Warning! Spoilers ahead for Kneel Before Zod #3!The DC Universe has witnessed the death of a villain who first debuted several decades ago in the lauded Richard Donner-directed Superman films. After several decades, Ursa, General Zod’s closest confidante and the mother of his son, has been killed.
General Zod has been severely preoccupied lately in his attempt to bring his Kryptonian race back to life. But his efforts have been stymied by outside forces, inner strife, and mounting paranoia on Zod’s part. As Zod becomes more unhinged, the House of Zod faces a loss that isn’t just tragic but could potentially unleash one of the greatest threats upon the DCU.
Ursa and Her Alliance with General Zod
Like Superman and General Zod, Ursa is a native Kryptonian who lived on Krypton before its cataclysmic destruction. As a military officer, she was a devoted follower of General Zod, so much so that she was banished to the Phantom Zone with him where they stayed trapped in the liminal void for years. While in the void, they married and eventually, they had a son, Lor-Zod. Not too long after that, the small family escaped their prison, where they quickly became enemies of Superman and his extended Super-Family.
After several adventures following General Zod, the family began a new life out on a planet they intended to colonize. On New Kandor, Zod and Ursa began working hard to restore the Kryptonians trapped in the bottled city of Kandor and resurrect Kryptonian society. Zod even managed to acquire funding from the United Planets to aid his endeavor. However, Zod wasn’t just embarking on a noble mission to bring Kryptonians back. He was also secretly building war weapons to establish Zod’s brand of order in the DC Universe.
By his side, of course, was Ursa. As Zod handled the United Planets and oversaw the construction of their armaments, Ursa was busy with a eugenics program to artificially enhance New Kandor’s native population to make them stronger so they could serve as Zod’s personal army. Unfortunately, Zod was growing paranoid and losing his military edge. After New Kandor was invaded by the Khunds, Ursa was forced to take charge of New Kandor and ordered Zod to do what he must to defeat their planet’s invaders.
Ursa is Slain in General Zod’s War
In Kneel Before Zod #3 by Joe Casey, Dan McDaid, David Baron, and Troy Peteri, the Khunds have arrived in huge numbers, preparing to take New Kandor. However, they’re surprised to find that the planet is protected by Ursa’s scientifically-enhanced soldiers and Zod’s Eradicator fleet. Ursa and Zod are also on the battlefield and they viciously attack their enemies. Ursa demands that Zod bring his best and show these invaders his true power, inspiring Zod to take out several ships in the Khunds’ fleet.
Ursa’s soldiers do their best but are unfortunately no match for the Khunds. Thankfully, Zod and Ursa’s combined Kryptonian strength and abilities are more than the Khund army can handle. As the Khunds face defeat, an officer informs his commander of their ultimate weapon: The Chem-Eclipse Device. This powerful weapon can temporarily affect the molecular structure of a star and potentially give the Khunds the advantage. The army targets New Kandor’s nearest sun and manages to turn it from a yellow sun into a red one.
Zod and Ursa immediately feel the effects of the Chem-Eclipse. Without their strength, the two Kryptonians are both overwhelmed by forces. Thankfully, New Kandor’s sun begins to revert, giving Zod the strength to ward off his attackers. The Khunds retreat and launch one final series of bombs at New Kandor. Through his destroyed city, Zod looks high and low for Ursa before his X-ray vision finally returns.. Sadly, Zod finds Ursa and discovers that she has been killed in combat.
How Ursa’s Death Will Impact the DC Universe
While Ursa may have been a villain who held Kryptonian supremacist views and attacked Earth multiple times, it’s hard to see her life taken so unexpectedly. Just before the Khunds arrived to invade New Kandor, Ursa was forced to say goodbye to her son, Lor-Zod, whom General Zod decided to banish. With Lor-Zod currently dealing with Sinson in Sinister Sons, he’s yet to hear the news about his mother dying at the hands of the Khund army. To make Ursa’s death even worse, she was pregnant with General Zod’s second child.
Despite how it looked, there was a deep love between Ursa and Zod. Ursa recognized that Zod was taking on too much in his quest to revive Kryptonian society and that it was having a negative effect on his military prowess. While it seemed like Ursa was going for a power grab by taking control of New Kandor, Ursa was making sure that Zod’s attention was focused where it needed to be, namely defeating the Khunds. But with Ursa gone, Zod’s lost the only person who was keeping him stable.
Make no mistake. General Zod loved Ursa. Almost, if not just as much as Superman loves Lois Lane. But now that the Khunds have taken Ursa, Zod has no one whose council he trusts and is will to listen to. The revival of the bottle city of Kandor may wind up not happening depending on how Zod reacts to this situation. General Zod is known to give in to his fury at the drop of a hat, and the look of anguish on Zod’s face shows that the DC Universe is about to feel his pain.
General Zod is Going to Burn Down Everything for Ursa
General Zod is everything people fear about Superman going rogue. Zod has just as much strength as Clark and could easily annihilate everything in his path if he desired. With Ursa gone, Zod may find himself giving in to his darkest thoughts. Instead of building his dream Kryptonian society, the loss of his wife could push General Zod over the edge and cause him to go on a terrifying rampage. Hopefully, Superman is ready, because the loss of Ursa could have huge ramifications for the DC Universe.
Kneel Before Zod #3 is available now from DC Comics.
Kneel Before Zod #3 (2024) | |
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