Superman Finally Reveals the Hardcore Origin of an Iconic Villain

Warning! Contains spoilers for Kneel Before Zod #5!

Summary Zod and Jor-El's first meeting is revealed in Kneel Before Zod #5.

Zod's hatred for the El family stems from his relationship with Jor-El.

Zod's complex history with Superman's family is explored in the comic.

General Zod has always been one of Superman's most dangerous villains, but his history has often been a mystery. Now, in his first stand-alone comic series, readers are given a deep dive into his past, including the first time the House of Zod and the House of El crossed paths.

Readers can see Dru-Zod's childhood in Kneel Before Zod #5 by Joe Casey and Dan McDaid. In a preview for this issue, readers see a flashback to Dru-Zod's childhood, where he is exiled from his family in order to understand the brutality of the universe first hand.

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Zod responds to this brutal task by using a sun stone that he heats, using the lava falls of Krypton, to carve the House of Zod's symbol into his chest. This is where Zod first meets Jor-El, and unbeknownst to both of them, their fates are tied from that moment on.

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The First Meeting Between General Zod and Jor-El Is Finally Revealed

Zod Has Hated The El Family For Decades

Dru-Zod was originally a villain to Superman only for a very basic reason: when Zod was first introduced, he was a Kryptonian criminal who had been imprisoned in the Phantom Zone by Jor-El. With Jor-El long dead, Zod brings his vengeance down on Superman instead, as Kal-El is the last living descendant of Jor-El's family. It was a perfectly fine and basic motivation for the time, but as DC's lore got richer over the decades, Dru-Zod's backstory has long needed more fleshing out, and it seems that readers are finally going to get that deep dive they've been craving.

Zod is the only Superman villain with an intimate connection not just with Superman's heritage from Krypton, but with Superman's immediate family as well.

Dru-Zod and Jor-El have been in each other's lives for quite a while. Readers have gotten to see flashbacks of Dru-Zod and Jor-El's time together as adults before, such as the time Jor-El invented the Phantom Zone and Dru-Zod began using it to imprison criminals. Jor-El was horrified at this application of his invention, and after Dru-Zod tried to overthrow the Kryptonian counsel, Jor-El was the one who imprisoned Zod inside the Phantom Zone next. This was a heart-breaking choice for Jor-El as the two had become quite close friends, and readers are seeing where that friendship started in this upcoming issue.

Zod's Hatred Of Superman Came From His Relationship With Jor-El

Zod Has A Complicated History With The El Family

Zod is the only Superman villain with an intimate connection not just with Superman's heritage from Krypton, but with Superman's immediate family as well. Zod clearly has unresolved issues with Jor-El, as he continues to hallucinate Jor-El even to this day. It's likely one of the reasons Zod is still so fixated on Jor-El will be revealed in this issue, with readers getting their first ever look into the brutal childhood of Dru-Zod. While it's unlikely General Zod will ever stop hating Superman and his family, this issue may just shed light on where that hatred truly started.

Kneel Before Zod #5 is available May 7th from DC Comics!

KNEEL BEFORE ZOD #5 (2024) Writer: Joe Casey

Artist: Dan McDaid

Colorist: David Baron

Letterer: Troy Peteri

Cover Artist: Jason Shawn Alexander