Before he caused the Kryptonian sun to go super-nova, the Coluan known as Brainiac invaded the planet Krypton and plundered the planet of its collective knowledge. He used his advanced science to shrink and bottle the entire city of Kandor; adding the Kryptonian metropolis as another specimen to his vast collection of alien cities. To carry out this plan, Brainiac ordered hundreds of his robots planetside to prepare the city for abduction. These robots mercilessly killed any resistance, protecting themselves from attack with self generating force fields.

Following the taking of Kandor, the people of Krypton ignored the warnings of Jor-El that the planet was unstable and facing destruction. Jor-El's warnings were dismissed by almost all of Krypton, however Zor-El believed his brother and set into motion his own plans for survival. Zor-El and his wife Allura experimented on one of the robots destroyed by General Zod's troops. They managed to deconstruct Brainiac' force field technology sufficiently to create a protective dome over their home, Argo City. Unfortunately Zor-El and Allura did not have time enough to master this technology and protect all of Krypton. When Krypton exploded Argo City was protected from the blast, and remained intact floating aimlessly in space for many months. 

Zor-El and his wife began work on an evacuation plan to lead the remaining Kryptonians to earth where they would be reunited with their nephew Kal-El. Before this plan could be enacted Allura's daughter spotted a ship outside of the dome. Brainiac had sensed his technology in use and discovered the Kryptonian refugees. Knowing that Brainiac would not spare their city, Zor-El and Allura placed their daughter Kara in the only escape rocket that had been ready for service. They sent her to earth, instructing her to find and protect her infant cousin Kal-El. As Kara escaped, the villainous Brainiac once again invaded a Kryptonian city. His troops assimilated any additional people and information that contained knowledge that had not been learned from Kandor. Those Kryptionian who Brainiac viewed as "redundant" were slaughtered. Zor-El and Allura were transferred to the bottled city of Kandor and have remained there as prisoners of Brainiac for many years.

Eventually they, along with the other denizens of Kandor, would be freed on Earth by their nephew Kal-El. Zor-El and Allura were voted to lead the city into peace, though not everyone agreed with this course of action. Zor was delighted to see his nephew, and even happier to see his daughter safe and sound holding the first El family dinner in years. Zor talked to his nephew, listening to his tales of his adventures on Earth and also as to how things worked on the planet. While he would not confine the citizens of Kandor to the arctic where Kal had brought them, they had been confined for too long, he did follow Kal's lead in opening diplomatic relations with earth's population. 

Heading to Metropolis to meet with the President, Zor and Allura exchanged pleasantries with the leader, even joking about Kara's recent actions during the Amazonian Invasion before their meeting was interrupted by the arrival of Doomsday. Though Kal attempted to get them to stay back, Zor and the other Kandorians knew of Doomsday, and Zor led his people in an assault against the creature. Taking the fight to the moon, to keep their from being an unecessary human casualties Zor and the other Kryptonians were able to swiftly overcome and kill Doomsday. 

After recovering from the event, Zor realized how easy it would be for Kal's assorted enemies to seek revenge on him through an assault on Kandor. Conferring first with his wife, and later with Commander Gor, one of the leaders of the Kryptonian Navy caste, he decided to capture Kal's "Rogue's Gallery" and confine them to the Zone. He called teams together, and led his people on an assault against the foes of Superman, managing to capture Parastie, Toyman, Bizzaro and multiple other's. Returning them to Kandor they confined all of the villians to the Zone. Zor regarded the mission a success. 

Zor was suprised, and horrified, to learn that their had been human casualties as a result of his actions, while capturing the Parasite Gor had killed the police whose custody he was in. Zor was even mroe appalled to find that Allura had known, and failed to share the information with him.  Her, and the other Kryptonians callous attitude greatly disturbed him. He is currently preparing to deal with the consequences of the Millitary's actions with Earth's other citizens.