Changes: Superman

Revision as of 21:54, 28 January 2016

"A good death is its own reward."

―Faora-Ul^[src]

Faora-Ul is an infamous Kryptonian war criminal and Sub-Commander of the Sword of Rao, serving as second-in-command to her superior officer, General Zod, and was one of the first great enemies of the hero Superman.

Biography

Life on Krypton

Faora was born on the distant planet Krypton, genetically engineered into the Kryptonian Warrior Guild as a warrior and leader. She was a fiercely dedicated soldier under General Zod’s command and alongside him conspired a coup d’état on the planet Krypton, supplanting the ruling Law Council. They attempted to overthrow the Council and start anew by extinguishing the “unworthy” lineages that had led Krypton and its people to the edge of annihilation. They attacked the Legislation Chamber where scientist Jor-El was in council with them informing them Krypton was lost and that they had to abandon their planet. Faora threw council members on the floor on Zod’s orders.

As Zod had Jor-El arrested, Faora and Zod's other men executed the Law Council. Jor-El escaped however and stole the codex and returned to his home. Faora helped Zod chase Jor-El to his homestead in pursuit. When there Zod engaged Jor-El in hand to hand combat, Zod killed Jor-El as his wife Lara Lor-Van launched the codex off inside their son’s ship. Loyalist forces arrived and arrested Zod, Faora and the rest of his men.

File:Zod's Coup.jpg

Faora at Zod's side during the coup.

Escape

"Shall I tell the General you're unwilling to comply?"

―Faora to Nathan Hardy^[src]

She searched for the codex, before being captured. The attempt was ultimately in vain and she and her fellow conspirators were placed in the Phantom Zone for their offences. As a result, when Krypton exploded they escaped death and eventually made their way to the planet Earth in search of Jor-El’s son who possessed the codex.

There they devised a plan on terraforming the entire planet into a new environment suitable to sustain a new generation of Kryptonians. Faora was returned to the Phantom Zone when the phantom drive from Kal-El's ship was used to against Black Zero's sucking all into a singularity.

They were put on trial in the Legislation Chamber and were sentenced to 300 years of reconditioning in the Phantom Zone. They boarded the Black Zero ship and travelled through the Phantom Zone Projector to their fate. Krypton exploded however and the ripple effect broke Black Zero free. Faora, horrified that her world had blown up followed her General's plans to find survivors and a new planet to rebuild Krypton.

File:Zod and Faora observe the destruction.jpg

Faora and Zod observe the remains of Krypton.

After Kal-El, now grown up, activated a thousands year old Scout Ship it sent a signal throughout space which Black Zero picked up. Knowing they had located Kal-El and the growth codex, they set course for Earth. After Zod sent a message across Earth requesting Kal-El be handed over, Zod sent Faora in a dropship to pick him up and also the human Lois Lane. Faora fitted Lois with one of their visors so that she would be able to breathe onboard Black Zero. The atmosphere aboard their ship disrupted Kal's powers and he was strapped down and both were subjected to mental torture and probing trying to find the codex. Lois had without knowing brought aboard Jor-El's AI hologram which helped Lois escape and change the atmosphere aboard the ship.

File:Faora Ship.jpg

Faora searching for the growth codex.

Battle of Smallville

"You are weak, son of El, unsure of yourself."

―Faora to Superman^[src]

General Zod had rounded up his troops and went to Earth. Landing at the Kent's Farm and confronting Martha Kent, Faora picked up her off the ground using her new powers wanting the codex after not finding it on Kal-El's ship. Faora threw her down to find Kal's ship hidden beneath the barn as Kal-El returned and tackled her General away. Faora and Nam-Ek went off in pursuit and confronted Kal-El in Smallville.

Faora vs Kal — Faora outmatching Superman.

The two quickly outmatched Kal-El with their numbers and pummeled him into the ground and through shop windows. As the military intervened and Nam-Ek dealt with them, Faora tackled Kal-El herself proving her vast fighting experience by beating him at the start, though he eventually overpowers her and Nam-Ek due to his superior solar-energy supply. When a missile hit her, it broke Faora's visor and she and Nam-Ek retreated after being picked up in a Dropship.

File:Faora boards the c-17.jpg

Faora boards the C-17.

Battle of Metropolis

General Zod recovered aboard his ship and commanded them to release the World Engine and send the Black Zero to Metropolis where its initiates the gravity beam as Zod goes to retrieve the Scout Ship, which signal brought them to Earth. Faora commands the troops and soon Zod returns with the ship as does Kal-El after destroying the Terraforming Generator. Earth military forces begin to attack Black Zero to which Faora begins to deal with them. Aboard a C-17 piloted by Hardy, they have Kal-El's ship and after throwing Lois out of the plane and killing 2 military personnel, Hardy flies the plane directly at Black Zero. Before Faora can get to Hardy the plane has hit and the Phantom Drive from Kal-El's ship against Black Zero's creates a Phantom energy singularity that begins to suck everything in it's path (including Faora and her men) inwards, back into the Phantom Zone.

Personality

Genetically engineered into the Kryptonian Warrior Guild as a warrior and leader, Faora was a fierce and ruthless psychopathic warrior (more so than even General Zod himself), driven by the need and sadistic pleasure of killing, genetically incapable of feeling empathy toward her enemies^[1]. She even promised Superman that for every life he managed to save from the Sword of Rao, that she would see to it that they would kill "a million more." As a result, she was known and feared throughout Krypton as the infamous “Tigress of Zod"^[2]. Ironically, while sadistic, she shows little to no emotion when in combat or killing humans, though this is most likely because Faora is unimpressed by the relative weakness of humans, and finds killing them to be far too easy to be considered a feat worthy of savoring.

Faora is also somewhat vain, as she is quick to mock the naturally born Kryptonian Superman for his lack of combat skill and sense of morality, since she believes the latter trait in particular makes him weak and unconfident, giving her an "evolutionary advantage" over him. Hence, this great amount of confidence in her own abilities allowed Faora to reach her full potential as soon as she was exposed to Earth's yellow sun, and not experience the weakness of mental power suppression.

However, despite her malevolence, ruthlessness and utter disregard for weaker races (such as humans), Faora, much like Zod, had a great patriotic love for her native planet of Krypton, and uncharacteristically shed tears after witnessing its destruction.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Kryptonian Physiology: As a Kryptonian, her bone structure is almost identical to that of humans. On the planet near a red class M main-sequence star (like Krypton with its sun Rao), Faora would have physical attributes nearly identical to those of humans, but if on a planet near a yellow G-type main-sequence star, she has many new abilities and powers, all of them far beyond the capabilities of humans and even most metahumans, making her appear godlike. However, Faora notably never did manage to master the powers of heat vision, x-ray vision, and flight.
- Solar Battery: Faora's Kryptonian cells absorb only yellow solar energy and this in turn fuels all of her powers and abilities. Her cells also store solar energy as well, allowing her to retain her powers under roofed structures or even at night, although she eventually needs a yellow sun to recharge her powers.
  - Super Strength: Faora has a tremendous level of superhuman strength, virtually incalculable, as she is able to carry more than 1 million tons. She can generate large shock-waves with her mighty punches, she can effortlessly hurl cars and trucks great distances, shatter concrete, break through thick metal walls and doors with ease, effortlessly overpower numerous human soldiers, and fight evenly against fellow Kryptonian Superman. In fact, Faora was able to hurl him all the way to the other side of Smallville, while her mighty blows were powerful enough to send him flying and visibly hurt him, making him stagger and pant in pain. She was also able to grasp Superman by the neck hard enough to make the latter wince in pain. Together with Nam-Ek, Faora was also able to force Superman back down when the latter tried to fly up into the air.
    - Super Leaps: Faora is able to use her incredible strength to perform super jumps, shown when she leaped into the Kents' barn, and when she almost leaped onto a flying military jet (only to be stopped by Superman just in time).
  - Super Speed: Faora can run and react at incredible speeds, allowing her to overpower numerous soldiers within seconds, without them being able to even react. Her speed seems to extend to her reflexes as well, since Faora manages to dodge a tackle from the equally fast Superman, and when he first attempted to engage her, Faora caught and deflected all of his blows with ease. The only known being capable of moving slightly faster than Faora is the speedster Flash.
  - Invulnerability: Faora's body is incredible durable, virtually indestructible. Hence, she can withstand massive explosions, falls from great heights, high-caliber bullets, anti-tank depleted uranium rounds, plasma bolts from Kryptonian weaponry, Superman's heat vision attack (though it caused her burning pain) and even numerous mighty blows from fellow Kryptonian Superman, remaining unscathed. While Faora can be affected by the considerable force of powerful impacts, they only at most cause her to stumble and briefly knock her down, leaving her unscathed. The only things capable of actually breaking through Faora's invulnerability and harming her are Aquaman's Trident^[3], Wonder Woman's Sword, and beings of comparable incalculable strength (such as other Kryptonians and the monster Doomsday), as they are strong enough to physically break though her invulnerability without the need of Kryptonite.
    - Healing Factor: In rare instances when she is hurt, Faora is capable of healing at superhuman speeds, especially in direct sunlight. However, if the injuries are serious enough to instantly kill her, her healing factor will not be able to save her.
  - X-Ray Vision: When her visor first broke open, Faora was initially overwhelmed by the sudden intensity of her x-ray vision (which enabled her to see through all objects and people), and was unable to control it. The only known materials known to be impenetrable to Faora's x-ray vision are lead, the force field of a Kryptonian breather (when rendered opaque)^[4], as well as the Kryptonian metal which the walls of the Fortress of Solitude were composed of^[5].
  - Super Hearing: When her visor first broke open, Faora was initially overwhelmed by the sudden intensity of her hearing (which enabled her to simultaneously perceive numerous feeble and far noises very clearly, including both infrasound and ulrasound), and was unable to control it.
  - Longevity: Kryptonians under a yellow sun have a lifespan far greater than that of humans. They don't show signs of age as long as the sun is there to empower them. Faora is unaffected by earthly diseases and draws energy from the sun to live, meaning that had Faora stayed on Earth, she would have effectively been an ageless immortal.

Abilities

Expert Combatant: as an illustrious member of the Kryptonian Warrior Guild, Faora is a fierce and ruthless combatant, being extremely skilled in a vast array of Kryptonian martial arts, more so than even General Zod. Hence, she was known and feared throughout Krypton as the infamous "Tigress of Zod"^[6] Faora easily gained the upper hand against Superman in a duel, and he was only able to defeat her by managing to break open her visor (and that only by catching her off-guard). Faora might also have some skill in wielding bladed weaponry, since she was about to attack Colonel Hardy with a Kryptonian combat knife. Hence, even without her powers, Faora is lethally dangerous.
Expert Leader: Faora, as the Sub-Commander of the Sword of Rao and General Zod's second-in-command, was a highly skilled leader, to the point that Zod always trusted her to take his place of leadership when he was forced to attend to other business, such as when she held off the Sapphire Guards' attacks (while he engaged Jor-El) and when she protected the Black Zero (while he searched for the Fortress of Solitude).

Weaknesses

Kryptonite: This radioactive green mineral from Krypton is Faora's the greatest weakness, as it is extremely deadly to her.
Red Sun Radiation: A red sun can rob Faora of the powers that she gains under a yellow sun. Because of this, an environment filled with red sun radiation and greater gravity (such as Krypton with its sun Rao) will render her to human levels.
Kryptonian Atmospherics: Breathing in an atmosphere, the composition of which is identical to that which was once on Krypton, and remaining in an environment shielded from any solar radiation (such as the interior of the Black Zero) induces Faora to lose access to her stores of solar energy, which, in turn, renders her to human levels. Kryptonian air will not, however, have such an effect on Faora when she is in an environment full of yellow solar radiation, as she still had access to her powers on Earth while wearing a breather with Kryptonian air.
Sensory Overload: As Faora has superhuman senses, her brain can be overwhelmed by the information it takes in. Though she can gradually learn to hone her senses in time, an attack on her sight and/or hearing can briefly stun and greatly weaken Faora, to the point that a direct hit from a missile was enough to knock a weakened Faora unconscious. While she compensates for this quite well by wearing a Kryptonian breather, it was ultimately broken open by Superman in their duel.
Beings of Equal Power: Beings of comparable incalculable superhuman might, such as other Kryptonians or the monster Doomsday, can generate enough force that can knock out, injure and even kill Faora, breaking through her invulnerability without the need of Kryptonite, much like how Superman was able to kill General Zod by breaking the latter's otherwise invulnerable neck.

Equipment

Combat Knife: Faora always had a traditional Kryptonian combat knife by her side, with her intending to kill Colonel Hardy with it.
Battle Armor: Faora, as a Warrior Guild member, was hardly ever seen not wearing a suit of extremely durable and fiercely intimidating Kryptonian battle armor, equipped with a breather.
Kryptonian Rifle: Faora wielded a Kryptonian plasma rifle while helping General Zod overthrow the Kryptonian Law Council, though it was ultimately confiscated by the Sapphire Guards.

Relationships

Allies

Sword of Rao
- General Zod † - leader
- Tor-An
- Nam-Ek
- Jax-Ur
- Car-Vex

Enemies

Superman - Archnemesis
Jor-El †
Kryptonian Law Council
- High Eminence Lor-Em † - prisoner turned jailer
- Ro-Zar †
Kryptonian Warrior Guild - allies and subordinates turned enemies.
- Sapphire Guards †
People of Earth
- Lois Lane - former prisoner
- Nathan Hardy † - attempted victim
- Martha Kent - interrogatee and intended victim
- Emil Hamilton †
- General Swanwick

Trivia

Faora is the first fellow living Kryptonian that Superman meets, as well as the first enemy that he ever engages in a straight-up physical fight.

Behind the Scenes

Diane Kruger, Rosamund Pike, Alice Eve and Lindsay Lohan were considered for the role of Faora before Antje Traue was cast.
Gal Gadot, who would later portray Wonder Woman, was offered the role of a villain in Man of Steel, presumed to be Faora, but turned it down due to pregnancy at the time.^[7]

External links

Faora at the Superman Wiki.

References

↑ Cox, Greg (2013). Man of Steel. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1781165997.
↑ Cox, Greg (2013). Man of Steel. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1781165997.
↑ Zack Snyder Defends Aquaman’s Honor
↑ Cox, Greg (2013). Man of Steel. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1781165997.
↑ Cox, Greg (2013). Man of Steel. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1781165997.
↑ Cox, Greg (2013). Man of Steel. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1781165997.
↑ Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman because she turned down a major ‘Man of Steel’ role - Batman-News

[1] Cox, Greg (2013). Man of Steel. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1781165997.

[2] Cox, Greg (2013). Man of Steel. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1781165997.

[3] Zack Snyder Defends Aquaman’s Honor

[4] Cox, Greg (2013). Man of Steel. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1781165997.

[5] Cox, Greg (2013). Man of Steel. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1781165997.

[6] Cox, Greg (2013). Man of Steel. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1781165997.

[7] Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman because she turned down a major ‘Man of Steel’ role - Batman-News

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

DC Extended Universe Wiki