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| Lor-Zod | |
| Aliases: | Christopher Kent Nightwing Superboy |
| Continuity: | DC Universe |
| Notability: | Supporting character |
| Type: | Phantom Zoner |
| Occupation: | Superhero |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Kryptonian |
| Location: | Phantom Zone Kent farm, Smallville, Kansas Metropolis |
| Associations: | House of El |
| Relatives: | Dru-Zod Ursa |
| Status: | Alive |
| First: | Action Comics #844 |
Lor-Zod is a fictional costumed hero featured in comic books published by DC Comics. He is associated with the Superman line of titles and first appeared in Action Comics #844 in December, 2006.
Biography[]
The Phantom Zone[]
While imprisoned inside the Phantom Zone, the Kryptonian known as General Zod and his mate, Ursa, gave birth to a child named Lor-Zod. While living inside of a transported Kryptonian prison cell known as Fort Rozz, Zod manipulated Phantom Zone technology and created a small space-worthy vessel that could maintain a substantial form and leave the Phantom Zone. As his son was the only Phantom Zoner capable of maintaining a physical form, Zod sent the rocket ship out of the Phantom Zone carrying their young son. The rocket entered Earth's atmosphere and would have crash-landed in the heart of downtown Metropolis, but for the timely arrival of Superman. Recognizing that the child was of alien origin, he reluctantly left him in the care of Sarge Steel and the Department of Metahuman Affairs. Lor-Zod stunned everyone when he lifted a three-hundred pound television cabinet above his head with no effort. After hearing the child speak, Superman immediately recognized him as Kryptonian. Steel insisted on keeping him overnight for observation. Scientists ran oral DNA tests to determine whether the boy truly was a Kryptonian.
Lois Lane wrote the exclusive story on the child's arrival on Earth in the Daily Planet, and the news quickly spread across the globe. The Department of Metahuman Affairs relocated the unnamed Kryptonian to a secure location in Washington, but neglected to inform Superman of the transfer. Enraged, Superman broke Lor-Zod out of custody and brought him to the Kent farm in Smallville.
Determined to keep him safe from the government and from scientific persecution, Clark asked Lois if she would agree to adopt the boy with him. Lois remained uncertain of her capability regarding parenting, but quickly acquiesced, and even supplied him with an Earth name – Christopher.
The Department of Metahuman Affairs was not the only source of interest in regards to "Christopher Kent." Lex Luthor, secretly monitoring Sarge Steel's broadcasts, learned of the child's Kryptonian origin and set about claiming the boy for himself. Having somewhat trained the creature known as Bizarro to do his bidding, Luthor sent Bizarro into the city to capture Lor-Zod. A fight broke out between Bizarro and Superman, and Lor-Zod demonstrated his Kryptonian invulnerability by surviving the impact of a school bus falling directly on top of him.
Shortly after the battle took place, Lor-Zod's birth parents, General Zod and Ursa, broke free of their Phantom Zone prison and arrived on Earth to find him. Collecting Lor-Zod, the criminals freed the rest of their Kryptonian brethren from the Zone and mounted a massive invasion of Earth. During the siege of Metropolis, Lor-Zod turned against his father, burning his hand with twin blasts of heat vision. After the defeat of his biological parents, Lor was adopted by Kal-El and his wife, Lois, who decided to raise the boy on Earth as their foster son with the name of Christopher Kent. Chris accepted the younger Kents as his parents, and Clark's foster parents as his own grandparents, even calling Lois "Mama Lois" as he adapted to life on Earth.
When Zod and Ursa and their associates broke free of the Phantom Zone a second time, they attacked Kal-El and his family. Zod and Ursa recaptured Christopher as a bargaining tool to intidimate Superman into surrendering. However, Superman was able to hold off Zod and his criminal allies until Luthor's technical assistance was able to exploit the connection that all the Kryptonians who had been in contact with the Phantom Zone possessed and forced them to be drawn back into it. Unfortunately, this link was also inclusive of Christopher, who was born in the Zone, and even Superman, who had some interaction with the Zone. Seeing that the Zone portal would not close after all the criminals had been sucked back in, Christopher chose to sacrifice himself to close the breach rather than let it continue, possibly causing more damage to the city and swallowing his foster father.
When Superman contacted his "cousin" Mon-El, who remained in the Zone due to his own radiation poisoning to find out about Christopher's fate, Mon-El informed Kal-El that Christopher was either not in the Zone or was transferred to some very remote locale within the Zone that no one knew of.
Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Kryptonian physiology: Kryptonians are an alien race that hail from the planet Krypton. In their natural environment, they are physiologically no different than a normal human. This is because Krypton revolves around a red sun. If a Kryptonian is on a world that revolves around a yellow sun, such as Earth, they will develop fantastic superhuman abilities.
- Solar energy absorption: Under optimal conditions, this is the main source of Lor-Zod's super powers. They are contingent upon exposure to solar radiation from a yellow sun star system. Lor-Zod's biological make up includes a number of organs which lack analogues in humans and whose functions are unknown. Yellow solar energy is stored for later use, which also allows for the use of these powers to fade when yellow solar radiation is not available rather than immediate failure.
- Energy projection: Lor-Zod can project beams of intense thermal energy from the eyes. This is also known as "heat vision", and operates in similar function to that of an amplified laser beam. It is destructive enough to kill lesser beings, and cause significant damage to large structures and landmarks, including mountains.
- Enhanced vision: Lor-Zod's visual acuity is significantly greater than that of a normal human being and encompasses several sub-abilities or applications. This includes perception of different levels of the electromagnetic spectrum with varying degrees of range and focus.
- Telescopic vision: This is the ability to perceive something visually at a great distance, without external resources or violating the laws of physics. Though limited, the exact extent of the ability is undetermined. In function, it is similar to that of the zoom lens on a camera.
- X-ray vision: This is the ability to see through any volume of matter except lead. Lor-Zod can see things behind a solid, opaque object as if it were not there. Lor-Zod can focus this ability to "peel back" layers of an object, allowing hidden images or inner workings to be observed. The exact type of energy perceived including x-rays, cosmic rays, or some other energy invisible to normal humans may vary.
- Flight: Lor-Zod can defy the gravity of any environment for the purposes of levitation, and directional flying. This also includes flight capability in a zero-gravity environment such as outer space. Lor-Zod can fly at great speeds, crossing oceans in the matter of minutes.
- Invulnerability: Under a yellow sun, Lor-Zod is impervious to nearly all forms of conventional injury. Lor-Zod's skin cannot be scratched, scarred, penetrated for burned. Muscle tissue and ligaments will not tear or strain. Bones will not break. However, Lor-Zod's invulnerability, as well as the rest of the Kryptonian powers, diminish while in the presence of green Kryptonite. Kryptonite produces radiation which effectively burns out the absorbed solar power from a Kryptonian's cells. A Kryptonian will find him or herself drastically weakened while in its presence. Prolonged exposure to Kryptonite is fatal. Once the presence of Kryptonite is removed, their natural abilities will return to them.
- Self-sustenance: Lor-Zod's physiology does not process oxygen the same way that a human does. An application of invulnerability, Lor-Zod cannot starve or drown, and can also survive in the vacuum of space. Lor-Zod is also immune to most forms of poison and toxins.
- Super-hearing: Lor-Zod's hearing is sensitive enough to perceive nearly any sound at any volume or pitch. With skill and concentration, one can block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific localized source or frequency.
- Super-breath: Lor-Zod can expel volumes of breath with great force over a sustained period of time. This is an effective long-range attack strategy as the breath can exert enough force comparable to that of a gale-force wind. Super-breath enables Lor-Zod to blow people back several yards, overturn vehicles, and generate excessive damage to property and other sedentary objects.
- Super-speed: Lor-Zod is able to move at incredible speed by sheer force of will. This trait extends to Lor-Zod's perceptions and allows for other feats such as catching bullets in mid flight, as well as covering vast distances in little or no time. Super-speed is also an application of the ability to fly.
- Superhuman stamina: Lor-Zod does not suffer from fatigue and can function physically for extended periods of time without tiring. As an application of this, it is likely that Lor-Zod does not require the same amount of REM sleep that a normal human would in order to function at full capacity.
- Superhuman strength: Lor-Zod's strength is augmented by yellow solar radiation being absorbed into the body. Lor-Zod can conduct fantastic feats of strength such as lifting large objects such as satellites or ocean liners, and combating opponents of equal strength value. Lor-Zod's strength level will diminish to that of a standard human level while in the presence of green Kryptonite.
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Lor-Zod was created by writers Geoff Johns & Richard Donner and artist Adam Kubert.
See also[]
Media
The World of Superman
Superman miscellaneous
External Links[]
Appearances[]
- Action Comics 844
- Action Comics 845
- Action Comics 874
- Action Comics Annual 12