Prior to the destruction of Krypton, the criminals General Zod, Ursa and Non disable a security guard at a crystalline matrix table. The general removes a red spire from the table and destroys it; the thunderclap as the piece is shattered resonates through the city and sets off a trap that ensnares the three brigands. The red spire's destruction is clearly an act of treason, and for this and other crimes they are sentenced by Jor-El for banishment into the Phantom Zone.