By now, most people are familiar with the basics of Superman's origin story. As a baby, Kal-El was rocketed to Earth by his parents just before his home planet of Krypton exploded. Raised by Martha and Jonathan Kent, the infant grew up to become Earth's greatest hero, inspiring a legion of men and women to follow in his footsteps and defend those who cannot fight for themselves.

However, for as much as we know about what happened in Krypton's final hours and after, not much has ever been recorded about Kal-El’s birth planet or the House of El -- which is where Syfy's newest series comes in.

REVIEW: Krypton Could Be the Best Superman TV Series Yet

Debuting March 21, Krypton promises to spotlight a relatively uncharted corner of the DC Universe. The show chronicles the adventures of Superman’s grandfather Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe), Krypton’s turbulent class system -- and a scheme to erase Superman from existence. The last bit is where time traveler Adam Strange comes into play; in order to save Superman’s present (and ours), Adam journeys to Krypton’s past with a warning for the Man of Steel's ancestor.

Ahead of the series premiere, actor Shaun Sipos, who brings Adam Strange to life, spoke with CBR about reimagining the classic DC hero for Krypton, his character's dynamic with Seg-El, and what it takes to become a hero.

CBR: How familiar were you with Adam Strange when you landed the role, if you were at all?

Shaun Sipos: I wasn’t that familiar with him. I was aware of him; he was a big superhero in the '50s and '70s, and a lot of stuff I read was from the '90s. I can honestly say I hadn’t read one of Adam Strange’s comics, but when I got the role, DC sent me a big box of his comics, literally a gift package. I was surprised to see how many comics he had. I read all of them, and they were fantastic. I thought, “Holy crap. This guy is amazing.” He parallels Superman in a lot of ways, except with a bit more cheek, a little sassier.

What inspiration did you draw from those comic books when crafting your version of Adam Strange?

I think Adam is able to take everything lightly, even dire situations. It’s that Indiana Jones quality or Han Solo quality. He’s like, “OK, we’re looking at death here. It’s all right. I figure we’ll make it through this,” while everyone else is losing their mind. He has that kind of quality that I really like. He’s able to smile at these crazy, outlandish circumstances that could very well kill him. He’s able to be creative and intelligent and not let that pressure get to him.

How much fun has it been playing a 21st century character in the Krypton timeline?

KRYPTON -- Season:1 -- Pictured: Shaun Sipos as Adam Strange -- (Photo by: Gavin Bond/Syfy)

Brother, you have no idea. It’s a blast. It’s a dream to play him, and to play in this world and with these people. What's fantastic is I am the alien in the show. I am the one who doesn’t fit in. I’m the one who sticks out. For everyone else, that is their world. I’m there going, “Whoa,” much like Superman is on Earth. He sticks out. It’s not his world. It’s his adoptive planet. Throughout the show, Krypton becomes Adam’s adoptive planet.

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Where do we find Adam at the beginning of the series? What brings him to Krypton?

We find Adam at the beginning of the hero’s journey. He’s responded to the call to adventure. The cause is noble; he’s there to save the greatest hero we have ever known. He’s there facing tremendous odds, and hoping he can pull it off.

Adam, as we've seen in the teasers, delivers a cryptic warning to Seg-El, Superman's grandfather. How receptive is Seg to this piece of information?

On Krypton, it’s forbidden to even think about the presence of an alien. With Adam starting off with, “I come from a planet called Earth,” Seg is almost not receptive because, “Aliens don’t exist. What are you talking about?” Then, to say, “I come from the future” time travel doesn’t exist for them. It’s a big, uphill climb Adam is facing. But, over time, I’m able to persuade Seg, and provide enough proof and things to make sense for him to get onboard.

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What is their dynamic together?

I think both Cameron and I see their relationship as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They are partners in crime, in a way. They start off at odds, and then they begin to bond and develop a great rapport.

What else can you preview about Adam’s arc this season?

I can say this. When we meet Adam, he’s at the beginning of the hero’s journey. In my opinion, he represents Earth. To us, he’s our eyes and ears. He’s the direct link to us, as well as being a direct link to Superman. He’s fallen into being a superhero and he wants to be great at it. We meet him with some excessive hubris and then self doubt.

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Everything that we as human beings experience when we find something we love and want to be great at, we experience the same thing as Adam is experiencing. “Can I be great at this? Is it meant for me to be great at this? What do I have to do to be great at this?” There’s that devil on your shoulder that tells you, “No, you’re a bum. You’re a failure.” Then, there’s the voice on the other side that goes, “Just keep going. You can do it.” We really find him there. That’s the journey he is going on throughout the season, overcoming those voices to become the hero he will one day become.

Typically, Adam is depicted with a rocket backpack and a ray gun, and many readers associate him with the Zeta Beam, the planet of Rann and being romantically intertwined with Alanna. Are you hoping the writers incorporate those signature elements?

I have my fingers crossed that they incorporate them. I think they will. Readers are excited to see Adam and see him become the hero he will become. Again, when we meet him, he’s at the fledgling stages of that. So, we’re really meeting him at the beginning, before he’s involved with Alanna. Because that part of Adam’s journey isn’t really explored in the comics, it gives them a lot of leeway. We are meeting him before he’s donned the red suit. He has his Zeta Beam, but not his red suit or rocket pack. It’s almost like watching Indiana Jones before he’s Indy.


Airing Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy, Krypton stars Cameron Cuffe as Seg-El, Shaun Sipos as Adam Strange, Georgina Campbell as Lyta Zod, Elliot Cowan as Daron-Vex, Ann Ogbomo as Alura Zod, Rasmus Hardiker as Kem, Wallis Day as Nyssa-Vex, Aaron Pierre as Dev-Em, Ian McElhinney as Val-El and Blake Ritson as Brainiac.