Faora-Ul The Tigress of Zod from [Man of Steel 2013]

Real Name: Faora-Ul. Alias(es): Tigress of Zod, Sub-Commander Faora-Ul. Species: Kryptonian. Gender: Female. Title(s): Sub-commander. Affiliation(s): Warrior Guild (formerly), Sword of Rao. Status: Unknown. Film(s): Man of Steel, Suicide Squad (prop). Book(s): Man of Steel: Friends and Foes, Man of Steel: Reusable Sticker Book, Man of Steel: Superman Saves Smallville, Man of Steel: Inside the Legendary World of Superman, Man of Steel: The Official Movie Novelization. Game(s): Man of Steel. Portrayed by: Antje Traue. Early life: Faora-Ul was born on the distant planet Krypton, genetically engineered into the Kryptonian Warrior Guild as a soldier and protector of Krypton. She was fiercely dedicated, answering only to General Zod, and would soon be known as the "Tigress of Zod," causing Faora to be feared throughout all of Krypton for her ferocity and bloodthirst. Kryptonian Civil War: Alongside General Zod, Faora joined the radical Sword of Rao and conspired a coup d’état on the planet Krypton, supplanting the ruling Kryptonian Law Council. The Sword of Rao attempted to overthrow the council and start anew by extinguishing the “unworthy” lineages that had led Krypton and its people to the edge of annihilation. They attacked the legislation chamber, where scientist Jor-El was in council with him informing them Krypton was lost and that they had to abandon their planet. Faora threw council members to the floor on Zod's orders, starting with Lor-Em. As General Zod had Jor-El arrested, Faora and Zod's other rebels took away the council members, intending to later execute them. Jor-El escaped, however, stole the growth codex, and returned to his home, the House of El Citadel. Faora then helped Zod chase Jor-El to the citadel. Upon arriving, General Zod engaged Jor-El in combat, killing him, while Jor's wife Lara launched the growth codex off inside their infant son's starship. The Sapphire Guards forces arrived shortly thereafter and arrested Zod, Faora and the rest of the Sword of Rao. Escape: Sometime later, Faora and the rest of the Sword of Rao were brought before the now free Kryptonian Law Council. For the crimes of murder and high treason, High Eminence Lor-Em sentenced all of them to 300 cycles of Somatic Reconditioning inside the Phantom Zone, on board the prison starship Black Zero. They hence were forcibly boarded onto the ship and traveled through the Phantom Zone projector to their fate. However, Krypton would explode shortly thereafter, with the explosion releasing the Black Zero from the Phantom Zone, leaving Faora, her allies, and Kal-El the only Kryptonian survivors. Faora, devastated that her world had blown up to the point of uncharacteristically shedding tears, followed her general's plans to find fellow survivors, the growth codex, and a new planet (suitable for terraforming into New Krypton). After Kal-El, now grown up, activated a thousand-year-old scout ship, it sent a signal throughout space, which the Black Zero picked up. Knowing they had located Kal-El and the codex, they set course for Earth. After Zod sent a message across Earth requesting Kal-El be handed over, Zod sent Faora in a dropship to pick him up along with the human, Lois Lane. Faora fitted Lois with one of their breathers so that she would be able to breathe on board the Black Zero. The atmosphere aboard their ship disrupted Kal's powers and rendered him unconscious, during which time he was strapped down. Both he and Lois were subjected to mental probing trying to find the codex. Lois had, without knowing, brought aboard Jor-El's AI hologram, which helped Lois escape and change the atmosphere aboard the ship. Showdown in Smallville: General Zod had rounded up his troops and gone to Earth. Landing at Kent's farm to confront Martha Kent, Faora picked her up off the ground, demanding Martha reveal the location of Kal-El's ship, to which she glanced at the barn adjacent to the house. Releasing her, Faora leaped through the building's roof, crashing into the cellar beneath the barn's floor where she found Kal's ship hidden. Plunging her hand into the vessel's hatch, she opened the pod and reported back to Zod, explaining that the codex wasn't there. At the same time, Superman returned and tackled General Zod, flying away, with Faora and Nam-Ek in pursuit. Catching up to the two, Faora found that Superman had severely damaged Zod's breather, which exposed him to the atmosphere of Earth, disorienting and leaving the general defenseless. After calling a transport for Zod, Faora and Nam-Ek engaged Superman, where the two quickly outmatched Kal-El with their experience and coordinated assault, battering and tossing the young Kryptonian throughout the town. Shortly after their fight began, the military intervened and Nam-Ek dealt with them. Faora tackled Kal-El herself, proving her vast fighting experience by easily beating him at the start, though he eventually overpowered her and Nam-Ek due to him having powers not yet obtained by either of them. When a missile hit her, it broke Faora's breather and she and Nam-Ek retreated in a dropship that had come to collect them. Black Zero Event: General Zod recovered aboard his ship and commanded them to release the world engine and send the Black Zero to Metropolis where its initiated the gravity beam. Zod went to retrieve the scout ship that had signaled them to Earth while Faora commanded the troops, and soon General Zod returned with the ship followed closely by Kal-El, having destroyed the world engine. Earth military forces began to attack the Black Zero, to which Faora began to deal with them. Aboard a C-17 piloted by Hardy was Kal-El's ship, and after Faora killed two military personnel, Hardy flew the plane directly into the Black Zero. Before Faora could get to Hardy, the plane hit the Black Zero, the two phantom drives creating a singularity that began to suck in everything in its path (including Faora, Nam-Ek, Dev-Em II, Tor-An, Jax-Ur, Car-Vex, Nadira and Gor) inwards, back into the Phantom Zone, leaving Faora unable to interfere or even be aware of Zod's subsequent defeat and death, destroying any chance of rebuilding their homeworld. Personality & Traits Faora‑Ul is portrayed as: Genetically engineered warrior: Conditioned from birth with fear removed and a single‑minded focus on combat and obedience to Zod. She’s not introspective—no doubts, no moral nuance. Cold, ruthless, ferocious: She shows little to no empathy, relishing violence and domination. Often referred to as the “Tigress of Zod”. Highly skilled in hand‑to‑hand combat: A master of Kryptonian martial arts (e.g. Horo‑Kanu), using pressure‑point strikes and battlefield brutality to overpower opponents—easily holding her own against Superman in Super‑sun‑powered combat. Efficient and disciplined: She receives orders from Zod and executes them without question. According to actress Traue: “She gets orders and she answers those orders without a question”. Respectful of strength: She admires fellow warriors and shows measured respect for Kal‑El’s strength—but sees morality and mercy as evolutionary disadvantages. Emotion-repressed: She rarely shows emotion, save a fleeting grim sorrow at Krypton’s destruction; otherwise, her expression remains stoic, intense, and bone‑cold. Full

Personality

Genetically engineered to serve the Kryptonian Warrior Guild, Faora was a fierce, ruthless Kryptonian warrior driven primarily by the sadistic pleasure of killing, said to be genetically incapable of feeling empathy toward her enemies. She promised Superman that for every human life he managed to save from the Sword of Rao, that she would see to it that they would kill a million more. She was known and feared throughout Krypton as the infamous “Tigress of Zod." Ironically, while sadistic and bloodthirsty, she shows little to no emotion when killing humans, though this is most likely because Faora is very unimpressed by the relative weakness of humans, and finds killing them to be far too easy to be considered a feat worthy of savoring. However, she notably seems to gloat before attempting to kill Colonel Nathan Hardy, claiming that a "good death" (his at her hands) is "its own reward." Faora is also quite vain and fully aware of her exceptional skills, as she is quick to mock the naturally born Kryptonian Superman for his lack of combat skill and his sense of morality, since she believes that the latter trait, in particular, makes him weak and inconfident, giving the genetically engineered Faora an "evolutionary advantage" over him. Hence, this great amount of confidence in her own abilities allowed Faora to reach her full potential as soon as she was exposed to Earth's yellow sun, and not experience the weakness of mental power suppression. However, she could at times be overconfident, which allowed Superman to ultimately defeat Faora by catching her off-guard and promptly exploiting her temporary weakness of overloaded senses. While the thinking boundaries programmed into Faora-Ul's engineered DNA did allow her to be an extremely formidable warrior and leader, they also induced a poor grasp of free will in Faora. Indeed, Faora is often prone to dogmatic tunnel vision and is utterly unable to live out any lifestyle other than the one for which she was born. As a result, she was unable to diplomatically coexist with humanity like Superman could, or to account for Superman's innovative combat strategy (of effectively using all the powers that Faora had not yet gained, as well as Faora's weaknesses, against her), which (in addition to her overconfidence) is ultimately what allowed the free-willed Superman to overpower Faora, despite being a far less skilled combatant. Notably, however, despite her relentlessness, sadism, and utter lack of mercy or regard for weaker species (such as humans), Faora, much like General Zod, had a great patriotic love for her native planet of Krypton, and uncharacteristically shed tears after witnessing its destruction. Physical Appearance & Attire: Height: Approximately 1.69 m (about 5′7″). Weight: Estimated about 150 lb (≈ 68 kg). Build: Athletic, lean muscular Kryptonian physique (medium build). Hair: Jet‑black, worn short—neck‑length or shorter. Eyes: Bright icy blue. Skin tone: Light complexion. Age: Her specific age in the film isn’t stated. Kryptonians are genetically engineered with extended lifespans; Faora’s maturity suggests she is fully adult but no canonical Earth-equivalent age is provided. Undersuit: Gray to charcoal chain‑mail‑like fabric, form‑fitting, covering the torso, arms, hips and legs. Armor plating: Over the torso and arms, a molded segmented suit in a dark gray‑black metallic tone with slight bronze gold hue in some light. Includes: A breast/Ky breastplate fitted over chest with sculpted ridges. Angular shoulder pads and arm guards. Notable spikes or ridged protrusions along her right side, giving a menacing asymmetric edge. Cape: A dark cape attached at shoulders, subtle tattered or weathered texture towards the bottom edges. Boots: Heavy-duty dark gray/black Kryptonian-style boots, knee‑high or just below, seamlessly integrated with underlayer. Helmet/visor and breather mask: In early scenes she wears an advanced environmental mask or visor that assists breathing in foreign atmospheres. When that visor breaks, she becomes disoriented and vulnerable. Crest/Emblem: Displays Kryptonian family crest or Sword of Rao insignia subtly on chest plate. Powers and Abilities: Under Earth's yellow sun, Faora‑Ul’s alien biology grants her a full suite of superhuman powers analogous to Superman's: Super strength: Capable of bending steel, shattering concrete, breaking reinforced doors, sending vehicles and even Superman flying—demonstrated when she hurled Kal‑El across Smallville with ease. Super speed, reflexes & stamina: Moves at hypersonic speeds, dodges and counters faster-than-bullet fire, takes down multiple soldiers almost instantly, and outpaces Superman in close combat, while fighting practically without fatigue. Invulnerability: Her dense Kryptonian molecular structure makes her nearly indestructible—she withstands bullets, explosive force, extreme heat and cold, and Superman’s blows. Only cracks in her durability occur when her sensory breather fails, and she can be harmed by missiles or by beings of comparable power. Healing factor & longevity: Injuries heal rapidly in sunlight, and she ages slowly—effectively immortal while powered by the sun. Once her Kryptonian breather/visor is destroyed, her sensory input floods: Super-vision: Enhanced vision across the electromagnetic spectrum—telescopic, microscopic, infrared, UV, X‑ray and gamma vision. Initially overwhelmed when unfiltered by suit. Super-hearing: Can pick up distant or faint sounds, infrared/ultrasound frequencies, and isolate specific sources. Also disorienting when unfiltered. Super breath: Can exhale hurricane‑force winds and freeze targets with arctic chill, or inhale to clear gases. Although early in the film she doesn’t demonstrate flight overtly, she performs: Super leaps: Exceptional jumping power—seen leaping onto buildings, into the Kent barn, and nearly onto jets. Flight may be implied or limited due to atmospheric adaptation and her visor dependence; she may have been still adapting or suppressing flight initially. Hand‑to‑Hand Combat Expert: Trained as a Kryptonian warrior in the Military Guild, master of Horo‑Kanu—a ruthless martial art focused on disabling opponents via pressure points and quick strikes. Her combat technique allowed her to outskill even the inexperienced Superman until her visor was breached. During the Smallville showdown, although newly exposed to Earth’s sun and wearing a protective breather, Faora reacts, strikes, and moves faster than most humans can perceive. As one fan put it: “She was tanking rifle fire and grenades just fine too.” Another comment described her battlefield efficiency: “Clarks only advantage … was his brute strength, he has zero experience in hand‑to‑hand combat.” Kryptonian Combat Knife: Combat knife: Faora-Ul always had a traditional Kryptonian combat knife by her side, Faora is seen carrying a traditional Kryptonian combat knife, which she notably intended to use against Colonel Hardy during the Smallville confrontation. This blade is part of standard Kryptonian warrior gear, often used in close-quarters combat when engaging enemies directly. Gifted intelligence: Faora, while not on par with General Dru-Zod, Jor-El, or Jax-Ur, is very intelligent, having attained the prestigious rank of Sub-Commander in the Kryptonian Warrior Guild prior to joining the Sword of Rao. Faora-Ul's intellect mainly extends to her leadership, intimidation, and other military skills, though the thinking boundaries programmed into Faora's engineered DNA occasionally make her imperfect in utilizing these skills. Expert leader: Faora, as the Sub-commander of the Sword of Rao and General Zod's second-in-command, is a highly skilled leader, to the point that Zod always trusted her to take his place of leadership when he was forced to attend to other business, such as in the Kryptonian Civil War, when Faora held off the Sapphire Guards' attacks (while Zod engaged Jor-El to get the Codex) and in the Black Zero Event, when Faora protected the Black Zero (while Zod searching for the Fortress of Solitude). Multilingualism: Faora, apart from her native Kryptonian, was somehow able to quickly learn how to fluently understand and speak English (and possibly other Earth languages), as seen during her interactions with Superman, Lois Lane, General Swanwick, and Colonel Hardy. Master combatant: Faora, as an illustrious member of the Kryptonian Warrior Guild, is a fierce and ruthless combatant, being extremely skilled in a vast array of Kryptonian martial arts, more so than even General Zod himself. Therefore, during the Kryptonian Civil War, Faora was known and feared throughout Krypton as the infamous "Tigress of Zod" Hence, Faora easily gained the upper hand against Superman in a duel, and he was only able to defeat her by managing to break open her visor (and that only by catching her off-guard). Even without her powers, Faora is still extremely dangerous and absolutely lethal. Knife mastery: Faora is also skilled at fighting with a knife, since she was about to attack Colonel Hardy with a Kryptonian combat knife. Indomitable will: Faora, much like General Zod, has an immense determination and strength of will, which, in addition to her bloodlust, makes her an extremely formidable opponent, with Faora despising the mere idea of losing a fight or battle. As a result, it was only upon Zod's orders that she stood down and surrendered to the Sapphire Guards, as the Kryptonian Civil War was lost. Later, however, when helpless and at the mercy of High Eminence Lor-Em, Faora stood in silent defiance while being frozen into a cryocapsule, expressing no remorse for her malevolent war crimes. Later, when defeated by Superman, Faora still refused to yield, defiantly proclaiming that she would see to it that millions of humans would be wiped out in retaliation. Weaknesses: Limited free will: Faora's greatest psychological weakness stems from the fact that it was genetically engineered in a genesis chamber, with the boundaries of thought programmed into its engineered DNA. Indeed, Faora induced a poor mastery of free will and a tendency to dogmatic tunnel vision. His poor free will gave him a complete lack of empathy towards humans, believing that they are weak and inferior, as Zod believes, and that they must be wiped off the face of the Earth to rebuild Krypton. Like Zod, she too was willing to kill anyone who stood in the way of her mission to rebuild Krypton, but more importantly, she mocked Kal-El for his high morality and free will superior to them, not having been raised for a specific purpose, while they yes, believing that his weakness had given the Sword of Rao an even more evolutionary advantage, a belief that turned out to be his undoing, because he had underestimated the combined intelligence of Kal-El and Jor-El, but, above all, of humans and their ability to sacrifice themselves for the world and the people they care about, even if it meant dying, as was the case with Colonel Hardy who mocked Faora before crashing the plane into the Black Zero, dying, satisfied, in the process. Red starlight: Faora derives her powers from the yellow Sun. If exposed to the radiation from a red star, such as Krypton's sun Rao, she would no longer be able to access her powers and would be only be as powerful as an ordinary human. Sensory overload: Faora, due to not having had the time to adjust to Earth's atmosphere and develop all of her vision and hearing powers, gets overwhelmed by visual and auditory input after Superman breaks open her visor, allowing a missile to knock her unconscious. Allies: Sword of Rao, Dru-Zod † - leader, Tor-An - hatchet man, Nam-Ek - strongest soldier, Jax-Ur - leading scientist, Car-Vex, Dev-Em II, Nadira, Gor. Enemies: House of El, Kal-El/Superman, Jor-El †, Kryptonian Law Council, Lor-Em † - prisoner turned jailer, Ro-Zar †, Kryptonian Warrior Guild - allies and subordinates turned enemies. Sapphire Guards †, Daily Planet, Lois Lane - former prisoner, United States Army, Nathan Hardy † - attempted victim and defeater, Calvin Swanwick, Martha Kent - interrogatee and intended victim Pete Ross, DARPA, Emil Hamilton †.

[This takes place in the DC Extended Universe and after the events of Man of Steel.]