Most-quoted character in Man of Steel (2013): in 17 of its 44 quotes
Most scenes with: Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman (4), Jor-El (3)
This council has been disbanded! [Ro-Zar: On whose authority?] Mine.
General Zod You won't kill us yourself! You wouldn't sully your hands, but you'll damn us to a black hole for eternity! Jor-El was right! You're a pack of fools! Every last one of you! [to Lara] And you... you believe your son is safe? I will find him. I will reclaim what you have taken from us! I will find him. I will find him, Lara. I WILL FIND HIM!
General Zod My name is General Zod. I come from a world far from yours. I have journeyed across an ocean of stars to reach you. For some time, your world has sheltered one of my citizens. I request that you return this individual to my custody. For reasons unknown, he has chosen to keep his existence a secret from you. He will have made efforts to blend in. He will look like you, but he is not one of you. To those of you who may know of his current location: the fate of your planet rests in your hands. To Kal-El, I say this: surrender within twenty-four hours, or watch this world suffer the consequences...
General Zod Tell me, you have Jor-El's memories, his conscience, can you experience his pain? I will harvest the Codex from your son's corpse, and I will rebuild Krypton atop his bones.
General Zod If you destroy this ship, YOU DESTROY KRYPTON!
General Zod Look at this. We could have built a new Krypton in this squalor, but you choose the humans over us. I exist only to protect Krypton. That is the sole purpose for which I was born, and every action I take, no matter how violent or how cruel, is for the greater good of my people. And now, I have no people. My soul... that is what you have taken from me!
General Zod I am going to make them suffer, Kal, these humans you've adopted. I will take them all from you, one by one!
General Zod There is only one way this ends, Kal: either you die or I do.
General Zod I was bred to be a warrior, Kal-El, trained my entire life to master my senses. Where did you train? ON A FARM?
Will you not understand? Krypton's core is collapsing. We may only have a matter of weeks. I warned you, harvesting the core was suicide. It has accelerated the process of implosion.
Our energy reserves were exhausted. What would you have us do, El?
Look to the stars, like our ancestors did. There are habitable worlds within reach. We can begin by using the old outposts.
Are you seriously suggesting that we evacuate the entire planet?
No, everybody here is already dead! Give me control of the Codex. I will ensure the survival of our race. There is still hope. I have held that hope in my hands.
General Zod This council has been disbanded!
On whose authority?
General Zod Mine.
General Zod The rest of you will be tried and punished accordingly.
What are you doing, Zod? This is madness!
General Zod What I should have done years ago. These lawmakers with their endless debates have led Krypton to ruin.
And if your forces prevail, you'll be the leader of nothing!
General Zod Then join me. Help me save our race. We'll start anew. We'll sever the degenerative bloodlines that led us to this state.
And who will decide which bloodlines survive, Zod? You?
General Zod Don't do this, El. The last thing I want is for us to be enemies.
You have abandoned the principles that bound us together. You've taken up the sword against your own people. I will honor the man you once were, Zod. Not this monster you have become.
General Zod I know you stole the Codex, Jor-El. Surrender it and I'll let you live.
This is a second chance for all of Krypton, not just the bloodlines you deem worthy.
General Zod What have you done?
We've had a child, Zod. A boy child. Krypton's first natural birth in centuries, and he will be free, free to forge his own destiny.
General Zod Heresy! Destroy it!
General Zod Lara, listen to me, the Codex is Krypton's future. Abort the launch!
General Zod NOOOOOOO! [Zod stabs and kills Jor-El. Lara runs over to his fallen body and mourns him] Your son, Lara, where have you sent him?
His name is Kal, son of El. And he is beyond your reach.
General Zod, for the crimes of murder and high treason, the council has sentenced you and your fellow insurgents to 300 cycles of somatic reconditioning. Do you have any last words?
General Zod You won't kill us yourself! You wouldn't sully your hands, but you'll damn us to a black hole for eternity! [He spits at him in disgust] Jor-El was right! You're a pack of fools! Every last one of you! [He approaches Lara but is held back by a guard] And you...You believe your son is safe? I will find him. I will reclaim what you have taken from us! I will find him. I will find him, Lara. I WILL FIND HIM!
[He is silenced as they are banished to the Phantom Zone]
General Zod Hello, Kal. Or do you prefer Clark? That's the name they gave you, isn't it? I was Krypton's military leader. Your father, our foremost scientist. The only thing we agreed on was that Krypton was dying. In return for my efforts to protect our civilization and save our planet, I and my fellow officers were sentenced to the Phantom Zone. And then, the destruction of our world freed us. We were adrift, destined to float amongst the ruins of our planet until we starved.
How did you find your way to Earth?
General Zod We managed to retrofit the phantom projector into a hyper-drive. Your father made a similar modification to the craft that brought you here. And so, the instrument of our damnation become our salvation. We sought out the old colonial outposts looking for signs of life. But all we found was death. Cut off from Krypton, these outposts withered and died long ago. We salvaged what we could: armor, weapons, even a World Engine. For 33 years, we prepared, until finally we detected a distress beacon, which you triggered when you accessed the ancient scout ship. You led us here, Kal. And now, it's within your power to save what remains of your race. On Krypton, the genetic template for every being yet to be born is incarnate in the Registry of Citizens. Your father stole the registry's Codex and stored it in the capsule that brought you here.
For what purpose?
General Zod So that Krypton can live again, on Earth. Where is the Codex, Kal?
If Krypton lives again, what happens to Earth?
General Zod A foundation has to be built on something. Even your father recognized that.
No Zod, I can't be a part of this.
General Zod Then what can you be a part of?
General Zod Your father acquitted himself with honor, Kal.
You killed him?
General Zod I did. And not a day goes by where it does not haunt me. But if I had to do it again, I would. I have a duty to my people, and I will not allow anyone to prevent me from carrying it out.
Genesis Chamber activated.
Stop this, Zod, while there's still time.
General Zod Haven't given up lecturing me, have you? Even in death.
I will not let you use the Codex like this.
General Zod You don't have the power to stop me. The command key I have entered is revoking your authority. This ship is now under my control.
Our people can coexist.
General Zod So we can suffer through years of pain trying to adapt, like your son has?
You're talking about genocide.
General Zod Yes. And I'm arguing its merits with a ghost.
We're both ghosts, Zod. Can't you see that? The Krypton you're clinging onto is gone!
General Zod Ship, have you managed to quarantine this invasive intelligence?
I have.
You'll fail.
General Zod Then prepare to terminate it. I'm tired of this debate.
Silencing me won't change anything. My son is twice the man you were. He will finish what we started. I can promise you that.
General Zod Tell me. You have Jor-El's memories. His conscience. Can you experience his pain? I will harvest the Codex from your son's corpse, and I will rebuild Krypton atop his bones.
[Zod then terminates the artificial Jor-El]
General Zod Look at this. We could have built a new Krypton in this squalor, but you chose the humans over us. I exist only to protect Krypton. That is the sole purpose for which I was born. And every action I take, no matter how violent, or how cruel, is for the greater good of my people. And now, I have no people. My soul…That! Is what you! Have taken! From me!
General Zod I am going to make them suffer, Kal, these humans you've adopted. I will take them all from you, one by one!
You're a monster, Zod. And I'm going to stop you.
General Zod If you love these people so much...you can mourn for them! [Zod starts firing heat vision next to a cornered family, and Superman struggles to keep him from killing the family]
Don't do this! [the beams get closer to the family] Stop! [Zod doesn't stop as the family panics more] STOOOOOOOP!!
General Zod Never.
[left with no other option, Superman cringes and yells as he snaps Zod's neck, killing him and saving the family. Afterwards, he falls to his knees in victory, and after a moment of shock and stunned silence, the family was saved, instead of being happy Superman screams out in despair that he had to kill and knowing he is the only Kryptonian left now.]
