General Zod is one of the greatest supervillains the Man of Steel has ever faced, Superman & Lois season 2 needs to bring him into its story. Superman & Lois season 2 is set to arrive on January 11, and will continue the story of Kal-El's side-by-side struggles as a hero and a father. Season 2 also appears set to further explore the philosophical debate about who Superman is and what he represents, and properly introducing General Zod into the equation would enhance that.

The teaser for Superman & Lois season 2 shows Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) asserting himself as a hero for the whole world, with the U.S. government seeming determined that he defend American interests specifically. While debates over who Superman is and how he should use his powers are nothing new, Superman & Lois appears to be making that a major part of its focus. That also makes General Zod the perfect Superman villain to appear on the show.

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General Zod can easily hold his own against Superman in a fight, being a skilled warrior with the same powers Superman himself possesses. However, what really makes him such a great enemy is the dichotomy of both his similarities to and differences from Superman. Furthermore, with Clark's relationship with his son Jordan (Alex Garfin) being a major part of the show's foundation, this could be the ideal basis for how Zod could appear. Even better, this could also help set up what kind of antagonist Zod could embody on the show.

Why General Zod Is One Of Superman's Greatest Enemies

General Zod in Man of Steel

General Zod has gone through numerous iterations over the years in comics, television, and movies. Terrence Stamp set the Zod template for a decade with his portrayal of the villain in Superman II, complete with his famous catchphrase "Kneel Before Zod!" Michael Shannon's portrayal of Zod in Man of Steel went in the opposite direction, showing Zod as a soldier-turned-zealot dedicated to Krypton's future. On the TV side of things, Callum Blue's Zod on Smallville shared characteristics with both Stamp's and Shannon's versions.

The one constant with Zod is that he represents a dark version of what Kal-El could've become. Being a Kryptonian himself and possessing all of Superman's powers, Zod is a conquering warrior rather than the heroic savior Superman embodies for Earth. Much more so than Bizarro, General Zod is a villainous version of Superman in the truest sense. This puts him on equal footing with Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and Darkseid as one of the greatest foes of the Man of Steel.

Why Superman & Lois Should Fully Introduce Zod

Superman and lois General Zod died in the Arrowverse

Superman & Lois season 1 already took quite a dive into the Superman mythos, bringing in well-known characters in the Superman family like John Henry Irons (Wole Parks). Superman & Lois also introduced Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner) as Superman's half-brother Tal-Rho, before he eventually became the Eradicator. Additionally, Zod himself played a role in season 1, albeit in a non-physical form.

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In the episode "Through the Valley of Death," Edge causes Superman to become possessed by the consciousness of Zod, leading him to battle with Irons. Superman also previously had a vision of Zod (played by Mark Gibbon) in Supergirl's season 2 finale. Clearly, Superman & Lois is quite prone to incorporate Superman villains and supporting characters, while Zod's presence has already been broached. This makes a proper Zod appearance on Superman & Lois a must, and Kal-El himself has shown the way for how Zod's story could unfold.

How Superman & Lois Can Utilize Zod

General Zod - Superman - Krypton

With Superman & Lois being focused as much on Clark as a husband and a father as it is on him as a hero, this could play very well into the sinister villain Zod could represent on the show. Superman & Lois starts from the premise of a Man of Steel who has been a hero for 20 years. The Zod hallucination on Supergirl also hints at a long history between them. Showing their past battles would be a great way to formally introduce Zod on Superman & Lois, but the show can also give him an extended stay.

One of the show's key elements has been Clark's efforts to guide Jordan through using his Kryptonian powers, which are strong even if they're not yet fully developed. With Jordan Kent dealing with the challenges of adolescence, his and Clark's relationship had many challenges in season 1 and is sure to in season 2. This is where Zod could come in as a true villain, seeing the impressionable Jordan as easy prey for his influence. Zod could provide Superman with the kind hero-father dual challenge he's already faced in a whole new way, luring Jordan to his side with Clark doing his best to hold him back. Zod, being the anti-Superman on a thematic level, could challenge Superman at the macro and the micro levels at once. With Superman and Zod showing two polar opposite peaks of Kryptonian power, Jordan could represent all of mankind, tempted to the darkness represented by Zod but shown a better path by Superman.

Superman & Lois season 1 did a great job of showing Kal-El struggling on multiple fronts. The show even often paralleled an issue Jordan was dealing with to something similar, such as keeping his anger in check, in Clark's own heroic life as Superman. General Zod himself is a personified parallel of Superman who also couldn't be more different from him. His numerous appearances in various shows and movies over the years also show how malleable Zod is as a villain, able to be both hedonistic and (in his own mind) altruistic.

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Superman & Lois is big on portraying the Man of Steel through an existential lens, and possibly none of his villains, even Lex Luthor, are better suited to deconstruct him in that way than General Zod. At the same time, Superman & Lois has only just started to scratch the surface on Superman's rogue's gallery of villains, so it's to be expected that more of his villains will be appearing in season 2 and beyond. General Zod is both a genuine physical challenge for Superman and, because of who he is, an inverted reflection of him who lends himself to some of the best Superman storytelling. For those reasons above all else, Superman & Lois should not miss the opportunity for a proper appearance by the supervillain.

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Superman & Lois season 2 premieres January 11 on The CW.