DC Comics’ Earth-2 reality puts a different spin on its iconic heroes, introducing new takes on familiar mantles, such as Val-Zod‘s Superman. Now, an awesome cosplay of the hero is being celebrated by his creator.Val-Zod was created by Tom Taylor, Nicola Scott, and Robin Rocha in Earth-2 #19. An orphan from the planet Krypton, his parents were executed by the Kryptonian Court. However, he was saved from the planet’s destruction by Jor-El and Lara. Sent to Earth with Kara Zor-El, Kal-El, and another child, Val was educated by the recorded knowledge of his parents, who taught him to be a pacifist. Upon arriving, he was kept as a recluse until he was discovered by the Wonders of the World, Earth-2’s version of the Justice League. Despite a shaky beginning, Val rose to the occasion under the tutelage of the Wonders to defeat a cloned version of Kal-El, who had previously died. Honoring the fallen hero, Val took up the mantle of Superman and the crest of the House of El.Related: Val-Zod’s Superman is Getting His Own Official LEGO FigureThis new cosplay picture comes courtesy of Michael Lamar Simeon, via the Instagram account @blackgaycomicgeek. In the post, Simeon can be seen sporting a Val-Zod sweatshirt while flanked by two amazing cosplayers dressed in the costume of Earth-2’s Superman. The post states it was not a planned meet-up, which stands as a testament to the popularity of this great character. It was certainly enough to get the attention of Tom Taylor, who enthusiastically endorsed the post on his official Twitter account.
Val-Zod’s Popularity Keeps Growing
The immediately iconic and eye-catching look of these cosplayers truly shows why the Man of Steel of Earth-2 deserves more widespread recognition. Also at New York Comic Con, DC Comics announced that Val-Zod would be returning in Taylor’s new series, The Adventures Of Superman: Jon Kent. It has been promised that fans will get to see Val battle Ultraman of Earth-3, as well as more unexpected twists. Combine this news of the upcoming Michael B. Jordan-helmed Val-Zod TV show on HBO Max, and the future of this fan-favorite character looks promising.
With the growing popularity of the character, this epic meetup of cosplayers is unlikely to be the last group photo fans see of Val-Zod. It seems that 2023 is shaping up to be the year of Val-Zod, as DC’s fan-favorite Superman returns to mainstream continuity, much to the joy of fans who never stopped celebrating this epic hero.
Sources: @blackgaycomicgeek, @TomTaylorMade
