Until 1938, the term "comic" meant humorous stories and stories, as indicated by the name itself from the English comic - funny, funny. But with the advent of Superman, the situation changed, and the genre acquired a completely different, new stylistic branch.
Beginning of the Story - Superman
Perhaps one of the most recognizable and famous heroes is Clark Kent. Created by Joe Schuster and Jerry Siegel, he forever settled in the popular comic book niche. Superman is distinguished by amazing strength, incredible abilities, a bright unusual suit with a flying red cloak and an emblem resembling the letter of the English alphabet S.
The story of Clark Kent began far from Earth. He was born on the planet Krypton, which at the time of its birth was one step from complete destruction. Named by biological parents, Kal-El, a newborn boy was sent in a rescue capsule to Earth. Having landed in the middle of endless fields, the child acquired good earthly parents and began to use his outstanding abilities, which manifested themselves very early, exclusively for the benefit of mankind. Kal-El, as the main fighter for good, has many enemies, among them Lex Luthor and General Zod.
Main abilities of Superman:
- invulnerability of the body shell, kryptonite and some types of magic can damage it;
- superpower;
- super tolerance;
- regeneration;
- super speed;
- super vision;
- super hearing;
- super breath;
- superintelligence;
- other abilities.
Superman is called the Man of Steel, Blur, Krypton's Last Son, as well as some other names.
Superman comics have had a huge impact on the culture of the United States and other countries. In 2011, Kal-El took the first, victorious place in the list of “100 Greatest Comic Book Heroes” (IGN). He can be considered a pioneer in the world of superheroes, and it was from him that the era of superhumans with incredible capabilities began.
General Zod
This character, according to the story, was also a resident of Krypton. Zod combined the outstanding talent of a strategist, severity, justice, temper and dictatorial traits. Among his merits - a victory over the Virus X, which once hit the planet Krypton.
General Zod was closely acquainted with Superman's father, Jor-El, who, as a scientist, tried to prove that the planet was in danger of being destroyed soon. Jor-El managed to convince Zod, and he, surrounded by faithful soldiers, tried to rebel overthrow the ruling Council, but was defeated and put on trial. Jor-El persuaded not to execute the rebels, but to send them to the Phantom Zone. Angry and deeply resentful, the general became an ardent opponent and enemy of the El clan. Subsequently, Clark Kent and Zod will be at enmity, but the antagonist will be defeated. Comics convey in detail the cunning plans of the enemy, in which his allies are always present, fighting selflessly and courageously, without a shadow of doubt, as well as a scene of a collision with Superman. After the destruction of New Krypton, ruled by General Zod, the Man of Steel, following the example of his father, sends a desperate warrior to Phantom Prison.
The charismatic character earned a considerable army of fans and was included in the hundred of the greatest comic book villains.
General's abilities
Like any Kryptonite, General Zod has a certain set of abilities and powers. Of course, he is inferior to Kal-El, but also endowed with superpower. It can tear down a barrier of steel, concrete, and even an energy field. Some sources indicate that the Zod is capable of lifting about 100,000 tons.
There is also resistance, many times greater than human. Firearms, energy rays, powerful explosions and various attacks do not cause any damage to Zodu. Only extremely powerful heroes like Superman can pose a threat. Another advantage of the general is the flight at very high speeds. In the rays of the yellow Sun, the state of the character’s body is in perfect condition and gives Zoda super speed, super hearing and super vision.
Actors and roles
At different times, very different actors transformed into a Krypton warrior. In the films "Superman", as well as "Superman 2", the role went to Terence Stamp. It was she who in the seventies opened Stamp to a huge audience.
Callum Blue is an actor from England, who also obeyed the image of the Krypton. It made a very convincing General Zod. Smallville Secrets is a famous series in which Blue fought with young Superman, gathered a lot of fans and lasted ten whole seasons. In The Man of Steel, the rebel appears in the performance of Michael Shannon.
Game character
The legendary General Zod appeared in Injustice: Gods Among Us as an additional fighter. In the plot, he is demoted. The developers managed to very competently introduce the character of the comic strip in the field of constant game fights, while the whole history and biography of Zoda was preserved. The character uses different weapons, is the ruler of the Phantom Zone, all its inhabitants obey him, and the cryptan is also able to shoot lasers from the eyes with precision laser. Although he cannot fly, he can summon a creature from the Zone to distract the enemy.
Zod’s character was used in a series by Danish Lego, as well as in the song title of a Canadian punk rock band.