Fans might be nervous about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, given its inconsistent success rate since “Avengers: Endgame” and before “Avengers: Doomsday” and its fair share of leaks. The truth is, MCU fans should count themselves lucky in comparison to how the DC Universe has been handled both on the big and small screen over the years.
The DCU might be in safer hands since James Gunn and Peter Safran became heads of DC Studios. But prior to that, there were plenty of misfires in theaters and on television that didn’t end the way fans hoped. Besides the doomed iteration devised by Zack Snyder, shows like “Titans,” “Doom Patrol,” and uneven entries in the Arrowverse stalled the world of DC Comics from reaching where it needed to be. One show that dared to try something different by adding to the comic book universe’s lore, however, was “Krypton.”
Released on Syfy in 2018, the David S. Goyer-developed series is set 200 years before Kal-El was born on the planet of Krypton, which went kablooey and originated Superman. Without a Man of Steel to lead the story, the focus shifts to Seg-El, the grandfather of Kal-El (Clark Kent), played by Cameron Cuffe. Unfortunately, the show only spanned two seasons before being canceled in 2019, but that didn’t stop it from serving as a platform for cast members who would later become stars and find success elsewhere, even in other areas of the DC Universe.
Krypton starred Hannah Waddingham and future Green Lantern Aaron Pierre
While the “Krypton” show might’ve been as doomed as the planet it focused on, there were a few glimmering successes hidden within the show that felt like a hybrid of “Game of Thrones” and “Superman.” The story of competing houses on a planet that would eventually birth a hero showcased talents, including Hannah Waddingham from “Ted Lasso” and Aaron Pierre, who is set to star as John Stewart in the upcoming show “Lanterns.”
Besides those familiar faces, though, “Krypton” also gave us our first live-action iteration of DC’s deadly bounty hunter Lobo, played by Emmett J. Scanlan. This unkillable antihero became a fan favorite on the show and was almost set to get his own spin-off before plans were canned along with the future of “Krypton.” Instead, we’re now going to have the pleasure of seeing the character played by Jason Momoa in the new “Supergirl” movie, which stars Milly Alcock as the Girl of Steel.
Who knows, though? Given that Netflix has recently put down money to buy Warner Bros., which includes DC Studios, “Krypton” could be revisited. In the meantime, we recommend watching it anyway and seeing what kind of hit it could’ve been.
