Stranger things are about to happen on Superman's home planet.
One of the more intriguing items to come out of last weekend's San Diego Comic-Con 2017 was the panel for the upcoming Syfy series Krypton, based on the lore of DC Comics character Superman.
According to The Hollywood Reporter and SyfyWire, DC Comics President and Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns moderated the panel in the Indigo Ballroom with star Cameron Cuffe and showrunners Cameron Welsh and Damian Kindler. Johns revealed some curious details about the show's premise, including that it's going to exist in its own self-contained TV universe and have no crossovers with DC shows on The CW.
"It's a show that, although it takes place centuries ago on Krypton about the House of El," said Johns, "it's about a conspiracy from the present that has traveled back in time to Krypton to prevent Superman's legacy from ever happening."
Johns continued, "Adam Strange and Hawkwoman come to Krypton trying to stop the conspiracy and save Superman's legacy. Doomsday will be in the show. Brainiac is long overdue to be on screen like that." In addition, the Kryptonian versions of Nightwing and Flamebird will appear because Johns feels "that's a huge part of the canon, so no way we can't do that." He also mentioned that the mind-manipulating plant known as the Black Mercy will also be in play.
"We've been keeping that under wraps," said Kindler about Brainiac. "He has a really deep, rich history. He is the nexus point between man and machine, which is an incredibly real thing to talk about now."
The creators reportedly knew that setting the series in the past wouldn't be compelling enough, so they had to connect it to the present. "It changes the stakes of the show completely," remarked Welsh. "It's not a look backwards. It's quite unique. It allows us to deepen and expand upon the known mythology."
Johns also recited Adam Strange's introduction speech from memory. "I'm from a planet called Earth, my name is Adam Strange. I come from a time long after this and I need you to help me save the legacy of your grandson. There are others [from Earth] already on Krypton and as the series progresses, we'll bring in some more [classic DC characters]."
Welsh remarked that their version of Adam Strange is "a little more cynical. He's got gallows humor. He's been around for a while."
Krypton will debut on Syfy sometime in 2018.