This article contains SPOILERS for Superman: Warworld Apocalypse #1
The finale to the epic Superman "Warworld Saga" story officially establishes a new Kryptonian threat who makes General Zod a useless enemy of the past. Though Zod has created a lot of turmoil for Superman over the years, his story has been told time and time again. This new enemy—Kryl-Ux of New Phaelosia—refreshes the age-old Superman vs. Zod face-off for a new era, especially considering he still counts Superman as a friend, even after his massive betrayal.
The story is familiar by now: Krypton is dying, baby Kal-El is sent to Earth, he is raised by the Kents to become Superman, and he believes himself to be the last descendent of Krypton. But Clark Kent is never the last Kryptonian for long. A megalomaniac Kryptonian general, General Zod was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone before Krypton was destroyed. He has escaped and battled Superman countless times over the years, forcing Clark Kent to grapple, physically and emotionally, with one of few Kryptonians. But Zod has always been an enemy; during the events of "Warworld Saga," Superman discovers a splinter group of Kryptonian descendants, the Phaelosians, who have been enslaved by the dictator Mongul on Warworld. Superman and a team of his allies commit to freeing the enslaved Phaelosians at any cost, befriending the Phaelosian leader Kryl-Ux along the way.
Kryl-Ux seemed to be a worthy and reliable ally for Superman, but all that has changed as of Superman: Warworld Apocalypse #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Will Conrad, Brandon Peterson, Miguel Mendonca, Max Raynor, Lee Loughridge, and Dave Sharpe. Kryl-Ux seems to have betrayed Superman to Mongul, placing two young Phaelosian children in serious danger. In the end, his goal is to double-cross Mongul, which he succeeds in doing, eventually killing the dictator. But he placed countless people in danger in his violent quest to avenge "the razing of New Phaelosia," and the end of this issue suggests the violence will continue as he confronts the United Planets and their complicity. Still, he says: "I count you as a friend and ally, El. I hope that when my work is done, we might be so again."
General Zod might be a formidable foe, but Kryl-Ux is both more dangerous and more worthy of an extended conflict with Superman. Though he is not from Krypton like Zod and Kal-El, he is of a Kryptonian race persecuted and systematically razed by Mongul, all while the governing body of the galaxy, the United Planets, watched passively. His desire for revenge comes from a righteous place, one that Superman would certainly respect, if not condone. Clark himself has been attempting to save the Phaelosians, allying himself with Kryl-Ux and his people, all for the same cause. This issue is laying the groundwork for further conflict with Kryl-Ux, and readers should be eager to see what happens next, especially as Superman battles someone whose end goal is justice for his people—though his strategies involve violence and, worse, the sacrifice of other lives.
Superman's battles with his enemies are always most interesting when there's a moral conflict at the heart of said battles. Kryl-Ux provides that conflict in droves, far outpacing General Zod in his righteousness. As a reader, one might be tempted to root for Kryl-Ux as he confronts the United Planets, but certainly Superman will still find the best way to save the day—for everyone.
Check out Superman: Warworld Apocalypse #1, available now from DC Comics!