WHY General Zod is the best villain of the DCEU, so far!

Let's talk about the DCEU (Detective Comics Extended Universe) for a moment. It's a strange sort of beast. On one hand, it wants to mimic the success of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) - and, I mean, I can't fault it for that; if I were trying to create a Film Universe, I'd definitely be looking to the MCU for ideas on how to go about doing that. But, on the other hand, it wants to speed through the process without putting in the same amount of work that the MCU put into building their universe. I get that DC has the fastest man alive on their team, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they need to rush through everything at break neck speed. But, this post isn't about what the DCEU is doing wrong (a lot) or right (very little) in comparison to the MCU - I'll save that article until after the release of Justice League, where I'll compare the, "Lead Ups to the Team Ups," for both Phase 1 of the MCU (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers) and the first slate of films in the DCEU line up (Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, and Justice League.) I'm not entirely sure if I should include Suicide Squad, but we'll see. 

Images by HollywoodReporter.com and SuperHeroHype.com, respectively. 

Anyway, this post is going to focus on the first film in the DCEU, Man of Steel, - arguable the best one yet - but less so on the "Man" himself, and more specifically on the villain of the film, General Zod. The reason I want to discuss Zod is because he is, by far, the most interesting villain in all of the DCEU so far. To understand what makes Zod such a compelling villain, we first have to get into the backstory of Krypton. 

So, from my understanding - and from the speech that Jor-El gave to Kal-el - all Kryptons were conceived in "Genesis Chambers" and were given pre-determined roles that ranged from being, "a worker, a warrior, a leader, and so on." So, the way I understand it is the children are fertilized and conceived with predispositions towards a specific way of life, which will later be conditioned into them. For example Jor-El seemed to be a Leader on Krypton, while Zod was conditioned to become a Warrior. From my perspective, it seemed as though Zod was not only psychologically conditioned to keep Krypton safe, but biologically as well - at least to some extent. It seems as though it might literally in his DNA. And that's why, when Jor-El made the decision to steal the Codex, he made it his life's goal to get it back and recreate his destroyed planet.

 

Image from ReactionGifs.com 

Another aspect of him that I thoroughly enjoy about Zod is his blatant honesty. At no point does he resort to any form of trickery or deceit in his attempt to get what he wants. He seems genuine in every scene, even if at times that means appearing genuinely psychotic. 

Upon meeting Kal-El for the first time he comes off as legitimately sincere, making the claim that their meeting should be a moment of, "celebration, not conflict." In the next scene he makes it clear what his intentions are, and even goes so far as to let Kal-El know he killed his father, stating, "I did. And not a day goes by where it doesn't haunt me. But if I had to do it again, I would. I have a duty to my people, and I will not allow anyone to prevent me from carrying it out." His position is clear. Krypton above everything else. It's a position I'm sure many people can understand to some extent, whether it be about their friends, or their family, or their country. Zod is willing to do anything to protect Krypton; whether it be holding an elderly woman hostage, murdering a friend or wiping out an entire species so that his can survive in its stead. 

Whether you agree with his methods or not, you can't deny the fact that Zod's behavior is very relatable, in the sense that is very human. There is perhaps no better example of this than in the final act of the film, after Superman destroys Zod's ship, along with what remains of the Kryptonian species. When Zod rises amidst the wreckage and debris he says, "I exist only to protect Krypton. That is the sole purpose for which I was born. And every action I take, no matter how violent, or how cruel, is for the greater good of my people. And now, I have no people. My soul. This is what you have taken from me."

Image by Avengers of the Galaxy

It's seriously difficult not to feel for the guy to some extent. His entire species was just obliterated by one of their own kind. So, in the next instant, when Superman growls and says, "you're a monster, Zod," I have to fight the urge to say, "well hey man, you're kind of a monster too." Yes, Zod is totally wrong, but he's a being who has been programmed and conditioned, both psychologically and biologically, to behave in a certain way. But Kal is a man. A human man who has been taught by both his fathers that he has free will, and can make choices on his own. So, with that in mind, it's really difficult to determine which of them is more of a monster. Zod, who was brainwashed at birth - if not before it - to be an ultra conservative-nationalist (planetist?); or Kal who was raised to follow his own convictions and beliefs? It's kind of difficult, right? 

Let's flip the situation around; what if it was us who had been wiped out? What is Zod was a human and Superman had wiped out our entire species? Would we then not have cheered Zod on as he attempted to take Superman out, along with the rest of his people? It's weird, right? Because we probably would. We'd probably think it was a justified act and would've backed him, to some extent. We'd be able to at least understand his rage and see why he would behave in such a way. In a lot of ways, Zod is not so different from our ancestors. Those who would come from "different worlds" and wipe out the existing population in an attempt to make a home for ourselves. Well, maybe not so much my ancestors, but, I mean, you get what I'm saying. 

Image from Comic Vine

Ultimately, his death - spoiler alert - is perhaps the saddest moment of the film. It used to be because I could see how difficult it was for Superman to take the life of the only other being in the universe who was like him. But now, after re-watching it, I find it so upsetting because I think that Zod honestly just wanted to die. He was so filled with rage and anger but, even if he had managed to kill them all, where would that have left him? He said it best himself, "I exist only to protect Krypton," and so, without a Krypton to protect, what purpose is there in his existence? 

If you haven't checked out Man of Steel yet, or even if you have already, give it another look and see what you think of Zod. Feel free to leave some comments below on your thoughts and opinions on the character