The unnamed Zombie Virus was an alien pathogen originating from the planet Krypton engineered by Coats. The symptoms of the disease included a loss of all cognitive ability as well as an animalistic appetite for flesh, all reminiscent of the zombies of contemporary horror cinema.
Symptoms[]
The zombie virus was airborne, but was not activated until the infected human fell asleep. Upon activation, the infected humans showed the following symptoms:
Physical Characteristics[]
Once activated, the virus affected the humans look and cause the appearance of the following Characteristics:
- Enlarged, dried blood-colored irises
- Skin flaking and discoloration
- Drooling
- Blackened teeth/mouth
Powers and Abilities[]
Once activated, the virus affected the humans physiology and grant them the following powers:
- Super Strength: The zombies were very strong, being able to overpower humans.
- Inhuman Speed: The zombies were very fast.
However, those are only in compare to humans, not as near as close to the respective powers of a Kryptonian under a yellow sun.
Vulnerabilities[]
The zombie virus could be cured with a water-borne antidote made by Dr. Emil Hamilton that was made from Clark Kent's blood. Upon exposure to the antidote, the effects of the virus were reversed almost instantly.
Known Infected[]
Early History[]
The virus was created by Coats, a soldier in the Kandorian army, in an attempt to flush out Clark Kent by forcing him to provide an antidote.
Season Nine[]
Coats unleashed the zombie virus into Metropolis. Tess Mercer was one of the first to be infected after she was attacked at the Luthor Mansion by infected zombies. Clark and Lois visited Tess at Metropolis General Hospital and overheard Coats, who was posing as a Disease Control Agency specialist, discussing the fact that Tess was having hallucinations caused by a virus. When it was revealed that she had transformed into a zombie, Tess attacked Lois and had to be restrained by Clark until Coats sedated her.
Clark took a blood sample from Tess for Chloe Sullivan, who analyzed it and brought up the security files from the manor and found the zombies. Emil speculated that the virus caused hyper-aggression, and Clark super-sped him to the hospital to talk to Coats. When a doctor informed Coats that Tess was brought from the Daily Planet, Clark realized that Lois was in danger.
Arriving at the Planet, Clark found Lois defending herself against several zombies and helped to fend them off before taking her to safety. At Watchtower, Chloe informed Emil that she was unable to identify the virus. Emil modeled the virus' path and they realized that it was spreading rapidly and caused the victim to fall asleep in order to germinate. Emil then recognized that the base enzyme was similar to that of Davis Bloome.
Because Davis was Kryptonian, his enzyme was as well, so Chloe and Emil used Clark's blood to make the antidote for the zombie virus. Emil and Chloe flew to the Metropolis water supplies and distributed the antidote, then seeded it into the clouds in the form of rain. The antidote cured the infected zombies, as well as Lois who was recently infected.
Coats later went to Zod, who said that Coats had become reckless in unleashing the virus. Coats then revealed that the antidote was made from Kryptonian blood and gave Zod a paper with the Mark of El, telling Zod that the symbol appeared all over Metropolis from someone called "The Blur." Zod immediately believed that the Blur was Jor-El. Coats gave Zod the blood sample from the antidote and explained that they could track it. Zod told Coats to kneel and then beheaded him for his insubordination.