Who should get the Dr Xa-Du 'treatment'?

[Slaughter]

I think there are a few problems for Phantom Zone villains:

1. The powers. All these kryptonian dudes have the same powers. Zod, Non and Faora get by with numbers and Zod's leadership (Zod is sort of "boss" of the Phantom Zone) and the fact they're expected to have the traditional powers (and when Zod & cia break out, its often a total break-out). The others, through, they need something either emotional/mental/physical to give them an edge, otherwise they're just another generic jerk with kryptonian super-powers. Xa-Du has an advantage/disadvantage in the form of his ecto-suit which allows him to be solid and have some other interesting abilities, as well as the Living Death, but also means Xa-Du can be defeated in other ways (and I have a feeling the other convicts don't like him either). The idea of Jax-Ur being the avatar of Vohc the Breaker might be an interesting idea.

One cool thing I would do is have one of these dudes gain Electric Superman-style Superpowers. No really, I'm surprised nobody ever thought of it. Explain it away as a thing that might happen with yellow sun-powered kryptonians, with most of them going back to normal, but a few retaining the eletromagnetic powers. No idea who to give those, through - Jax-Ur? Someone brainy seems best.

2. Being subsumed into the larger mob of kryptonian escapees. It seems every dick and jane in the phantom wants vengeance against Jor-El and his house or something. Explains why Jor-El was the one who found it, he probably could't step out of his house without being attacked by some maniac.

[Black Angel]

Jax Ur for me could do so much more with him.

[Myskin]

ALL of the Zoners should receive the Xa-Du "treatment". Every single one of them. Except for Zod (maybe).
The main problem with the Zoners is that they are boring. They are basically the same character, that is an endless variation on the Zod theme, an evil Superman. If every one of them had their own set of powers, their own weaknesses and goals, the Phantom Zone would become a cosmic Arkham Asylum, that is something way more interesting. It wouldn't be even that difficult, since the nature of the Zone could easily distort the skills of ist inhabitants. Let's admit it, Iron heights and Arkham are WAY more interesting than the Zone, as far as variety and creepiness are concerned.

[Francisco]

Why should all the "zoners" be humanoid kryptonians? Or kryptonians for that matter?

[adkal]

Why should all the "zoners" be humanoid kryptonians? Or kryptonians for that matter?

Pre-FP, they weren't. Although it wasn't explored, it was put forward (when the White Martians returned, if I remember correctly) that the Zone had been found, accessed, and used by other beings in a similar manner to the use that Jor-El put it: a prison.

Allusion was also made to Prometheus' 'Ghost Zone' may be a part of the Phantom Zone.

[Ascended]

Pre-FP, they weren't. Although it wasn't explored, it was put forward (when the White Martians returned, if I remember correctly) that the Zone had been found, accessed, and used by other beings in a similar manner to the use that Jor-El put it: a prison.

Allusion was also made to Prometheus' 'Ghost Zone' may be a part of the Phantom Zone.

Pak's Horrorville arc in Action also covered this a bit. The Ultra-Humanite wasn't a native of the Zone apparently, but it sure was hell wasn't Kryptonian either.

I want to say that some other race's method for faster than light travel also involved bouncing through the Zone, but the memory is so vague I might be imagining it.

[Jon Clark]

Why should all the "zoners" be humanoid kryptonians? Or kryptonians for that matter?

Because the less Kryptonian the Zone is the less it makes sense as a Superman concept. If we have Martians that were banished there then J'onn should be more involved with policing the Zone. Same logic applies if there were demons you'd expect people like Constantine or Zatanna to be involved. Various aliens then either their own people or possibly the Lanterns. The idea that the Zone and it's inhabitants are Superman's responsibility works best if the place has tight ties to Superman which has traditionally been because his dad discovered/created the place and the inmates were from his home planet.

[Gorblax]

Can I say nobody? I'd really prefer for there to be fewer Kryptonians altogether. It's a little dilutive of Superman's thesis as "Last Son of Krypton."

[Punisher007]

Eh, that concept was always a bit shaky. So you have this ancient powerful civilization with tech far more advanced than our own, and yet NO ONE was off-world at the time. No one was on a scientific expedition, or a military expedition, or on vacation, or something. They were all just hanging out on Krypton when it blew, seriously? Frankly there being a small number (relatively) of surviving Kryptonians makes much more sense and is much more interesting.

[Gorblax]

Superman practically invented the "I am the last of my race" trope in science fiction. That's not something I'm so ready to turn my back on.

[Francisco]

Because the less Kryptonian the Zone is the less it makes sense as a Superman concept. If we have Martians that were banished there then J'onn should be more involved with policing the Zone. Same logic applies if there were demons you'd expect people like Constantine or Zatanna to be involved. Various aliens then either their own people or possibly the Lanterns. The idea that the Zone and it's inhabitants are Superman's responsibility works best if the place has tight ties to Superman which has traditionally been because his dad discovered/created the place and the inmates were from his home planet.

No what I mean is why would Kryptonians just lock up other Kryptonians in there? There sure were weird (dangerous) creatures and alien invaders who went to Krypton. What if once upon a time Evil martians (any alien race would work just fine) attempted to invade Krypton were defeated by Jor El and got locked up in the zone. We can also add phantom based lifeforms.

[K. Jones]

Horrid monsters lurked in the heart of the zone in the "Phantom Zone" three-part miniseries in the what, eighties? And I believe to some extent in all the pre-Flashpoint New Krypton hullabaloo as well - I feel like the mythological nightwing and flamebird creatures had a lot to do with it, the nightwing in particular being stuck in there.

I don't mind Superman not having a monopoly on the entire world of phantoms concept - but the specific instance of "Phantom Zone" yeah for sure. But like Morrison's map indicates - that might just be one piece or corner of a larger dimension. And Morrison's use of Phantom Stranger, linking it explicitly to phasing and ectoplasm and ghosts broadens it even more than just all the Still Zone and Ghost Zone stuff did. Not to mention, doesn't the place reside halfway between Apokolips and the Dreaming, adjacent to the underworlds of Pagan Gods like Anwyn, Tartarus and that ilk? There are certainly magical corners of that dimension that the Kryptonian tech doesn't even access, that can only be accessed through Old God intui-magicks or mortal rites or even Martian super-phasing.

Not only that, but the dimensions of the god-sphere seem to have powerful interactions with their opposite and symmetrical "partners", so like Phantom Zone might have closer interactions with things happening in Skyland's heavens. The way Olympian Gods can access Hades and Tartarus. Perhaps that's the nature of the Nightwing and Flamebird stuff with the Phantom Zone - the Old Gods of Krypton have access to it, and any ancient Kryptonian Magicks from the pre-science lords eras might be intimately acquainted with ghost realms. (I'd love if Doctor Xa-Du developed some you know, more occult "ghost" abilities, though the Stranger's words seemed to indicate there's really no difference between science ghosts and magic ghosts.)

[Pinsir]

There is a Supergirl Silver Age villian named Liara or something.

[Montressor]

Since someone brought up the concept of "The Wrongly Accused", I love the idea of Quex-Ul.
Since the most commonly remembered version of the character is the one Byrne wrote about, the one Superman killed Post-Crisis, I'd like to see a return to something like the version who was, in fact, imprisoned wrongly. I think we've long since taken to heart the concept that the Phantom Zone is a morally questionable form of punishment- but a reminder in the form of an innocent man never hurts. I also don't necessarily think it's necessary to have him become Kal's enemy or lose his powers- though if he did, I'd also welcome a return for "Charlie Kweskill".

In terms of the others, I'll admit to being sort of interested in Dev-Em, whose famous fight with Superman back in Time and Time Again destroyed the moon in the Legion's timeline- but I'm mostly not too interested in Zone Criminals except for the standbys of Dru-Zod, Faora, and Jax-Ur.

But Nam-Ek is okay, if only because of how totally different he is from any other Zone Criminal.

I was just about to post my love for Quex Ul and I read your post. I LOVED the idea of a common, everyday guy who has no memory of being a wrongly-accused criminal from an advanced alien world. I'd love to see him back, just as he was pre-Crisis.

[Adekis]

I was just about to post my love for Quex Ul and I read your post. I LOVED the idea of a common, everyday guy who has no memory of being a wrongly-accused criminal from an advanced alien world. I'd love to see him back, just as he was pre-Crisis.

Haha! Glad to see I'm not the only one who likes that character! Byrne really did him a great disservice by turning him into a generic super-bad guy.