Mythology Gag / Krypton

• Superman's iconic cape has the classic yellow symbol, while Val-El's cape has a black symbol like Superman's cape in the New 52 continuity.
• Seg-El's narration that opens the pilot closely matches at first the intonation Marlon Brando used as Jor-El, then switches to young Seg's voice.
• The sunstone first appeared in the comics following Infinite Crisis, which was used to create a new Fortress of Solitude resembling the one in the Christopher Reeve movies.
• The John Williams theme, also from the Reeve movies.
• The House of Vex is a prominent family here. One of General Zod's followers in Man of Steel was named Car-Vex.
• Three Black Zero criminals are sentenced in the pilot, framed similarly to Zod, Ursa and Non in the Richard Donner movies.
• Though not mentioned onscreen, Black Zero was the name of Zod's ship in Man of Steel. This in turn was a reference to a terrorist group on post-Crisis Krypton, which itself was a reference to a pre-Crisis villain who claimed to be responsible for Krypton's destruction.
• Val-El's "Fortress of Solitude" includes an atrium with an enormous statue of a man and a woman holding up a globe, essentially identical to the portrayal of Superman's Fortress (seen in comics and animation) where the statue shows his parents holding up a globe of Krypton.
• Seg calls Earth "Planet Detroit" after Adam mentions being from there, similar to the "Planet Houston" joke from Superman II.
• A Zod (Lyta) kills her opponent with a Neck Snap. Ironic.
• The Black Zero commander also kills an underling with a neck snap. Which in hindsight is foreshadowing that he's also a Zod.
• Cythonna from The Last God of Krypton is mentioned by Daron-Vex as one of the old gods of Krypton.
• Val-El shares a name, and the House of Zod members have the ethnicity, of Kryptonian Val-Zod from Earth 2 and Convergence.
• The hologram of Val-El mentioned to Seg how one of their ancestors saved Krypton from a "Green Death", which is what slowly destroyed Krypton post-The Man of Steel.
• Lyta is held prisoner in Fort Rozz.
• Jayna's father tells her that Zods do not kneel. Dru-Zod later comments that he's not used to kneeling.
• Doomsday was created on Krypton by the Kryptonians themselves.
• Seg's friend Kem shares the same name as Superman's ancestor Kem-L in the comics.
• There have been several Jax-Ur's throughout the Superman franchise.
• "Flamebird" is one of the code words used to open the Genesis Chamber's secret facility.
• A Sagitari unit uses the callsign "Faora".
• Seg has a one-sided gun battle against Zod's troops with a "ghost" helping guide his fire just like Lois Lane, and also has a trace of Brainiac in his head talking to him just like Lex Luthor.
• The Rankless child Ona's name is similar to Orna, Superman's daughter in the Black Mercy-induced dream from For the Man Who Has Everything.
• The Genesis Chamber's a.i. is called "Oracle".

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