Superman's New Villain Has Produced An Even Greater Threat to the DCU

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Supergirl #28, from Marc Andreyko, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, Fco Plasencia, Chris Sotomayor and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.

When DC debuted Superman's latest villain, Rogol Zaar, fans were skeptical about the alien marauder. Revealed as the terrorist who destroyed Krypton, he was the primary antagonist as writer Brian Michael Bendis started his tenure on The Man of Steel and Superman. However, in the latest issue of Supergirl, we discover that, while Rogol is a madman the entire galaxy needs to fear, his legacy is truly immortal. That comes in the form of a bloodthirsty cult, hellbent on not only Kryptonian genocide, but also intergalactic conquest.

When the veil is lifted on Rogol's past, we learn he's part of a cosmic cabal called the Circle, which monitored the progress of other planets to to determine which civilizations pose a threat. With Green Lantern Appa Ali Apsa as its chief, the Circle concluded that Krypton was a danger. Rogol wanted the world extinct, because of its interest in exploration and colonization, and its potential to pillage the galaxy's resources. That's why, against the council's wishes, he destroyed Krypton, which led to Superman's arrival on Earth.

Although Rogol has been an extremist, he's been honest from the start. What's more, the Circle indicated Krypton made multiple enemies across the galaxy. That's no surprise when you consider how military leaders like Zod, and shady operatives like Jax-Ur, tried to exploit others, which ultimately led to their banishment to the Phantom Zone. A lot of civilizations had valid reason to hate Krypton, and, like Rogol, they have an ax to grind.

That's why Rogol came to Earth to kill Superman, and, during an explosive brawl at the Fortress of Solitude, destroyed Kandor. Since then, he has been marooned in the Phantom Zone, fighting against the likes of Zod. In the "Unity Saga," in Superman #6, it seemed as if that would be the last we'd hear of the tyrant. After all, he was a lone wolf and had no allegiances, so his story appeared to be done for the time being. Sadly, that isn't directly the case, because, after Kara heads into space to learn more about Rogol's mission, she runs afoul of key elements tied to the villain's past, which unearths a Nazi-like cult ready to kill in his name.

In the Vega system, Supergirl takes down the dictator Harry Hokum and his militia of disfigured Kryptonian clones after Appa's last will and testimony guided her there so she could uncover Rogol's true motive. But before she could apprehend Harry, he was teleported away by a member of the Circle who may well have worked with Rogol to end Krypton: Lord Gandelo, who confers with the remaining members of the Circle, and determines Supergirl must be killed to protect their existence.

Realizing run-of-the-mill assassins won't cut it against Kara, Gandelo sends out a beacon to the seedy planet R'venna, where a legion dedicated to Rogol answers the call. Chanting his name, it becomes apparent they view his holy war as a crusade of righteousness -- and to bring justice to the galaxy, all Kryptonians must die. It remains to be seen whether Rogol actually trained his devotees, if they helped him with the destruction of Krypton, or if they're fanatics who sprang up in the aftermath. No matter the case, we're fully expecting the most savage of warlords to be part of this hunt.

CBR

Superman's Newest Villain Has Spawned An Even Greater Threat to the DCU