What Syfy’s Superman prequel series Krypton is doing right
Superman’s origin story is so well-known that Grant Morrison opened his All-Star Superman series by summing it up in just eight words: “Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Kindly couple.” Krypton showrunner Cameron Welsh, who cites All-Star Superman as one of his favorite Superman stories, has the unenviable task of trying to make audiences really care about the “doomed planet / desperate scientists” half of that story. Prequels always struggle to justify their existence, and that’s especially true for Krypton, Syfy’s pre-Superman prequel series. The show has to deal with the fact that all of its characters are doomed, and its eventual endpoint was first established 80 years ago. It also has to deal with the inevitable...