A bold new future for the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line is introduced with its latest feature film, Legion of Super-Heroes. With Supergirl in need of superhero mentors, she is sent to the 31st century to learn from colorful heroes from all over the cosmos. Among the heroes eager to show Supergirl the ropes is Mon-El, a Daxamite with powers mirroring Kryptonians. Played by fan-favorite actor Yuri Lowenthal, Mon-El stands as one of the most powerful Legionnaires and plays a pivotal role as Supergirl and the Legion face an insidious threat that menaces all of time and space.

In an exclusive interview with CBR, Legion of Super-Heroes star Yuri Lowenthal teased what audiences can expect from this iteration of the Legion and Mon-El and reflected on getting to play on a new incarnation of the 31st-century team after previously starring as Superman in the Legion of Super-Heroes animated series.

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CBR: Yuri, this is your second time getting to play a part in the Legion of Super-Heroes, after playing Superman in the 2000s Legion animated series and now Mon-El in this movie. How is being back in the 31st Century for this film?

Yuri Lowenthal: I'm a huge fan of the Legion and a huge fan of that first show we did 15 years ago. I still think it hasn't quite gotten its due and was ahead of its time! I was thinking about that, and I realized that it's my third foray into the Legion if you count me playing Cosmic Boy in the LEGO Justice League movie. [publicist also notes that Yuri plays two different versions of Superman in Legion of Super-Heroes] I guess it's four, I'll take as many as I can get. I wasn't well-versed and hadn't read a lot of Legion comics. I read Superman comics growing up, so I'm sure it hit me here and there, but I didn't really know the Legion of Super-Heroes when I first started doing the show 15 years ago.

That's when I fell in love with the Legion. Long live the Legion. I was excited to come back. Much like when we're all going through a Legion of Super-Heroes story, I was most excited to see which Legionnaires they were going to go with, [and] what was going to be the mix this time. There are so many different Legionnaires. Each time you mix them up, you get a completely different dynamic. That's what I was super excited to see, and how my Mon-El would be a part of that.

How did you find your voice for this particular version of Mon-El?

Some of it comes naturally, and a lot of it is in the writing. The script is fantastic and paints him as this bubbly Superman fanboy. Mon-El loves the whole Superman family, and he's so excited to meet Supergirl. That fanboyish quality paints him in a cool way, and we went with that.

Whenever I do these, I love to give voice and casting director Wes Gleason a shoutout because he's always killing it. How was it working with Wes on this particular project?

Like a well-fitting glove! Wes and I have known each other for a very long time, and we always look forward to these, especially these days because you don't hang out like you used to. We don't always go to the studio and get a chance to give each other hugs, so we really relish every time we get to work together.

On the one hand, I was excited to be working on a DC project because I love that universe, and I was excited to be adding another El to my list of Els. Now I've played Kal-El, Kell-El, Jor-El, and Mon-El. But also knowing that I was getting to hang out with Wes in any way, shape, or form made me super excited to be a part of this.

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Speaking of the Els, how many superheroes have you played across DC and Marvel? How is it getting to play these larger-than-life characters? Do you have any personal favorites, or is it like trying to pick a favorite kid?

It is to a certain extent, and I'll never have enough of it. This well will never run dry for me because I love these worlds so much, and I grew up reading comics. It'll never get old for me, and I'll always have my mental checklist whenever I get to play something like this where I'm like, "Yes! I get to play Mirror Master! I get to play Mister Miracle!" [laughs]

I can't believe, having grown up reading these comics, that I get to play in this world. It's hard to beat playing Superman in that original Legion [series]. Getting to play Spider-Man is also a dream come true, but there'll always be other characters I want to play. I'm certainly not worried about getting bored. I'm only worried about how long they'll keep letting me do this. [laughs]

The Legion of Super-Heroes has such a large roster. It's like a Rubik's Cube, you rearrange it slightly, and it completely changes the makeup. What do you think this particular film adds to the Legion mythos and to the wider DCU we haven't seen before?

Going into it, I was like, "They'll have a few, but they won't have a lot." Put in Arms-Fall-Off Boy, and you've already got me. I think he personifies what makes the Legion of Super-Heroes great and what makes them different from other supergroups. It's always interesting to see not just who's going to be there but who's going to be in charge at the head of the table. Is it Cosmic Boy? Is it Lightning Lad? Is it Superman? Is it Saturn Girl? Who's in the group at the time?

Then you get the Legion of Substitute Heroes and throw some of them into the mix, and you've got the Academy, where they're still finding their way into the Legion of Super-Heroes proper. I thought we were maybe going to get a handful of them, but kudos to them for getting in a lot of them. [laughs] There are favorites like Bouncing Boy and Lightning Lad, and I love seeing Triplicate Girl. Just seeing who was going to show up was part of my excitement, and like you said, it's a Rubik's Cube. You can change, and it changes the whole dynamic. I love that about Legion stories.

I'm a Karate Kid guy myself.

Yes! He has no powers, and he's still with them! I carry a torch for him too.

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I think it's fair to say that this iteration of Mon-El is a very complex character. How was it layering in those nuances and complexities, especially when we first see him guiding Supergirl through the 31st Century?

It's always a gift to play a character who is nuanced, has this rich arc, and has what he's showing and what he's not showing. That's just good writing right there. When I first got into this, I was excited by that because you never know what you're going to get. I've been lucky enough to get to be a part of a lot of projects where the writing is really good, and they care about the characters, but I'm always pleasantly surprised to see when that happens.

I was thrilled to see that Mon-El got that paintbrush. It's always more fun, as an actor, instead of doing one thing, to have your character doing a lot of things to mix it up, and hopefully, it comes through, but I know I had fun.

Yuri, what are you most excited about getting to share Legion of Super-Heroes with the masses?

Just to share this particular mix of the Legion. Even if you're a diehard Legion fan, you haven't seen this story or mix [before]. I'm excited for people who don't know the Legion that well. Maybe they'll read more of the comics, go back and watch the show, or watch Supergirl because Mon-El was on Supergirl. I just found out Mon-El was on Supergirl, which means I've got to start watching Supergirl again! I hope that the diehard Legion fans enjoy it and that it gets new people. I hope people look more into this because the Legion has a lot to build into the DCU.

Directed by Jeff Wamester, Legion of Super-Heroes will be available on Feb. 7 on Blu-ray and digital HD.