Zor-El
Zor-El | |
---|---|
![]() Zor-El as Cyborg Superman on the cover ofAction Comics(vol. 2) #23.1 (November 2013 DC Comics). Art byAaron Kuder. | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Action Comics#252 (May 1959) |
Created by | Otto Binder(writer) Al Plastino(art) |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Cyborg Superman |
Species | Kryptoniancyborg |
Place of origin | Krypton |
Team affiliations | Black Lantern Corps |
Notable aliases | Zor-L |
Abilities |
(Under a yellow sun):
|
Zor-Elis a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byDC Comics.AKryptonian,he is the brother ofJor-El,husband ofAlura,father ofSupergirl,and paternal uncle ofSuperman.[1]
Traditional depictions of Zor-El in Golden Age and Silver Age DC Comics stories portrayed him as a benevolent scientist concerned for his daughter Kara, acting similarly to his brother Jor-El in sending his child to safety on Earth. In the mid-2000s, DC experimented with different characterisations of Zor-El, even briefly casting him as amad scientistwith a grudge against his brother. A similar depiction was used when the character was adapted for television in the seriesSmallville.In 2010s stories following DC'sThe New 52reboot, Zor-El has been an antagonist for Supergirl and Superman, having been transformed into the villainCyborg SupermanbyBrainiac.[2]
Zor-El was portrayed bySimon Wardin the filmSupergirl.Christopher Heyerdahlportrayed a villainous version in the TV seriesSmallville.Robert Gantportrayed the character in theArrowversetelevision seriesSupergirlin the first two seasons, andJason Behrportrayed him in the sixth season.
Publication history
[edit]Zor-El first appeared inAction Comics#252 (May 1959) and was created byOtto BinderandAl Plastino.
Fictional character biography
[edit]Pre-Crisis
[edit]Earth-One
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Superman_S_symbol.svg/220px-Superman_S_symbol.svg.png)
In pre-Crisiscontinuity, Zor-El was a climatographer on Krypton, and one of the only scientists to believe his brotherJor-El's predictions about the impending destruction ofKrypton.When the planet exploded,Argo Citywas somehow blown safely into space with a life-giving bubble of air around it (a later version of the story inAction Comics#316 (September 1964) has the city saved by weather dome that Zor-El had constructed). The explosion had turned the ground beneath Argo City intoKryptonite,but Zor-El and the other survivors covered the surface with sheets of lead. The Kryptonians managed to keep alive for many years, and Kara was born a short time after the destruction of Krypton. The end for Argo City came when a meteor storm punched holes into the lead sheeting, exposing the survivors to the deadly kryptonite radiation. Zor-El managed to build a rocket and use it to send his daughter Kara to Earth. Fearing that Superman would not recognize her because he had left Krypton as an infant, Kara's parents provided a costume based closely on the Man of Steel's own.
It was later revealed to Supergirl through Zor-El induced dreams that her parents had teleported away into the Survival Zone (similar to thePhantom Zone) during Argo's final moments. Supergirl was able to rescue them inAction Comics#310 (March 1964), and Zor-El and Alura went on to live inKandor.When the bottle city was enlarged, Zor-El and Alura resettled onNew Krypton/Rokyn.
Earth-Two
[edit]In the alternate universe of Earth-Two,Zor-Land Allura (note different spelling) sent Kara to Earth Two where she became Power Girl. This Zor-L was an expert in psychology and created a virtual reality chamber for Kara inside her spacecraft. As she aged inside the rocket on her way to Earth-Two (taking a different, longer course than Kal-L did), she experienced the type of life she would have had on Krypton. Zor-L and Allura were killed when Krypton exploded. This version of Zor-L lived in Kandor and not Argo City. Zor-L only made one appearance inShowcase#98 (March 1978).
Post-Crisis and Zero Hour (Birthright) andInfinite Crisistimelines
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fc/Zor-El_%28Birthright_timeline_version%29.jpg/170px-Zor-El_%28Birthright_timeline_version%29.jpg)
In "The Supergirl from Krypton" story-arc inSuperman/Batman#8-13 (May–October 2004), Zor-El rocketed his daughter away from Krypton before Kal-El left. It was expected that she would reach Earth first and could help raise Kal from his infancy. However, she stayed in stasis and her ship did not reach Earth until years later, so the infant she expected to help raise was a grown man when she arrived still in her teens.
AfterLex LuthorusesBlack Kryptoniteto split Kara into good and evil parts, the evil Kara claims that Zor-El actually sent his daughter to Earth to kill his nephew, since he was resentful of his older brother and hated the idea ofJor-El's lineage continuing past Krypton's destruction. Regardless of the truth or falseness of this, Kara has rejected this aspect of herself.
In the newSupergirlseries, new information on Zor-El's history and relations are crucial with Zor-El was featured in issue #16 as he appeared as an apparition and explained what truly happened to Kara, and why she was sent to Earth to kill Kal-El, in a dream sequence. Zor-El was against the use of thePhantom Zoneas a prison because he felt that it would become abused, since no blood was shed, it became a clean way to deal with criminals. In the Argo City area he lived in he was a very trusted scientist, like his brother Jor-El, and was working at this time on Sunstones (Krypton's crystalline technology). He fought with Jor-El over the use of the Phantom Zone and tried to stop him from supporting it. Zor-El began to see that each time someone went in, something was also coming out, in the form of Phantoms. These Phantoms possessed people, creating anarchy on Krypton. Zor-El discovered he could stop them using his Sunstones, although the bodies of the possessed would be destroyed. However, Zor-El was not believed and began to be seen as a dangerous crank.
This tied together and explained fragmented flashbacks that had suggested Zor-El was a villainous character, including his dismissal of schoolchildren taunting Kara as "the dead" (they had already been possessed) and Alura telling Kara to kill her and "make your father proud" (she had also been possessed, and this was not a taunt but a genuine request from what remained of her original personality) as well as the original idea that he wanted Kara to kill Kal-El. As the story ended, it was revealed that the House of El was cursed by the Phantoms as they saw them as their jailers. Wherever one of the El blood line went, the Phantoms would follow. To save Earth, he needed to send Kara to remove Kal and stop the El blood line from ever-growing.
At the end of this story arc, however, it was revealed that the images of Zor-El and the Phantoms subsequently invading Earth as predicted were all a ruse by theMonitorsto see if Supergirl belonged in the New Earth universe. Upon discovering she was truly that universe's Supergirl she was left to her own devices to reconcile with all the people she harmed in the wake of the "test". The Monitor does, however, assert that the memories of Zor-El and the phantoms on Krypton were nevertheless real.
New Krypton
[edit]A subsequent flashback in #24 apparently contradicts the Monitor, revealing that "New Earth" Zor-El was not a scientist, although Alura was. In current continuity, Zor-El was a Ranger, and got on well with his brother. With his encouragement, Alura designed the ship that sent Kara to Earth, as both Kal-El's protector and the last living being who remembered Krypton (since Kal-El was an infant). Nothing further has been revealed about the real New Earth Zor-El, as yet.
InAction Comics#869 it is revealed the Zor-El savedArgo Cityfrom Krypton's destruction by engineering a protective dome with his wife Alura. However, Brainiac, who was the culprit for Krypton's explosion, returned to finish the job. He merged Argo with the Bottle City ofKandorand killed those he considered to be duplicate information. Superman finds the city in Brainiac's ship. Zor-El and Alura are able to make contact with Kal-El to enquire about their daughter. He was later murdered byReactron.[3]InSupergirl(vol. 5) #43, Zor-El is described as a noted member of Krypton's Artist Guild, and Kara as sharing his creative impulse.
InBlackest Nightcrossover, while Kara and Alura are visiting Zor-El's tomb, discussing the situation with Earth, Zor-El is reanimated as a member of theBlack Lantern Corps,ready to attack his wife and daughter. The scientists of New Krypton manage to place a forcefield composed of a counter-energy to theblack ring's power source around the planet, cutting off Zor-El's right hand and preventing him from continuing his attack.[4]
The New 52
[edit]In September 2011,The New 52rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Supergirl discovers an amnesiacCyborg Supermanliving on the planet I'noxia. This turns out to be Zor-El, who was rescued from Krypton's destruction by Brainiac and reconfigured as a half-man half-machine to be his scout looking for stronger species in the universe.[5]
His backstory is that in spite of his jealousy and resentment, Zor-El listened when Jor-El claimed Krypton was doomed. Using Brainiac-based technology he built a dome around Argo City, and a space rocket to send Kara to Earth just in case Argo's force-field failed. He did not warn his wife and daughter about his plans, though. Minutes before the explosion he put his daughter to sleep, laid her on a space pod and blasted her into space, an action for which his wife nonfatally shot him before realizing that he was correct about the fate of Krypton. Argo City outlived Krypton but not for long. Without a way to sustain themselves, the cities seven million inhabitants died off. Zor-El sent a distress signal, but less than a dozen people remained alive when Brainiac found the city. Brainiac turned Zor-El into a cyborg, erased his memory and reprogrammed him to serve him.
Still Zor-El was not a compliant servant. He was obsessed with achieving perfection and getting his lost memories back. The new Zor-El met and fought Supergirl -who gave him the "Cyborg Superman" moniker- several times.[6][7] Zor-El eventually rebelled against Brainiac. He was soundly defeated and left for dead. Still his systems rebooted, restoring his memory in the process. Zor-El was appalled at what he had become and what he had done and became obsessed with bringing Argo City back and recreating Krypton, convincing himself it was for his daughter's sake.[8]
Unfortunately, his chosen method demanded the sacrifice of Earth people's lives, forcing Supergirl to stop him. After defeating him, Kara told her father he could have looked for another way to save Argo and she would have helped him but he never wanted that. Still she was not willing to give up on her father. So Zor-El was taken to Dr. Veritas's lab, and was placed inside a pod as Dr. Veritas went about removing his cybernetic components and reconstructing his body using TychoTech's technology. His daughter still visited him, unwilling to give up on her father, but Zor-El pretended to sleep and never talked back.
It was not untilIndigonearly killed Supergirl that he acted by tearing Indigo into pieces. Although he was only saving his daughter's life, the National City's townsfolk felt his actions confirmed Supergirl was protecting a murderer only because he was her father. Zor-El was captured by theD.E.O.,taken to a clandestine base and locked up. There he was visited by Mister Oz, who gave him what he considered a mercy kill by activating the red plasma failsafe in his containment tank, leaving him to drown in it, powerless.[9]
Powers and abilities
[edit]Zor-El has all the powers and weaknesses of a Kryptonian from exposure to Earth's yellow sunlight.[10]After Brainiac revived him as a cyborg, he became stronger, faster, and more powerful than ever. He has the ability to project blasts of energy from his cybernetic eye or body. His right arm canshapeshiftinto any weapon he imagines, but only for conceivable limits. The Earth-One version possesses expertise inclimatology.[11]
In other media
[edit]Television
[edit]- Zor-El appears in theSuper Friendsepisode "The Krypton Syndrome".
- Zor-El appears inSmallville,portrayed byChristopher Heyerdahl.This version genuinely loved Lara and is a rival of Jor-El who despises him out of a belief that he stole Lara from him. Additionally, he is a miner who assisted Zod in destroying Krypton out of a belief that he is the subject of one ofRao's prophecies and will create a New Krypton on Earth where he would live as a god. He is killed in the destruction of Krypton, but a clone of him survives and becomes an enemy toClark Kenton Earth.
- Zor-El appears in theSupergirlTV series, portrayed byRobert Gantin the first and second season and byJason Behrin the sixth. This version died saving Argo City from the destruction of Krypton, and additionally created the Medusa virus bioweapon. In the rebooted timeline created by "Crisis on Infinite Earths",Zor-El avoided Krypton's destruction by projecting himself into thePhantom Zone,which Supergirl later rescues him from.
- Zor-El makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in a flashback inMy Adventures with Superman.
Film
[edit]- Zor-El appears inSupergirl,portrayed bySimon Ward.
- Zor-El makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in a flashback inSuperman/Batman: Apocalypse.
- Zor-El appears inSuperman: Unbound,voiced byStephen Root.This version is still alive and living in Kandor.
- Zor-El appears inDC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year,voiced byTom Kenny.
Novels
[edit]- Zor-El appears inKevin J. Anderson's novel,The Last Days of Krypton.This version is one of Krypton’s most accomplished scientists, second only to his older brother Jor-El. Zor-El is also the political leader of Argo City, a coastal metropolis on a narrow tropical peninsula off the main continent’s southeastern shore. While investigating tremors originating in Krypton’s uninhabited southern continent, Zor-El discovers a new volcano, an indication of rising core pressure that could lead to the planet’s doom. After the theft of Kandor byBrainiac,Jor-El is able to convinceCommissioner Zodto sanction the construction of theRaobeam, which Jor-El and Zor-El use to relieve the pressure at the core. When Zor-El discovers that Zod is consolidating power by kidnapping his most vocal opponents, he leads the cities of Krypton in a coordinated revolt against the dictator. Knowing that Zod plans to lay siege to Argo City, Zor-El commissions the construction of shield generators around the city’s perimeter. These shields are later used to save the city from the destruction of Krypton (though it is not revealed whether Zor-El’s plan to save Argo City is ultimately successful).
References
[edit]- ^Fleisher, Michael L. (2007).The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume Three: Superman.DC Comics. p. 511.ISBN978-1-4012-1389-3.
- ^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016).The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe.DK Publishing. p. 77.ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^Supergirl(Volume 5) #36
- ^Blackest Night: Superman#1
- ^Supergirl(vol. 6) #22
- ^Supergirl(vol. 6) #2
- ^Superman: Doomed#1-2
- ^Supergirl: Reign of the Cyborg Supermen
- ^Supergirl(vol. 7) #13
- ^Superman/BatmanVol 1 #9 (June 2009)
- ^Action ComicsVol 1 #252 (May 1959)
- Characters created by Otto Binder
- Comics characters introduced in 1959
- Cyborg superheroes
- Cyborg supervillains
- DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds
- DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
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- DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
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