Chapter Summaries

General Swanwick ordered a fighter strike after a Kryptonian aircraft entered Kansas, while Clark met a female commander searching for the Codex at Kent Farm. The commander threatened Clark’s family, and he crashed into the house while trying to stop her from crushing them with a jeep.

• General Swanwick detected an unidentified aircraft entering Kansas and ordered fighter jets to attack it.
• Clark told Jonathan he had found his direction in helping people, then heard an aircraft approaching and sent him inside.
• The female commander arrived at Kent Farm, identified Clark as Carl-El, and demanded the Codex on General Zod’s orders.
• Clark claimed his alien name was Kakarot and said he came from the Saiyan planet.
• The commander broke into the barn and searched Clark’s spacecraft, but found no Codex.
• The commander flipped a jeep toward Clark’s family, and Clark crashed into the house while trying to catch it.

Clark fought the Kryptonian invaders to protect his family, but General Zod seized his parents and forced him to choose between surrender and finding another way to save them. Just as Clark thought of asking Luke for help, Luke arrived carrying the defeated female commander.

• Clark rescued Jonathan and Martha from the collapsing house, then attacked the Kryptonian female commander in a rage and overwhelmed her as Earth's atmosphere impaired her senses.
• Two Kryptonian warriors attacked Clark, while fighter jets strafed them and lost two aircraft and four pilots in the counterattack.
• Clark defeated one warrior with a Wing Chun Inch Punch and learned from General Zod's broadcast that his parents had been captured.
• Clark considered contacting Luke for help, and Luke arrived carrying the unconscious female commander.

Luke captured Faora and told Clark that Zod was holding Jonathan and Martha to secure the Codex of Birth, then prepared to negotiate their release. In a secret room, Luke revealed to Faora that he was a Kryptonian with a General Gene-Template, leaving her stunned and instinctively compelled to obey him.

• Clark urged Luke to help rescue Jonathan and Martha, but Luke explained that Zod wanted the Codex of Birth and would keep them safe as bargaining chips.
• Luke gathered the captured Kryptonian warriors, including Faora, and sent them to the Netherworld to give himself leverage in negotiations with Zod.
• Luke told Clark that Lex could handle the military response while he watched Zod's spacecraft and considered negotiating.
• Faora woke in a secret room restrained by green-stone shackles, and Luke told her to carry a message to Zod proposing a deal.
• Luke revealed to Faora that he was a Kryptonian with a General Gene-Template, and she felt an instinctive urge to obey him.

Clark met General Zod aboard the Kryptonian spacecraft, where Zod tried to win him over to rebuilding Krypton on Earth. After Clark refused to sacrifice Earth, Zod planned to pressure him through his attachments, but a caped figure arrived at the ship.

• Clark worried that Zod might harm his adoptive parents and asked Lex to contact the Kryptonian ship.
• Clark agreed to meet Zod alone and boarded a beetle-like aircraft piloted by Explorer Ilton.
• Zod weakened Clark aboard the ship, then showed him a vision of Krypton being rebuilt at Earth's expense and demanded the Codex of Life.
• Clark refused to help Zod destroy Earth, and Zod resolved to use Clark's concern for humans to make him surrender the Codex.
• Zod dismissed the possibility that Clark would resist and planned to exploit his adoptive parents, but a dark-red-caped figure arrived before the spacecraft.

Luke tried to persuade General Zod to abandon his plan to transform Earth, but Zod refused and challenged him to fight. After Luke proved his strength in a fierce battle in space, Zod returned to the spaceship and resumed negotiations with him.

• Luke scolded Lex for failing to stop Clark from rushing off, then flew to Zod's spaceship.
• Luke revealed that he was a Kryptonian General and offered to help Zod rebuild Krypton, but Zod rejected his proposal to spare Earth.
• Luke and Zod fought in space as North American Aerospace Defense Command watched the battle through satellite footage.
• Luke damaged Zod's armor and defeated his attack, then urged him to reconsider their cooperation.
• Zod ended the fight and returned to the spaceship, where he and Luke sat down to negotiate again.

Luke negotiated with Zod, persuading him to abandon his plan to turn Earth into a new Krypton in exchange for help rebuilding Krypton. Zod and his warriors signed a contract to work for Luke for ten years, while Luke secretly bound Zod’s soul to his Netherworld after death; he then freed Clark and told him Zod had agreed to his terms.

• Zod returned to the spaceship with Luke and told Ilton that their conflict had been settled, then ordered the others to withdraw because Luke was Kryptonian kin.
• Luke offered to help Zod rebuild Krypton, and Zod agreed to give up conquering Earth if Clark handed over the Codex.
• Luke offered Zod’s warriors employment under a contract, and Zod negotiated the term down from thirty years to ten before signing.
• Luke entered Clark’s cell, freed him from the restraints, and claimed Zod had agreed to work for him for life.

Luke helped Clark and Zod settle the Codex dispute, then prepared to leave Metropolis with the Kryptonians. He departed after entrusting his businesses and advice to Clark and Lex, leaving Lex to take on his new roles.

• Luke restored Clark’s ability to act and told him to look for Zod’s redeeming qualities before introducing him to Joe-El, who explained Krypton’s destruction and Clark’s origins.
• Clark and Zod negotiated for two weeks, exchanged their captured people, and agreed to remove the Codex from Clark’s cells in return for Zod leaving Earth.
• Zod apologized to Clark for killing Joe-El and warned that Earth’s inhabitants would fear or worship someone like Clark.
• Luke transferred his businesses to Clark and Lex, revealed that Zod and his subordinates had signed soul contracts, and prepared to leave with them.
• Luke vanished from his office without saying goodbye to Clark, while Lex accepted his new positions as owner of Vought Corporation and agent of Metropolis’s Man of Tomorrow.

Luke brought Zod and the Kryptonians to Sakaar, where their ship crashed into a junkyard and they encountered the local scavengers. After Zod’s forces wiped out the scavengers, Luke met Scavenger 142 and offered her a ride if she wanted to leave Sakaar.

• Luke contacted the Vishanti and used their help to send the Kryptonian Spaceship through the Source Wall.
• The ship emerged from a wormhole over Sakaar and crashed into a junkyard, where Scavenger 142 watched from her craft.
• Zod ordered Ilton to check the ship’s weapons, and the Kryptonians killed the scavengers who charged them.
• Luke recognized that they might be on Sakaar and teleported to Scavenger 142 to ask about the planet and Asgard.
• Luke offered Scavenger 142 a ride if she wanted to visit her hometown, then vanished.

Luke watched Beta Ray Bill defeat a team of Korg warriors in Sakaar’s arena. Before the host could announce Bill’s victory, a mysterious caped figure landed in the arena and demanded to know where he was.

• Luke entered Sakaar’s Main City and inferred that Hulk and Thor had not yet appeared in the arena.
• Luke watched the Grandmaster introduce Beta Ray Bill as Sakaar’s champion and learned of Bill’s strength and history.
• The Grandmaster sent thirty Korg warriors against Bill, promising freedom to whoever defeated him.
• Beta Ray Bill quickly killed all thirty Korg warriors, earning the crowd’s applause and the Grandmaster’s approval.
• A black-cloaked figure landed before Beta Ray Bill and asked where he was.

Zod entered Sakaar’s arena and challenged Beta Ray Bill, condemning him for submitting to the Grandmaster. After the Grandmaster forced Beta Ray Bill to attack, Zod overwhelmed him and continued toward the fallen champion.

• Luke recognized Zod in the arena and stayed in his VIP room, expecting the Grandmaster to take notice of the Kryptonian.
• Zod confronted Beta Ray Bill and condemned him for accepting life as the Grandmaster’s arena fighter.
• Beta Ray Bill explained that the Grandmaster had used his people as hostages, but Zod called him a coward and demanded to know who ruled the arena.
• The Grandmaster ordered Beta Ray Bill to attack Zod, and Beta Ray Bill struck him with his golden war hammer.
• Zod withstood the hammer blow, shattered Beta Ray Bill’s arms with a punch, and sent him crashing into the arena wall.
• Zod strode toward Beta Ray Bill and declared that no one there could stop him.

Zod battled Beta Ray Bill in the arena while the Grandmaster decided to seize Zod for his gladiator games. Luke destroyed the Grandmaster’s Space Fleet and appeared in the VIP room to discuss terms.

• Zod criticized Beta Ray Bill for submitting to the Grandmaster, but Beta Ray Bill attacked him with his warhammer despite admiring his courage.
• Zod met Beta Ray Bill’s blow head-on, and the impact shook the arena and injured many spectators.
• The Grandmaster resolved to capture Zod and ordered the Space Fleet to mobilize.
• Luke destroyed the Space Fleet in less than half a minute, then traveled to the arena.
• Luke entered the Grandmaster’s VIP room and said he had come to discuss terms.

Luke confronted the Grandmaster and demanded a habitable planet, workers, and a Space Fleet for rebuilding New Krypton. After Luke revealed overwhelming power, the Grandmaster agreed to provide even more, claiming he wanted to make a friend.

• Luke entered the Grandmaster's VIP room and demanded a habitable planet in the Solar System, a large workforce, and a Space Fleet.
• The Grandmaster dismissed Luke's demands and ordered his guards to remove him, believing the detectors that showed Luke was weak.
• Luke withdrew his Bio-Force Field, disintegrating the guards and demolishing the VIP room while the detectors registered power beyond their limits.
• The Grandmaster offered Luke a planet, three Space Fleets, over a million free laborers, and supporting equipment to avoid opposing him.
• Luke eased the crushing pressure, and the Grandmaster inwardly regretted not taking his demands seriously sooner.

Luke secured the Grandmaster’s promise to provide fleets and planetary equipment, then redirected him to seek star maps and resources through the Tivan Group. After Zod defeated Beta Ray Bill, Luke used the Grandmaster’s fear of Zod to secure the gladiators’ freedom and place them under Zod’s command.

• Luke demanded three Space Fleets and equipment for transforming planets, and the Grandmaster agreed while warning that habitable planets might take time to find.
• The Grandmaster suggested that his brother Taneleer Tivan and the Tivan Group on Knowhere could help Luke locate the resources and information he needed.
• Luke learned that Zod had defeated Beta Ray Bill and introduced Zod to the Grandmaster as his employee.
• Luke described Zod as a freedom fighter who hated slave owners and arena proprietors, making the Grandmaster nervous.
• The Grandmaster offered the gladiators to Zod, and Luke accepted the offer while Zod wondered what a Freedom Fighter was.

Luke secured three Space Fleets and reconstruction labor from the Grandmaster, then led Zod and the Kryptonians to Knowhere to seek resources for rebuilding Krypton. The fleet docked at the Collector’s trading hub, where its unusual crew attracted curious attention.

• Luke persuaded Zod to accept the Grandmaster’s offer of three Space Fleets, habitable-planet searches, and free labor for Krypton’s reconstruction.
• Luke told Faora, Zod, and the Kryptonian warriors they had arrived in another universe and argued that it offered Krypton a fresh start.
• The Grandmaster delivered the three Space Fleets, and Zod, Faora, and Ilton each took command of a warship.
• Luke ordered the fleet to jump to Knowhere, the Celestial head controlled by Taneleer Tivan’s Group.
• The Kryptonian Spaceship docked at Knowhere, where onlookers speculated that its pirate crew belonged to a new gang.

Luke reached Knowhere with recruited space pirates and learned about Taneleer Tivan’s auction, but chose to wait for Zod instead. When Zod arrived with the Kryptonian fleets and went to the spaceport with Faora, a Kree warship rammed his shuttle, and its blue-skinned leader ordered him to get lost.

• Luke asked about Knowhere’s auction and heard that its main attraction was a resource planet.
• Luke decided to find a hotel and wait for Zod, believing he could negotiate with the Collector for a suitable planet.
• Zod ordered Faora and Ilton to park the three fleets outside Knowhere and took a shuttle in with Faora.
• A Kree warship rammed Zod’s shuttle as it approached a dock, so Zod found another place to park and went to confront the Kree.
• The blue-skinned Kree leader ordered his warriors to drive Zod away, and Zod grew furious at the insult.

The Collector learned that Ronan the Accuser had arrived at Knowhere and heard that someone was fighting him. Earlier, Zod killed Ronan’s soldiers after they insulted Kryptonians, then demanded an apology from the Supreme Accuser.

• A red-skinned maid told the Collector that an Earthling introduced by the Grandmaster wanted to buy a habitable planet, and the Collector agreed to meet him later.
• The maid reported that Ronan the Accuser had arrived at Knowhere, so the Collector set aside the meeting and prepared to prevent trouble at the auction.
• Ronan’s soldiers threatened Zod and called Kryptonians an inferior species, prompting Zod to crush one soldier’s weapon and kill the squad.
• Ronan identified himself as the Supreme Accuser, and Zod said he could leave if he apologized for the insult.

Zod and Ronan the Accuser nearly fought on Knowhere before Taneleer Tivan redirected their dispute to the arena. Ronan challenged Zod to fight in two days and proposed buying the auction’s resource planet as stakes for a later duel with Gladiator, leaving Zod to face him in the tournament.

• Zod recognized Ronan the Accuser as a powerful Kree leader and offered to let him leave after apologizing, but Ronan rejected the demand and threatened the Kryptonians.
• Zod and Ronan prepared to fight until Taneleer Tivan intervened and urged them to settle their dispute in Knowhere’s arena.
• Neither Zod nor Ronan backed down, so Tivan proposed the warrior tournament scheduled to begin in two days.
• Ronan announced he would use Zod as a warm-up before challenging Gladiator, the Shi'ar Empire's Captain of the Guards Kallark.
• Ronan offered to buy the auction’s grand-finale resource planet as stakes for the battle and warned Zod not to leave Knowhere before departing with his Kree warriors.

Luke learned that Ronan the Accuser would challenge Gladiator at Knowhere’s arena and arranged for Zod to fight Ronan first. As the arena’s first challenger was called, Zod entered before Gladiator could accept Ronan’s provocation.

• Luke asked Zod and Faora why they had nearly fought Ronan, and Faora explained that Ronan had insulted them first.
• Faora told Luke that Ronan planned to wager a resource planet and challenge Gladiator, prompting Luke to see a chance to complete his quest.
• Luke assigned Ronan to Zod, who confidently promised to defeat him.
• Two days later, Ronan entered Knowhere’s packed gladiatorial arena and challenged Gladiator from the stands.
• Before Gladiator could respond, Zod landed in the arena and looked toward Luke and Faora.

Luke and Faora watched as Zod fought Ronan the Accuser in the arena, while Faora placed a bet to help fund Krypton’s future. After Ronan used the Universal Weapon to nearly crush Zod, the Kryptonian General caught the warhammer and prepared to counterattack.

• Luke asked Faora about arena betting and urged her to place a wager for Krypton’s future.
• Ronan the Accuser warned Zod that he should not have come, but Zod refused to back down from the challenge.
• Zod charged Ronan and traded hundreds of blows with him, relying on his speed and combat instincts against the Universal Weapon.
• Ronan manipulated gravity to pin Zod down, then struck him through his armor and sent him crashing into the arena wall.
• Zod seized Ronan’s next warhammer strike despite severe wounds, forced the weapon aside, and declared it was his turn.

Zod defeated Ronan the Accuser in the arena and claimed the Universal Weapon, but Gladiator arrived seeking a fight. Luke stepped in to take Zod’s place and faced Gladiator, who dismissed him as an unworthy opponent.

• Zod broke Ronan’s arm, battered him, and defeated him with the Universal Weapon.
• The Collector stopped Zod from killing Ronan and announced Zod as the winner.
• Gladiator entered the arena and challenged Zod to fight.
• Zod left the arena, and Luke took his place, saying Gladiator needed his approval to fight his subordinate.
• Gladiator judged Luke to be an ordinary passerby and said he had no interest in fighting him.