 2016-10-17
. Retrieved
2021-07-15
.
- ^
Truitt, Brian (July 28, 2013).
"Sunday Geekersation: Grant Morrison switches superheroes"
.
USA Today
.
Archived
from the original on August 4, 2013
. Retrieved
January 6,
2020
.
- ^
"Neal Adams Slams Man of Steel & Superman Returns"
.
Cosmic Book News
. January 7, 2014.
Archived
from the original on May 27, 2015
. Retrieved
January 6,
2020
.
- ^
Soto, Trey (2018-06-06).
"In Defense of Man of Steel - An Analysis on the DCEU Origin"
.
Geeks Under Grace
. Retrieved
2021-10-23
.
External links
[
edit
]
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