This article consists of nothing but Krypton season 2 spoilers.
Who would have ever thought that the best DC Comics show on TV would turn out to be a Superman prequel? Well, to be fair, it’s either Krypton or the bonkers and bizarrely sweet Doom Patrol. But Krypton managed to avoid nearly every single prequel pitfall in its first season, and then raised the stakes and flipped everything on its head with a reality altering season finale that opened the door to even crazier storytelling in season 2.
Well, Krypton season 2 is here, and with it, countless opportunities to dive ever deeper into Superman and DC Comics lore. We’re here to help keep track of it all. Let’s get to work…
Krypton Season 2 Episode 1: Light-Years From Home
Read our review of “Light-Years From Home” here.
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– Before we start on this episode, it should be noted that there has been a six month timejump since the season one finale.
– The ceremonial robes Zod is wearing at the start of the episode as he gives his address feel slightly reminiscent of Jor-El’s “jailer” robes in Superman: The Movie. And while there were similar wardrobe choices in season one, it’s always worth pointing out how this show pays tribute to that movie at every chance it gets.
The fact that now everyone (since the Rankless appear to have been gentrified out of existence) are now prominently wearing their house sigils and have adopted more uniform dress is again reminiscent of Superman: The Movie. The more colorful garb that Kryptonians have adopted in the wake of Zod’s “make Krypton great again” campaign is more reminiscent of how the planet was depicted until roughly the 1980s in the comics (and then again more recently).
– The speech that Zod delivers opens with “my fellow Kryptonians” and references “Kryptonian exceptionalism” as he justifies his imperialistic plan for Krypton…just in case you had any doubt about where this show views the kind of rationalizations that charismatic leaders offer for imperialistic adventuring throughout history.
And just to keep the focus on Zod for a moment, his plan to terraform other planets is reminiscent of his plan in Man of Steel, which itself referred to the imperialistic Kryptonian M.O. of years past. While Krypton isn’t in continuity with Man of Steel or the DCEU, it’s still a pretty cool connection.
– Adam Strange has taken to a more colorful wardrobe this season, including a red hoodie (which prompts Seg, later in the episode, to point out that “red’s your color!”) Indeed it is, as that’s the dominant color on Adam’s costume from the comics.
– The moon of Wegthor was first mentioned in Superman #141 in 1961. It has appeared on film in Man of Steel (which Krypton still has a number of aesthetic similarities to) in Jor-El’s era. I’m not gonna spoil it here, but if you click this link and look for the Wegthor entry, you’ll get a glimpse of what might be on the way for this moon.
Wegthor never had a space elevator in the comics, but it’s pretty neat that the Zod regime was able to whip this up in six months. The miners are extracting an element known as “solarium” which, as far as I can remember, doesn’t have any kind of DC Comics counterpart.
– Not only is this the first time we’ve ever seen the surface of Wegthor in live action, this is also to the best of my knowledge the first live action depiction of Brainiac’s homeworld of Colu. It is…surprisingly lush. Also, I defy any future movie version of Brainiac to be half as perfect as Blake Ritson’s portrayal and look on this show.
read more – Krypton Season 2: What’s Next for Brainiac?
– The Sunstone crystal that Seg is carrying around “contains the energy of a 10 billion year old yellow sun.” For comparison, our actual yellow sun is just under half that many billions of years old.
– Seg saying he’s “got a bad feeling about this” is reminiscent of one of Han Solo’s favorite expressions in Star Wars.
– Lobo is here! The character was created by Roger Silfer, Keith Giffen, and Mike DeCarlo in the pages of Omega Men #3 way the hell back in 1983. Initially a somewhat throwaway baddie, Lobo grew to prominence in the pages of Giffen and JM DeMatteis’ brilliant Justice League International, before evolving into a full-blown (and beloved) parody of everything that was wrong with comics in the late ’80s and early ’90s. We have a much more detailed history of Lobo right here.
The character you’re seeing on screen here is a perfect distillation of everything that made Lobo such a sensation when he reached his peak popularity, from dropping trademark phrases like referring to himself as “the Main Man” or his go-to expletive of “frag” (not to be confused with “frak”). Syfy is betting big on the Main Man, as they’ve already commissioned a Lobo spinoff TV series.
Amusingly, Adam asks Lobo if “the rest of the Kiss Army” are on the way, which is downright hilarious. Fans have also pointed out the similarities to Rob Zombie, who in turn was inspired by Kiss.
Spot anything we missed? Let us know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter!
Mike Cecchini is the Editor in Chief of Den of Geek. You can read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @wayoutstuff.
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