Aliases : Dru-Zod II
Base of Operations : Phantom Zone, formerly, Krypton.
Tag : None
Important Plots : None
Journal(s) : jla_guardians
Status : Available

Powers and Abilities : A brief recap of the character's capabilities.

Weaknesses: Zod is possessed of an almost pathological arrogance, seeming almost bored of the incredible powers he possesses and is disappointed with the ease of defeating most of his opponents. When faced with the rare opponent who can match him, Zod's aristocratic self-control vanishes, and he reveals his true nature: a scheming madman who will do whatever it takes to win, at any cost.

History : The son of famous Kryptonian war hero Dru-Zod, Zod was born powerful even by Kryptonian standards. With physical strength far surpassing that of his peers, Zod rose quickly in Krypton's Military Guild, eventually becoming the Guild's leader and earning the title of 'General' which he carried throughout the rest of his life. Born to aristocracy and raised with a deep-seated contempt of non-Kryptonians, Zod proved a brutal but effective military leader.

When Krypton was threatened with destruction, General Zod rebelled against the Kryptonian High Council, hoping to take control of his world and save it from its fate. His coup failed, and Zod was exiled to the Phantom Zone: ironically, the man who sent him to the Phantom Zone was Jor-El, a scientist who's theories inspired Zod to rebel in the first place. Swearing vengeance against Jor-El and his heirs, Zod and his closest followers were banished, and spent many years trapped within the Phantom Zone.

When members of the Order of Shamballa used the Cosmic Key for the first time, Zod used the opening to escape the Phantom Zone. Zod quickly learned that the last son of his jailer, Jor-El, was living on the planet Earth, and so decided to make Earth the seat of a new Kryptonian empire - as soon as he eliminated the only surviving member of Jor-El's family.

With his great power, Zod decimated the United States military forces almost single-handedly before Superman was able to challenge him. Zod handily defeated Superman in their first encounter, banishing him to the Phantom Zone as he himself had been. With Kal-El out of the way Zod consolidated his control over the United States, aided by a young Lex Luthor. However, Superman was able to escape the Phantom Zone with the aid of the original Dr. Fate, and thanks to a timely betrayal by Lex Luthor, beat Zod in their rematch. Dr. Fate personally exiled Zod and his followers back to the Phantom Zone, and they have not been heard from since.

Time travelers have seen General Zod at various points in history since his banishment, but these beings are almost certainly alternate-reality Zods. A would-be Russian dictator, Avruiskin, claimed the title of General Zod, but was defeated. Avruiskin's connection to the true General Zod remains unknown.

Other Sources :

• Dru-Zod II at the DC Database Project
  
• Dru-Zod II at Wikipedia

Divergences : Mixes and matches the various incarnations of General Zod into a single backstory.

Disclaimer - unless otherwise noted, all characters are property of DC Comics, used here only for roleplaying purposes.