Superman Through the Ages! Forum

From the "Ask Matt" section on the Superman Homepage:

Since there has only ever been one Zod (the Johns/Donner version) in New Earth continuity, Superman certainly couldn't have executed another version. With this retcon, perhaps the biggest black spot on Superman's career is now gone. Quite frankly, I'm very happy to know this. And on another level, having multiple Zods, Supergirls, and Legions in continuity seems unnecessary.

Kudos to the person that made this call.

Good call, perhaps since Johns said he read every PZ story ever, when he got to the one written by the John Redbeard, even he must have felt revolted and decided to fix it.

Glad to see the PZoners back, but seeing how the last issue ended and who is writing it, I get the feeling that the next issue is going to be a bloodbath, but I hope I am wrong.

hopefully they will retcon away Mongul 2! the son of the original mongul, who looks and acts exactly the same...

...jeez just bring the original one back from the dead, we know you love doing that DC!

still on new earth all you merely do is remove the footnote where mongul died... heck just say he was "badly wounded, but not killed" and practically nothings hurt!

still, removing the previous three zods (thats the amount i can remember) it affects the story a bit, and also the back grounds of characters like the matrix supergirl, superdog, la de da...

still, removing all but the newest zod, im all for it!

I'm not reading the new books, so tell me: does Superman react here as if he's never met anyone named "Zod" before? Because otherwise it'd be easy enough to keep the "Pocket Universe"/SuperKiller storyline valid.  That tale involved a Zod of another dimension/reality, so retconning away all previous Zods from DC's "official" Krypton wouldn't have to affect him one way or the other, right?  He came from a different Krypton in another reality anyway.

The only way Superman's killing of the other Zod doesn't count is if the currently-in-print Superman literally says something like, "Zod.  What's a Zod?  Never heard of him." 

Does that make any sense?  Heck, does anything?

aw check you nightwing, looking for sense in modern comics...

still i think it does have an effect on the timeline, it brings back the ol' zero hour paradox... let me explain as i understand,

if superman never went to the pocket universe, then he never gets ridden with guilt and never exiles himself to outer space, which means he never meets mongul or finds the eradicator, which means the eradicator isnt on earth to create the cyborg superman, and also the eradicator isnt there to ressurect superman after being killed battling doomsday. and since cyborg superman isnt created and mongul isnt aware of earth (i dont think) then coast city is never destroyed, and Hal Jordan never becomes Parallax, so the zero hour crisis doesnt happen!

and of course, due to the amount of times superman has saved earth, the earth will probably be smoooshed

I went back to re-read Action 846 to see how this is handled.

Wow.  These guys are really good!  It turns out you can read the dialogue either way, depending on whichever version of continuity you are assuming.  Neither is contradicted and, impossible as it would seem, both are confirmed.  This is from when Zod first goes public and attacks Superman - as they paste-up the street with each other, knock each other through buildings, etc, here's the discussion that takes place:

Zod: "Hello, Kal-El... Superman... or should I call you Clark Kent?  We have obtained glimpses into your life on this primitive planet for decades, and yet I have never understood your motives for self-degradation.  Your father would be disgraced to discover you masquerading as one of these sub-Kryptonians.  You've embraced their culture and abandoned your own."

Supes: "...GENERAL ZOD?"

Zod: "You know of me Kal-El?"

Supes: "I've studied Krypton's history.  You're wearing prison uniforms.  You and your friend are criminals who were exiled to the phantom zone."

Zod:  "We are not criminals.  We are rebels who had an opportunity to save Krypton, but were denied because of the actions of your father."

Superman: "I don't know how you escaped, but as soon as I get a few hits in to remember me by -- I'm sending you back."


Matt has shown that when he doesn't want to answer a question in his column, he can do a pretty good job of double-speak.  But his answer to this question was pretty clear:  In spite of the possibly ambiguous dialogue, this is the first and only Zod.

I love how Zod calls humans "sub-Kryptonians." Someone like Zod would look at human beings as caveman or even apes.

i like the ambiguity, but then again im a continuity nerd at times....

... i go to alcoholics anonymus type meetings for it, Mark Waid is the group leader

Time is broken...52  :D

I'm going to step away from current DC until the Crisis dust settles. A six or seven year crossover event is a little taxing on the wallet as well as the reader's geekiness. 

I hope the other Zods never happen, This new Zod is a cross between the Pre-Crisis version and the Movie version, which are the two best versions.

Read this to see what I mean:

http://superman.nu/tales2/chronicles/1/

No Pocket Universe also means no Matrix Supergirl, since she was created by the "good" Pocket Universe Lex Luthor after the disappearance of Superboy.  This also unravels Peter David's "Supergirl" series, since Matrix merges with Linda Danvers.

While some fans might prefer Matrix and Linda to be consigned to DC oblivion, one should recall that in "Many Happy Returns" Linda saved the young Kara Zor-El and reluctantly returned her to Kara's proper time.  Also, the current Kara Zor-El has already acknowledged that there were prior Supergirls before her.

Given that one big impetus of the PAD Supergirl origin was to get rid of Matrix Supergirl and PAD Supergirl's relative lack of ties to overall Superman mythos, I doubt that's such a big deal.  Maybe who PAD Supergirl thought she merged with was Matrix Supergirl but it was really a White Martian.  :)

or maybes the matrix was an experimental piece of kryptonian technology? if we are getting back to our silver age roots theres one lil inning

or since matrix was invented by an alternate version of luthor, and mainstream luthor is back to being a genius... then why not have mainstream luthor make her?

I wonder if phantom zoners go around and watch people taking showers and being naked ???? pervs.


I generally dislike having someone's favorite stories elminated but frankly these other "zods" never did much for me so I can't really care to much if they get rid of them

I wonder why Byrne's Super-killer arc was never retconned in Zero Hour??

But this undoes a LOT of things

No pocket Universe means no Super-killing

No super-killing means no Exile story arc

No exile means no Eradicator

No Eradicator means no "Death of Superman" (could be a good thing though)

No Death of Superman means no Steel (Johh Henry Irons)

And Steel is still in 52..

And Superboy (Clone) is still remembered

Which means the origins of these three (and Doomsday and Cyborg) would have to be retconned altogether.