I Watched Superman II For The First Time, And I Think The Movie Actually Does General Zod A Great Disservice

I'm slowly making my way through Christopher Reeve's Superman movies for the first time, and after sharing the things I thought the first movie did well, and the scene I still don't understand, it's on to the beloved sequel, Superman II. After witnessing his banishment at the start of the first movie, I was amped to see General Zod return and enact his grand plan of domination. Unfortunately, I feel like the movie left a sour taste in my mouth in that regard, and I think the sequel does the iconic Man of Steel villain a great disservice.

There have been many who have dissed Superman II over the years, typically pointing to some of the campiness and that cellophane S. Thanks to my Max subscription, I was able to see it all for myself, and have to admit that I feel the movie underdelivered on the type of threat Zod was compared to what I've seen in previous portrayals.

Superman II Does A Poor Job Of Making Zod The Threat He Was Teased To Be In The First Movie

I love that Superman opens with Zod, Non, and Ursa being banished to the Phantom Zone, and it's a hell of a tease knowing that Superman II was going to pick up on that storyline. This guy was deemed such a threat to the national security of Krypton that he was banished to another dimension for his crimes. If this guy ever made it to Earth, I felt like he would be a massive problem for Superman.

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Unfortunately, I fear Superman II makes Zod more of a minor inconvenience than anything, and it undersells the things I've learned about the character over the years via DC Comics and other adaptations. In fact, I think the only thing that makes this movie go on longer than it has to be is that Clark removes his powers to live as a mortal. Once he regains his powers, however, he makes pretty short work of all three Kryptonians.

While it's true that Superman often has the physical edge on Kryptonians that haven't been as exposed to the yellow sun, Zod's edge is that he's an actual trained military tactician and fighter with advanced skills. He's smart, but Superman II doesn't show us that any step of the way. What we do see is someone overly confident after conquering the United States, though I'm not even sure he did anything more than seize control of the Oval Office.

The Way He's Easily Manipulated By Lex Luthor Makes Me Doubt He Could've Ever Ruled Krypton

I'm probably opening up a can of worms by even mentioning this, because who is a better master of manipulation in the DC universe than Lex Luthor? The man was able to become President of the United States and has frequently been able to paint Superman as a villain to the general public. The late Gene Hackman played the character so well, it's not hard to believe he was able to convince the Kryptonians to spare him in exchange for information on Superman.

As previously mentioned, however, you'd think Zod would be a bit more skeptical of Lex Luthor and his intentions. Even without his military background and general intelligence, I'd have to imagine that anyone who was arrested for treason would be naturally suspicious of anyone willing to help him.

This isn't to say Zod doesn't express a fair amount of skepticism when it comes to Lex, and if anything, I think the script grants Gene Hackman's character a great deal of plot armor and he's spared in quite a few situations where he likely would've been killed without a second thought in real life. Unfortunately, I think this further helps Zod just look like a fool, who bumbled onto Earth with no real plan other than breaking some things and expecting humanity to fall in line.

As such, it's no wonder Lex Luthor is able to steer the ship throughout most of the adventure, as it appears Zod has as much brains as Non throughout the entire movie. I mean, I know the moment is played for a laugh, but the man walked on water for a solid minute, mistaking it for land! These are not the makings of a competent ruler, which may explain why his plot was foiled the first time around.

I Think Michael Shannon's Zod Is A Better Portrayal Of The Villain

I'm not going to sit here and act like Man of Steel is a superior movie to Superman II. What I will say is that it gives us a far more believable representation of Zod and how devastating his arrival on Earth would've been in comparison.

Part of this is because of the tone between the two movies. Obviously, Superman II and other films of the era weren't in the habit of showing thousands being killed at the hands of an evil villain, so Zod begins zapping cars with his heat vision despite openly stating that Superman's weakness is that he cares for humanity. It's a scene that I think ages poorly when you watch it now, having seen lesser villains than Zod in the best Marvel movies and the best DC movies do far worse.

While Michael Shannon may give us a more intimidating and fearsome Zod, I can't say that what Terence Stamp achieved with the script is bad; it's not at all. "Kneel before Zod" is an iconic phrase for a reason, and while he doesn't bring the ruthlessness of the character to the big screen, he is iconic in his regal presence and that slicked back hair that makes him look like a real bastard.

If you're looking to stream Superman II, it's available to watch right now over on Max. It's a great watch in 2025 for those who want to see just how far we've come since then with the superhero genre, or for anyone who just wants the nostalgia of seeing a movie they grew up with. As mentioned, I'm not in the latter cap because I'm watching for the first time!