Zor-El

Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A Kryptonian, he is the younger brother of Jor-El, husband of Alura, father of Supergirl, and paternal uncle of Superman. Traditional depictions of Zor-El in Golden Age and Silver Age DC Comics stories portrayed him as a benevolent scientist concerned for his daughter Kara, acting similarly to his older brother Jor-El in sending his child to safety on Earth. In the mid-2000s, DC experimented with different characterizations of Zor-El, even briefly casting him as a mad scientist with a grudge against his brother. A similar depiction was used when the character was adapted for television in the series Smallville. In 2010s stories following DC's The New 52 reboot, Zor-El has been an antagonist for Supergirl and Superman, having been transformed into the villain Cyborg Superman by Brainiac. Zor-El was portrayed by Simon Ward in the film Supergirl (1984), and is portrayed by David Krumholtz in the DC Universe film Supergirl (2026). Christopher Heyerdahl portrayed a villainous version in the TV series Smallville. Robert Gant portrayed the character in the Arrowverse television series Supergirl in the first two seasons, and Jason Behr portrayed him in the sixth season.