The introduction of a new alien race in Krypton opens the door for an iconic member of the Justice League, Hawkman, to make his debut on the Superman prequel series in season 3. The arrival of the Thanagarians in the Krypton season 2 finale means that one of their greatest warriors could potentially appear on the show.
In a season finale filled with DC Comics connections, Nyssa-Vex (Wallis Day) tricks Adam Strange (Shaun Sipos) into telling her about his Zeta-Beam device and its inventor, Sardath, who lives on the planet Rann. Nyssa decides that she can use Sardath’s technology to locate Brainiac, who kidnapped her son, Jor-El, in Krypton season 2, episode 7. After using the Zeta-Beam device, Nyssa teleports to Rann and sees a large group of winged men flying above her. These winged warriors are Hawkman’s race, the Thanagarians. The Thanagarians are a warlike people who reside on the planet of Thanagar.
In the comics, Thanagar has a long and violent history with Rann. The two civilizations have been at each other’s throats for years, and based on what Nyssa saw in the finale, Krypton season 3 could feature the show’s first interplanetary war. It’s quite possible that what Nyssa is witnessing is a Thanagarian invasion of Rann. If so, Seg, Adam, Lyta, and everyone else could soon get swept into the conflict. In the comics, both Adam Strange and Hawkman were key players in their most recent war.
Thanagar has been mentioned as one of the planets Krypton could explore. In fact, one particular Thanagarian was supposed to appear on Krypton in season 1: Hawkwoman. Hawkwoman was confirmed before Krypton premiered. In 2017, it was stated that both Adam Strange and Hawkwoman would be involved in the mission to save Superman’s legacy, but as plans for the series evolved, Hawkwoman was pushed out of the story. According to showrunner Cameron Welsh, the idea was to save Hawkwoman for later, when the series would be able to give the character a more “powerful introduction” (via KryptonSite).
In DC Comics, the name Hawkwoman has belonged to several characters, including Hawkgirl, so it’s unclear which version was expected to be on Krypton. Usually, Hawkwoman and Hawgirl are depicted as the life partner of Katar Hol, better known as Hawkman. Regardless of which iteration of Hawkwoman appears on Krypton, it may not be long before the show introduces Hawkman as well. As someone who’s been alive for centuries, Katar Hol has a rich history in the DC Universe, both as an Earth-based superhero and as a Thanagarian police officer. Like Lobo and Brainiac, Hawkman has been around long enough that it wouldn’t be impossible for him to count both Superman and his grandfather as acquaintances.
More: What To Expect From Krypton Season 3
