Why did Zod not use some other planet for terraforming?
Why did Zod not pick Mars or Venus or whatever other planet elsewhere in the universe to make a new Krypton in Man of Steel?
He had a terraforming machine that would've been equally effective somewhere else too.
Why risk fighting with all of earth and Superman (and potentially other superheroes) and causing complete genocide of the human race?
He already had Superman under his control on his ship, why not just extract the codex and fly away (or just nicely ask Superman to give DNA samples or whatever and assist in recreating his homeplanet)?
Was it all just for spite? Or because Earth has optimal distance from the Sun? Or some other pertinent reason(s) leaving Earth as the only option?
Best Answer
As is indicated in the film, native Kryptonians are born genetically pre-ordained to certain roles within their society based on the codex, and for Zod that was to be a military commander. Zod not only excels in this role, he relishes it, it is every fiber of his being and existence. His single purpose in life is to protect Kryptonian society, and bring those who break its laws, fail to do what is best for it, or who seek to destroy it to justice as he sees fit, and in his eyes Jor-El is a heretic, a thief of the highest order, and his son the illicit and illegal offspring based on Kryptonian law, in addition to stealing the item he needed most from his coup: the codex.
His motivation isn't just spite for Jor-El and a desire to uphold Kryptonian law, there's also a sort of genocidal aspect to Zod's endeavors. Zod wants the codex so he can birth new Kryptonians who will follow his orders and uphold the version society he feels is best to continue the Kryptonian race, but since Kal-El isn't the product of the codex, Zod views Kal-El as genetically and therefore racially inferior. Given he's spent decades living among humans who have largely treated him as one of their own until certain recent events, coupled with them having virtually no way to stop him given his advanced technology, he likely views the terraforming and therefore "destruction" of earth as the ultimate solution to both his vision and his vengeance. Considering earth is also within what's referred to as a Habitable Zone and occupied predominantly by a species they have no feelings for and can easily destroy, why not just take the planet?
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Why does Zod terraform?
Zod could have used the World engine to terraform any planet into a new Krypton. However, his primary motivation to do it was to materialize his ideal vision of the planet, correcting all the genetic flaws which he believed to have caused Krypton's demise.Is it possible to terraform other planets?
All planets and large moons have enough gravity to hold an atmosphere, so terraforming in theory is widely possible.Could Zod have saved Krypton?
In a doomed planet, it is not possible to save all the population. However, with the Codex and the technology at hand (genesis chamber), Zod could save the Kryptonian race. That was his only plan at the moment.What planet is best for terraforming?
While Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and even the Moon have been studied in relation to the subject, Mars is usually considered to be the most likely candidate for terraforming.Man of Steel Myths: Zod Should Have Terraformed Mars
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Answer 2
Zod was still pissed off at Jor-El for stealing the codex and he doesn't care about humans or even certain Kryptonian bloodlines. He had no interest in going off to some other planet and he is not exactly the diplomatic type. Besides, the codex and the ancient scout ship with the genesis chamber were already on Earth. As far as he is concerned there is no point to leave.
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