General Dru-Zod was a Kryptonian war criminal and the former leader of the Warrior Guild who later founded the Sword of Rao, leading them during the Kryptonian Civil War. Managing to survive the destruction of his native planet of Krypton and escaping from his Phantom Zone imprisonment, he viewed the purpose of his life to be the successful re-establishment of Krypton on another planet; Earth. Zod was the first great enemy of the hero Superman, who ultimately defeated and killed him in combat after a prolonged, devastating duel in the heart of Metropolis. During the Black Zero Event, Zod notably killed many employees of Wayne Enterprises. After his death, Zod's corpse was the key to the committee studying Superman, learning about the Kryptonite xenomineral being the greatest weakness of Kryptonians. The general's corpse was later acquired by the malevolent supergenius Lex Luthor, who used the corpse and his blood, to carry out an ancient and long-forbidden Kryptonian process, thereby creating the mighty and ferocious hybrid Kryptonian monstrosity, Doomsday.