Superman: Every Live-Action Version Of DC's Phantom Zone

One of the big Superman concepts that has been depicted in live-action both in film and TV is the interdimensional prison known as the Phantom Zone. Throughout the decades, the Last Son of Krypton has appeared numerous times, both on the big and small screens. Whether it is in the TV shows or movies, whenever Superman is adapted from page to screen, there is a lot that creators get to bring in from his world. From many supporting allies to iconic Superman villains, there is a ton to incorporate from the comics.

In the Superman books, there is the Phantom Zone; an interdimensional prison that was introduced in DC back in April 1961. Like most things in the comics, the Phantom Zone has been reimagined thanks to multiple retcons throughout history. Regardless of what era, the Phantom Zone has always played a crucial role in Superman stories. Traditionally, the prison is where Kryptonian criminals like General Zod, Faora, Ursa, Non, and many more got sent to serve their time. Even heroes have managed to get stuck there, primarily by accident.

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Through most Superman live-action adaptations, the Phantom Zone has at some point been incorporated to serve as an obstacle for the Man of Steel. When stuck in the Phantom Zone, by mistake or otherwise, Superman and his various Kryptonian family members or allies are always stripped of their Kryptonian powers. That is why it's always challenging for the Superman family whenever TV shows or movies use the Phantom Zone.

Superman & Superman II

The way that Superman and Superman II designed the Phantom Zone was a little more simplistic due to the time when the films were made. Christopher Reeve's Superman movies portrayed the Phantom Zone as a rhombus-shaped mirror-like prison that would then spin around in space. In the first Superman installment, General Zod, Ursa, and Non were sentenced to suffer in the Phantom Zone by Jor-El.

In Superman II, the Kryptonian criminals were released after Clark accidentally threw a nuclear bomb into space, which destroyed the Phantom Zone mirror. The spinning rhombus version of the Kryptonian prison did set the foundation for how other Superman live-action properties would later use the Phantom Zone. Regardless of the simple design, it is still one of the more iconic parts of those earlier Superman movies.

Supergirl (1984 Film)

After Superman III, Clark's cousin Kara Zor-El got introduced into that universe with Helen Slater starring in the 1984 Supergirl film. Unlike the first three movies, Supergirl actually showed the Phantom Zone, as the location became a big part of the story. Supergirl does, however, contradict the way the previous Superman movies presented the Phantom Zone.

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During a confrontation, Kara gets sent there thanks to the villainous witch Selena. Like many later live-action versions of the Phantom Zone, it served to strip Supergirl of her powers during her stay there. Supergirl portrayed the Phantom Zone as looking like a deserted planet. Kara eventually escaped the Phantom Zone through a portal with the help of Zaltar, a fellow Kryptonian.

Smallville

The first live-action Superman television show to ever feature the Phantom Zone was Smallville, which was properly introduced during the sixth season after Clark Kent was sent there by General Zod. Jor-El had created the Phantom Zone as a prison for some of the most dangerous criminals in the entire galaxy at some point in history. In the Smallville universe, criminals had their bodies destroyed while their souls got sent to the Phantom Zone, where they became phantom wraiths. Smallville's Phantom Zone was visually designed to also look desert-like with no living beings other than the criminals.

When Clark and Kara were temporarily stuck in the Phantom Zone, they had no Kryptonian powers due to the lack of a yellow sun. Alongside this, it was also dangerous should a wraith escape the Phantom Zone, as they had the power to take over bodies. There were several ways of entering and escaping the prison through Kryptonian crystals and secret portals. The prominent one was the House of El gateways that could be activated if a member used its blood to turn it on.

Man of Steel

Following the Superman movies and Supergirl, the Phantom Zone did not get featured again on the big screen until 2013 in Man of Steel. Unlike Smallville, there were no crystals that could get a criminal sent to the Phantom Zone. During the scenes on Krypton, General Zod and his army were sentenced to live 300 years in the Phantom Zone for their military coup. The DCEU version of the DC location was a plane of existence somewhere in subspace.

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The bodies of Zod and his army were frozen in cryostasis on their Black Zero ship that was sent through the Phantom Zone projector. The only reason Zod and his soldiers were able to escape was because of Krypton's destruction, which in turn compromised the Phantom Zone projector. Based on Man of Steel, the projector was the only way to enter or exit the prison.

Krypton

Smallville was not the only Superman prequel show to feature the Phantom Zone before Clark became the Man of Steel. In the short-lived SYFY series Krypton, Kal-El's grandfather, Seg-El, got trapped in the Phantom Zone during the season one finale. In Krypton season 2, viewers got to see a very different iteration of the interdimensional prison. As it was only shown from Seg's viewpoint, the show never specified who else had been sent to the prison.

Krypton's Phantom Zone is slightly different from the previous versions as Seg would be wandering around seeing alternative and painful futures. Visually, Krypton's Phantom Zone also had a completely different color scheme, instead choosing to go with a red-orange aesthetic. In addition to the color scheme, Krypton's Phantom Zone didn't look like an abandoned wasteland. Instead, it looked like Seg was trapped literally in outer space.

Supergirl

While Supergirl season 1 briefly showed the Phantom Zone, it was not until season 6 when the show visited the Arrowverse version of it. During the Supergirl season 6 premiere, Lex used the Phantom Zone projector to send Kara to the dimensional prison. Post-Crisis, it was revealed that her mother Alura had created the Phantom Zone. Similar to past live-action versions, people who were inside the prison were mostly stripped of their powers. The Arrowverse did add a twist about its Phantom Zone, revealing that humans would have to live through their deepest phobias.

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In terms of the Phantom Zone wraiths, Supergirl depicted them as a separate alien species known as Zulian Maletarians. Anyone infected by them would eventually turn into a phantom themselves. Rather than look like a wasteland, Arrowverse's Phantom Zone looked similar to the aesthetics from the Supergirl 1984 movie. In most Phantom Zone scenes, the prison was shown to be mostly made up of dark mountains and caves. Despite Superman & Lois also being set in the Arrowverse, it will be interesting to see whether or not the show portrays the Phantom Zone in a similar fashion.

Given how the Fortress of Solitude is designed differently on both shows, it would not be shocking if Superman & Lois takes a different approach in future seasons. It has been intriguing to see how different the Phantom Zone has been portrayed in past and ongoing Superman live-action projects. Just like with Superman's costume and villains, the complex dimensional prison can also be reimagined. Even though the Phantom Zone has already been part of several shows and films, it will certainly be used again in future Superman properties.

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