Phantom Zone

The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by kryptonians, it was designed as a place of exile for dangerous criminals; where time dilation behaves differently and the laws of physics don't apply. When someone is transported there, they do not age nor die, but they're trapped in a state of suspension. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283, and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp. It was frequently used in the Superman comics before the continuity was rebooted in the 1980s after Crisis on Infinite Earths and has appeared occasionally since.

Fictional history

Pre-''Crisis''

The Phantom Zone was a "pocket universe" discovered by Jor-El that existed outside the space-time continuum; it was used on the planet Krypton as a humane method of imprisoning criminals. Kryptonians had abolished the death penalty in the long distant past. In more recent history, criminals were punished by being sealed into capsules and rocketed into orbit in suspended animation with crystals attached to their foreheads to slowly erase their criminal tendencies; Klax-Ar was one criminal who received this punishment but escaped. Gra-Mo was the last to suffer the punishment, for it was then abolished in favor of the Zone.
The inmates of the Phantom Zone reside in a ghost-like state of existence from which they can observe, but cannot interact with, the regular universe. Inmates do not age or require sustenance in the Phantom Zone; furthermore, they are telepathic and mutually insubstantial. As such, they were able to survive the destruction of Krypton and focus their attention on Earth, as most of the surviving Kryptonians now reside there. Most have a particular grudge against Superman because his father created the method of their damnation, and was often the prosecutor at their trials. When they manage to escape, they usually engage in random destruction, particularly easy for them since, on Earth, each acquires the same powers as Superman. Nevertheless, Superman periodically released Phantom Zone prisoners whose original sentences had been completed, and most of these went to live in the bottle city of Kandor.
In the Steve Gerber miniseries The Phantom Zone #1-4, it is revealed that the Zone has a breach through which other inmates had escaped, but they were never heard from again. The imprisoned Superman and Quex-Ul use this method and travel through several dimensional "layers" seeking the exit into the physical universe. They finally encounter a Kryptonian wizard named Thul-Kar, who tells them that he believed Jor-El's prophecy of Krypton's doom and entered the Phantom Zone through magic. Using the same breach, he discovered that the Phantom Zone was born from an entity called Aethyr.

Post-''Crisis''

In the post-Crisis DC Universe, the Phantom Zone first appears after Superman returns from space with a Kryptonian artifact called the Eradicator. This device, created by his Kryptonian ancestor Kem-L, attempts to recreate Krypton on Earth, building the Fortress of Solitude; the extradimensional space in which the Eradicator finds the Kryptonian materials necessary is called the Phantom Zone. A Phantom Zone Projector is part of Superman's current Fortress. It has been used to access the Bottle City of Kandor and to trap villains such as the White Martians.
The Phantom Zone has been independently discovered by various characters. It it is called the "Buffer Zone" by the Bgztlians, the "Still Zone" by the White Martians, the "Stasis Zone" by Loophole, the "Ghost Zone" by Prometheus, and the "Honeycomb" by Queen Bee. In Post-Crisis/Post-Zero Hour continuity, it was Loophole's "Stasis Zone" technology that exiled Mon-El, known in the new continuity as Valor/M'Onel, into the Phantom Zone for 1,000 years.
Supergirl #16 shows a form of life native to the Phantom Zone. These Phantoms are enraged over the use of their universe to house criminals and seek revenge on the one responsible.

''The New 52''

In The New 52, Jor-El suggests going into the Phantom Zone when Krypton was about to explode. Zod, however, appears with other Phantom Zone prisoners and attempts to escape the Phantom Zone. Krypto sacrifices himself by attacking Xa-Du, thus going into the Phantom Zone as well.

Known inmates

Inmates in Pre-''Crisis''

Throughout the Silver Age of Comic Books, the following inhabitants of the Phantom Zone have been depicted. Based on this list, at least 34 Kryptonians were projected into the Phantom Zone on Krypton over a period of less than 256 Kryptonian days. The entry on the Kryptonian Calendar shows the details on the relationship between Kryptonian sun-cycles and Earth years.

Ak-Var – Ak-Var was sentenced to approximately 30 Earth years in the Phantom Zone for plotting to steal a revered relic called a Sun-Stone. After he serves his sentence, Ak-Var is released, moves to Kandor, and becomes the superhero Flamebird.
Ar-Ual – Ar-Val was sentenced to 50 Kryptonian sun-cycles in the Phantom Zone for destroying priceless knowledge and depriving Krypton of a millennium of scientific progress.
Az-Rel – Az-Rel is a petty criminal from the island of Bokos who possesses pyrokinetic abilities. He and his partner Nadira work together to terrorize the Kryptonian city of Erkol before being captured and sentenced to 15 Kryptonian sun-cycles in the Phantom Zone. The two are among those freed from the Zone when Quex-Ul is manipulated into building a crude Phantom Zone Projector. Later, Nadira is killed when Jer-Em exposes her to green kryptonite. She telekinetically inflicts pain on Az-Rel, which triggers his pyrokinesis, immolating him.
Bal-Gra – The history and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed. Bal-Gra once escaped from the Phantom Zone through a temporary space-warp. He battles Superman before being depowered by gold kryptonite and returned to the Phantom Zone.
Blak-Du – The history and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed. Blak-Du was Jor-El's roommate at Krypton College, and was rated as scientifically brilliant.
Cha-Mel – A Kryptonian boy who was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone after impersonating Jor-El and attempting to rob his house.
General Zod – He was sentenced to 40 Kryptonian sun-cycles for using a duplicator ray to create a private army of imperfect clones to overthrow the government.
Erndine Ze-Da - The history and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed. One day, a South Seas volcano exploded and the concussion opened a temporary gap in the Phantom Zone, enabling both Erndine Ze-Da and Dr. Xadu to escape. They concocted a plan to trap Superboy in the Zone, but he became aware of their scheme and stranded them on the planet Exon. Years later, Erndine and Dr. Xadu, who had since married and acquired the secret of the cosmic power-grip, escaped from Exon and returned to Earth. Superman defeated them again, and placed them in separate cells on two different worlds.
Faora – A martial arts expert and hater of males, who was sentenced to 300 Kryptonian sun-cycles in the Phantom Zone for killing 23 men in a concentration camp. She once escaped captivity by using telepathy to manipulate an Earthman named Jackson Porter into freeing her from the Zone.
Gann Artar – In one imaginary story, a criminal named Gann Artar was sentenced to 50 Kryptonian sun-cycles for using his de-evolutionary ray to create large, dangerous monsters.
Gaz-Or – After a lifetime of scientific villainy and because he was dying of old age, the Mighty Gazor attempted to use his earthquake machine to destroy Krypton. He was stopped by Jor-El, who had arrived just in time and was sentenced to the Phantom Zone for his crime. Gazor claimed that he had received the longest sentence ever given to anyone condemned to the Phantom Zone. This contradicts the fact that Jax-Ur and Orn-Zu both received life sentences, but after Mon-El was released from the Zone in the 30th Century, Gazor was indeed the only prisoner remaining in that ghostly dimension.
Gor-Nu – Once the greatest biochemist on Krypton, Gor-Nu's reckless experiments caused several deaths. He was sentenced to 50 Kryptonian sun-cycles in the Phantom Zone. When a lethal crystal-menace threatened to destroy the bottle-city of Kandor, Superman released Gor-Nu in the hope that he could figure out a way to stop it. Gor-Nu was successful, but he then tried to betray Superman. Gor-Nu's plans were foiled and he was returned to the Phantom Zone.
Gra-Mo and two assistants – The criminal Gra-Mo and his two assistants were captured, sentenced to life for attempting to take over Krypton with Gra-Mo's robot hordes, placed in suspended animation, and imprisoned in a space capsule which was placed into orbit around Krypton. They were the last criminals to receive this type of punishment. After Krypton's destruction, the capsule drifted through space, and they eventually awakened and traveled to Earth. When Superboy learned of their criminal nature, he figured out a way to defeat them and projected them into the Phantom Zone.
The Inventor – The history and sentencing of this non-Kryptonian prisoner was not revealed.
Jackson Porter – Phantom Zone prisoner Faora used telepathy to delude Jackson Porter into believing she was the ghost of his dead wife Katie. Faora soon manipulated him into freeing her from the Phantom Zone. After she is returned to the Phantom Zone, Porter follows her there.
Jax-Ur – A rogue Kryptonian scientist who was sentenced to an eternity in the Phantom Zone for breaking the law forbidding anyone to experiment with an untested explosive. His rocket missed its target and destroyed Wegthor, an inhabited moon of Krypton, killing 500 colonists. He was the first prisoner projected into the Phantom Zone on Krypton. Jax-Ur also became the first prisoner to escape the Phantom Zone when a passing comet created a momentary warp through which he slipped.
Jer-Em – A religious fanatic who was sentenced to 30 Kryptonian sun-cycles in the Phantom Zone for wiping out the superpowers of the people of Argo City by guiding it back toward a red sun, leaving the residents stranded in their city in space. Jer-Em was among those freed from the Phantom Zone when Quex-Ul was manipulated into building and activating a crude Phantom Zone Projector. Later, Jer-Em purposely exposes himself to Green Kryptonite to enter the Kryptonian afterlife.
Kru-El – A weapons designer and cousin of Jor-El. He was sentenced to 35 Kryptonian sun-cycles for developing an arsenal of super-powerful, forbidden weapons.
Kur-Dul – The history and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed. Kur-Dul served his full sentence and was released by Superman and the Kandorian parole board.
Lar Gand – A superpowered youth arrived on Earth with amnesia. He was found by Superboy, who suspected the youth may be his older brother. Superboy named him Mon-El, because they met on a Monday. When Mon-El was later exposed to lead, he collapsed in pain. His memory returned, and he explained that he is from the planet Daxam, whose natives have a lethal vulnerability to lead. To save Mon-El's life, Superboy projected him into the Phantom Zone. Mon-El spent 1,000 years in the Zone before he was released and cured by the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Lar-On – A Kryptonian who was inflicted with lycanthropy and transported to the Phantom Zone until he could be cured.
Lester Wallace of Earth – After being mentally manipulated by the Phantom Zone prisoner Zan-Em into developing a deep hatred of aliens and causing him to betray Superboy, Lester Wallace realized he had become the very thing he despised. He projected himself into the Phantom Zone as punishment.
L. Finn – The history and sentencing of this non-Kryptonian prisoner was not revealed.
Lois Lane – Lois Lane time-traveled back to Krypton before it exploded and was accidentally trapped in the Phantom Zone by Jor-El when he was testing his new Projector device. She spent more than two and a half decades there before she was discovered and released by Superman.
Marok – The history and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed.
Murkk – The history and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed. Murkk was among a group of Phantom Zone prisoners who escaped by focusing their mental energies on a piece of Jewel Kryptonite. He was later disintegrated by the Vrangs.
Nadira Va-Dim – Nadira was a petty criminal from Bokos, the Island of Thieves. She possessed psychokinetic powers. Her partner, Az-Rel, possessed pyrotic powers. Together they robbed helpless victims in Erkol, the oldest city of Krypton. Both were captured and sentenced to 15 Kryptonian sun-cycles in the Phantom Zone. The two criminals were among those freed from the Zone when Quex-Ul was manipulated into building and activating a crude Phantom Zone Projector. Later, Nadira was killed when the dying Jer-Em exposed her to green kryptonite.
Nam-Ek – A scientist who was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone for killing Rondors to harness their healing horns and gain immortality. The serum he creates instead transforms him into a humanoid Rondor.
Orn-Zu – Believing that Krypton's sun Rao would soon go nova, Orn-Zu created Jorlan, an android designed to hypnotically lure children away. He intended to use it to save his world's youth by kidnapping them and taking them away from Krypton. Orn-Zu was sentenced to an eternity in the Phantom Zone. When Jorlan arrived on Earth, it attempted to complete its mission. Orn-Zu convinced Superman to release him from the Zone, and they both confronted the android. Already dying from Pythagra Fever, Orn-Zu sacrificed himself to help stop his creation.
Py-Ron – Py-Ron was sentenced to 50 Kryptonian sun-cycles in the Phantom Zone for using forbidden experiments to turn humans into bird-like monsters. Years later, a volcanic eruption freed Py-Ron from the Phantom Zone. He donned a costume and harassed Superman, using the name Evil-Man. Superman soon captured Py-Ron and returned him to his prison. A few years after that, when Supergirl was forced through hypnosis by the Sisterhood of Evil to test a deadly poison on a super-human, Py-Ron agreed to be her test subject. When Py-Ron appeared to die, Supergirl was then forced to give the poison to Superman and herself. Luckily, Comet the Super-Horse had learned of the poison and altered it with his X-ray vision so that it only put the victims into suspended animation for a few hours. When Py-Ron woke up, he tried to earn his right to stay out of the Zone by flying to Feminax, the Sisterhood's homeworld, and killing everyone in retaliation. For his heartless action, Superman projected Py-Ron back into the Phantom Zone.
Quex-Ul – Quex-Ul was sentenced to nearly 25 Earth years in the Phantom Zone for killing Rondors to procure their horns. He was the last prisoner projected into the Phantom Zone on Krypton. When he served his full sentence, Quex-Ul notified Superman and was released. Quex-Ul intended on getting revenge on Jor-El, the man who sentenced him to the Phantom Zone, by exposing his son Superman to Gold Kryptonite. When Superman proved that Quex-Ul was innocent, having been framed by Rog-Ar, Quex-Ul attempted to stop Superman from being exposed. Quex-Ul inadvertently exposed himself and was robbed of his powers and his memory. Clark Kent set Quex-Ul up with a job at the Daily Planet using the alias Charlie Kweskill. Quex-Ul is later killed in battle with Aethyr.
Ral-En – A college friend and associate of Jor-El and son of the famous psychologist Mag-En. With the help of his father, Ral-En used hyper-hypnotism to make everyone believe that he had gained superpowers, then attempted to become ruler of Krypton. Jor-El exposed his scheme, and Ral-En was sentenced to the Phantom Zone. The existence of both baby Kal-El and the city of Kandor were crucial to this story. Since Kandor was stolen by Brainiac before the birth of Kal-El and the invention of the Phantom Zone projector, this entire story is impossible.
Ran-Zo – The history and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed.
Ras-Krom – The history and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed. Ras-Krom was a superstitious Kryptonian criminal who escaped the Phantom Zone when an atomic blast opened a small gap between worlds. He attempted to release the other prisoners, but was outwitted and re-imprisoned by Superman and Jimmy Olsen.
Roz-Em – The criminal Roz-Em had plastic surgery to look exactly like Nim-El. He attempted to steal a valuable weapon from the Armory of Forbidden Weapons, but was captured by Jor-El and the real Nim-El. He was placed in suspended animation, and imprisoned in a space capsule which was placed into orbit around Krypton. After Krypton's destruction, the capsule drifted through space, and Roz-Em eventually awakened and traveled to Earth. He planned on getting his revenge on Nim-El's nephew, Superboy, by pretending to be a Superman created from Superboy's exposure to Red Kryptonite. Superboy discovered Roz-Em's ruse and projected him into the Phantom Zone.
Shyla Kor-Onn – A brilliant scientist named Shyla Kor-Onn was sentenced to one Kryptonian sun-cycle for the crime of manslaughter. She was trapped in the Phantom Zone well past her punishment period due to Krypton's destruction. After countless failures, Shyla predicted that she could use her mental powers to manipulate a jet pilot into flying his plane in a specific manner which would create a rip in the Zone. She escaped from her prison and battled Supergirl. When Shyla attempted to use the Phantom Zone Projector in Superman's Fortress of Solitude to free the other Phantom Zone prisoners, Supergirl was able to project her back into the Zone. A short time later, Shyla was freed in the bottle-city of Kandor, where she attempted to get her revenge on Supergirl.
Tal-Var – Jimmy Olsen accidentally released the evil Tal-Var from the Dark Dimension. He intended to loot and lay waste to the Earth, then to trap and kill Superman. Using his wits, Jimmy was able to project the alien into the Phantom Zone before he could carry out his threats.
Thul-Kar – The last of the Wizards of Juru, Thul-Kar used magic to teleport himself into the Phantom Zone on the day of Krypton's destruction. He was the first to discover the Phantom Zone's connections to the entity called Aethyr.
Tor-An – Condemned to the Phantom Zone for carrying out forbidden experiments transferring the minds of a Kryptonian family into the bodies of monsters. Years later, he instructed a group of Phantom Zone prisoners to use their combined mental powers to prompt the Mayor of Midvale to ask Supergirl to perform a feat which would open a small rift in the Zone. The handsome Tor-An escaped and tricked Supergirl into marrying him. When he began to gloat that she would now be forever disgraced, he learned to his dismay that the marriage was invalid and that he himself had been tricked by Supergirl. He was quickly captured and returned to his prison.
The Toyman – The history and sentencing of this non-Kryptonian prisoner was not revealed.
Tra-Gob – The leader of a band of Kryptonian thieves which raided the priceless Science Archives. He was betrayed by his own men, but was rescued by Jor-El before they could exterminate him. Tra-Gob was sentenced to nearly 40 Earth years for his crime, but still remained deeply grateful to Jor-El. Tra-Gob was in the Phantom Zone for nearly 30 Earth years before he escaped due to a freak disruption by the aurora borealis. He rescued Superman and Lois Lane from a Kryptonian monster, repaying his debt to Jor-El. As Tra-Gob was being returned to the Zone to finish out his sentence, Superman commented that he may be pardoned in Kandor for his good behavior.
Tyb-Ol – The history and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed. Tyb-Ol was among a group of Phantom Zone prisoners who escaped by focusing their mental energies on a piece of Jewel Kryptonite. He was later disintegrated by the Vrangs.
Professor Va-Kox – Va-Kox is a mad geneticist who was sentenced to 50 Kryptonian sun-cycles for tossing a test tube full of his life force experiment into the Great Krypton Lake, creating a huge mutated monster.
Vax-Nor – The history and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed. Vax-Nor served his full sentence and was released by Superman and the Kandorian parole board.
Vorb-Un – Vorb-Un was sentenced to 10 Kryptonian sun-cycles in the Phantom Zone for experimenting with forbidden elements without the Science Council's permission. During a parole hearing in Kandor, Vorb-Un explained to Superman and the parole board that his sentence was almost up, and he insisted that he had repented. Due to his advanced age and his sincere remorse, he was released from his prison.
Vor-Kil – The crime and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed. Vor-Kil escaped from the Phantom Zone when sunspot activity opened a temporary gap to Earth. He battled Superman using the Kryptonian martial art of Klurkor. Superman lured him back into captivity with the help of Jimmy Olsen.
Dr. Xadu – Dr. Xadu was sentenced to 30 Kryptonian sun-cycles for breaking the law which forbids the use of suspended animation in any scientific research. He later escaped the Phantom Zone with a prisoner named Erndine Ze-Da when a South Seas volcano exploded and opened a temporary gap in the Phantom Zone. They concocted a plan to trap Superboy in the Zone, but he became aware of their scheme and stranded them on the planet Exon. Years later, Dr. Xadu and Erndine, who had since married and acquired the secret of the cosmic power-grip, escaped from Exon and returned to Earth. Superman defeated them again, and placed them in separate cells on two different worlds. Inexplicably, Dr. Xadu appeared in the Phantom Zone in many stories set between these two tales.
Zan-Ar – The crime and sentencing of this prisoner was not revealed.
Zan-Em – A psychic scientist who was banished to the Phantom Zone for unauthorized mind control experiments. As part of his plan to escape the Zone and trap Superboy there, Zan-Em mentally manipulated Lester Wallace into developing a hatred of aliens. When Lester projected Superboy into the Zone, Zan-Em remarked that he had been in the prison dimension for nearly two decades. Superboy escaped the Zone, leaving Zan-Em trapped in his prison.
Zo-Mar – The criminal Zo-Mar was captured, sentenced to life for attempting to enslave all of Krypton, placed in suspended animation, and imprisoned in a space capsule which was placed into orbit around Krypton. After Krypton's destruction, the capsule drifted through space, and Zo-Mar eventually awakened and traveled to Earth. With the help of the Challengers of the Unknown, Superman captured Zo-Mar and projected him into the Phantom Zone.
Unnamed Kandorian scientist – A scientist in Kandor was sentenced to 20 Kryptonian sun-cycles for performing experiments with the Z-Bomb, even though he was warned that it could accidentally blow up the bottle-city.
Unnamed energy creature – An alien whose race evolved into pure energy followed an Earth probe back to Earth. The entity was able to possess and control other physical objects and beings, and used this ability to wreak havoc. Superman and Lois Lane tricked the creature into a Superman puppet, then projected it into the Phantom Zone.
Two unnamed members of the Superman Revenge Squad – Two members of the Superman Revenge Squad attempted to enslave the people of New Krypton, but Superman foiled their plans by projecting them into the Phantom Zone.