Chris Kent (character)

Chris Kent
Chris Kent as Nightwing on the cover of Action Comics #883 (January 2010). Art by Pere Pérez.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Action Comics #844 (December 2006)
Created by	Richard Donner Geoff Johns Adam Kubert
In-story information
Full name	Christopher Kent/Lor-Zod
Species	Kryptonian
Place of origin	Phantom Zone (place of birth)
Team affiliations	Justice League Superman Family
Partnerships	Flamebird (Thara Ak-Var)
Supporting character of	Superman
Notable aliases	Nightwing K'Riss Superman
Abilities	Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes Solar energy absorption Flight Telekinesis Electromagnetic spectrum vision Telescopic vision Microscopic vision Heat vision X-ray vision Infrared vision Freezing breath Super-hearing Invulnerability Longevity Phantom zone immunity Umbrakinesis

Chris Kent (Lor-Zod) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #844 (December 2006) and was created by Richard Donner, Geoff Johns, and Adam Kubert.

As the biological son of General Zod and Ursa, he is a Kryptonian and the foster son of Clark Kent (Superman) and his wife Lois Lane. A different Lor-Zod was reinterpreted as a supervillain in DC Rebirth.

An adaptation of the villainous Lor-Zod appears in the animated series Young Justice , voiced by Phil Morris. Another interpretation of the character appears in the animated film Justice League: Gods and Monsters , voiced by Benjamin Bratt.

Publication history

Chris Kent first appeared in Action Comics #844 (December 2006), in the story arc Superman: Last Son , and was created by Richard Donner, Geoff Johns, and Adam Kubert. The character has assumed the role of Nightwing. Following Flashpoint , DC revisited the concept of Zod's heroic son. On Earth-16, he succeeds Clark Kent who’s his biological father on that earth as Superman and is best friends with the new Batman, Damian Wayne.

A new version of Lor-Zod was introduced in 2017 during DC Rebirth in the Action Comics series during the "Revenge" storyline, this time as a villain. ^[1]

Fictional character biography

Lor-Zod I

"Last Son"

When a spacecraft falls towards Metropolis, it is diverted to a relatively safe landing by Superman. After its landing, Superman was surprised to discover a young boy inside. Echoing his own arrival in his youth years before, Superman saw that the boy was completely unharmed. The Kryptonian writings on his ship stated that his Kryptonian name is Lor-Zod. He is taken to the east coast lab of the Department of Metahuman Affairs (under supervision of Sarge Steel) for observation. However, Superman takes custody of Lor-Zod and decides to raise him. ^[2] Superman contacts Batman, who gives Lor-Zod the human identity of Christopher Kent. ^[3]

Chris attends the Ellsworth School, an elite private school, where he has difficulty concealing his powers. Superman and Batman develop an implant concealed in a wristwatch that uses red sun radiation to block Chris' powers until he learns to control them. ^[4] However, the wristwatch fails due to being calibrated on the metabolism of an adult Kryptonian and explodes, wrecking Clark and Lois' apartment. ^[5]

Superman holds a press conference to inform the world that Chris is under his care. At that time, Bizarro, sent by Lex Luthor, attempts to kidnap Chris. It is later revealed that Chris is the biological son of General Zod and Ursa. His arrival on Earth released Zod, Non, and Ursa from the Phantom Zone. ^[6] He was born and raised in the Phantom Zone within a prison that is immune to the "timeless" effects of the zone. ^[7] After Zod and his army are defeated, Chris pursues them into the Phantom Zone to ensure that they cannot escape, since the entrance to the Phantom Zone will remain weak as long as he is on Earth. ^[8]

Nightwing

After returning to the Phantom Zone, Chris enters the Kryptonian prison where his parents had made shelter. There, he finds a piece of Brainiac's technology that gives him a mental link to Thara Ak-Var, security chief of Kandor. ^[9] When the citizens of Kandor create New Krypton, Chris and Thara task themselves with bringing in the Phantom Zone Kryptonian criminals hiding on Earth as sleeper agents. Since the belligerent government of Alura and Zod had tarnished all Kryptonians' reputations on Earth, Chris and Thara decided to act as a new Nightwing and Flamebird duo. ^[10]

Chris, due to his birth in the Phantom Zone, undergoes uncontrollable growth spurts: when Thara saved him he was still the young boy raised by Lois and Clark, as Nightwing he is shown as roughly 15 or 16, and after another growth spurt of about seven years, he ages to 23 years old. ^[11]

His mother, Ursa, begins stalking him to exact revenge. Chris had been shown denying his heritage and insisting Thara address him with his "human" name, despising her attempts to transliterate it as a Kryptonian name, and never going by his true Kryptonian name of Lor-Zod. ^[10] After being attacked by Ursa, Thara is left gravely wounded by a Kryptonite knife and Chris is forced to bring her to Lois for medical assistance. ^[12]

Upon bringing Thara to Lois, Chris and Lois have a tearful reunion. Lois is happy to see him again but is concerned about his advanced aging. Lois calls Doctor Light for medical assistance while Chris goes back to the fortress and is again confronted by Ursa. ^[13] Doctor Light brings Chris to her colleague, Doctor Pillings, who is secretly the Kryptonian sleeper agent Jax-Ur. ^[14] Jax-Ur cures Chris, reverting him to his young adult form. ^[15]

During the War of the Supermen event, the Sun is turned red by the combined efforts of General Lane and Lex Luthor. Thara sacrifices herself to restore it to its yellow coloration, becoming a charred skeleton. ^[16] In the final confrontation between Superman and Zod, Chris pushes Zod back into the Phantom Zone. Once back in the Zone, Chris returns to being a young boy. ^[17]

Lor-Zod II

In 2016, DC Comics implemented a relaunch called "DC Rebirth", which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". A new version of Lor-Zod is introduced who is loyal to his father General Zod. ^[1] The House of Zod rules over Jekuul, a planet with two yellow suns. ^[18]

Powers and abilities

Chris Kent possesses the average abilities of a Kryptonian, including superhuman physical abilities, heat vision, x-ray vision, and ice breath. ^{[2] [4] [6] [19] [12]} Due to being born in the Phantom Zone, he is resistant to Kryptonite and possesses tactile telekinesis similar to Conner Kent, but rapidly ages outside the Phantom Zone unless he is wearing a special armband created by Jax-Ur. ^{[10] [12] [20] [21]}

After fusing with the Nightwing entity, Chris gains the ability to manipulate shadows and teleport via them.

Other versions

• An alternate universe variant of Chris Kent from Earth-16 appears in Countdown: Arena . This version is a physically and spiritually evolved individual with access to vast powers beyond those of regular Kryptonians. While fighting the Supermen of Earth-30 and Earth-31, he sacrifices himself in an attempt to kill Nathaniel Adam / Monarch. ^[22]
  • An alternate universe variant of Chris Kent from post-New 52 Earth-16 appears in the comic book series Earth 2 and The Multiversity: The Just #1. This version, also known as Val-Zod, is the heroic adopted son of Zod who was adopted by the House of El and later succeeds Kal-El as Superman.
• An analogue of Chris Kent, Clark Wayne / Knightwing appears in Superman & Batman: Generations . He is the grandson of Superman and son of Joel Kent. After the latter was manipulated into turning against his father by Lex Luthor and subsequently killed, Clark was adopted by Bruce Wayne Jr. and eventually went on to become Knightwing. ^[23]

In other media

Television

• An original version of Lor-Zod appears in Krypton , portrayed by Emmanuel Ighodaro. This version is a member of the Sagitari squadron and great-grandfather of General Zod.

• A variant of the second Lor-Zod appears in Young Justice , voiced by Phil Morris. ^[24] This version was born in the 31st century after the United Planets released his parents, Dru-Zod and Ursa Zod, from the Phantom Zone. While Lor's parents were sent back to the Zone by the Legion of Super-Heroes for attempting a coup, the United Planets pardoned Lor due to his age. Developing a hatred for the Legion after they destroyed the Phantom Zone projector, Lor stole kryptonite and a time sphere to go back to the past and kill Superboy, who inspired the Legion. On Mars, he planted his kryptonite on Ma'alefa'ak's gene bomb, with Phantom Girl transporting Superboy to the Phantom Zone after he is nearly killed while trying to stop it. After allying with Darkseid to gain access to the Phantom Zone projector inside Metron's vault, Lor succeeds in freeing his parents and a brainwashed Superboy and brings them to Earth, only for the Team to restore Superboy's mind and stop the Zods. Lor escapes in his time sphere, unaware that Metron pre-programmed it to bring him to the moment of Superboy's apparent death and be killed by Ma'alefa'ak's bomb. ^{[25] [26] [27]}

Film

A son of General Zod appears in Justice League: Gods and Monsters , voiced by Benjamin Bratt. ^[28] This version is the genetically engineered child of Zod and Lara Lor-Van who was rocketed to Earth as a child from Krypton after Zod killed Jor-El, adopted and raised by the Guerra family, a group of Mexican migrant farmers who named him Hernan Guerra. After facing discrimination, Guerra became short-tempered and withdrawn from humanity and developed a deep contempt and resentment for authority. He later becomes his universe's version of Superman and the leader of the Justice League, but faces opposition due to his brutal methods. While foiling Will Magnus's plot to subjugate the world using nanites and learning his father was responsible for Krypton's destruction, Guerra realizes the consequences of his brutality, earns back public favor, and considers using less lethal methods.

Miscellaneous

The Gods and Monsters incarnation of Superman appears in the Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles episode "Bomb", voiced again by Benjamin Bratt. ^[28]

References

1. Action Comics #984 (September 2017)
2. Action Comics #844 (December 2006)
3. Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 152–153. ISBN   978-0-345-50108-0.
4. Superman #668 (December 2007)
5. Superman #673 (April 2008)
6. Action Comics #845 (January 2007)
7. Action Comics #846 (February 2007)
8. Action Comics Annual #11 (July 2008)
9. Action Comics Annual #12 (August 2009)
10. Action Comics #875 (May 2009)
11. Renaud, Jeffrey (March 24, 2009). "Greg Rucka: Man of "Action"". CBR . Archived from the original on June 4, 2016.
12. Action Comics #876 (June 2009)
13. Action Comics #877 (July 2009)
14. Action Comics #883 (January 2010)
15. Action Comics #884 (February 2010)
16. Superman: War of the Supermen #3 (July 2010)
17. Superman: War of the Supermen #4 (July 2010)
18. Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #38 (April 2018)
19. Action Comics #851 (August 2007)
20. Supergirl (vol. 5) #46 (December 2009)
21. Action Comics #885 (March 2010)
22. Countdown: Arena #3-4 (February 2008)
23. Superman & Batman: Generations #3 (March 1999)
24. "Lor-Zod Voice - Young Justice (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved August 2, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
25. Matadeen, Renaldo (April 28, 2022). "Young Justice Revealed Its Newest Villain's Sinister Origin - and Apocalyptic Mission". CBR . Retrieved August 2, 2024.
26. Tsavelis, George (April 20, 2022). "Young Justice's Latest Villain Is A Callback to Krypton". CBR . Retrieved August 2, 2024.
27. Dandeneau, Jim (June 10, 2022). "Young Justice: Phantoms Finale Ending Explained". Den of Geek . Retrieved August 2, 2024.
28. "Superman / Lor-Zod Voices (Superman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved August 2, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.