One of Superman's more personal and most iconic antagonists is General Zod, a villain who has had his fair share of live-action treatments over the decades. While Superman is a fictional legend, Clark Kent has one of the best rogue galleries in comics that come in various forms. From super-foes like Parasite, Doomsday, and Metallo to complex characters like Lex Luthor and General Zod, Kal-El has had plenty to fight since he was first created in 1938. As Superman has been tackled on the big and small screen, so have the majority of his villains.
When it comes to some of Clark's more personal antagonists in the mythology, General Zod is the type of Superman villain who represents that. Even though Krypton died, many DC stories have revealed there are still survivors in various ways. While there have been different iterations, Zod is always presented as one of Clark's few but significant ties to Krypton, mainly because of the general's history with Jor-El. Depending on the story or medium, General Zod is, as a Kryptonian, the opposite of who Superman is, which leads to some powerful storylines.
As Superman's story continues to be told on TV and film, General Zod is usually always included in almost every major live-action incarnation. Several actors have been able to portray the Kryptonian warlord, while also giving Superman a major villain to take on over the years. Only time will tell where General Zod will show up next, but that doesn't change the character's media legacy, which is quite extensive.
Terence Stamp (Superman: The Movie & Superman II)
The first actor to ever portray General Zod in was Terence Stamp, who brought the villain to life in Superman: The Movie. While he had a smaller role in the first film, Stamp's Zod became the main antagonist in Superman II. Given the time period that these films were made in, Stamp's characterization of Zod was not as action-driven as some of the later versions became. But that didn't change the powerful presence Stamp had in all of his scenes, whether it was with Non and Ursa or with Superman. While Zod and Superman certainly have more than one showdown, Stamp's characterization was cold but collected.
It was Stamp's idea to add a goatee and slick back Zod's hair, a look that DC Comics added to the character after his portrayal. In many ways, Stamp's portrayal set the foundation for how storytellers tackle Zod, whether it is in the comics, films, or TV shows. Even the iconic line, "Kneel before Zod" comes from the actor's version of the character, a phrase that adds so much to him. It is almost hard to imagine what General Zod would be like today if Stamp had never played the villain in Christopher Reeve's Superman movies. While special effects and costume designs weren't where they are today, Stamp's Zod was one of the best aspects of those movies.
Callum Blue (Smallville Season 9 & 10)
The first major Superman TV show to ever use General Zod was Smallville, which told the story of Clark Kent before becoming the Man of Steel. While Zod's wraith takes over Lex Luthor's body in the season 5 finale and the season 6 premiere, the character makes his proper on-screen appearance in Smallville season 9, played by Callum Blue. But just like other DC characters that featured, Smallville began Zod at a younger point in his life, with a twist. While Zod's wrath existed in the Phantom Zone, a clone is introduced during the ninth season. Before Krypton faced its doom, Jor-El had cloned Zod and multiple Kandorian soldiers who had been trapped inside an orb until they were released in Smallville season 8. Zod's villainous turn began when he and Jor-El had a falling out when the latter wouldn't agree to clone the former's son for the Kandorian project.
The way Blue's Zod was executed was depicting him as a desperate leader wanting the best for Krypton's survivors, especially when trying to get them access to their Kryptonian powers. This was a Zod with more nuance because he could have gone either good or bad in the ninth season. What was so compelling was that the clone's memories of the original Zod were only up to the day when Jor-El took his blood. That's why Major Zod had no idea what he had done to Krypton, which gave this clone a choice to either be better or become like the original Zod. The writing and Blue's performance are what made Smallville season 9 a strong depiction of Zod. While Blue returns one final time in Smallville season 10, the clone actually merges with Zod's wraith once sent to the Phantom Zone, making them complete.
Michael Shannon (Man Of Steel)
After Stamp's General Zod in Superman II, the villain wouldn't return to the big screen until 2013 when Michael Shannon portrayed him in Man of Steel, which rebooted the Superman franchise. While he no longer had a British accent, nor did Shannon's character ever say "Kneel before Zod," the DCEU iteration was still a powerful characterization. In Man of Steel, Kal-El is the exception to how offspring are born in Kryptonian society. While he was born naturally, Kryptonians like Zod were birthed from the birthing matrix, as sexual reproduction had become forbidden at this point. Zod was born to be a leader and champion for the Kryptonian race, hence why his speech to Superman in the climax is as powerful as it is.
While he absolutely had the wrong methods, Shannon's General Zod is extremely deep because of how he was created, with only one purpose in life. Zod's explanation to Kal-El about his life purpose and how "every action I take, no matter how violent or how cruel, is for the greater good of my people," is devastating to a degree. The writing is phenomenal, but Shannon's performance makes this Zod complex and not a typical super-villain. After losing his remaining Kryptonian allies to the Phantom Zone, it essentially destroys Zod's mind because what purpose does he have to exist now that he has no people to lead?
Mark Gibbon (Supergirl Season 2)
General Zod has been introduced in the Arrowverse, and it's one of the weirder depictions of the character. In the Supergirl season 2 finale, Mark Gibbon portrays a Zod hallucination. After Superman had been affected by Silver Kryptonite, his mind was not thinking straight. As Supergirl tried to help her cousin, all Kal-El could see in front of him was a menacing General Zod, who swore he would destroy the planet. The showdown cuts back and forth between Gibbon's Zod and Kara, as Superman is only able to see his worst enemy making one threat after another.
General Zod's status in the Arrowverse is a bit confused as he was initially declared dead after Superman killed him in 2018. But later seasons of Supergirl revealed that General Zod is somehow alive at some point in the 31st century as he took on the Legion of Super-Heroes. Zod's confusing history may have been erased due to Crisis on Infinite Earths, meaning Superman & Lois might re-introduce the villainous general, including recasting the part. While Gibbon was only in a few scenes in the Supergirl season 2 finale, his Zod felt inspired both by Stamp and Shannon's respective iterations.
Colin Salmon (Krypton)
The latest depiction of General Zod in live-action was on the short-lived Superman prequel series, Krypton, where Colin Salmon played Dru-Zod. This became the first time the Zod family were portrayed as people of color, which was a refreshing change to the lore. Due to the time travel nature of Krypton, Dru-Zod travels into Krypton's past where he meets his mother Lyta-Zod and his father Seg-El, pulling a bit from the Superman: Earth One series. This made Kal-El Dru-Zod's nephew due to him and Jor-El being half-brothers in Krypton's continuity.
After the first season, Dru-Zod goes on to become the main antagonist in Krypton season 2 as he becomes the planet's new ruler. Salmon's portrayal of Zod was one of the strongest elements of the entire series. This was a General Zod who had already come full circle in his timeline, including his conflict with Superman. But thanks to Krypton, the writers added another layer to Dru-Zod by seeing what he would do if he got a second chance to live on his own planet again. Because of how far he had come in his time, Dru-Zod was completely ruthless and manipulative, with no limits holding him back.
Salmon's characterization had everything you would want to see from General Zod: authority, evil, and strength. Had Krypton not been canceled after only two seasons, it would have been fascinating to see where they could take Dru-Zod next. While it is unclear where General Zod will show up next in live-action, it wouldn't be shocking if the next incarnation is on Superman & Lois.
