'Krypton' Showrunner Says The Series Will Define What the House of El Stands For

When Krypton makes its debut on SYFY later this month, showrunner Cameron Welsh promises that the [...]

When Krypton makes its debut on SYFY later this month, showrunner Cameron Welsh promises that the world's stakes will be higher than fans expect -- it isn't just a matter of painting by numbers and waiting for the world to die.

He also says Superman's grandfather -- the show's protagonist, Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe) -- has his work cut out for him, and that a big part of what makes Krypton tick is finding a way for Seg to live up to the reputation of his grandson.

"We're just peeling back a lot more layers than probably what we've seen before," Welsh told reporters during a recent set visit. "When we've seen Krypton depicted in film before, it's right before it's about to explode. We probably don't go deep into the culture. We don't go deep into the way the society functions and the people that make it up. We get a bit of a sense of it. In most of the depictions, we touch on it but part of what's exciting about doing this, we get to get really specific and get really detailed and really get into this world. Again, if this is the planet that birthed the greatest hero of all time, what made that world so special? Of course, we can say that part of what makes Superman Superman is his upbringing on Earth under Martha and Jonathan Kent but I think another part of it must be baked into his DNA, it must be something to do with being Kryptonian. So what is that? That's part of what we explore in the show, what makes these people special? A lot of that is the House of El and the legacy of the House of El."

The world of Krypton is one of guilds, privileged families, and great, unwashed masses known as the Rankless. It is there that Seg's story begins -- and it is his goal to redeem the name of the House of El and restore it to its former glory.

"When we start our show, we see that Seg has become detached from that [legacy]," Welsh added. "Being cast out into the rankless, he's disconnected from his past and from his legacy and that's a bit of a journey for him to discover what that legacy is, what it means to be an El, what the Els have always stood for, and what he'll learn. We saw a little bit of that in the fortress when we saw the windows and the stories of all the Els. He'll learn that the Els have, for many, many generations, been woven into the fabric of Krypton and they're part of what makes Krypton special. He'll start to learn that he's part of that lineage and so it's part of what helps ignite him and push him into his hero's journey. He realizes that ... when we first meet him, he's just a rank-less kid. He's a street kid who's running scams and a bit of a drifter, a bit detached, he's aimless and has no sense of identity, so sense of purpose. That's the journey that we'll go on with him as he discovers who he is and what he wants to do."

That cape he's holding in the previews ought to give him a little shove in the right direction...!

Are you excited to see more of Superman's birth world? Chime in below to discuss your hopes, expectations, and reservations.

Krypton is coming to SYFY on March 21.

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