Does Krypton's Time Travel Set Up A Superman Cameo?

The series premiere of Syfy's Superman prequel series Krypton adds a heavy dose of time travel to an already sprawling plot centering on Kal-El's grandfather, Seg-El. But how exactly does Adam Strange's era-hopping work, and what does it mean for the history of Krypton and Man of Steel himself?Developed by Man of Steel writer David S. Goyer and Damien Kindler, Krypton is set two generations before the birth of Superman, at a time when the House of El has been disgraced by the actions of Val-El. His grandson, Seg-El, is angry at Krypton's leadership and is hesitant when a heroic deed earns him the favor the chief magistrate of Kandor, Daron-Vex. Daron-Vex is so impressed with Seg that he offers to restore him as a member of the noble class by allowing him to take his surname. He even plans to have Seg marry his daughter, Nyssa, who appears to have ambitions of her own.Related: Krypton Isn't In The DCEU But Was It Originally Meant To Be?After meeting Adam Strange, however, Seg learns of his grandfather's secret Fortress of Solitude and is warned that an evil alien force called Brainiac is on its way to Krypton. After Seg's investigation gets him into trouble with the law, his parents are killed trying to protect him.This Page: How Adam Strange Time Travel's In Krypton

Adam Strange's Mission From The Future In Krypton

Adam Strange comes to Seg-El with an important task: save Superman. We're not told much about Strange, only that he's a time traveler from Detroit who wants to save "the greatest hero in the universe", Superman. He tries to convince Seg that Superman is his grandson, but unsurprisingly the Kryptonian is reluctant to believe him.

According to Strange, Brainiac came from the future to destroy Krypton in an effort to prevent Superman from being born. Considering that Brainiac has destroyed billions of lives and conquered countless civilizations, it's unclear how Strange plans to defeat him, especially if he doesn't have superpowers. However, his mission will require him to take on the role of an "unlikely superhero". Though Brainiac appears to be the show's primary antagonist, he may not be the only one involved. It was revealed at SDCC that Seg would be dealing with a present-day conspiracy, suggesting that Brainiac may be in league with other villains. We may learn more about what Seg and Strange are up against when Strange gets a chance to provide more details about the enemy's plans.

This does, of course, leave questions of the nature of time travel at play. It appears to be some variation of Back to the Future's fluid, Grandfather paradox style; Braniac seems to be actually capable of changing the past, while Superman's cape is slowly disappearing, suggesting a variable timeline. Whether this is defined further will depend on how essential the actual process of time travel is to the ongoing story.

How Adam Strange Travels In The Comics

In the comic books, Adam Strange was originally a 1950s science fiction space hero in the same mold as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. Crucially, unlike Krypton's Strange, the comic book version isn't a time-traveler. Adam Strange was an archaelogist who accidentally teleported to the planet Rann by coming in contact with a Zeta-Beam. Zeta-Beams are rays of energy developed by a Rannian scientist with the intention of communicating with aliens over long distances. The ray evolved into a teleportation beam. Adam Strange wasn't able to remain on Rann for long before being teleported back. After a while, Strange was able to calculate where the Zeta-Beams would arrive so that he could return to Rann.

Though Krypton has added a time-travel aspect to Strange's story and altered his destination, fans can expect there to be parallels between his comic book adventures on Rann and his mission to save Krypton from Brainiac. Sipos says Rann is similar to the dystopian society of Krypton in the way that Strange interacts with the people, who are fascinated by his personality.

Time Travel Creates A Big Dilemma For Seg-El

At present, Seg-El's mission is vague: stop Brainiac, save Superman. It's less a plan on Strange's part more a last-ditch effort. But if Seg becomes convinced that Brainiac exists, he'll likely want to finish his grandfather's work, just as he told Strange in the Fortress of Solitude.

The pilot sets up a lot of avenues for how this could go down. Seg may recruit the help of his friend, Kem and lover, Lyta Zod, whose experience in the Kryptonian military could be of use. It's currently unclear how his association with the Vex family and his new position as a member of the science guild will affect his battle with Brainiac; being ranked again could give him access to resources that he didn't have before. It should also be considered that his situation could quickly change, due to the fact that his parents were just murdered and have been branded as members of the terrorist group, Black Zero.

But that isn't the full picture. Seg-El's first job may be to save Krypton from Brainiac, but what happens after that? Adam Strange has told him about Superman's fate, but he hasn't mentioned Krypton's. Even if they stop Brainiac, Krypton will be destroyed decades later anyway. The synopsis for Krypton reveals that Seg will have to choose between saving his planet or saving his grandson, a person who hasn't even been born yet. The idea sets up an interesting scenario, one that could end with Seg accepting his planet's fate, or becoming determined to change it.

Will Superman Appear In Krypton?

Just one episode into Krypton, fans have already got a lot of Superman references. There's a Fortress of Solitude, the House of El logo, and of course Supes' iconic red cape. The hero's name has also been dropped a few times in the series premiere, along with winks to Zod and other mythological elements. Syfy is putting Krypton's ties to Superman's legacy on full display, similar to the way that Supergirl was first promoted when it aired on CBS; Superman loomed over the series before finally appearing in the flesh in Season 2 after the move to The CW.

With the methodology in existence from the start, now fans are already wondering if and when the Man of Steel will appear on Krypton as well. Without time travel, having Superman appear on Krypton would seem highly unlikely and perhaps even unnecessary in terms of the story. However, his legacy is so closely tied to the show's plot that having him make an appearance seems like a major possibility. It may not be this season, but it could occur at some point down the road. The only thing standing in the way is creative restraint.

As for how this could happen, Adam Strange's method of time travel is the key. We don't know much about how Strange is able to reach Krypton, but we can infer from the series premiere that he isn't stranded on the planet. He told Seg that he was running out of time, which suggests that much like his comic book counterpart, he can't remain on another world for an extended amount of time. If Strange has to keep traveling back and forth between time periods, there may eventually be a situation where Seg hitches a ride with him back to the present. This would open the door for a meeting between Superman and his grandfather. Superman may even be needed to help stop the conspiracy. After all, with Superman's existence being threatened, why wouldn't he get involved?

More: How to Watch Krypton

Krypton continues Wednesday, March 28 on Syfy.