Lor-Zod succeeds in bringing his parents to Earth. Nightwing's team make a desperate attempt in preventing the remaining House of Zod followers from escaping. Reunited with Kid Flash and the Legion of Superheroes, Miss Martian's team rushes back to Earth in hopes of restoring Superboy.
Tropes:
- All Your Base Are Belong to Us: Lor-Zod decides to boom tube into the Fortress of Solitude as an insult to Superman and to get access to Superman's solar pods.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Being the Last of His Kind, Superman always wished there were more Kryptonian survivors. Unfortunately, the only other known living Kryptonians (not counting Conner/Superboy or Superman's son Jonathan) turn out to be the House of Zod, who present a threat to not only Earth but the rest of the galaxy should they escape, according to the Legionnaires.
- Call-Back: Like last episode, Aquaman gives an offer of parole to the imprisoned Kryptonians, but they are too angry to listen as they were trapped longer than their original sentence.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Lor-Zod warns his parents that Conner still poses a threat to their cause, but his father insists that he successfully turned him to serve the House of Zod. He decides to keep him and a weakened Superman alive for his plan to take over Earth.
- Cassandra Truth: Ma'alefa'ak warns Lor-Zod that, based more on physics than control, Boom Tubes are not designed to hold for very long, even with the combined power of the Kaizer-Thrall and Motherbox, despite his insistence that it be maintained. The Team's struggle against Lor-Zod and the other Kryptonians soon causes the Boom Tube passage to collapse, forcing all parties to return where they came from.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- The eye Lor-Zod took from New Genesis is revealed to be the Eye of Ekron, having belonged to a woman known as the Emerald Empress. It senses Ursa-Zod's rage and chooses her as its new wielder.
- The encased Kryptonite shard Dru-Zod took from Nightwing last episode is used to disable Superman.
- Cliffhanger: Dru-Zod weakens and captures Superman and plans to use Conner to execute the Man of Steel before the public in order to secure his hold on Earth.
- Didn't See That Coming: Superman warns that the Fortress has the ability to detect Bioship, but Miss Martian has already tapped into its systems to conceal their approach. What she doesn't expect is the Eye of Ekron also being able to sense them, which ends with Bioship being shot down.
- Do Not Adjust Your Set: Downplayed. Ma'alefa'ak repositions all the nearby cameras in Metropolis Square so Dru-Zod will appear on the associated screens. Not exactly a worldwide audience, but it ensures that those present will hear and spread the message.
- Drama-Preserving Handicap: The Zods have made it to Earth, but it'll take time for them to absorb the yellow sunlight, and Lor-Zod has been weakened by his time on Trombus. Even with Dru and Ursa spending some time in solar pods, interrupted by Nightwing, none of them are at full Kryptonian strength.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Aquaman discovers that travelling far enough into the Boom Tube transitions them back to normal space without having to fully exit the Phantom Zone, allowing the team's weapons to actually have an effect on the Kryptonian escapees while also maintaining the chokepoint to keep them in the Zone.
- Exposition Already Covered: Lor-Zod tries to fill his parents in on what's happened since they were sentenced to the Phantom Zone, not realizing that Conner has already told them the same story, more or less. Downplayed in that they don't interrupt him, merely using it as confirmation that Conner's story was indeed true, and Lor adds several details that Conner obviously wouldn't be privy to during his own time in the Zone.
- A Father to His Men: General Zod refuses to abandon his people to the Zone, only leaving when Lor-Zod reassures him that they'll be able to Boom Tube from another location. He also brings Conner to Earth despite Lor advocating they murder him as a member of the House of El.
- Green Around the Gills: Clark gains a sickly green complexion as the Kryptonite builds up in his system.
- Heroic Willpower: Forager resists the Kaizer-Thrall's power as she did before, and Ma'alefa'ak's brain blast only delays her a few moments. The villains evacuate rather than face her while they're disadvantaged under a red sun.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Faora Hu-Ul, one of Dru-Zod's followers, has the rest of the Kryptonians build their rage in order to attract a Phantom Zone Devourer, then temper themselves so it will attack Nightwing's team. It then lodges itself in the Boom Tube gateway trying to eat the team, which Faora uses as a distraction to phase through it and bypass the team when their guard is down. Aquaman manages to restrain her and reiterates his offer to rehear their cases, causing her to snap that their sentences have long since been served. Falling prey to her rage renders her vulnerable to the Devourer, which grabs her as soon as she's tossed in its direction.
- I Always Wanted to Say That: Spoken verbatim by Nightwing and lampshaded moments before by Tigress when he quotes Gandalf during his You Shall Not Pass! moment.
- Kneel Before Zod: As the Zods finally meet Superman, Dru-Zod uses this as an offer for the hero to join him. Naturally, Superman refuses, but Dru makes him anyway with a piece of Kryptonite he took from Nightwing. After learning his influence on Earth, Dru plans to publicly execute him via his latest charge (Conner) to make the people submit to the House of Zod.Dru-Zod: Well... It seems you're on your knees before me, after all.
- Power Makes Your Hair Grow: Downplayed; when the Eye of Ekron bonds with her, Ursa's pixie cut is lengthened only just enough to visibly flow in the breeze.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Lor-Zod is able to finally free his parents from the Phantom Zone but, thanks to the interference of Nightwing's team, fails to free the rest of the imprisoned Kryptonians. The rest of Nightwing's team return to Earth, but Nightwing himself is knocked out and presumed dead by Lor-Zod, while Rocket is trapped between dimensions after the Boom Tube collapses from their fight with the Kryptonians.
- Rage Breaking Point: Ursa reaches hers when Nightwing disrupts their empowerment in Clark's solar pods. She starts venting her frustration at having her full power kept from her after decades of powerlessness, raving that any just universe would grant her all the power she wants after all she endured. Her anger is answered by the Eye of Ekron activating and choosing to bond with her.
- Revenge Before Reason: Ursa-Zod and other Kryptonians are not interested in waiting any longer for an opportunity to escape that is within reach, considering that they have been trapped in the Phantom Zone for 40 years, compared to their initial five-to-ten-year sentences before Krypton was destroyed.Faora: The time for patience has passed!
- Trust Password: To prove he is part of the House of Zod and son to Dru and Ursa-Zod in the future, Lor-Zod recites to them a "Secret Mantra" known only to said House.Lor-Zod: From the will comes strength. From strength comes the will.
Dru-Zod: He is our son! - Uncertain Doom:
- Rocket doesn't make it back through the bus portal and is seemingly trapped in the Boom Tube as it collapses, but there's no indication of what happened to her beyond that.
- Nightwing is bleeding profusely from the head and Lor-Zod hears his heart stop, but he's no stranger to faking a stopped heart.
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Lor-Zod repeatedly advocates killing Conner while he's vulnerable, but Dru-Zod refuses because he's confident Conner is under his thrall and sees using him as the means of Superman's execution as a good propaganda opportunity.
- You Are Too Late: Nightwing tries to stop the recovery of Lor-Zod's parents, but they've gained enough strength that the explosives used to destroy the solar pods don't harm them, and he's knocked out by Lor-Zod moments later. Downplayed in that he is able to interrupt the process before they reach their full strength.
- You Shall Not Pass!: Nightwing quotes Gandalf the Grey ad verbatim as his team blocks a reopened Boom Tube out of the Phantom Zone.Tigress: I bet he always wanted to say that.
Nightwing: I always wanted to say that.
