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The Disciples of Zod were two Kryptonians loyal to General Zod.

They arrived on Earth in the Black Ship during the 2005 meteor shower, intent on finding Kal-El and forcing him to free Zod from the Phantom Zone.

Physical Appearance[]

Aethyr's Tattoo

Aethyr's Tattoo

Both Aethyr and Nam-Ek had identical, bright, green eyes, displayed little emotion and were ruthless and brutal in pursuit of their goals. They considered humans savages and had little qualm about hurting or killing any that got in their way.

Disciples of Zod

Zod's disciples on Earth.

When they first emerged from the ship both wore Kryptonian armor and Aethyr had a bracelet on her right wrist. The bracelet contained inscriptions of the Mark of Zod and Aethyr also wore the mark on her lower back as a tattoo.

Powers and Abilities[]

Under a yellow sun, Nam-Ek and Aethyr gained all Kryptonian powers and abilities, and demonstrated excellent control over them.

  • Super strength: Once freed from the Phantom Zone, they were vastly stronger than humans. However, their strength had yet to reach Clark's level, leading them to avoid fighting him and instead just tried to trap him in the Phantom Zone. Aethyr was able slap Jonathan effortlessly and Nam-Ek was able to slide the metal door in Luthor Mansion as if it were nothing.
  • Super speed: Both disciples were able to move and run at speeds that surpass sound.
  • Invulnerability: Their whole bodies were totally impenetrable, and only kryptonite could hurt them.
  • Heat vision: The disciples were able to emit extensive heat from their eyes.
  • Telekinesis: They, like Kal-El and General Zod, can influence the trajectory and movement of Kryptonian objects.

Vulnerabilities[]

Arrival481

Aethyr and Nam-Ek weakened by Kryptonite.

Like all Kryptonians, Zod's disciples are inherently weakened by kryptonite. They both got sucked into the portal wormhole to the Phantom Zone's dimension, where they lack the abilities they gain under earth's yellow sun.

Early life[]

Zod's disciples were his two closest allies and were given major roles in the civil war on Krypton. While Zod determined where should be attacked, his disciples were given roles in which they too determined where should be attacked and they often conversed with Zor-El giving them an upper hand and knowledge of where should be best to attack.

When notified that Zod had been captured, they contacted Brainiac and determined that since Zod had been captured and that Zor-El was planning to destroy Krypton, they should flee and find the planet where Jor-El would send his only son Kal-El so they could use him to free Zod and create a Kryptonian paradise. They then left Krypton in the Black Ship along with Brainiac and when the Crystal of Air was stained with blood, the Black Ship was notified and immediately traveled to Earth.

Season Five[]

Nam-Ek

Nam-Ek on Earth

Aethyr

Aethyr on Earth

The Black ship landed in Smallville along with a meteor shower and the two emerged from the ship. They traversed Smallville in search of Kal-El, leaving a trail of destruction and brutality in their wake. The two believed themselves the last survivors of Krypton and wished Kal-El to join them in making earth into a new Kryptonian paradise.

Arrival578

Aethyr and Nam-Ek trapped in the Phantom Zone

Eventually, they came face to face in the Luthor mansion, where Clark refused to join them in their insane quest. Aethyr decided to banish Clark to the Phantom Zone, viewing him as a threat since he did not wish to ally with them. However, Clark managed to knock them into the portal they opened, in a bit of poetic justice; their brutal methods had come back to haunt them.

Season Six[]

Months later, when Kal-El was exiled to the Zone, the two disciples confronted him, seeking revenge for their imprisonment. They blamed him, when it in reality it was their own fault for opening the portal in the first place; Clark had only caused them to fall into the portal in self-defense, as it would not close otherwise and the Earth would be under threat from them.

The two wished to execute him immediately, but Raya's quick witted deception convinced the two that he could free them from the Zone. At the last moment she betrayed them, slicing open Nam-Ek's throat and killing him.

Aethyr was last seen stabbing Raya the instant before Kal-El triggered the escape portal from the Zone. Aethyr was pulled through the escape portal, but was never seen again.

Appearances[]

In the Comics[]

Nam-Ek
Namekcomics2

Nam-Ek as he appears in the comics.

Nam-Ek was a genius healer specialized in biology, truly committed in making life for his fellow Kryptonians better. During his studies, Nam-Ek found out that most of Kryptonian medicine was based on the radiations emitted by the Rondor, a sacred beast of the planet whose horn could cure any known disease. Nam-Ek thought that a deeper study of the Rondor’s horn could have opened new frontiers for medicine and research, but he had a single obstacle, Kryptonian law. According to the law, in fact, the Rondor was a sacred beast and its killing and the removal of its horn were considered as an unforgivable sin and a grave crime, punished in ancient times with death. Nam-Ek considered that the potential benefits surpassed by far the risks and decided to try all the same: he secretly captured a Rondor and surgically removed its horn: the beast didn't survived the operation. The healer studied the horn for days, until he was able to create a serum out of it. Sure that the serum would have granted immunity to any disease, Nam-Ek drank the serum, that had some unforeseen side effects, his skin turned purple and leathery, his nails became claws and a big horn, just like a Rondor’s one, grew in the middle of his forehead. Transformed into a Rondor-Kryptonian hybrid, Nam-Ek was unable to conceal his crime and was arrested and sent to the Phantom Zone.

Namekcomics1

Nam-Ek before his transformation.

Nam-Ek was to be considered lucky being imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, since Krypton exploded shortly after: also in the dimensional prison, however, the other Zoners saw him as a wicked creature, because both his hideous appearance and his past . Feared and distanced, Nam-Ek spent years in complete solitude, an isolation that affected badly his mental health. With the days, the sharp intellect and the scientific genius were replaced by paranoia and an incredible need for company.

At last, Nam-Ek was freed by Amalak, a space pirate who hated everything that was Kryptonian and was searching for an ally in his long time battle against Superman. Having become naive and gullible, Nam-Ek was more than happy to become Amalak’s partner and joined his crusade against Superman. Thanks to the serum, Nam-Ek had gained also the Rondor’s powers, not just his appearance, as well as was able to cure anything with his horn and for this reason, Amalak renamed him Antibiotic Man, something that the Kryptonian took as a compliment and was proud of. The two, together, attacked Superman with a series of physical and psychic attacks, with the Antibiotic Man healing both himself and Amalak everytime Superman managed to land a blow on them. Ultimately, Superman managed to defeat both of them and while Amalak died by accidentally stabbing himself, Nam-Ek was closed in the Phantom Zone once again. [1]

He was freed again years after, when the space-time continuum was torn apart and on Earth he managed to subdue many heroes, vanquishing with no effort even the powerful Wonder Woman. He was imprisoned once again when Aethyr, the physical embodiment of the Phantom Zone, was convinced by Mr. Mxyzptlk that torturing Kryptonians was fun and brought him to collect its former prisoners.

Aethyr
526194-aethyr headshot

Aethyr as it appears in the comics.

A result of two galaxies that collided and were destroyed, Aethyr is the collective melding of all the souls that were lost. A powerful, cosmic demon like being whose thoughts create the Phantom Zone. It is a godlike being who exists solely in the Phantom Zone. In fact, it is one of the only beings truly native to the zone and all things that exist within the deepest reaches of the expanse are subject to its whim. It is millions of years old and is in control of all the galaxies, including the Phantom Zone. It is also in control of The Projector, the gateway to the Phantom Zone.

Aethyr was also referred to as "The Oversoul".

It was erased from existence, following the collapse of the Multiverse in the Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series.

Notes[]

  • They seem to view any lifeforms not Kryptonian to be unworthy of their concern, as they murdered humans without a single sign of remorse.
  • Nam-Ek and Aethyr's names both appear in Kevin J. Anderson's novel, The Last Days of Krypton. However like the show, their physical descriptions fit that of Non and Ursa, from Superman: The Movie and Superman II.
  • The backstories of Nam-Ek and Aethyr were never established.
  • Nam-Ek and Aethyr were both depicted as having bright, green eyes. No other Kryptonians were depicted as having similar eyes (green or otherwise), throughout the show's run. The reason for their bright, green eyes were never explained.
  • Nam-Ek might have been the first instance of a black Kryptonian in live-action. All onscreen Kryptonians in the 1948 Kirk Alyn Superman serial, Adventures of Superman (1952-1958), Superman: The Movie (1978), Supergirl (1984)' and The Adventures of Superboy, were depicted as white. In the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman episode "Lord of the Flys", a black woman briefly appears onboard the Kryptonian ship. However, she is seemingly one of several Earth women brought onboard, to smuggle in Lois Lane, under the guise of supplying Lord Kal-El with a selection of concubines.

References[]

See also[]

Zod in Smallville
Family Faora (clone) • ValaDavis Bloome
'Ships Jor-ElClark KentTess MercerLois LaneFaora
Work Kandorian armyR.A.O. Corporation
Other House of Zod (crest) • Kneel before ZodDisciples of ZodNear-death experiencesEpisodes
Kryptonians in Smallville
Main Clark KentKaraZodBrainiacDavis Bloome
House of El Jor-El (AI, clone) • Lara-ElZor-ElConner Kent
Kandorian army Kandorian army: BasqatValaFaoraAliaCoats
Houses House of El (crest) • House of Zod (crest)
Other Disciples of Zod (Nam-Ek, Aethyr) • Dax-UrRayaFaoraKrypton
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