History Characters / SupermanRoguesGalleryPhantomZone

''Characters/{{Supergirl}}'' ([[Characters/SupergirlTheCharacter Kara Zor-El/Linda Danvers/Supergirl]], [[Characters/SupergirlSupportingCast Supporting Cast]], [[Characters/SupergirlEnemies Rogues Gallery]]) | ''Characters/PowerGirl'' | ''Characters/{{Superboy}}'' ([[Characters/SupermanConnerKent Conner Kent/Kon-El]], [[Characters/SupermanJonathanSamuelKent Jonathan "Jon" Samuel Kent]], [[Characters/SuperboySupportingCast Supporting Cast]], [[Characters/SuperboyEnemies Rogues Gallery]]) | ''Characters/LegionOfSuperheroes'' ([[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesFounders The Founders]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesSilverAge Silver Age]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesBronzeAge Bronze Age]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesFiveYearsLater Five Years Later]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesPostboot Postboot]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesThreeboot Threeboot]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesRetroboot Retroboot]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesOtherHeroes Other Heroes]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesTheFatalFive The Fatal Five]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesLegionOfSupervillains The Legion of Supervillains]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesOtherVillains Other Villains]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesSupportingCharacters Supporting Cast]])-]]]]]

[[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryAToL A-L]] ([[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Alexander "Lex" Luthor]], [[Characters/SupermanBizarro Bizarro]], [[Characters/SupermanBrainiac Vril Dox/Brainiac]], [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]], ComicBook/{{Lobo}}) | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryMToZ M-Z]] ([[Characters/SupermanSuperboyPrime Superboy-Prime]]) | '''Phantom Zone Criminals''' ([[Characters/SupermanGeneralZod General Zod]])\\

Originally created for ''Superman II'', Ursa entred the DCU in the pages of ''Last Son'', alongside the modern General Dru-Zod. Second-in-command and wife to the traitorous general, Colonel Ursa was a loyal soldier in Krypton's elite Black Zero unit, but her failure to stop Brainiac from stealing the city of Kandor and massacring innocent Kryptonians broke her mind, making her dangerously unpredictable. Ursa aided her beloved in his attempt to overthrow the Science Council, but like Zod and their co-conspirator Non, they were stopped by Jor-El and sentenced to eternity in the Phantom Zone. There, Ursa bore a son, Lor-Zod, who would later become the hero Nightwing.

* BreakoutVillain: Of the various New 52 Superman villains, he's proven to be by far the most durable, appearing in several other runs since then even after ''Rebirth'' and ''Reborn'' caused much of the era to be ExiledFromContinuity.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_2021_10_27_201830.png]]

[[folder:Quex-Ul]]
!!Quex-Ul
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/86334b7de737316f965248ddd5f36f10.png]]
->'''AKA:''' Charlie Kweskill (Pre-Crisis), Edward Robertson (Post-Infinte Crisis)

-->''" Superman, you're a fool to have freed me! I'm going to destroy you forever with an amazing secret weapon -- Gold Kryptonite!"''

A Kryptonian wrongly convicted of killing rondors, an endangered species, to use their healing horns for the purpose of profit.

* TheBrute: In later versions, he's usually the 'strongman' of a trio of Phantom Zone criminals (see Expy).
* {{Expy}}: His later incarnations resemble Non, especially the Pocket Universe version.
* HeroicSacrifice: Pre-Crisis. He threw himself into his own Gold Kryptonite trap he set up for Superman (which he had set while being controlled by Rog-Ar), losing both his powers and memory. Still later, he ended up sacrificing his life to save Superman when they were both trapped in the Zone while the Zone's evil inmates were running rampant on Earth.
* KilledOffForReal: Pre-Crisis, he sacrficed his life to save Superman -- ''inside the Phantom Zone,'' no less, where death was thought to be impossible. He's killed of in Post-Infinite Crisis continuity, too.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Pre-Crisis, after Quex-Ul loses his powers and his memory, Superman sets him up with an Earthling identity as "Charlie Kweskill" and gets him a job at the Daily Planet. It works out well for him for a while, but Zod and the other Zoners eventually ruin it for him.
* SealedGoodInACan: After learning the truth, Superman realizes Quex-Ul never belonged in the Zone alongside a bunch of hardened criminals.
* UnwittingPawn: Pre-Crisis. Superman learns he actually acted under the mental control of another Kryptonian, Rog-Ar, the true rondor killer.
* TheWoobie: Poor guy never deserved to be imprisoned, and even after getting released, the other Zoners kept finding ways to mind control him.

[[folder:Kru-El]]
!!Kru-El
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kru_el_earth_one_0001.jpg]]

-->''" Tedious, is she not? A family trait, I'm afraid General. I alone among the Els seem to have been unafflicted."''

Kru-El was "the first stain on the name of El" and sentenced to the Phantom Zone for 35 years for developing forbidden weapons. He vexed his cousin Jor-El on Krypton and would continue to harass his son Superman on Earth.

* ArmsDealer: Kru-El built diabolical weapons and supplied them to the criminal element of Krypton.
* BalefulPolymorph: Supergirl was once subjected to his Plant-Scourge Ray, which caused any being near her to become a plant.
* BeardOfEvil: Sports a pointed goatee and moustache.
* BlackSheep: Kru-El is described "the first stain on the name of El" and is the only member of the House of El to become a criminal.
* EvilGenius: Regarded as being Jor-El's intellectual equal.
* ForgotAboutHisPowers: Kru-El is so focused on using his arsenal of super-weapons that he sometimes forgets that he has superpowers under a yellow sun, allowing Superman to take him down easily.
* GadgeteerGenius: Kru-El is a technological genius and in certain fields, such as weapons design, surpasses even Jor-El.
* NoHonorAmongThieves: After being freed from the Phantom Zone by Lesla-Lar, he uses her as [[TestedOnHumans test subject]] for his disintegrator ray and reduces her to ashes.
* TestedOnHumans: Has no compunctions against testing his weapons on humans or Kryptonians.

[[folder:Nam-Ek]]
!!Nam-Ek
[[quoteright:276:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/namekcomics2.jpg]]
->'''AKA:''' The Antibiotic Man

''"There is much you fail to understand, Kal-El... And-- Like your ancestors who opposed me, you would sooner lash out at me... Than try to understand! "''

Nam-Ek was a Kryptonian scientist obsessed with quantifying the healing power of the Rondor horn, but got too involved in his own research and became a human-Rondor.

''Characters/{{Supergirl}}'' ([[Characters/SupergirlTheCharacter Kara Zor-El/Linda Danvers/Supergirl]], [[Characters/SupergirlSupportingCast Supporting Cast]], [[Characters/SupergirlEnemies Rogues Gallery]]) | ''Characters/PowerGirl'' | ''Characters/{{Superboy}}'' ([[Characters/SupermanConnerKent Conner Kent/Kon-El]], [[Characters/SupermanJonathanSamuelKent Jonathan "Jon" Samuel Kent]], [[Characters/SuperboySupportingCast Supporting Cast]], [[Characters/SuperboyEnemies Rogues Gallery]]) | ''Characters/LegionOfSuperheroes'' ([[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesFounders The Founders]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesSilverAge Silver Age]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesBronzeAge Bronze Age]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesFiveYearsLater Five Years Later]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesPostboot Postboot]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesThreeboot Threeboot]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesPostboot Postboot]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesOtherHeroes Other Heroes]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesTheFatalFive The Fatal Five]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesLegionOfSupervillains The Legion of Supervillains]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesOtherVillains Other Villains]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesSupportingCharacters Supporting Cast]])-]]]]]

'''Villains'''\\

[[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryAToL A-L]] ([[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Alexander "Lex" Luthor]] | [[Characters/SupermanBizarro Bizarro]] | [[Characters/SupermanBrainiac Vril Dox/Brainiac]], [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]], ComicBook/{{Lobo}}) | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryMToZ M-Z]] ([[Characters/SupermanSuperboyPrime Superboy-Prime]]) | '''Phantom Zone Criminals''' ([[Characters/SupermanGeneralZod General Zod]])\\

!!General Zod in adapted media (sorted by date of release):

* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' (1978) and ''Film/SupermanII'' (1980) - Played by Creator/TerenceStamp
* ''WesternAnimation/RubySpearsSuperman'' - Played by Creator/ReneAuberjonois
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' - Played by Creator/CallumBlue
* ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperheroes'' - Played by Creator/GregEllis
* ''VideoGame/DCUniverseOnline'' - Played by Alexander Brandon
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'' - Played by Creator/JeffBergman
* ''VideoGame/LEGOBatman'' - Played by Creator/TownsendColeman
** ''LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes''
** ''LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham''
* ''Franchise/{{Injustice}}'' - Played by Creator/NolanNorth
** ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs''
** ''ComicBook/Injustice2''
* ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'' - Played by Creator/MichaelShannon
** ''Film/ManOfSteel''
** ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueGodsAndMonsters'' - Played by Bruce Thomas
* ''VideoGame/LEGODimensions'' - Played by Creator/NolanNorth
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction'' - Played by Jason J. Lewis
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie''
* ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' - Played by Creator/MarkGibbon
** ''Series/Supergirl2015''
** ''Series/SupermanAndLois''
* ''Series/{{Krypton}}'' - Played by Creator/ColinSalmon
* ''VideoGame/LegoDCSuperVillains''
* ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'' - Played by Creator/LiamOBrien

!!Zod provides the following tropes:

* AbusiveParents: In the Post-Crisis Universe, Zod treats his son, Lor-Zod/Chris Kent, as little more than a means to an end. However, this is not the case in the Post-Flashpoint/Rebirth Universe where Lor-Zod is actually loyal to Zod and he, in turn, respect his position in his Kryptonian forces.
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: Pre-Crisis, Jor-El was merely Zod's jailer. Post-Crisis and every interpretation since, inspired by the first two Reeves films, their relationship is more personal.
* AllForNothing: In the ''New Krypton'' storyline, Zod tries whatever he can to lead New Krypton into a stable and revered society and, at one point try to appease Superman. Unfortunately, nothing works out; Zod is outgambitted by Lex, he's forced to fight against Superman, he is sent into the Phantom Zone by Lor-Zod again, and finally, New Krypton is destroyed by Lex. This ends up being his ultimate fate in the Post-Crisis timeline.
* AlternateUniverse: Prior to ''Last Son'', Superman encountered numerous versions of Zod in different dimensions and alternate Kryptonian pasts alike.
* {{Archenemy}}: Of Jor-El. Superman inherits this grudge, which eventually becomes very personal for both of them. After Luthor and Brainiac, he's in third place on Superman's private hit parade. He considers Jor-El to be his biggest enemy and has since sworn revenge against him. However, because Jor-El died before Zod escaped from the Phantom Zone, he had Superman projected as his object of vengeance simply because of Clark Kent being the son of Jor-El and Zod not letting go of his desire for revenge. He is arguably Superman's third-greatest enemy after Lex Luthor and Brainiac.
* ArchnemesisDad: Fulfills this role after Lor-Zod/Chris's HeelFaceTurn.
* AscendedExtra: He was never a particularly prominent character in his original appearances; only an unremarkable name among the many Phantom Zoners. After the popularity of ''Superman II'', he was upjumped to being the leader of the Phantom Zoners and one of Superman's primary enemies.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He trained from birth to be a warrior, and combining his military training with his solar power, is perfectly able to have Superman on the ropes.
* BadassBeard: Zod's beard is both evil and awesome.
* BadassLongcoat: Sometimes features a military-style greatcoat as part of his uniform.
* BaldOfEvil: In the Pre-Crisis era where, not unlike Brainiac, he closely resembled ComicBook/LexLuthor. This has been changed since, with many versions closely resembling Terence Stamp's iconic portrayal. ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' split the difference, giving him Pre-Crisis Zod's bald head and Stamp's beard.
* BattleCouple: With Ursa Post-Crisis and Faora in the New 52.
* BeardOfEvil: Usually features a version of Terence Stamp's goatee.
* BigBad: Of ''Last Son'', and ''War of the Supermen'', where he's the main instigator of the plot's conflict. Following his revival, he's generally in competition with Luthor and Brainiac for the title of Superman's biggest bad.
* BigBadEnsemble: In ''New Krypton'' he, Brainiac and General Lane compete for the title of biggest bad in the story arc.
* BigBadWannabe: Of ''New Krypton''. He's never truly in control of the situation and both Brainiac and Luthor end up outstripping him. Brainiac effortlessly smashes through his army with his ship and specialized anti-Kryptonian gear when he comes to collect New Krypton (killing tens of thousands of Kryptonians), gains the upper hand on him in their superpowered fistfight and manages to shrink and bottle Kandor ''again'', only being stopped short of an easy total victory by Luthor's last-second actions. Luthor, for his part, outmaneuvers Zod at every turn help, so everything Zod does was playing right into his plot. Luthor ends the arc by annihilating Zod's entire race and planet, manipulating Superman into sending him back into the Phantom Zone and getting ''rewarded'' for it.
* BornInTheWrongCentury: Zod's personality, desires, and mindset being that of a military general who thrives in war and battle, would have been more appropriate for Ancient Krypton, given that by its dying days, the planet was more interested in diplomacy, politics, and self-preservation via alien technology.
* BreakoutCharacter: Zod was a minor villain Pre-Crisis, and even among the Phantom Zone criminals, Faora and Jax-Ur were initially more prominent than him. After his movie appearances, he has become more popular and prominent, to the point of becoming one of Superman's main arch-enemies alongside Luthor and Brainiac.
* BroughtDownToBadass: When temporarily depowered.
* CanonImmigrant: It took a while, but eventually General Zod was remolded to resemble Creator/TerenceStamp's depiction of the character with his dark hair and BeardOfEvil.
* CatchPhrase: Thanks to ''Film/SupermanII,'' he's nearly synonymous with the phrase "Kneel before Zod!"
* ComicBookFantasyCasting: As of ''Last Son'' and ''New Krypton'' he bears a striking resemblance to Creator/TerenceStamp.
* DarkIsEvil: Since his most popular portrayal, courtesy of Creator/TerenceStamp, Zod is normally dressed in black or dark-grey attire, be it in military suits, jackets, and armor. In his more recent appearances, [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver the black is mixed in with red]].
* DarkMessiah: Seen as a savior by many on New Krypton, and views himself in those same terms.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: At least suggested that Zod fell victim to this in his first post-''Crisis'' appearance; when he starts ranting about his planned coup on Krypton before his arrest, Superman argues that nobody would have followed him if he'd won and he didn't have any actual plan for what he'd do to save Krypton from its imminent destruction, and Zod's only protest is to state that he would have found a way rather than state what that way would have been.
* EnemyMine: Zod has joined forces with Superman against mutual enemies, especially Brainiac, though these tend to not last very long as Zod would turn against Superman not long after.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Surprisingly, Zod maintains a positive romantic contact with Faora and Ursa, depending on the continuity. In the Post-Flashpoint timeline, he even manages to get along with his son, Lor-Zod, and be commendable towards him as Lor-Zod proves himself to be a capable warrior for his father's ranks.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Like Luthor, he doesn't get why Superman hasn't taken over the planet yet.
* EvilCounterpart: To both, Superman and his father, Jor-El
** Both Zod and Jor-El were renowned figures in Krypton and strived to be its inhabitants' savior. However, Jor-El wanted to do things morally and used his good wisdom and trust towards others to convince them to save themselves from Krypton's destruction, even if it ended in failure and in his death. By contrast, Zod attempted to do a takeover and was hence branded a criminal where he was sentenced to the Phantom Zone, which allowed Zod to survive Krypton's destruction.
** If Superman is the ultimate immigrant, standing for the peaceful synthesis of human and Kryptonian culture, Zod is the ultimate representation of the Old Country, and why people wanted to leave it in the first place. Everything that's wrong with Kryptonian culture is embodied by Zod, and when he arrives on Earth it isn't to immigrate but to try and remake it in the image of Krypton.
* EvilChancellor: To Alura and the Council, undermining their efforts, and leading them towards increasingly destructive courses of action.
* EvilIsHammy: Once an opportunity arises, Zod wastes no time in stealing the scene with his over-the-top demeanor that can be channeled through eloquent, loud speeches or screaming like a madman whenever he is in battle.
* EvilIsPetty: While Zod has personal reasons to hate Jor-El and it's a difficult case to really fully convict Zod as immoral and wrong as he did have a point about Krypton's government being flawed and internally damaged beyond repair, his enmity towards Kal-El serves no other reason other than the fact that Kal-El is Jor-El's son, and Zod is only motivated by irrational spite towards him. Oddly enough, his petty hatred towards Superman is something he has in common with Lex Luthor, albeit under a different context of petty; Zod regarding personal petty and Luthor regarding being petty over simply feeling inferior.
* EvilOldFolks: The alternate universe doppelganger from ''For Tomorrow'' was an old man under his [[TinTyrant heavy black armor]].
* EvilVersusEvil: He clashed with Luthor, Parasite, Metallo, and Bizarro in ''Last Son'', Luthor, Metallo, Reactron, and General Lane in ''New Krypton'', and Doomsday in the New 52.
* EvilerThanThou: With Luthor, Brainiac, and General Lane in ''New Krypton'', with each of them struggling to assert their position as the greatest villain of the storyline. Ultimately, Zod loses and is banished into the Phantom Zone yet again.
* TheExtremistWasRight: He was imprisoned for staging a violent coup against the Council and trying to set himself up as a military dictator, believing the Council's inaction to the news of Krypton's instability would doom their species. The Council were morons and their actions did see the deaths of almost everyone on Krypton.
* FamousAncestor: He was descended from Admiral Dru-Zod I, one of the most infamous criminals of the Kryptonian space age.
* FantasticRacism: Towards all aliens. It's particularly notable with humans, whom he views as some sort of sub-Kryptonians, worthy of enslavement at best and genocide at worst.
* FinalBoss: The last villain standing in both ''Last Son'' and ''New Krypton'', and the last one Superman has to face down.
* FinalSolution: His Pocket Universe counterpart decided humanity was too much trouble to rule over and ended up killing everybody on its Earth. In the ''War of the Supermen'' arc that concludes ''New Krypton'', our Zod comes to the same conclusion and tries to wipe humanity out in revenge for Reactron's destruction of New Krypton.
* {{Foil}}: Zod and Lex Luthor can be seen as appropriate contrasts with one another. Both are some of Superman's most noteworthy opponents and have a seething grudge against the Man of Steel. However, Luthor's hatred is based on anger and jealousy that Superman has taken over him in being a paragon for humanity, whereas Zod detests Superman for being the son of his own BestFriend-turned-ArchEnemy, Jor-El, as well as expressing dismay on why the Man of Steel wants to be integrated and has shown compassion and interest in humanity, which wholly contrasts Zod's Darwinistic mindset.
* FourStarBadass: Zod's promotion to the highest ranks of the Kryptonian military didn't make him any less badass, and that was before he arrived on Earth and gained the same powers as Superman.
* FrontlineGeneral: Always. Zod leads the charge from the front of his army and is usually one of the last ones out of combat.
* TheGeneralissimo: Sets himself up as one following the destruction of Kandor's civilian government. In the backstory, he tried to do this on Krypton as well.
* GeneralRipper: In ''New Krypton'' where he blames the humans for everything.
* GeniusBruiser: In addition to being extremely strong under a yellow sun, like any Kryptonian, Zod is an experienced military soldier and leader and employs what he has learned in his work experiences into his movest whenever he involves himself in battle. He is also quite professional and approachable when it comes to making convincing speeches for his people and was raised by two Kryptonian scientists. Part of the reason why Zod is one of Superman's biggest enemies is due to the fact that, in addition to holding a seething grudge, he is tactically very smart and is more than willing to apply his trained gifts with his superpowers.
* GloriousLeader: His men speak of him in these terms, and he eventually sets himself up as one for New Krypton, amassing a personality cult, and seizing power in the aftermath of Allura's death.
* GogglesDoNothing: In his first Post-Crisis appearance.
* GoodTwin: On Earth-15, a good version of Zod served as his world's Superman, much to Superboy-Prime's rage.
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: When exposed to yellow sunlight, his gaping wounds from Katana's magic sword healed up almost instantly.
* HappilyMarried: To Ursa.
* HostileTerraforming: Tries to turn Earth into a new Krypton in ''Film/ManOfSteel'', and plans to do as much in both "Last Son" and "New Krypton".
* IShallReturn: When the Brainiac 13-created Krypton faded away, the General Zod of that reality swore revenge on Superman. Which led to early speculation that the Pokolistan Zod is this Zod who somehow escaped his disappearing reality.
* IrrationalHatred: His hatred towards Jor-El is clearly unwarranted; Zod was wholly responsible for the criminal activities that he conducted, even if [[VillainHasAPoint he was right that the Kryptonian Court were delusional and corrupt]] and Jor-El was simply abiding by his planet's laws, though considering that Zod and Jor-El were once friends, his feelings of being betrayed and sold off to be imprisoned in an interdimensional jail were quite personal. However, his hatred towards Kal-El is just incomprehensible, as detailed with EvilIsPetty above.
* KickTheDog: Literally, shanking Krypto with a Green K knife and then laughing to Superman and Superboy about the futility of the dog's sacrifice (Krypto recovered).
* KillAllHumans: An AlternateUniverse Zod did this in one story. At the conclusion of the ''New Krypton'' storyline, our Zod tries it as well, triggering the 100 Minute War.
* KneelBeforeZod: The TropeNamer. For Zod forcing his adversaries to kneel is a psychological compulsion. He needs them to submit.
* KnifeNut: Like Ursa, the Post-Crisis Zod carries a Green Kryptonite knife, though he doesn't use it as frequently as she does.
* LackOfEmpathy: Because of his upbringing as a Kryptonian and the circumstances of him being designed to be a warrior upon his birth, Zod has a very callous and demeaning attitude towards any living being that is not a Kryptonian, and later on, this has extended to any Kryptonian that doesn't tie any allegiance to him.
* LargeAndInCharge: a 6'3, 220 pound, heavily muscled general. In Suicide Squad, he's been found in Russia inside a Phantom Zone anomaly. The energies of the anomaly have mutated him so that he's grown into a giant that stands a foot taller than Killer Croc who's already superhumanly large. Zod is so big that when he got knocked out, he fell on Captain Boomerang and pinned him.
* LargeHam: Zod wouldn't be Zod if he wasn't chewing the scenery.
* LastOfHisKind: Zod is among the last Kryptonians who is still alive after Krypton's destruction. This is reverted during the conclusion of ''ComicBook/SupermanBrainiac'', and attempts to assert himself into leadership with the found survivors in the events of ''New Krypton'', only for it to end up null as New Krypton and all of its inhabitants are destroyed by Lex Luthor and Sam Lane, rendering Zod as one of the last remnants again. And this was before he was sent into the Phantom Zone again.
** In ''Film/ManOfSteel2013'', after his own renegade soldiers are banished back into the Phantom Zone, Zod becomes one of only two known Kryptonians still active with Kal-El. And he becomes the penultimate member of his race to die.
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: Zod is undoubtedly a ruthless general and a very personal foe for Superman, but even he's aware that there are far worse beings than himself. Brainiac is the first that comes to mind, especially considering his role in Krypton's destruction. Their goals also differ; Zod simply wants to govern and rule, his supremacist personality notwithstanding, and shares some level of camaraderie with his compatriots and supporters, whereas Brainiac destroys for his own gains and generally couldn't care about anybody other than himself. And throughout the ''New Krypton'' arc, Zod becomes this to Lex Luthor, Sam Lane, and Reactron as well as while Zod, Luthor, and Sam are xenophobic by nature, Zod is at least motivated by his species's need of wanting a world to thrive in, whereas Luthor and Sam are more than willing to destroy an alien race for simply irking them, while Reactron just wants to kill and destroy for the sake of it.
* LightningBruiser: Zod is fast, strong, and hard-hitting even by the absurdly high standards of Kryptonians.
* MadeOfIron: Zod once used heat vision to cut out a chunk of his own brain, leaving a hole that exposed part of his brain. This injury doesn't slow him down and neither did Captain Boomerang tossing a razor-rang into the exposed brain.
* MasterRace: Zod is more than convinced that the Kryptonian Race is among the best of the best compared to all other extraterrestrial races in the universe, citing its technology, potential, and intelligence as key factors. He uses these as a justification for why he considers himself and his own race to be better than everyone else and is eager to demonstrate his powers as a means to subjugate his enemies and have them bow down to him.
* MilitaryCoup: How he tried to take power on Krypton in both the main universe and various alternate ones. He was contemplating one against Allura when Reactron blew up New Krypton, allowing him to take power through slightly more legitimate means.
* MoralMyopia: Can recognize wrongs done to him, and wrongs done by humans to Kryptonians, but never the inverse.
* MyGreatestFailure: Failing to stop Brainiac from stealing Kandor.
* {{Narcissist}}: Not unlike Luthor, Zod views himself in messianic terms, is convinced that he can achieve anything simply on the basis of who he is, and thinks that he, and only he, has all the answers. He genuinely does want what's best for Krypton, but has convinced himself that Krypton can only be its best with him in charge.
* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Pre-Crisis, he resembles a Nazi general. As well as similar philosophy, with his views of Kryptonians being the "[[MasterRace superior race]]".
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: In ''Film/SupermanII'' he can [[{{Telekinesis}} move objects with his mind]] and shoot lasers out of his hands ([[BreadEggsBreadedEggs and shoot lasers that move objects]]).
* NobleDemon: The ''New Krypton'' version.
* OffingTheOffspring: Totally prepared to kill his son, Lor-Zod, when the boy gets in his way.
* {{Patricide}}: In a scientific expedition gone wrong, Zod's parents were attacked by dangerous animals that claimed his mother's life. When his father told him to escape, Zod agreed by having his father killed as a distraction for the beasts while fleeing and surviving all on his own for a year.
* PoweredArmour: In the New 52 he donned an ancient suit of armour from Krypton's space-age to battle Doomsday during his days as Colonel Zod.
* PredecessorVillain: An alternate universe version of him served as the inspiration to General Zod II (see above). He himself has a predecessor in his ancestor, Admiral Dru-Zod I, whose ship was unearthed and weaponized by Luthor. According to Superman, Admiral Zod was one of the darkest figures in Krypton's age of space exploration, which means our General Zod may well be a case of GenerationXerox.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Zod styles himself as an old-school Kryptonian soldier-hero.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: He gives Jor-El one by proxy, ranting at Superman about Jor-El's failings. "Jor-El didn't just fail Krypton, Kal-El. He failed you!"
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: In Post-Flashpoint, Zod's attire now resembles that of Superman's except it is a black armor with a cape and red accents, most prominently on the "Z" chest logo.
* RelatedInTheAdaptation:
** In ''ComicBook/SupermanEarthOne'', he's Jor-El's brother and Superman's uncle.
** In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueGodsAndMonsters'' he adds his [=DNA=] to baby Kal-El's UterineReplicator before Jor-El can and becomes Superman's father.
* RetCanon: Recent versions are modeled after the ''Film/SupermanII'' film interpretation of the character.
* RousingSpeech: Gives one to his army at the start of the 100 Minute War.
* SendInTheClones: In Pre-Crisis continuity, he tried to take over Krypton with an army of Bizarro clones of himself.
* ShadowArchetype: To Jor-El and Kal-El both.
* SinsOfOurFathers: Superman's father, Jor-El, was one of the guys who arrested him and banished him to the Phantom Zone, so he takes his anger out on Kal-El. In Zod's mind, the House of El is to blame for the extinction of Kryptonian life.
* SuperiorSpecies: Sees Kryptonians as inherently superior to humans (and every other alien race out there, for that matter). To the extent where he wants to assert Kryptonian dominance over whatever race he comes into battle with.
* TattooedCrook: As a reminder of his sentence to the Phantom Zone and the crimes that he committed, Post-Crisis Zod bears a tattoo insignia on the right side of his neck.
* TinTyrant: A version of Zod from ''For Tomorrow'' was an old man in [[SpikesOfVillainy spiked]] [[BlackKnight black armour]].
* TookALevelInBadass: After growing almost twice as big as normal, Zod is so mighty that it took Cyborg Superman, the Eradicator, the Enchantress and the rest of Suicide Squad to slow him down long enough to reason with him.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Underestimates Superman, Supergirl, Superboy, the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Justice League, and the population of Earth by the end of ''New Krypton''.
** Amanda Waller does this to him in Suicide Squad. She knows he's godlike in power, so she has a kryptonite bomb implanted in his head while he was de-powered. However, she underestimated his cunning and strength of will. He was able to take advantage of a power outage to use a mirror and cut out the bomb from his brain using heat vision.
* UnholyMatrimony: With Ursa Post-Crisis, and Faora in the New 52.
* VirtueIsWeakness: He considers Kal-El weak for not taking over Earth despite having more than enough power to do so, and especially because he cares for the "inferior" humans as opposed to his native Kryptonian race.
* WeHaveReserves: Willingly fires through his own people in order to hit Brainiac's ship.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: His revolt on Krypton was motivated by a desire to save the planet.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: He and Jor-El were initially great friends who supported one another... until Zod attempted a military coup to get Krypton to go back into waging battles against other alien races, which prompted Jor-El to turn his back on Zod and have him tried in court for his actions. Zod has since hated Jor-El for backing the Kryptonian court over him, considering that Zod held the government in contemptuous regard.
* WorthyOpponent: He was genuinely impressed by Superman's superior fighting skill compared to his men in the ''New Krypton'' storyline.
* WouldHitAGirl: Post-Crisis he had no issues throwing punches at Supergirl, and in the New 52 he and Faora both traded blows with Wonder Woman.
* WouldHurtAChild: If said child happens to be a credible threat, then Zod wouldn't have any compunctions against fighting or killing them, even if said child [[OffingTheOffspring happens to be his own son, Lor-Zod]].

[[folder:Ursa]]
!!Ursa
[[quoteright:188:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aa63116090109fb17419eaec54c0e878.jpg]]

->''"The killing. That's my favorite part. Zod -- strong, sure, brilliant Zod -- doesn't understand that. He finds victory in planning, in preparation, in the discovery of every little detail. He calls that strategy. He calls that tactics. There's a better word for it. Anticipation. And that's why he is the general... and I am the weapon."''

Originally created for ''Superman II'', Ursa entred the DCU in the pages of ''Last Son'', alongside the modern General Dru-Zod. Second-in-command and wife to the traitorous general, Colonel Ursa was a loyal soldier in Krypton's elite Black Zero unit, but her failure to stop Brainiac from stealing the city of Kandor and massacring innocent Kryptonians broke her mind, making her dangerously unpredictable. Ursa aided her beloved in his attempt to overthrow the Science Council, but like Zod and their co-conspirator Non, they were stopped by Jor-El and sentenced to eternity in the Phantom Zone. There, Ursa bore a son, Lor-Zod, who would later become the hero Nightwing.

* AbusiveMom: Uses her son as a tool, giving no affection, and expecting total obedience in return.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: The comics version isn't much of a man-hater as her counterpart in the Christopher Reeve movies.
* AxeCrazy: Even among the Phantom Zoners, Ursa is not the poster girl for mental health week, regularly flying into rages, and sparing no one but Zod from her wrath.
* BadassLongcoat: In her first appearance Post-Crisis.
* BattleCouple: With Zod, Post-Crisis.
* BattleTrophy: Steals badges of various people (mostly men) in ''Film/SupermanII''.
* BlingOfWar: Wears all the said badges.
* BoyishShortHair: Her hair is close-cropped, military style in most comic book portrayals.
* CanonImmigrant: She first appeared in the 1977 Superman movie, and was not added to the comics until ''Last Son'' where she took the place normally held by Faora.
* ColonelBadass: Held this rank in the Kryptonian military, acting as Zod's second-in-command.
* ColonelKilgore: Despite her comparatively lofty rank she thoroughly enjoys meting out violence and is always eager to get her hands bloody.
* CoolShades: Her glasses protect her eyes from exposure to sunlight, to which she is hypersensitive.
* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Strongly resembles Sarah Douglas, who played her in ''Film/SupermanII''.
* DarkActionGirl: The most prominent female among the Phantom Zoners Post-Crisis, and easily one of the deadliest. In the end it takes Supergirl, Superboy, Steel, and Krypto to subdue her.
* DesignatedGirlFight: Takes on Supergirl while Superman is facing down General Zod.
* DisproportionateRetribution: In response to an attack on New Krypton by a rogue general from one country, Ursa tries to slaughter the leaders of almost every country on Earth.
* TheDragon: To General Zod Post-Crisis, acting as his second-in-command, bodyguard, and wife.
* {{Expy}}: Loose one of Faora Hu-Ul, described below. In fact, Faora was erased from continuity due to the ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' and Ursa essentially replaced her when the PhantomZone criminals were brought back (though Faora still appeared in a pocket universe).
* EvilMatriarch: Towards Lor-Zod following his HeelFaceTurn.
* FantasticRacism: Towards humans, whom she views as animals.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: The only Kryptonian to need eye wear. One of the most flatout immoral.
* FragileSpeedster: By Kryptonian standards, with her illness and light build making her comparatively easy to beat down. She's still a LightningBruiser when compared to anyone else, of course.
* HeroWorshipper: Of General Zod.
* HandicappedBadass: Ursa's light sensitivity doesn't stop her from being one of Zod's deadliest assets, and in the end it requires a four to one advantage to bring her down.
* HappilyMarried: To Zod.
* KnifeNut: Carries a Green Kryptonite dagger for use against her fellow Kryptonians.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Whether intentional or otherwise, Ursa does mean "[[BearsAreBadNews bear]]".
* OffingTheOffspring: Like Zod she's perfectly willing to kill their son, Lor-Zod.
* OnlyOneName: No family name or patrynomic (as is usual for female Kryptonians) has been provided for Ursa.
* PsychoSupporter: Ursa's support for Zod stems at least in part from her own mental instability.
* SinisterShades: Ursa's the only Kryptonian who has to permanently wear goggles, and is one of the most evil.
* SlasherSmile: Sports a really deranged one
* SuperiorSpecies: Her view on her race.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Zod. It's part love, part hero worship.
* UnholyMatrimony: With Zod Post-Crisis.
* WeaksauceWeakness: In addition to weaknesses against kryptonite, red sunlight, and magic, Ursa's eyes are incredibly sensitive to light, forcing her to wear protective goggles at all times.
* WouldHurtAChild: If the child was male. In a deleted scene of ''Superman II'' she killed a boy on Earth.

[[folder:Non]]
!!Non
[[quoteright:282:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fd66b633dca81a94e9f02e87a083d95d.jpg]]
General Zod's loyal left-hand man, Non is a hulking Kryptonian with all of Superman's powers but none of the intelligence and morality. In fact, the only thing that separates Non from Bizarro is Non's unwavering loyalty. Non was once a brilliant scientist, but when he tried to speak out against the Science Council on behalf of Jor-El, the Council's agents lobotomized him, leaving him a dumb brute. Adopted as a soldier by General Zod, Non shared his master's fate in the PhantomZone.

* BeardOfEvil: He sports a fairly heavy beard.
* TheBrute: Big, dumb, and thuggish. During the ''Last Son'' arc he fights Luthor's Brute, Bizarro, one on one.
* CanonImmigrant: From the 1977 movie.
* CurbStompBattle: Non's crazed, [[OneManArmy one man]] assault on the JLA Watchtower left Atom, Cyborg, Doctor Light II, Golden Gorilla, Indigo, and Starfire in varying states of consciousness and severe debilitation, while Non himself escaped without a scratch.
* DumbMuscle: Exaggerated. Non is huge and strong even for a Kryptonian, but is brain-damaged to the point of not being able to speak or think rationally.
* {{Lobotomy}}: The comics explain this is why he can't talk or think for himself.
* MeaningfulName: He's a personality-less lobotomy patient whose name means "nothing".
* MentalHandicapMoralDeficiency: Non in the films was a mentally handicapped thug who could only interact with the world through violence. This remains true in the comics, though it is better justified by his lobotomy. Some appearances show him with a stitched scar across his forehead implying a lobotomy.
* TheMentor: Was this to Jor-El, pre-lobotomy.
* MightyGlacier: By Kryptonian standards being vastly stronger and vastly slower than most members of the race. By the standards of the DCU as a whole, he's a LightningBruiser.
* OnlyOneName: One of the few Kryptonians with no last name.
* PetTheDog: He cared for Lor-Zod whenever his parents weren't looking, at least inasmuch as his ruined mental state allowed.
* SociopathicSoldier: Zod drafted him into the army after his lobotomization.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: In other universes and continuities, there'll be a different Kryptonian taking his role as the strongman of the Zod trio. Notably Quex-Ul (Pocket Universe), Jax-Ur (''ComicBook/TheSupermanAdventures'' #21), Kru-El (Brainiac 13-created Krypton), and Nam-Ek (''The Last Days of Krypton'' novel and ''Man of Steel'' film).
* TheSpeechless: Non cannot speak beyond grunts or laughs.
* TragicMonster: Poor guy was ''lobotomized'' into being evil.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: He and Jor-El were friends prior to his lobotomization.

[[folder:Faora Hu-Ul]]
!!Faora Hu-Ul
[[quoteright:222:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d7a6e5f3abf65d1247b7a3df5862c560.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:222:[[labelnote:Click here to see her post-Flashpoint]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5e821013759b6d05125aaed9c37efed1.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]

->''"That I am the '''master''' of '''Horu-Kanu'''-- the '''deadliest''' form of physical combat on '''Krypton'''! With my expert knowledge of the secret '''reflex''' points on a Kryptonian's body-- your body-- each blow I strike-- at precisely the right spot-- results in an automatic violent '''reflex-action'''!"''

An evil Kryptonian martial artist, and raving misandrist. Pre-Crisis she was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone for murdering every man she encountered, and during her early encounters with Superman was able to throughly outfight him. Post-Crisis this version of Faora was erased from continuity, though several alternate universe doppelgangers and one Eastern European mutant did take up her identity, typically acting as henchwomen to whichever take on Zod was currently active. In 2006, when ''Last Son'' reintroduced the real Zod, these incarnations of Faora were forgotten, replaced with CanonImmigrant Ursa.

It was not until the New 52 reboot, that Faora returned to mainstream continuity. Retooled to closely resemble her {{expy}}, Ursa (more on that below), and the versions of Faora from ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' and ''Film/ManOfSteel'' both, she was presented as a Kryptonian military officer who was utterly devoted to General Dru-Zod, acting as his NumberTwo, his bodyguard, and his girlfriend. Escaping the Phantom Zone with him, the two Kryptonian criminals engaged Superman and Wonder Woman in a brutal tag-team brawl before being returned to their prison.

* AdaptationNameChange: Her Post-Crisis Pocket Universe self is renamed Zaora, a name which is also used with her character in ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations''.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Supremely proud of her combat skills, to the point of being convinced she could take Superman and Wonder Woman at the same time.
* AxCrazy: Pre-Crisis she was a completely insane serial killer.
* BadassLongcoat: The New 52 version sports a floor length black duster.
* BattleCouple: With Zod in the New 52.
* BodyguardCrush: A villainous example, being infatuated with Zod in the New 52. He returns her affections.
* BoyishShortHair: In the New 52, as part of her military bearing.
* CanonImmigrant: The New 52 version of Faora owes a lot more to ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' and ''Film/ManOfSteel'' than she does to her Pre-Crisis counterpart.
* ColonelKilgore: In the New 52. Like Ursa before her, she thoroughly enjoys getting her hands bloody, regardless of her rank.
* ComicBookFantasyCasting: As of the New 52 she strongly resembles Antje Traue, who portrayed her in ''Man of Steel''.
* CommandingCoolness: The New 52 version holds the rank of "Commander" in Zod's army.
* DarkActionGirl: Probably the deadliest of the Phantom Zoners after Zod himself.
%%* DoesNotLikeMen: Understatement.%%ZCE
* TheDragon: To Zod in the New 52.
* {{Expy}}:
** Oh boy. The character of Ursa from TheMovie was loosely based on Faora, sharing her look and misandry, but adding a relationship with Zod. Post-Crisis, early versions of Faora -- as well as adaptations like ''Smallville'' -- would then follow Ursa's lead, and be in love with Zod (whom she had not been close to Pre-Crisis). In 2006, she was removed from continuity and replaced with a comics version of Ursa... only to reenter the comics in the New 52, after ''Man of Steel'''s version of her -- which was closely based on the film version of Ursa from ''Superman II'' -- proved a success.
** In the novel ''The Last Days of Krypton'', a similar character goes by the name of Aethyr-Ka (sharing the name of a godlike being also named Aethyr from the Phantom Zone in Pre-Crisis).
* {{Foil}}: The New 52 version is set up as something of one to Wonder Woman, with her slavish loyalty to Zod, and arrogant belief in her martial arts skills contrasting Diana's genuine relationship with Clark and respect for her adversaries.
* IfItsYouItsOkay: In the New 52, Zod is the only man she respects, and the only one she's willing to be in a relationship with.
* TheJailer: Pre-Crisis. On Krypton, she was arrested for kidnapping 23 men and putting them in a ''concentration camp'' she had built in her home.
* MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours: A deadly martial artist whose skill enables her to walk all over even the likes of Superman.
* LadyOfWar: Faora's martial training gives her a degree of grace that's pretty alien to the average Kryptonian.
* PressurePoint: Thanks to her Kryptonian powers, her nerve pinches work on Superman. Ouch!
* RetCanon: Her appearance in the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' takes after her ''Film/ManOfSteel'' look (which in turn borrows heavily from Ursa's look in ''Superman II'').
* RetGone: Erased from existence post-ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths, and essentially replaced by Ursa, a CanonImmigrant loosely based on her (though a version of Faora appeared in the Pocket Universe and another was Pokolistan metahuman). She's also appeared in adaptations like ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' and ''Film/ManOfSteel''). However, she's back as of ''ComicBook/KryptonReturns''.
* SerialKiller: Of men, Pre-Crisis.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Zod, New 52.
* UnholyMatrimony: With Zod in the New 52.

[[folder:Jax-Ur]]
!!Jax-Ur
[[quoteright:262:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/347eb8323aa43726574f9db555a721f7.png]]
[[caption-width-right:262:[[labelnote:Click here to see his pre-Crisis version]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jax_ur_pre_crisis_4.png[[/labelnote]]]]

-->''"I am here to do what your father could not. I am here to save our world. Farewell, Kal-El. "''

A doctor and scientist who thought nothing of dissecting living people and whose experiments inadvertently destroyed Krypton's moon colony -- which attracted the attention of Brainiac and led to the loss of Kandor. While in the Phantom Zone, Jax-Ur became the host of the Kryptonian deity Vohc-the-Breaker, god of creation and destruction. He was recruited by General Zod to be one of his sleeper agents, but had plans of his own -- the destruction of Earth.

* {{Acrofatic}}: Has the [[FlyingBrick standard kryptonian powers]] but is usually fat and unfit compared to other kryptonians.
* ArchEnemy: To Nightwing and Flamebird, themselves avatars of Kryptonian gods.
* BaldOfEvil: Pre-Crisis he looked rather like Comicbook/LexLuthor with a moustache (well, early Lex who was kinda chubby; canonically, Lex lost the weight in the Bronze Age years, but Jax stayed portly).
* BefriendingTheEnemy: When Jimmy Olsen visits the Phantom Zone, Jax-Ur says they might as well be friends because they can't hurt each other there. He ends up trying to show Jimmy Superman's secret identity but Jimmy deliberately doesn't look because he thinks Superman probably has a good reason for hiding it.
* DemotedToExtra: Up until the release of ''Film/SupermanII,'' Jax-Ur was usually depicted as the de facto leader of the Phantom Zoners. Since then, it's always Zod shown to be in charge.
* EnemyMine: The pre-crisis Jax-Ur worked with Superman to defeat Black Zero, the true culprit behind Krypton's destruction.
* FatBastard: Pre-Cris Jax-Ur was a fairly rotund archvillain. These days he's portrayed as either fit or outright skinny.
%%* TheFundamentalist
* GeniusBruiser: What happens when your MadDoctor is a Kryptonian.
%%* TheGogglesDoNothing
%%* MadDoctor
%%* MadScientist
* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: Pre-Crisis, he was exiled to the Zone for accidentally destroying Krypton's moon, Wegthor, including its inhabited moon colony. He might have gotten some slack for it being an accident, except that it happened when he was ''trying'' to test a new kind of missile he planned to use to [[TakeOverTheWorld conquer Krypton.]] Unfortunately, the whole business soured the Kryptonian public so much on space travel that they scuttled their newborn space program, later crippling Jor-El's plans to build an escape fleet.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Modelled on Josef Mengele.
%%* SealedEvilInACan

[[folder:Quex-Ul]]
!!Quex-Ul
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/86334b7de737316f965248ddd5f36f10.png]]
->'''AKA:''' Charlie Kweskill (Pre-Crisis), Edward Robertson (Post-Infinte Crisis)

-->''" Superman, you're a fool to have freed me! I'm going to destroy you forever with an amazing secret weapon -- Gold Kryptonite!"''

A Kryptonian wrongly convicted of killing rondors, an endangered species, to use their healing horns for the purpose of profit.

* TheBrute: In later versions, he's usually the 'strongman' of a trio of Phantom Zone criminals (see Expy).
* {{Expy}}: His later incarnations resemble Non, especially the Pocket Universe version.
* HeroicSacrifice: Pre-Crisis. He threw himself into his own Gold Kryptonite trap he set up for Superman (which he had set while being controlled by Rog-Ar), losing both his powers and memory. Still later, he ended up sacrificing his life to save Superman when they were both trapped in the Zone while the Zone's evil inmates were running rampant on Earth.
* KilledOffForReal: Pre-Crisis, he sacrficed his life to save Superman -- ''inside the Phantom Zone,'' no less, where death was thought to be impossible. He's killed of in Post-Infinite Crisis continuity, too.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Pre-Crisis, after Quex-Ul loses his powers and his memory, Superman sets him up with an Earthling identity as "Charlie Kweskill" and gets him a job at the Daily Planet. It works out well for him for a while, but Zod and the other Zoners eventually ruin it for him.
* SealedGoodInACan: After learning the truth, Superman realizes Quex-Ul never belonged in the Zone alongside a bunch of hardened criminals.
* UnwittingPawn: Pre-Crisis. Superman learns he actually acted under the mental control of another Kryptonian, Rog-Ar, the true rondor killer.
* TheWoobie: Poor guy never deserved to be imprisoned, and even after getting released, the other Zoners kept finding ways to mind control him.

[[folder:Kru-El]]
!!Kru-El
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kru_el_earth_one_0001.jpg]]

-->''" Tedious, is she not? A family trait, I'm afraid General. I alone among the Els seem to have been unafflicted."''

Kru-El was "the first stain on the name of El" and sentenced to the Phantom Zone for 35 years for developing forbidden weapons. He vexed his cousin Jor-El on Krypton and would continue to harass his son Superman on Earth.

* ArmsDealer: Kru-El built diabolical weapons and supplied them to the criminal element of Krypton.
* BalefulPolymorph: Supergirl was once subjected to his Plant-Scourge Ray, which caused any being near her to become a plant.
* BeardOfEvil: Sports a pointed goatee and moustache.
* BlackSheep: Kru-El is described "the first stain on the name of El" and is the only member of the House of El to become a criminal.
* EvilGenius: Regarded as being Jor-El's intellectual equal.
* ForgotAboutHisPowers: Kru-El is so focused on using his arsenal of super-weapons that he sometimes forgets that he has superpowers under a yellow sun, allowing Superman to take him down easily.
* GadgeteerGenius: Kru-El is a technological genius and in certain fields, such as weapons design, surpasses even Jor-El.
* NoHonorAmongThieves: After being freed from the Phantom Zone by Lesla-Lar, he uses her as [[TestedOnHumans test subject]] for his disintegrator ray and reduces her to ashes.
* TestedOnHumans: Has no compunctions against testing his weapons on humans or Kryptonians.

[[folder:Nam-Ek]]
!!Nam-Ek
[[quoteright:276:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/namekcomics2.jpg]]
->'''AKA:''' The Antibiotic Man

''"There is much you fail to understand, Kal-El... And-- Like your ancestors who opposed me, you would sooner lash out at me... Than try to understand! "''

Nam-Ek was a Kryptonian scientist obsessed with quantifying the healing power of the Rondor horn, but got too involved in his own research and became a human-Rondor.
----
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Nam-Ek gained a purple leathery skin (and a horn sprouting from his forehead) following an experiment GoneHorriblyRight.
* CompleteImmortality: So far nothing has been found that can kill Nam-Ek. He does not age, is immune to all diseases and poisons, heals all injuries instantly, cannot starve or die of dehydration, and can survive in the vacuum of space even under a red sun.
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Even in the light of a red sun, Nam-Ek could survive in the vacuum of space indefinitely.
* GoneHorriblyRight: Nam-Ek killed a Rondor and removed its horn, and studied it until he had concocted a serum from the horn that would, he anticipated, produce the same effect. He then foolishly [[ProfessorGuineaPig tested the serum on himself]], drinking it to see what would happen. The result was a mutagenic change within Nam-Ek's entire body. His skin became purple in color and leathery, like the Rondor, and he grew a Rondor-like horn from the middle of his forehead. This horn had the same healing properties as those in the Rondors themselves.
* HealingFactor: Nam-Ek is able to repair his body from almost any injury. Though Superman thought that he'd killed Nam-Ek with Green Kryptonite it has never actually been proven whether Nam-Ek is resistant to Kryptonite.
* HealingHands: The radiation from Nam-Ek's horn appears to heal all injuries and diseases in the bodies of others in close proximity.
* TheHermit: Following his transformation, the now-monstrous and foul-smelling Nam-Ek self-isolated in the ancient Kryptonian city of Xan for 500 years.
* ProfessorGuineaPig: Nam-Ek tested his Rondor horn serum on himself, with tragic consequences.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: During a mass from the Phantom Zone, Nam-Ek remembered his previous burning and defeat, so was content to sit with Thul-Kar and wait out the conflict.
* SpacePirate: Years after Krypton's destruction, Nam-Ek was found floating in space by the space pirate Amalak. Amalak was responsible for transporting Nam-Ek to Earth.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Nam-Ek's goal of eradicating all disease and injury was noble. His methods for achieving this more questionable.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Nam-Ek regards his immortality as a curse rather than a blessing, as it turned him monstrous and isolated him from the rest of humanity.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professor Va-Kox]]
!!Professor Va-Kox
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/va_kox.jpg]]

->''"You can see and hear me, Superman! I, Vakox outwitted you! Now the belt will create a hyper-explosion that will blow the whole Phantom Zone into a remote universe, never to return!"''

Va-Kox was sentenced to the Phantom Zone for mutating the marine life in a lake on Krypton with his forbidden experiments. The lingering effects would pollute the lake for 50 cycles, which was also the sentence that the Science Council gave him, making him the second Phantom Zone inmate.
----
* EmptyQuiver: Once masterminded the theft of a nuclear warhead from the US Army and detonated under a Pacific atoll so the vast release of radioactive particle emissions would tear a gap into the dimensional barrier and allow his release back to physical reality.
* EvilutionaryBiologist: Va-Kox was sentenced to the Phantom Zone for mutating the marine life in a lake on Krypton with his forbidden experiments.
* MasterOfDisguise: Va-Kox aped Clark Kent's form well enough to temporarily fool Superman.
* MindControl: From within the Phantom Zone; Va-Kox has repeatedly dominated the minds of those in the outside world.
* RobotMaster: Built an army of robots capable of moving at ultra-light speeds called Anachronids.
* UtilityBelt: Constructed a utility belt equipped with several useful crime-fighting gadgets, but booby-trapped with a miniature Phantom Zone Projector that would send the wearer of the belt to the Zone at the press of the wrong button, followed by the displacement of the Phantom Zone into another dimension of space more distant from the physical plane. Ostensibly intended for Superman to wear to achieve the desired effect.
[[/folder]]

!General Zod in adapted media (sorted by date of release):

** ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueGodsAndMonsters'' - Played by Creator/BruceThomas

* DarkIsEvil: Since his most popular portrayal, courtesy of Creator/TerrenceStamp, Zod is normally dressed in black or dark-grey attire, be it in military suits, jackets, and armor. In his more recent appearances, [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver the black is mixed in with red]].

* RedBlackAndEvilAllOver: In Post-Flashpoint, Zod's attire now resembles that of Superman's except it is a black armor with a cape and red accents, most prominently on the "Z" chest logo.

** If Superman is the ultimate immigrant, standing for the peaceful synthesis of human and Kryptonian culture, Zod is the ultimate representation of the Old Country, and why people wanted to leave it in the first place. Everything that's wrong with Kryptonian culture is embodied by Zod, and when he arrives on Earth it isn't to immigrate, but to try and remake it in the image of Krypton.

* EvilIsHammy: Once an opportunity arises, Zod wastes no time in stealing the scene with his over-the-top demeanour that can be channeled through eloquent, loud speeches or screaming like a madman whenever he is in battle.

* LackOfEmpathy: Because of his upbringing as a Kryptonian and the circumstances of him being designed to be a warrior upon his birth, Zod has a very callous and demeaning attitude towards any living being that is not a Kryptonian, and later on, this has extended to any Kryptonian that doesn't tie aly allegiance to him.
* LargeAndInCharge: a 6'3, 220 pound, heavily muscled general. In Suicide Squad, he's been found in Russia inside a Phantom Zone anomaly. The energies of the anomaly have mutated him, so that he's grown into a giant that stands a foot taller than Killer Croc who's already superhumanly large. Zod is so big that when he got knocked out, he fell on Captain Boomerang and pinned him.

* MoralMyopia: Can recognise wrongs done to him, and wrongs done by humans to Kryptonians, but never the inverse.

* RelatedInTheAdaptation;

* SuperiorSpecies: Sees Kryptonians as inherently superior to humans (and every other alien race out there, for that matter).

* WeUsedToBeFriends: He and Jor-El.

* EvilOldFolks: The alternate universe doppelganger from ''For Tomorrow'' was an old man under his [[TinTyrant heavy black armour]].

* EvilerThanThou: With Luthor, Brainiac, and General Lane in ''New Krypton'', with each of them struggling to assert their position as the greatest villain of the storyline.

* FrontlineGeneral: Always. Zod leads the charge from the front of his army, and is usually one of the last ones out of combat.

* {{Archenemy}}: Of Jor-El. Superman inherits this grudge, which eventually becomes very personal for both of them. After Luthor and Brainiac, he's in third place on Superman's private hit parade.

* BadassLongcoat: Sometimes features a military style greatcoat as part of his uniform.

* BigBad: Of ''Last Son'', and ''War of the Supermen''. Following his revival he's generally in competition with Luthor and Brainiac for the title of Superman's biggest bad.

* BigBadWannabe: Of ''New Krypton''. He's never truly in control of the situation and both Brainiac and Luthor end up outstripping him. Brainiac effortlessly smashes through his army with his ship and specialized anti-Kryptonian gear when he comes to collect New Krypton (killing tens of thousands of Kryptonians), gains the upper hand on him in their superpowered fistfight, and manages to shrink and bottle Kandor ''again'', only being stopped short of an easy total victory by Luthor's last-second actions. Luthor, for his part, outmaneuvers Zod at every turn help, so everything Zod does was playing right into his plot. Luthor ends the arc by annihilating Zod's entire race and planet, manipulating Superman into sending him back into the Phantom Zone, and getting ''rewarded'' for it.
* BornInTheWrongCentury: Ancient Krypton was savage and warlike, and he would have fit right in.

* CanonImmigrant: It took a while, but eventually General Zod was remoulded to resemble Creator/TerenceStamp's depiction of the character with his dark hair and BeardOfEvil.

* DarkMessiah: Seen as a saviour by many on New Krypton, and views himself in those same terms.

* EvilCounterpart: Not to Superman, but to his father, Jor-El.

* {{Foil}}: If Superman is the ultimate immigrant, standing for the peaceful synthesis of human and Kryptonian culture, Zod is the ultimate representation of the Old Country, and why people wanted to leave it in the first place. Everything that's wrong with Kryptonian culture is embodied by Zod, and when he arrives on Earth it isn't to immigrate, but to try and remake it in the image of Krypton.

* AbusiveDad: Treats his son, Lor-Zod/Chris Kent, as little more than a means to an end.

* ArchnemesisDad: Fullfills this role after Lor-Zod/Chris's HeelFaceTurn.

* EvilerThanThou: With Luthor, Brainiac and General Lane in ''New Krypton'', with each of them struggling to assert their position as the greatest villain of the story line.

* FinalSolution: His Pocket Universe counterpart decided humanity was too much trouble to rule over and ended up killing everybody on its Earth. In the ''War of the Supermen'' arc that concludes ''New Krypton'', our Zod comes to the same conclusion, and tries to wipe humanity out in revenge for Reactron's destruction of New Krypton.

* NotSoDifferent: From human xenophobes General Sam Lane and Lex Luthor.

[[folder:Professor Va-Kox

* CompleteImmortality: So far nothing has been found that can kill Nam-Ek. He does not age, is immune to all diseases and poisons, heals all injuries instantly, and can survive in the vacuum of space even under a red son.

* BalefulPolymorph: Supergirl was subjected to his Plant-Scourge Ray, which caused any being near her to become a plant.

* ForgotICouldFly: Kru-El is so focused on using his arsenal of super-weapons that he sometimes forgets that he has superpowers under a yellow sun, allowing Superman to take him down easily.

* EvilGeniius: Regarded as being Jor-El's intellectual equal.
* ForgetICouldFly: Kru-El is so focused on using his arsenal of super-weapons that he sometimes forgets that he has superpowers under a yellow sun, allowing Superman to take him down easily.