Non (comics)

Non
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Film:
Superman: The Movie (1978)
Comics:
Action Comics #845
(January 2007)
Created by Mario Puzo
In-story information
Species Kryptonian
Place of origin Krypton
Abilities Powers and abilities identical to those of Superman.
(Superhuman strength, super speed, flight, stamina and freezing breath, super hearing, multiple extrasensory and vision powers, and longevity)

Non is a fictional villain appearing in the DC Comics universe. An enemy of Superman, he is an associate of General Zod. He first appeared in the 1978 film Superman: The Movie, where he was portrayed by actor/former boxer Jack O'Halloran (who reprised the role in the 1980 sequel Superman II). Almost three decades later, the character made his comic book debut in Action Comics #845 (January 2007).

Film biography

Non initially appeared in the first two Superman films, Superman: The Movie and Superman II.

Superman

General Zod (Terence Stamp, center), Non (Jack O'Halloran), and Ursa (Sarah Douglas) in Superman II.

At the beginning of Superman, Non is one of the three Kryptonian criminals, along with General Zod and Ursa, on trial for their attempted coup against the Kryptonian government. With Jor-El as their prosecutor, the three are found guilty and sentenced to be imprisoned in the Phantom Zone. They are cast into the Phantom Zone portal shortly before the planet Krypton is destroyed. Non, lacking the ability to speak, communicates only through occasional whines and moans as well as his penchant for wanton violence. Non's name is mentioned twice during the film Superman II, once in the beginning by the unseen prosecutor during the trial recap and once by Ursa ("he's caged Non"); Jor-El's only reference to him is to proclaim that he is "a mindless aberration, whose only means of expression are wanton violence and destruction."

In Superman: The Movie, prior to the destruction of Krypton, the criminals General Zod, Ursa, and Non are sentenced by Jor-El to banishment in the Phantom Zone.

Superman II

After many years of traveling through the galaxy, the Phantom Zone is shattered near Earth by the shockwave from the detonation of a hydrogen bomb launched into space by Superman while saving the Eiffel Tower and the city of Paris. The three criminals are freed, finding themselves with super powers granted by the yellow light of Earth's sun. After attacking human astronauts on the moon and the small town of East Houston, Idaho, the three travel to the White House and force the President of the United States to surrender to Zod (on behalf of the entire planet) during an international television broadcast. When the President warns Zod that Superman will stop them, Zod announces his demand for Superman to come and "kneel before Zod!"

Prior to Zod's arrival, Clark Kent and Lois Lane are sent on assignment for the Daily Planet to Niagara Falls. Lois becomes suspicious that Clark is Superman and tries to lure him into revealing his identity by throwing herself into the Falls, but Clark manages to save her with subtle use of his powers. That night, Clark accidentally reaches into the room's fireplace to recover Lois' fallen hairbrush; when Lois discovers his hand is not even burnt, Clark is forced to admit he is Superman. He takes her to his Fortress of Solitude near the North Pole and shows her the traces of his past stored in the energy crystals of the Fortress, one which Lois misplaces under her purse. Superman decides to undergo a transformation to make himself human by exposing himself to red Kryptonian sunlight harnassed within a molecular chamber in the Fortress to become romantically closer to Lois, a process which destroys many of the energy crystals. After spending the night together, the two return to populated areas by conventional means, and soon learn of Zod's demand. Realizing that humanity cannot fight Zod themselves, Clark decides to return to the Fortress to try to reverse the transformation.

Lex Luthor, who has managed to escape from jail (with Eve Teschmacher's assistance), has tracked down the Fortress, prior to Superman and Lois' arrival, using an alpha wave detector, and learns from the crystals of Superman's connection to Jor-El and of General Zod. He traces Zod to Washington D.C., and offers to lead Zod to Jor-El's son in exchange for control of Australia. Accepting his offer, the three Kryptonians are directed by Luthor to the offices of the Daily Planet where they abduct Lois. Superman arrives, after having found the misplaced crystal and reversing the transformation process, and attempts to fight the three. Zod realizes Superman cares for the innocent humans and take advantage of this weakness to force Superman into submission. In order to protect Metropolis, Superman flies off towards his Fortress, with Zod, Ursa, and Non giving chase and carrying Lois and Luthor with them.

At the Fortress, Superman attempts to lay one last trap to stop Zod but fails. As Zod holds Superman in submission, Luthor reveals the ability of the Fortress to revert Superman into a human, a punishment that Zod sets forth. When Superman steps into the transformation chamber, the rest of the Fortress is bathed in red light. The three villains realize too late that Superman, knowing of Luthor's treachery, altered the transformation process to expose everyone outside the chamber to the red light, thus canceling Zod, Ursa, and Non's Kryptonian powers. With Lois' help, Superman is able to send the criminals into the bottomless depths of the Fortress.

The re-edited version of the film called Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut revealed that Superman reversed the Earth's rotation back to the past few days where he made sure that General Zod, Ursa, and Non remained in the Phantom Zone.

Fictional comic biography

In October 2006, film director Richard Donner, noted for his work on the first two Superman movies, began to write Action Comics in collaboration with Geoff Johns. After an unidentified Kryptonian boy crash lands in Metropolis and is taken in by Lois Lane and Clark Kent, he is followed by three more Kryptonians in identical vessels: General Zod and Ursa (who claim the boy as theirs) as well as Non. In these comics, Non is portrayed as being more bulky than in the Superman II movie but maintaining the same personality.

It was revealed that Non was a friend to Jor-El, as well as a member of the Kryptonian Council, while they discovered Krypton's instability. After leading a separatist movement, Non was abducted by the Science Council and lobotomized, leading to his current status as a minimally-verbal brute. Although a now highly aggressive and mentally lacking enforcer for Zod, Non has apparently retained a level of his old personality and kindness, when dealing with young children. In another Action Comics Annual it is explained that after Zod and Ursa give birth to their son who would later become Christopher Kent, Non behaved not only docile but caring towards Chris during his early childhood.[1]

After being re-imprisoned in the Phantom Zone by Superman and Chris, Zod, Ursa, and Non once again returned to the Prison. Unknown to the first two, Chris took secret refuge in the prison with only Non aware of him. Non continued to behave as a protective caretaker towards Chris, bringing him food and hiding him from his parents. When Chris was at last found and tortured by his parents, another Kryptonian Thara Ak-Var arrived to rescue Chris; Non was quick to help them as a final act of his humanity and kindness.

Non is punished for this act and made an aspirant in the Kryptonian military under lieutenant Asha Del-Nar, in a unit designated Red Shard. Superman is placed into the Military Guild, named Commander of the Red Shard unit. Superman finds the other Aspirants are forcing Non to fight a wild animal as a hazing, which he stops. Since this he has been loyal to Kal-El. When trying to round up some wild thought-beasts, Non see himself holding a young girl.

Powers and abilities

While on Earth in the Superman II movie, Non had super-strength, invulnerability, super-speed, flight, marginal heat vision, and super breath. Non stands at 6'6". In recent comics, Richard Donner has portrayed Non's strength as greater than that of General Zod and Ursa put together; yet Non is neither as intelligent nor as brutal as the other two. Jor-El is shown here to have been mentored by friend and noted scientist Non, who corroborated Jor-El's findings regarding Krypton's impending destruction, when the two were arrested and brought to trial before the Council by Zod and Ursa. When Non defies the Council's dire prohibitions and elects to spread the word of the coming apocalypse, he is abducted by Council agents and apparently lobotomized, thus explaining the character's mute simple-mindedness, brutality, and destructiveness in line with Jack O'Halloran's performance as Non in the first two films. Appalled, Zod and Ursa propose to Jor-El that they band together and overthrow the Council, but Jor-El will have none of it. When their murderous insurrection fails, the Council forces Jor-El to exile them to the Phantom Zone and never speak of his findings again. The only other option offered by the council is execution of the three rebels. Jor-El complies because he feels all life is precious, even the lives of criminals. For this perceived betrayal, Zod declares that he will escape and conquer Krypton (confident that Jor-El will actually discover some way to save the planet) and force the scientist and his son to kneel before him one day. This echoes the statement Terence Stamp made in both Superman movies Donner directed: "You will bow down before me, Jor-El! I swear it! No matter if it takes an eternity! YOU WILL BOW DOWN BEFORE ME!! BOTH YOU, AND THEN ONE DAY, YOUR HEIRS!!!"

The movie version of Non is a birth-defect mute (although his comic-book alter-ego, Kru-El, spoke whole sentences) and appears to also be less intelligent than General Zod and Ursa; as stated by Jor-El, "His only means of expression are wanton violence and destruction."

Like all Kryptonians, he is vulnerable to Kryptonite and he may be vulnerable to magic as well.

Other appearances

Television

Video games

References

  1. ↑ Action Comics Annual #10
  2. ↑ Dan Wickline (2015-08-10). "No Flash/Arrow Crossover, But Supergirl Is Getting Red Tornado And General Zod (Updated) - Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News". Bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 2015-12-18.
  3. ↑ Lesley Goldberg (2015-10-12). "'Supergirl' Chris Vance as Non". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-12-18.
  4. ↑ "'Supergirl' season 1 finale recap: 'Better Angels'". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved 2016-04-20.

External links

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