DC’s latest television series, Krypton, made its debut on Syfy tonight, giving audiences a look at Krypton before the birth of Superman.
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The pilot episode of the new drama follows Seg (Cameron Cuffe), the eventual grandfather of Superman, but it isn’t just an elaborate history of the House of El. Instead, it’s a story of how the House of El survives and the future — including the existence of Superman — is saved. The long-awaited series has been in development since 2014, and all of that time paid off in an episode that was not just full of DC Comics Easter eggs but left us with some big questions as well.
Read on for the Easter eggs and questions from Krypton‘s pilot episode, but be warned: there are spoilers beyond this point.
What is Black Zero?
In tonight’s episode, we hear the name Black Zero a few times, all of those times it’s in the context of a threat to the Voice of Rao and Krypton itself. But what is it?
In comics, Black Zero refers to a few things. It’s the name of two supervillains, two terrorist organizations, a special forces group, and even a computer virus. On Krypton, Black Zero seems to fit more closely with the “terrorist organization” category, one that seeks to bring radical change to Krypton. While Krypton‘s Black Zero has only just been introduced, in comics the best-known version of the group comes from 1988’s World of Krypton written by John Byrne and illustrated by Mike Mignola. In that version, Black Zero is ultimately responsible for the destruction of Krypton by triggering a new Kryptonian war. The War of Clone Rights — Black Zero being an organization acting against “genetic slavery” — lasted a thousand years with Black Zero setting off what was basically a huge nuclear gun that destabilized Krypton’s core.
Cor-Vex
In the episode, after it’s decided that Seg will be bonded to Nyssa-Vex (Wallis Day), the pair make a visit to the Genesis Chamber where, after a small blood sample, a child is assembled via genetic manipulation. The pair is shown a holographic representation of the future child, named “Cor-Vex.” If that name sounds familiar, you have a good ear.
In Man of Steel, which was written by David S. Goyer who co-wrote the Krypton pilot, there is a character named Car-Vex. In the movie, Car-Vex was a woman who was part of the Kryptonian Warrior Guild and served General Zod. While the characters may not have any association with one another, it’s an interesting name to note, especially since, as the show goes along, there are many names repeated from Man of Steel within the series.
Detroit Tigers
No, to the best of our knowledge the Detroit Tigers aren’t a guild, but Adam Strange’s (Shaun Sipos) hat is a pretty clever nod to DC’s chief creative officer, Geoff Johns. Johns is a Detroit native, and the city has frequently shown up in his work, particularly Green Lantern.
What is the deal with The Voice of Rao?
If you’re familiar with the Superman mythology — and more broadly, Kryptonian mythology — then you might recognize the name Rao as both the name of the star in Krypton’s solar system as well as their “god”. In Krypton, The Voice of Rao appears to be a Rao-centric high priest which is an element that comes from the DC Comics event New Krypton. Under that mythology, the high priest of Rao is called the Voice of Rao and only speaks to voice Rao’s judgment. In Krypton, that isn’t necessarily a good thing, as there seems to be something sinister behind The Voice of Rao’s six golden faces.
Incidentally, though, there are two avatars who serve Rao in New Krypton, Nightwing and Flamebird — beings that we’ve speculated could make an appearance in the series.
Superman’s theme
While many of the references that are sprinkled throughout the pilot of Krypton are most familiar to more recent parts of Superman’s history, the show does have a beautiful callback to Superman: The Movie. The music throughout the episode all has the same feel as John William’s iconic theme for the film, but it can be most clearly heard in two places: when the Fortress of Solitude is revealed and in the final shot of the episode.
Black Mercy
Speaking of the Fortress, did you catch the Black Mercy contained in a jar? That’s right, Seg’s grandfather, Val-El, had one of the terrifying plants in his Fortress. In comics, a Black Mercy is a plant that taps into its victim’s pleasure center of the brain and traps the victim in a dream of their perfect life while it feeds on psychic energy. The plant first appeared in Superman Annual (Vol. 1) #11 in the story “For the Man Who Has Everything” and more recently appeared in a similarly titled episode of The CW’s Supergirl, “For the Girl Who Has Everything,” the thirteenth episode of the show’s first season.
Superman’s Cape
Another lovely way Krypton ties itself to Superman: The Movie is Superman‘s cape. Brought to Seg by Adam Strange, the iconic red cape with the bright yellow symbol for the House of El on the on it. It’s a particularly moving image when, at the end of the episode, Seg is seen standing in the center of that same symbol which is itself outlined in gold, holding the cape of his future grandson — a grandson that he will never meet, but whose fate he holds in his hands.
Krypton airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Syfy.
