Phantom Zone

The Phantom Zone in Superman v5 #2.

The Phantom Zone is a dimension that features in DC Comics.

History

Pre-Crisis

The Phantom Zone in DC Comics Presents v1 #97.

The Phantom Zone was a dimension where criminals from Krypton were banished and imprisoned prior to the destruction of the planet.

Professor Lang discovered a box of Kryptonian weapons and delivered it to Superboy who during testing of them accidently sent himself into the Phantom Zone. (Adventure Comics v1 #283)

Zor-El discovered a separate zone that was different from the Phantom Zone and operated on a different wavelength. He referred to this dimension as the Survival Zone and intended to use it to send himself along with his wife Allura there as a safe haven. After exposing themselves to its rays, there was no reaction and the pair then sent their daughter Kara to Earth onboard a rocket whilst Argo City began to suffer from Kryptonite exposure. It was at that point that Zor-El and Allura vanished into the Survival Zone due to a delayed reaction from the ray whereupon they remained trapped in that realm. (Action Comics v1 #309)

The Zone itself is an interface between the Earth-One dimension (the physical universe) and Aethyr's mind, the outer layer (where zone criminals are housed) representing its ability for abstract thought; the Zone is basically Aethyr's capacity to imagine other possibilities of existence, and is the outermost template of its consciousness. Only by entering Aethyr's core realm can a zone prisoner escape back to the physical universe, but this process is dangerous since any being who tries risks being destroyed in numerous ways as well as by forever having their souls merged with Aethyr's essence while within Aethyr's core realm. (The Phantom Zone v1 #3) This is because as you enter deeper into Aethyr's consciousness, you no longer exist as an abstract entity and your existence becomes subject to Aethyr's whims. When attacking Superman and Quex-Ul, Aethyr personified itself as an aggressive, purple-skinned dog's head that breathed flames capable of destroying and absorbing the souls of those that it wishes to conquer. While Quex-Ul is killed by Aethyr in this fashion, Superman manages to make his way out of the Phantom Zone by avoiding those flames and flying directly through Aethyr's skull and its mind, returning to Earth through a tear in the fabric of Aethyr's mind and the physical universe, but not without encountering the horrific remains of all of the souls entrapped within Aethyr over the millennia. (The Phantom Zone v1 #4)

Mister Mxyzptlk later came to be possessed by Aethyr when he was imprisoned on his own home dimension. Thul-Kar communicates with Mxyzptlk and offers him an escape in exchange for the merger. This merger, however, empties the Phantom Zone of its criminal inhabitants. As the Phantom Zone villains head to Earth to conquer it, Thul-Kar and Nam-Ek are re-absorbed into Aethyr. Superman awakes and sees that the Phantom Zone villains are wreaking havoc on Earth, causing destruction to the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. and demanding Superman come out and fight them. Superman battles the Phantom Zone villains in Washington D.C. While fighting Faora Hu-Ul, he witnesses her disappearing as she is absorbed into Aethyr. Mister Mxyzpltk reveals that his strong personality has taken over Aethyr and he absorbs all the rest of the Phantom Zone inhabitants back into himself, determined to torture them endlessly and wreak havoc as he sees fit. Mxyzpltk-Aethyr leaves, intending to next take over the Fifth Dimension, and Superman is left to put out the fires in Washington and then rid Metropolis of the Kryptonite remains of Argo City. (DC Comics Presents v1 #97)

Post-Crisis

Kryptonian criminals escaping the Phantom Zone in Action Comics Annual #11.

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.

Within this dimension, an entity known as the Zone Child evolved as the only member of its kind. (Action Comics v1 #900) This region of infinitely compressed space came to be known by many names included the Phantom Zone, Stasis Zone and the Still Zone. The insectoid inhabitants of the hiveworld Korll referred to it as the Honeycomb which was used to facilitate travel across vast interstellar distances. (JLA v1 #36)

In an effort to attain godhood, Dominus used forbidden magic and struck out against his former lover who had become Kismet but his physical form was destroyed as a result. To save him, Kismet placed him in a limbo state within the Phantom Zone where its stasis effects could preserve him. He remained there in that area of non-space until discovered by the Kryptonian named Kem-L whose holographic body encountered Dominus and was struck with scientific curiosity to aid the individual. Kem-L helped preserve Dominus's waning essence by housing it in a body fashioned with Kryptonian technology thus allowing him to survive where he sought to attain the power of godhood once more making him a threat to the universe. (Action Comics v1 #754)

It was said that its existence on Krypton was discovered by the scientist Jor-El. One account held that Jax-Ur was the first prisoner to be banished into the Phantom Zone on Krypton due to his interstellar travel experiments seemingly having destroyed the city of Kandor. Afterwards, ruling council that judged Kryptonians guilty were banished into the timeless dimension with among them including Quex-Ul, Tor-An, Nadira Va-Dim, Az-Rel and General Zod along with his co-conspirators. (Action Comics v1 #846) At Fort Rozz, the Phantom Zone Projector was stationed and it served as the site where prisoners were sent into the Phantom Zone after being judged guilty. On one such occasion, the criminal Dev-Em was brought for his judgement for crimes of murder and perversion. Before the jailers could banish him, a riot erupted in the prison which caused the Projector to explode sending the entire prison into the Phantom Zone. Once there, it remained as the only physical structure in the dimension and within it occupants could retain their physical form. (Action Comics v1 #851)

Within Fort Rozz, General Zod and his mate Ursa had their child who was named Lor-Zod. (Action Comics v1 #851)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of history was created with a different series of events. The Phantom Zone was discovered by Jor-El as a prison for Krypton's super-criminals. (Action Comics v2 #5)

In order to find a weapon against Superman, Harrow of the Tower organization managed to speak to the exiled Xa-Du in the Phantom Zone. He agreed to help them after he learnt of their objective and provided the technology that made Ghost Soldier allowing such warriors to become corporeal. When Ghost Soldier failed, Xa-Du decided to find a new weapon against Kal-El and remembered the legends of the monster Doomsday that was said in prophecy would slay the Last Knight of the House of El. With his Ecto-Suit, Xa-Du journeyed into a sub-layer of the Phantom Zone and breached it only to discover that Doomsday had evolved further. The beast managed to break the Zone itself creating a rift through which it escaped onto Earth. As a result of the damage done, the rift destabilized the entire Phantom Zone turning its occupants partially corporeal and threatened to explode killing everyone within it. At this time, Batman and Wonder Woman arrived searching the Zone for a cure for Superman who had become infected by Doomsday where he was turning into the creature itself. There they encountered the imprisoned criminals such as Mongul and Non who attacked the pair until they were rescued by Ghost Soldier. At that point, they were confronted by Xa-Du who revealed his part in freeing Doomsday and that he was preparing the battle the infected Superman who he claimed would destroy them all. The heroes managed to capture Xa-Du and return to the Fortress of Solitude where they sent Non back into the Zone before closing it thus preventing anymore prisoners from escaping. (Batman/Superman v1 #11)

The entire planet Earth was shunted into the Phantom Zone where the strange dimension resulted in catastrophic effects on the world including poisoning its atmosphere. Superman along with the few heroes not incapacitated looked towards finding a solution whilst stopping the global disasters. At the same time, Rogol Zaar managed to unite the scattered criminals in the Zone under his leadership where they formed an army that sought to claim the Phantom Zone Projector to escape the prison dimension. (Superman v5 #3)

On Earth, the alien Synmar attacked the planet in an attempt to kill Superman leading to a battle in Metropolis which threatened to destroy the Daily Planet. To prevent this, Superman used the Phantom Zone Projector to send himswlf and his opponent into the prison dimension. The Phantom King Xa-Du arrived in the midst of their fight and believed he had a potential ally in the foe of Kal-El. However, the alien Synmar knocked him aside and continued his battle with the Man of Steel. In an attempt to end hostilities, Superman opened the Phantom Zone portal to beyond Earth's orbit in order to find the source of the conflict between him and Synmar. Xa-Du saw this as an opportunity to escape the Zone but was stopped by the Man of Steel who knocked him back and closed the portal after he along with Synmar exited it. (Superman v5 #27)

Overview

The Zone was stated to be a ghostly anti-universe with inhabitants trapped in a bodiless limbo. (Action Comics v2 #5) It was shown as being a dimension that existed near the normal one where inhabitants could only live in a ghostly state. (Adventure Comics v1 #283) The Phantom Zone was said to be near-infinite in its proportions. (Action Comics v1 #754) It also served as a permeable membrane between the light side of the Multiverse and the Dark Multiverse. (Dark Nights: Metal v1 #3)

Locations within the Zone included:

• Aethyropolis : a site that served as the lair of Xa-Du. (Supergirl v7 #9)
• Fort Rozz : a prison from Krypton that was used to send criminals into the Phantom Zone but during a riot started by Dev-Em the Projector accidently activated sending the entire facility into the prison dimension where it was the only structure that retained its physical form allowing those in it to maintain their corporeal nature. (Action Comics v1 #851)

Ghost carbon was one of the few substances that could remain solid within the Phantom Zone. (Supergirl v7 #10)

Initial contact in the Zone required a person's eyes to adjust to the dimension as their hearts began to slow down and their body density began to evaporate. People needed to ignore the sounds and images that leaked from the third dimension otherwise they risked going mad as a result. (Action Comics v1 #851)

Through the Zone-O-Phone, individuals were able to speak to inhabitants in the Phantom Zone with this being used to conduct parole hearings of the criminals inside that dimension. (Action Comics v1 #310)

One device to enforce compliance of prisoners temporarily freed from this dimension was to equip a Zone-Shackle on them. These attached to the arm and it dissolved the atomic structure of the wearer to send them automatically back to the Zone after a set amount of time. Any attempt to tamper with the shackle led to the person being instantly sent elsewhere such as a world with a red sun. (Action Comics v1 #310)

Inhabitants

• Aethyr :
• Zone Child : a cosmic entity that was born and evolved in the Phantom Zone who was hurt by negative emotions from sentient beings such as the Kryptonian criminals banished to its dimension. (Action Comics v1 #900)
• Zod :
• Ursa :
• Lor-Zod : son of Dru-Zod and Ursa with him being born in the Phantom Zone at Fort Rozz where the unique nature of his surroundings meant that he was the only prisoner of the dimension that retained his physical form in that realm. He was abused for many years by his parents who used him as an anchor to escape the Phantom Zone to reach Earth where Lor-Zod was adopted by Clark Kent and Lois Lane as their son Chris Kent. (Action Comics v1 #851)
• Xa-Du :
• Vakox : Professor Vakox was a male scientist who tested his experimental life force formula on the Great Krypton Lake mutating its life into monstrous creatures leading to him being apprehended and banished into the Phantom Zone. (Action Comics v1 #284)
• Vorb-Un : an elderly male criminal sentenced to ten time cycles for experimenting with forbidden elements without the council's permission who was freed during a parole hearing attended by Superman at the Bottle City of Kandor. (Action Comics v1 #310)
• Zan-Em : a male Kryptonian imprisoned due to his illegal mind control experiments who attempted to influence the Kents to get a chance to escape the Phantom Zone only to be stopped by Kal-El. (Adventure Comics v1 #458)
• Ras-Krom : (Superman v1 #164)
• Ral-En : a male lab assistant to Lon-Es and Jor-El who used his mass hypnosis powers to make others believe he had superpowers that he used to set himself as a tyrant on Krypton until Jor-El discovered the deception and had him banished into the Phantom Zone. (Superman v1 #154)
• Orn-Zu : a male scientist who predicted the destruction of Krypton but the time was incorrect and brought his findings to the Science Council who refused to believe him. Orn-Zu pitied the children and decided to create a nearly indestructible android called Jorlan that resembled a large bipedal furry animal that was tasked with saving Krypton's children. As it attempted to spirit the children away, Krypton's defenses managed to knock the android into deep space whereupon Orn-Zu was apprehended and sent into the Phantom Zone for his crimes. He later appeared to Superman and attempted to atone for his crimes by telling him about Jorlan who had arrived on Earth. Prior to his imprisonment, he had contracted the fatal Pythagra Fever and died on Earth. (Action Comics v1 #506)
• Lar-On : a male scientist noted to be a good man who after his marriage had turned into a werewolf-like monster that killed his wife. The police managed to capture him and he returned back to normal where he was brought before Jor-El. Jor-El was unable to find a cure and instead decided to send Lar-On to the Phantom Zone until they could find a means of reversing his condition. On Earth, the scientist Jeremiah Terry's experiments accidentally released Lar-On on the planet whilst in werewolf form where he killed the professor after which he came into conflict with Batman and Superman. (World's Finest v1 #256)
• Ak-Var : a male who on Krypton originally from Kandor with him being part of a gang that attempted to steal a Sun-Stone from the museum but was caught whereupon he was banished to the Phantom Zone as part of a 30 year sentence. Upon his release, he was sent to the Bottle City of Kandor as Kryptonian law saw that released Phantom Zone criminals were to return to the city of their origin. (Action Comics v1 #336)
• Ar-Ual : (Lois Lane v1 #93)
• Az-Rel : (Phantom Zone v1 #1)
• Bal-Gra : a male Kryptonian criminal who was regarded as the strongest man on Krypton who was banished for unknown crimes. (Superman v1 #204)
• Blak-Du : (Superboy v1 #121)
• Cha-Mel : (Superboy v1 #162)
• Gazor : (Adventure Comics v1 #323)
• Gor-Nu : (Superman v1 #223)
• Marok : (Lois Lane v1 #59)
• Murkk : (Action Comics v1 #548)
• Nadira Va-Dim : (Phantom Zone v1 #1)
• Quex-Ul : (Superman v1 #157)
• Ran-Zo : (Lois Lane v1 #59)
• Ras-Krom : (Superman v1 #164)
• Tor-An : Action Comics v1 #307)
• Tra-Gob : (Lois Lane v1 #98)
• Tyb-Ol : (Action Comics v1 #548)
• Vorb-Un : (Action Comics v1 #310)
• Zan-Ar : (Lois Lane v1 #59)
• Inventor : a tall male of unknown origin who built advanced machines and was freed by the Black Flame as part of a plot against Supergirl. (Adventure Comics v1 #400)
• Toymaster : a short male of unknown origin who built toy-like constructs as his minions and was freed by the Black Flame as part of a plot against Supergirl. (Adventure Comics v1 #400)
• L. Finn : a ginger haired leprechaun of unknown origin with magical powers who was freed by the Black Flame as part of a plot against Supergirl. (Adventure Comics v1 #400)

Notes

• The Phantom Zone was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp where it made its first appearance in Adventure Comics v1 #283 (April, 1961).

In other media

Television

• In Super Friends, the Phantom Zone was shown in the episode "Terror from the Phantom Zone". It was described as a fifth dimensional realm past the physical universe and was used as a prison. Three prisoners from Krypton named Hul, Logar and Rom-lok escaped captivity when their home world exploded but were sent to the Phantom Zone by Superman. There they remained until a unique comet passed that allowed a bridge into the Zone allowing the three to be part of the physical universe again. Once freed, they made their way to Earth to get revenge against Superman where they exposed him to Red Kryptonite and began sending the Super Friends into the Phantom Zone.
• In Superman, the Phantom Zone appeared in the 1988 Ruby-Spears animated television series where it appeared in the episode "The Hunter". Within this continuity, its shown that Zod along with Ursa and Faora were prisoners within the Phantom Zone who were plotting their revenge against the son of Jor-El. To achieve this feat, Ursa and Faora created a chemical pool where they formed the Hunter as the instrument for their vengeance who managed to pierce the barrier of the Zone to arrive on Earth. After seemingly achieving his goal, Zod commanded the Hunter to fulfill his promise in freeing them whereby he managed to use the Phantom Zone Projector to open a doorway. However, only Zod managed to cross whereupon the still alive Superman took the Projector away. The pair of villains followed Kal-El but he managed to destroy the Hunter and used the Projector to send Zod back to his prison within the Zone thus defeating him.
• In Superman: The Animated Series, the Phantom Zone made an appearance as part of the DC Animated Universe with it first being mentioned in "The Last Son of Krypton". It was said to had been a prison dimension used to house Krypton's worst criminals. Jor-El planned to put the Kryptonian population into the Phantom Zone and return them to normal on Earth but the planetary council refused his request. In "Blasts From the Past", it was shown that the Phantom Zone Projector had been placed onboard Kal-El's ship that brought him to Earth. Emil Hamilton discovered it and Superman later freed the seemingly reformed criminal Mala. However, after she felt Superman had spurned her she proceeded with freeing Kryptonian criminal Jax-Ur on Earth.
• In Legion of Super-Heroes, the Phantom Zone made an appearance but was not named as such in the episode "Phantoms". It was described as a dimension whose inhabitants were kept in a phantom-like non-corporeal state and trapped in stasis as a prison. The Phantom Zone Projector was present in an exhibit at the Superman Museum by the 31st century. It was stated to be older than Superman and was used to trap numerous criminals. A young time displaced Superman in the future accidently activated the machine freeing Drax and his pets. He battled the heroes when they attempted to send him back but Drax turned the Phantom Zone Projector on the Legionnaire stranding them in the Zone whilst he destroyed the Projector. Whilst in the Zone, the Legionnaire were attacked by its numerous ghostly inhabitants that were immune to physical attacks though Phantom Girl proved to be the only person able to fight them. However, Brainiac 5 made use of Phantom Girl's powers to open a portal back to their world with Superman sending Drax back to the Phantom Zone by the temporary doorway.
• In Supergirl, the Phantom Zone was part of the setting and featured in the pilot episode. It was the site of Fort Rozz that was established as a prison by Krypton to hold Kryptonian and alien criminals. When Krypton faced destruction, the planet sent two survivors away with these being a baby Kal-El and his older cousin Kara Zor-El. However, the shock wave from the destruction knocked Kara's ship into the Phantom Zone where it remained trapped in stasis for 25 years. This was until the modern age when it managed to breakthrough and headed to Earth but the ship managed to bring Fort Rozz similarly to that world where it's prisoners escaped.

Films

The Phantom Zone from Brainiac Attacks.

• In Atom Man vs. Superman, a dimension similar to the Phantom Zone appeared in the 1950 live-action black & white serial film where it was known as the The Empty Doom. Lex Luthor as the Atom Man sent Superman into the Empty Doom in an attempt to imprison him for all of time.
• In Superman: Brainiac Attacks, the Phantom Zone made an appearance after the modified Lex 9000 satellite controlled by Brainiac was used to critically poison Lois Lane in Metropolis after she was exposed to a Kryptonite beam. A guilty Superman returned to the Fortress of Solitude to find a cure where the Kryptonian computers informed him that Earthly medicine had no cure for this blood-alloy transfusion of Kryptonite that would eventually kill Lois. However, the machine intelligence did reveal of a cure located within the Phantom Zone itself where there was a rare element known as Argonium 44 present within the heart of the Zone itself. This would provide not only a cure but resistance to Kryptonite for Kal-El as well after being exposed to it. The computer warned that the Phantom Zone was not only filled with the threat of criminals from all over the universe being imprisoned there but more dangerous creatures were present and that a prolonged stay would eventually deprive Superman of his yellow sunlight abilities if he remained within it for too long. When travelling into the Phantom Zone, Kal-El was initially attacked by a monstrous serpentine flying creature that he managed to knock away. At the center of the Zone, he found a waterfall containing the Argonium 44 which he bathed in and took a sample whereupon he returned to Earth to cure Lois Lane as well as defeat Brainiac.
• In All-Star Superman, the Phantom Zone made a brief appearance in the animated film. The Kryptonian explorers Bar-El and Lilo chastised Superman for not freeing their criminally insane kin in the Zone. Both Barl-El and Lilo were later fatally wounded from exposure from Kryptonite from their homeworld's destruction necessitating Superman sending them to the Phantom Zone to save them.
• In Man of Steel, the Phantom Zone was showed as an other dimensional prison with a gateway to it constructed above Krypton. During the final days of Krypton, an insurrection led by General Zod was thwarted with him and his followers placed in stasis on a prison ship sent into the Zone. At that time, Jor-El had constructed an escape ship for his newborn son Kal-El to escape the planets imminent destruction with this craft using a Phantom Drive to accomplish this feat. After Krypton was destroyed, Zod's prison ship emerged into the material universe again. The Phantom Zone criminals salvaged components to create a Phantom Drive for FTL capabilities. The U.S. Military used Kal-Els escape ships Phantom Drive as a bomb against the Kryptonian prison ship when Zod brought it to conquer Earth leading to a battle with Superman.
• In The Lego Batman Movie, the Phantom Zone appeared in the setting of the 2017 animated film.

Video games

• In Injustice: Gods Among Us, the Phantom Zone appeared both in the story and as an environmental trap within the Fortress of Solitude where it resembled the Donner Superman: The Movie and Superman II.
• In Infinite Crisis, the Phantom Zone did not appear in the MOBA game but was mentioned in the backstory of Nightmare Superman. On the Nightmare Earth, a tear into the Phantom Zone formed whereby shades from that dimension emerged that proceeded with attacking the population. To combat it, the Superman of this world travelled into the Zone where he battled the entity Aethyr that was responsible for this attack. However, when Superman returned to his world, he found the citizens turned into shades as well. In despair, Kal-El fell into a rage and absorbed the energy of the Phantom Zone to become a nightmarish phantom entity known as Nightmare Superman.
• In DC Universe Online, the Phantom Zone appeared in the setting of the MMORPG video game.

Appearances

• Adventure Comics v1: (1961)
• Action Comics v1:
• Superman:
• Action Comics v2:
• Superman v5:

External Link

• DC Database Entry
• DC Animated Wiki Entry
• Superman Wiki Entry
• Smallville Wiki Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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