The following contains spoilers for Young Justice: Phantoms, Episode 18, "Beyond the Grip of the Gods!," now streaming on HBO Max.
Young Justice is known for its rich storytelling and its expansive take on the DC universe. Fans have been treated to storylines that delve deep into different characters, their backstories and their complicated family relationships. The show's latest episode did exactly that by bringing into the fold one of Superman's major antagonists -- and by doing so it made a big callback to Syfy's Superman prequel Krypton.
Young Justice's latest episode "Beyond the Grip of the Gods!" disclosed the identity of the mysterious individual who was responsible for the bomb that "killed" Superboy. The young man was unveiled as Lor-Zod, who was seemingly working for Darkseid (another character with a complicated family tree). It was also revealed that Superboy and Phantom Girl have been trapped in the Phantom Zone and are not actually dead, though their fate might be worse than death. This is confirmed by a fellow Phantom Zone prisoner -- General Dru-Zod, who is a major enemy of Superman.
Besides being responsible for Superboy's presumed death, Lor-Zod seems to be the man that Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl and Chameleon Boy traveled back in time for. Lor-Zod is seen using a Time-Sphere to travel and camouflage himself; the fact that he travels with a Time-Sphere and is pursued by the Legion of Superheroes indicates that he might be from the future. More importantly, both Lor-Zod and Dru-Zod appearing in the same episode is almost certainly not a coincidence.
In the comics, Lor-Zod is the son of General Zod and his disciple Ursa. For a time, Lor-Zod was adopted by Superman and Lois Lane under the name "Christopher Kent." He was able to become a superhero on his own right by taking on the Kryptonian moniker of Nightwing (not to be confused with Dick Grayson's alias). However, later stories showed him being raised by his biological parents and appearing more as a villain.
The appearance of both Zods on Young Justice is reminiscent of the depiction of the House of Zod that occurred on Krypton. The show took place prior to the birth of Superman and the destruction of Krypton. It focused on the young Seg-El -- Superman's paternal grandfather -- and Lyta-Zod, who would eventually become the parents of General Zod. In this version, Zod and Superman's biological father Jor-El were paternal half-brothers, making Zod the uncle of Superman.
The House of Zod was depicted as a militaristic family, with Lyta and her mother being high-ranking law enforcement members on Krypton, much like Lyta's future son would become. But on Krypton, it was General Zod that traveled back in time in order to save the planet from being destroyed by Brainiac. Krypton's version of House of Zod was also the first instance in which the characters were portrayed as people of color, like they are in Young Justice.
With Young Justice's Lor-Zod working alongside Ma’alefa’ak and Darkseid's son Grayven (who might be a greater threat than his father and Vandal Savage), fans should find out much more about his background, his true plans, and his connection to the House of Zod in the upcoming episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms. However, both characters being brought into the fold is a welcome reminder of Krypton and what that show added to the Superman mythos.
New episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms stream Thursdays on HBO Max.