Victor von Doom was full of confidence, unaware that his trust in his own genius would soon lead to his downfall. In the days leading up to the space mission, Doom made headlines everywhere, emphasizing the importance of the project and his vision for the future. Zod couldn't help but pity him, knowing the disaster that was about to unfold.
Meanwhile, the Black Queen had uncovered clues from an explosive device, tracing them to Western Europe. Zod hadn't considered this possibility—it complicated things. Western Europe referred to countries like Britain, France, and Germany, but Zod wondered if the explosive had been part of a terrorist plot rather than an attack targeting him personally. Regardless, the power of the explosives was too great for a mere terror strike, prompting Zod to investigate further, enlisting his animalized soldiers for the task. As mercenaries with considerable experience, they were well-suited for hard-to-reach places where electronic surveillance failed.
At the same time, Zod was progressing in his study of the symbiotes. He had thoroughly analyzed the life structures of the symbiotes known as Whip, Riot, and Tear, and had even figured out how to replicate them. However, instead of using them as individual entities, Zod erased their self-awareness through his psychic abilities, merging them into a single powerful symbiote battle suit. It reminded Zod of Deadpool's symbiote encounters, and he admired the raw power of this fusion, which far surpassed the strength of any single symbiote.
"This is almost like Captain America's 'Unit G' armor, just missing weapons like particle cannons and high-frequency swords," Zod mused. He lamented that without access to Kryptonian biochemical engineering, he couldn't create the full bio-cell colony armor he desired.
His experiments with the symbiotes didn't stop there. Knowing that symbiotes could reproduce and that their offspring were stronger, Zod forced Tear to lay an egg, using his electromagnetic powers to stimulate the process. As expected, when the new symbiote hatched, it immediately lunged at Zod, but he used his powers to heat the surrounding molecules, causing the symbiote to recoil in pain.
Although symbiotes could mimic their host's abilities, Zod had no intention of letting them replicate his own powers. To avoid this, he found a different host: one of his animalized soldiers. Once bonded with the symbiote, the soldier immediately turned aggressive and tried to attack Zod.
"Too weak," Zod commented calmly. With a mere gesture, he manipulated the surrounding magnetic fields, twisting the symbiote and the host into a distorted shape, rendering them powerless.
"What is your name?" Zod asked, examining the symbiote with his enhanced vision and electromagnetic senses.
"Roar," the symbiote replied with a growl, its voice guttural and filled with frustration.
"Good. I erased the consciousness of your three kin. You wouldn't want the same to happen to you, would you?" Zod warned, gesturing to the merged symbiotes, now just a lifeless suit of battle armor.
Roar hesitated before responding. "What do you want?" It knew it had little choice but to comply, realizing that Zod's power far exceeded anything it could resist.
"You will maintain your bond with the soldier, but from now on, you serve me. Disobey, and I'll erase your consciousness with a mere thought," Zod stated bluntly, his psychic influence firmly implanted in the symbiote's mind.
With no other option, Roar begrudgingly agreed. Zod, satisfied, knew Roar could be useful as a powerful henchman. It was stronger than Spider-Man, and if properly controlled, it would serve its purpose well.
Zod left the fused symbiotes in his laboratory, noting that they might come in handy in the future. He was particularly interested in the potential of Carnage, Venom's infamous offspring, knowing how powerful it could become. However, so far, the Black Queen's surveillance hadn't detected any sign of Venom spawning Carnage. To enhance monitoring, Zod had modified some of his nano-robots, equipping them with high-definition 4K cameras and night vision, ensuring nothing went unnoticed.
As Zod relaxed, enjoying a barbecue from his private farm, he watched the news. A report mentioned an escape from an independent prison—an African-American man named Carl Lucas, originally from Harlem, New York, was now on the run. The police suspected he might return to New York.
Zod smiled as he sipped his drink. This was Luke Cage, the very man Zod had been keeping an eye on. Carl Lucas, framed by a former friend, had been incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit. In prison, he had volunteered for an experiment designed to replicate the super-soldier serum, unknowingly becoming the indestructible Luke Cage in the process.
Marvel's world was full of superhuman events, and Zod had a front-row seat to it all.