Spoilers for Generations Forged #1 ahead!
The feud between Superman and the House of El and General Zod has been a bloody and destructive one, and in Generations Forged #1, readers learn it all started because of a Teen Titan: Starfire.
Among Superman’s rogue’s gallery, General Zod is one of the most notable. First appearing in 1961’s Adventure Comics #283, Zod, who is also Kryptonian, has sworn vengeance against not only Superman but his whole family as well. While there have been multiple versions of Zod, as well as varying versions of his backstory, in almost all of them the rivalry between the villain and the House of El started with Superman’s father, Jor-El. In many tellings of the story, Zod and his lieutenants, including Ursa, were banished to the extra-dimensional Phantom Zone by Jor-El, where their anger and resentment toward him and his heirs only grew. In Generations Forged this story gets told again, and some surprising characters, including Doctor Light, Kamandi, and Starfire from the Teen Titans, find themselves at the center of it all.
After being warped to Krypton a few years before its destruction, Starfire and Doctor Light are intercepted by General Zod. At this point in their planet’s history, Krypton was heavily xenophobic, killing and exiling off-worlders, and these new visitors were not welcome. Just as Zod is about to take them in, Jor-El intervenes on their behalf, and takes the heroes to his place; as he walks off, Zod swears he will not forget this encounter. From them Jor-El first learns of the planet Earth, noting that he will investigate the planet further, as he is intrigued by the similarities in human and Kryptonian biology.
The implication here is that one of the most violent and destructive rivalries in the universe began over a misunderstanding. Zod’s xenophobia made him disregard Jor-El’s insistence that these off-worlders were not a threat. It is staggering to think that this feud, which has seen many innocents caught in the crossfire, began under such circumstances. It is also worth noting that in the 31st century, Zod resolves his issues with the House of El and Krypton in general -showing that he can be reasoned with, and this whole mess could have been avoided.
General Zod has wreaked a path of destruction across the universe in pursuit of his hatred of the House of El and Superman, and now readers learn the truth of how the feud started. The issue, featuring a roster of all-star writers and artists, is available in stores now and on all digital comics platforms.