It has been in the back of my mind since Supergirl #5.
Who shot Zor-El?
Kara saw the replay of his murder when she activated the memory crystal that was in her pod. But we didn't see the shooter.
The details of Kara's origins on Krypton, about her flight to Earth, are slowly being revealed in the comic. I have all sorts of theories about the wheres, the whens, and the hows. But who shot Zor-El has been the one mystery I keep coming back to as the answer may have a huge impact on the character.
And then we got the solicit For Supergirl #0 which included this statement.
• On the eve of Krypton’s destruction, who sent Supergirl from Krypton to Earth – and why? The answer is not what you think!
• Plus: Learn the answer to a mystery that’s been driving Supergirl mad for months: Who shot her father, Zor-El?!
We are a couple of months away from finally learning the truth!
But the return of Dallas on television reminded me of the big 'Who shot J.R.?' phenomenon which swept over American back in 1980.
So I thought I would take a poll to see who readers think shot Zor-El.
The poll is on the upper right of this site.
We are somewhat short on suspects. But these are who keep cropping up in my mind. I post them in the order of likelihood I have given them. I would love to hear what everyone else thinks! So please vote early and vote often!
1) World Killer scientists - It has been implied that Zor-El was one of the scientists working with the World Killer technology. The fact that the force field protecting Argo City is the same as the force field projected by the World Killer, Flower of Heaven lends credence to that. It also is hinted that this technology was controversial, maybe even illegal or done under the radar.
Zor-El may have been about to divulge the secrets of the World Killers (perhaps Kara's part in that experimentation?) on the memory crystal. And maybe the other scientists wanted to keep this information on a need-to-know basis. There was no other way to silence Zor-El except to ... well ... silence him.
2) General Zod - this is something of a variant of the World Killer scientists. It might be that the World Killer tech was being tested so it could be weaponized by the Kryptonian military. And maybe Zor-El was going to blow the whistle on the whole thing. Even giving Kara that information would be leaking military secrets. So maybe perennial House of El enemy General Zod decided to take matters into his own hands.
In the Silver Age, Zod was tried for making an army of Bizarros to try a coup d'etat. Maybe this time it was an army of World Killers he was making? It would echo nicely with prior incarnations.
Of course, that would make Zod more of a Supergirl rogue, even trumping Superman. Plus, it would mean the re-imagining of Zod would first appear in Supergirl rather than Action or Superman. I don't think DC or Grant Morrison would be willing to hand over the keys to such an important Superman character like that.
Alura had a complicated relationship with her daughter under Sterling Gates. It seems that maybe she will have a complicated relationship with this Kara. We first met her as a vision on Argo, pronouncing her love for Kara and urging her daughter to save herself. But in the last issue, it seems Alura might have a more traditional view of what Kara should have been doing on Krypton, different than what Zor-El was doing.
Could Alura have been so against the way Zor-El was raising Kara that she became irrational? Could Zor-El's plans of saving Kara been so wrong to Alura that she took matters into her own hands?
It would radically and irrevocably change who Alura is. It would substantially darken Kara's past. Unfortunately, that might seem desirable to DC.
It would be utterly and completely wrong. I strongly hope that Alura didn't do it. And I can't imagine that it would stand long-term before being ret-conned by some sort of 'Kryptonite poisoning' panacea.
4) The World Killers themselves - again this might be a riff on the first couple of guesses. Maybe the world killers were under the control of one of the scientists. They certainly don't seem happy about was what done to themselves. So maybe they decided to get some revenge and off one of the people responsible for their condition.
It would seem beneath them to simply shoot their enemy. And the blast doesn't look like one of the Flower of Heaven's blasts. And as Reign says they awoke in their tubes on Argo, I don't think they would be released and then somehow go back to the tubes or have been forced back to the tubes. So I don't think this is likely.
5) Jor-El - the dark horse. We haven't heard about any great relationship between the brothers. Maybe there is a family rift? Maybe that is why Kara doesn't want to hang out with Kal?
Of course, for the same reasons as Zod only more so, I don't think this is possible. Jor-El guilty of fratricide? The noble scientist a murderer? No way.
Of course, as new information is revealed, the suspect list will change.
But who do you think now?
9 comments:
I voted Alura-- not that that's what I want to happen! I don't even think that's what the writers want. But I do think that may well be the way DC wants to go, and I've heard too many stories of editorial mandate/interference in the New 52 to feel comfortable.
I voted 'other' and I think its probably law enforcement agency or citizens that find out about Zor-El's involvement with forbidden experiments and decided to kill him. Maybe stop him from sending Kara to Earth. Maybe because they believe her to be World Killer. Another good versions is the World Killer Scientists or Alura. Other variants seems not likely at all to me.
I voted World Killer Scientists because it would make sense for them to off Zor-El because he knew too much. If the murderer survived then that person would make an interesting villain for Supergirl to deal with...if the World Killers don't find that person first...
I think the reason they've made it a mystery at all indicates it most likely has to Be Allura. They've set up a deliberate mystery and whodunnit here and if it's revealed it's a fellow faceless scientist or Reign/Worldkiller it will only induce a big "So What" from the readership. Plus, given the tone of the book is to pile on as much angst and conflict as possible for Supergirl a plot involving Allura murdering her husband is made to oder... the obvious question though is that whoever it turns out to be has to still be alive somewhere for the plot to even matter in the first place.
I hope that it turns out to be someone other than Alura, though that's the easiest and most predictable villain here and fits in with the apparent plan to amp up Kara's angst/anger. I would be a shame if one of the few female heroes at DC that actually gets along with her parents has to become angry about that too.
Maybe we'll be lucky and what we saw here was not the whole story, maybe it will turn out to be misdirection and the answer won't be the obvious one. I hope so.
If I remember right a panel is shown right after Zor-El is shot shows a woman shaped shadow just before the crystal dies.
Thanks for all the comments.
Like a couple of you, I worry if a killer Alura is somehow desirable for DC. And that's crazy!
No opinion yet, I'm still not convinced this isn't a Matrix situation in the making.
:D
JF
Hopefully whoever did it is a original character. I really don't like J&G messing with the Supergirl myths too much.
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