‘Krypton’: New Trailer Gives First Look At Blake Ritson’s Brainiac

“Krypton’s” version of Brainiac has been revealed.

In a new featurette for the highly anticipated Syfy series, president and chief creative officer of DC Entertainment Geoff Johns says that the show’s incarnation of Brainiac (Blake Ritson) is inspired by the version of the character he and Gary Frank once did in the comics.

“We really decided to take a run [on the comics] at making him colder and more emotionally distant and ancient. And that version of Brainiac did heavily influence what we’re doing in the show,” Johns says, before adding that the villain’s skull ship looks “really cool and iconic.”

In a sneak peek included in the featurette, time traveler Adam Strange (Shaun Sipos) tells Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe) that Brainiac is known as the Collector of Worlds who moves from planet to planet. Brainiac is then revealed to be a humanoid-looking being with green skin and black tendrils sticking out of his head.

In the official trailer of the series, Adam says that Brainiac is coming to destroy Krypton because Seg’s grandson Superman becomes the greatest hero in the universe. Seg tries to warn the people about what he finds out but it looks like he’s going to have a hard time convincing everyone about the looming threat.

While it seems that Brainiac is up to no good, Ritson said that his character believes that he’s using his god-like power with immense compassion. “Yes, he traverses the universe in a gigantic skull ship, ripping cities out of planets, miniaturizing them and placing them on board. But he does so in the spirit of conservation,” Ritson told USA Today. “In his mind, he’s committed to the ultimate philanthropic act: saving all of creation. In many ways it’s analogous to Noah [from the Bible] plucking out two of every animal to ensure their survival, even while knowing that others must perish.”

In addition to Ritson, Sipos, and Cuffe, members of the cast also include Ian McElhinney as Seg’s grandfather Val-El; Georgina Campbell as Seg’s lover Lyta Zod; Elliot Cowan as Kandor’s Chief Magistrate Daron-Vex; Ann Ogbomo as Lyta’s mother Alura Zod; Rasmus Hardiker as Seg’s best friend Kem; Wallis Day as Daron’s daughter Nyssa-Vex; Aaron Pierre as Dev-Em, and Hannah Waddingham as Jax-Ur, leader of the underground terrorist organization, Black Zero.

“Krypton” premieres on Wednesday, March 21 on Syfy.