Krypton: Why Zod REALLY Travelled Back In Time

This week's episode of Syfy's General Zod traveled back in time to return to his home planet. We now know that defeating Brainiac was only part of his plan; it appears that Zod intends to rule Krypton, which could potentially make him the show's next big bad.

A few episodes ago, Krypton delivered a game-changing twist in the form of Lyta's son, who turned out to be a time-traveling General Zod from the future. Zod shocked Seg- El and the others by revealing Brainiac's true plans. Brainiac wasn't from the future, which means that his mission to destroy Krypton is part of his natural place in the timeline. According to Zod, his only goal is to save Krypton from Brainiac.

In the latest episode, titled "Savage Night", Zod bonds with his grandmother, Jayna (Ann Ogbomo), and recounts his famous comic book origin story, which includes his friendship with Jor-El, his failed attempt at a coup, and his banishment to the Phantom Zone. Zod explains that Jor-El was responsible for his exile. At the end of the episode, Jayna confides in Seg that she believes that Zod came back to Krypton with the purpose of ruling it, not saving it.

Zod's true goal was also hinted at in a conversation with Jax-Ur about who will fill the power vacuum now that Daron-Vex and the Voice of Rao are finally out of the picture. When Jax-Ur tells Zod that they'll need to discuss Krypton's new leadership, Zod responds, "I look forward to it", which does seem to indicate that Zod has ambitions of becoming the new ruler of the planet.

The new reveal is a reminder of Adam Strange's fear that someone other than Brainiac is conspiring to prevent the birth of Superman. The idea that someone other than Zod and Brainiac is behind the conspiracy led to a theory that Krypton was about to introduce a fourth Superman villain, which could possibly be Lex Luthor. However, it could be that Zod was the mastermind all along.

If Zod intends to rule Krypton, he likely plans to avert not only his planet's fate, but his as well. By changing his own destiny, he could create a world where he doesn't get banished to the Phantom Zone, and he doesn't have to fight Superman on Earth.