General Zod is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly known as an adversary of the superhero Superman. The character, who first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 (April 1961), was created by Robert Bernstein and initially designed by George Papp. As a Kryptonian, he exhibits the same powers and abilities as Superman and is consequently viewed as one of his greatest enemies alongside Lex Luthor, Darkseid and Brainiac. He is also well known for his famous catchphrase, “Kneel before Zod!” Originally depicted as bald and clean-shaven, Zod's look in popular culture was defined by the character's depiction by Terence Stamp in the films Superman (1978) and Superman II (1981). Eventually, the character was reintroduced to the DC Multiverse with black hair and a goatee beard. A different incarnation of Zod was portrayed by Michael Shannon in the DC Extended Universe films Man of Steel (2013) and The Flash (2023). Fictional character biography Silver Age Dru-Zod is a megalomaniacal Kryptonian, in charge of the military forces on Krypton. He knows Jor-El, Superman's father, when Jor-El is an aspiring scientist. When the space program is abolished after the destruction of the inhabited moon Wegthor (engineered by renegade scientist Jax-Ur), Zod attempts to take over Krypton using an army of robotic duplicates of himself, all bearing a resemblance to Bizarro. He is sentenced to exile in the Phantom Zone for 40 years for his crimes. Zod is eventually released by Superman when his term of imprisonment is up. However, he attempts to conquer Earth with the superpowers his Kryptonian body acquires under the yellow sun (the source of Superman's own super-powers). With Zod's threat now obvious, Superman is forced to oppose him and ultimately returns him to the Zone. During the remaining years before the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Zod and other Zone inmates such as Jax-Ur, Faora Hu-Ul and others, escape from the Phantom Zone and battle Superman and Supergirl numerous times, always being defeated in the end and returned to the Zone. Modern Age Interim Zods: 1985–2005 The first Zod to be introduced following Crisis on Infinite Earths is the Zod of a so-called "pocket universe" resembling the universe in which the comics take place; this allowed for a "Kryptonian" Zod to be introduced while maintaining Superman's status as the last of his race in the universe proper. This Zod's universe is created by the Time