'Krypton' isn't just a Superman prequel - it's got more DC characters than 'Justice League'

SAN DIEGO -- If you thought Krypton was just going to be a poor man's Gotham, think again.

The Syfy show, slated for 2018, has thus far been pitched as a prequel set on Superman's homeworld following the Man of Steel's grandfather, Seg-El, played by British newcomer Cameron Coffe, as a young man.

But as DC Comics president Geoff Johns revealed at Comic-Con Saturday, the show has a whole raft of DC characters in it -- because it's also a time-traveling extravaganza.

"You'll see a lot of DC characters in this," Johns told a capacity crowd. "It's about a conspiracy from the present that's trying to stop Superman from ever being born."

So far, those characters include well-known Superman enemies Braniac and Doomsday, plus Hawkwoman and Adam Strange, an old-school DC hero who can teleport between planets. Two ancient Krypton Gods, Nightwing and Flamebird, will also show up -- DC's answer to Game of Thrones' dragons.

Johns promised unnamed other old DC favorites would appear in the show -- and as fans noted in the panel, there's the opportunity to use many characters from Jack Kirby's famous New Gods series. He did, however, appear to rule out any crossover with that other time-traveling DC show, Legends of Tomorrow.

The show also gives us an ancestor of General Zod, Superman's infamous Phantom Zone-bound enemy seen in the original movies and Man of Steel. No word yet on whether anyone will be required to kneel before Zod in the show, but we're sure it's just a matter of time.