'Krypton' Showrunner Explains General Zod's Shocking Parentage

Last week on Krypton, General Dru-Zod revealed that his mysterious father was in fact Seg-El, [...]

Last week on Krypton, General Dru-Zod revealed that his mysterious father was in fact Seg-El, Superman's grandfather and the biological dad of Zod's best friend-turned-for, Jor-El.

The revelation was a major change to the Superman mythology, and one that was without precedent in the comics -- so where did it come from?

"That was very early on when we were pitching the overview of the season," executive producer Cameron Welsh told ComicBook.com. "I remember pitching that to the studio and the network and the moment when that was revealed, it felt like a really visceral response from everybody in the room. That gave me the confidence that it was the right way to go."

The decision to change Zod's backstory has driven a lot of conversation among the show's fans, but so far, the world of Krypton is so different from any existing history of the world that it opens up a lot of storytelling opportunities for the writers.

"It feels like in doing this show, part of our job is to expand upon the known mythology, and sometimes subvert it," Welsh added. "Not just for the sake of it, but because we really think that there's an interesting story to tell and it adds so many more layers. As I've said, this is very much set in our own timeline where anything can happen -- but the very idea tha Zod and Jor-El are brothers, and we know the history of Zod and Jor-El? I think that's kind of exciting for us."

According to Zod, he grew up without knowledge of who his father was prior to traveling back in time and seeing Seg and his mother Lyta-Zod together, but he figured it out quickly.

In a previous episode, Zod told Lyta that she had told him growing up that his father was a soldier who perished in the battle for Kandor. He grew up without knowing his father.

"Well, at this point in time, no he doesn't," actor Colin Salmon, who plays Zod, told ComicBook.com about that scene, adding that Zod would have no reason to lie.

It is not clear whether Seg made it out of Kandor in the original timeline or not. It is possible that Lyta had lied to her son for any of a number of reasons, or she could have been honest in all but Seg's name. If he did not make it out of Kandor, though, one must wonder how his genetic material was used to make Jor-El. Given how many things on Krypton have demanded Seg's blood, though, there certainly could have been a way to make the Genesis Chamber happy.

Krypton airs on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SYFY. New episodes return in 2019.

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