Seg-El

*"I don't know why I'm here. I thought maybe if I could finish my grandfather's work then maybe my parents didn't die for nothing."*
—Seg-El[src]
**Seg-El** is one of the last three surviving members of the House of El. He's the only child of Ter-El and Charys-El and the only grandchild of Val-El. Seg is currently intended to Nyssa-Vex and the father of her son, Jor-El. He's also the father of General Dru-Zod, from the future.

## Biography

### Prelude

Seg-El was born to Ter-El and Charys-El, growing up to live in Kandor City on the planet Krypton. As a child, Seg-El watched as his grandfather Val-El was tried for sedition, ultimately leading to his family being stripped of rank and his grandfather being executed. Growing up as a rankless street rat, Seg became friends with Kem, a tavern owner. He also met Lyta-Zod, buying hand-made clothing from a Rankless stall owner, while taking a drunk Kem home.

### Season 1

#### "Pilot"

*Main article: Pilot*

Fourteen years later, he fought some Guildsmen, earning some money for his family. Arriving home in the early morning, his father headed off for work, forgetting his medication. Seg offered to take it to him, going along with Kem. A Sagitari refused to let him in, the sector being off-limits to rankless, but Seg quickly noticed a terrorist bomber, tackling him down and beating him, giving another Sagitari time to shoot off the arm in which the bomb was implanted. Following this, Daron-Vex gave him the chance to bind with his daughter Nyssa to Seg, and thus the chance to be ranked.

Seg went to tell Kem the news, before noticing some Sagitari trying to hurt a burnt out old man. Seg intervened, instead being handcuffed. Before he could be escorted away and punished by Dev-Em, Lyta-Zod offered to help. They rounded the corner, before Lyta uncuffed him, kissing him and scolding Seg for his behavior. Heading home, Seg was stopped by Adam Strange, who explained himself to be from the future, giving him a sunstone with a modified sigil of the House of El. Arriving home, he showed his parents the sunstone, which they offered to take, as the symbol was still outlawed.

After this, Seg accompanied Nyssa-Vex to the Genesis Chamber, where they gave blood and the Oracle predicted what their future child would be like. Following, Seg went to see Lyta. She told him how she'd be bound to Dev-Em within two weeks, before the two made love. He headed home, but was intercepted by Sagitari, who searched him as there was a curfew due to being on terror alert. They found the House of El sunstone he'd stolen back from his parents, prompting him to knock them down, take the sunstone, and run off.

Chased by the guards, Seg came to a dead end, when his mother suddenly appeared in a skimmer. He hopped in, and she took the two of them to a place outside of the city. Seg used the sunstone to enter what Charys described as his grandfather's "Fortress of Solitude", explaining how he was not as traitor, as the government had made it seem. They soon headed back home, where Charys forced Seg to hide, before she was arrested for stealing the skimmer. Put on trial, Charys preached Val's message of Krypton being in danger, the Council seeing this as sedition and demanding to know who went with her on the skimmer, with Ter-El claiming to be her accomplice, thus saving Seg.

Knowing the fates that awaited them, both Charys and Ter seized weapons so that they would shot, providing a clean death but leaving Seg to grieve. Lyta attempted to comfort him, but as it was her mother that killed them, he felt uncomfortable, breaking things off with her. Seg headed back to the Fortress of Solitude, finding Adam Strange. Seg beat him up, blaming him for his parents' death, but Strange revealed a cape, his future grandson's, further impressing upon him the importance of stopping the looming threat of Brainiac, Collector of Worlds.

#### "House of El"

*Main article: House of El*

*"I just don't know what I'm meant to do now."*
—Seg-El to Lyta-Zod[src]
Refusing to believe him, Seg and Adam returned to Kandor. Upon arrival, Adam asked him to simply look into it, to which Seg agreed, before sending Adam to Kem to get a change of clothes. As he walked away, two Sagitari approached him. Seg attempted to escape, but he was eventually caught and taken to Nyssa-Vex, before then being taken before Daron-Vex. Seg assured Daron that he would not repeat his parents' actions, before being told of his investiture ceremony the following day. Receiving advice from Lyta, Seg went to Daron to join the Science Guild, primarily to gain access to their data banks.

Seg returned to Kem's bar, giving Kem and Adam a piece of technology to help their search for Brainiac. Unable to find anything, Seg traded for a knife, heading for Daron-Vex. On his way, he ran into Nyssa, who gave him his parents ashes. Surprised by this, he headed home where Rhom knocked on the door with Ona, offering their condolences. Following this, Seg-El headed to the Fortress of Solitude, finding an inscription that led him to cut his hand, his blood unlocking a hologram of his grandfather. The hologram told him of his discovery of the Phantom Zone, and ultimately of Brainiac.

Seg headed back to the Lawmakers Guild before his investiture ceremony. There, he found Nyssa and Daron, surprised at his appearance. He told them that he would conform to society, but would not be a Vex, instead wearing the insignia of the Science Guild, to which the Voice of Rao approved. Seg was summoned to his home, where Adam and Kem showed him something they'd found - a scout sent by Brainiac, indicating him to already be on the planet.

#### "The Rankless Initiative"

*Main article: The Rankless Initiative*

Examining the Sentry in the Fortress of Solitude, Seg and Adam Strange discover that the Sentry has already been ejected. They figure out that a salvage crew would have found it, meaning that the Sentry could have been sold to the Guilds or to the black market. Seg goes to search the Guilds and meets Lyta-Zod, admonishing her for her Kandorian Duel with Quex-Ul before heading on.

Meeting up with Kem, Seg sees neither of them have had any luck searching for the Sentry. Eventually Adam Strange shows up with it and they prepare to return to the Fortress of Solitude, but the rankless initiative interrupts them, so Seg sends Adam on ahead. During the initiative, Seg sees Lyta and condemns her actions, but she justifies herself as making it as safe as possible and sends him away.

As he is departing, Seg is contacted by Adam with an update regarding the Sentry; it has already found a host. Seg meets up with Kem and Rhom's daughter Ona, and realizes that Rhom is the Sentry, assuring Ona that Rhom is not responsible for her actions. Seg then meets Lyta in private, requesting an electrostatic discharge grenade to disable the Sentry within Rhom. Lyta is initially skeptical, but eventually gives it to him.

Seg then confronts Rhom, possessed by the Sentry, and tries to speak to her. Rhom slaps him away, saying that Rhom "has been collected", "Krypton is worthy of collection", and that "**you** will be collected". Rhom attempts to garrote Seg, but Seg reminds her of her daughter, and she releases him long enough for Seg to use the grenade, disabling the Sentry. Seg takes Rhom back to the Fortress of Solitude.

#### "The Word of Rao"

*Main article: The Word of Rao*

In the Fortress of Solitude, Seg talks with Kal-El's hologram about Rhom. As Rhom will likely die, Seg sets out to Kandor to tell her daughter, Ona, the bad news. Adam Strange declines to help, but Kem offers to handle it after learning and informing Seg that Lyta-Zod had been accused of treason by the Voice of Rao.

Seg heads to the Military Guild in hopes of freeing her, where he is accosted by Dev-Em and nearly attacked, however Jayna-Zod quickly intervenes. Jayna dismiesses Dev and admonishes Seg to stay away from Lyta, but Seg provokes her into giving him more information. He promises to prevent Lyta's execution from happening, but Jayna angrily accuses him of causing it in the first place and orders him not to come back, at which point the Sagitari escort him out. Frustrated, Seg goes to Nyssa-Vex for help to free Lyta, but before Nyssa will happen him, she makes him tell the truth regarding his reasons for wanting to save Lyta; because he loves her. Nyssa then agrees to help after one last request from Seg.

Eager to save Lyta, Seg tells Adam Strange that he will turn over Rhom to the Council in order to clear Lyta's name. Adam objects, arguing that she represents a vital intelligence asset on Brainiac and that it won't matter if Lyta is executed if the whole planet explodes. Seg is unmoved, and brutally assaults Adam after growing impatient with Adam's pleas to listen. Despite this, Seg is subsequently captured by Dru-Zod's Black Zero and taken to a catacomb in the Outlands.

After being bound, Seg is "tortured" by Dru-Zod, who had ordered his subordinates to insert an "Outlands creature" into Seg's brain. This creature is torturous for "any man", but does not work on Sentries, and is an effective test to ensure a person isn't possessed by Brainiac. Dru-Zod asks Seg for information, and after some skeptical questions Seg tells Dru what Rhom was doing in the communications hub, but refuses to say more as he wants to save Rhom's life.

Dru then reveals that Sentries will attempt to infect more influential hosts, and will shut down only when that has happened. For this reason Dru wants to rip Rhom open and access her memory nodes to acquire information while she's still active, prompting Seg to insult Dru. Tak, one of Dru's subordinates, then tases Seg but has his neck snapped by Dru afterward for disobeying orders.

Dru again asks Seg to help, and Seg agrees on the condition that they break Lyta-Zod out of prison first. Dru leaves to gather his men, and as Seg is being escorted out he tases his escort, unbinds himself, and inserts the same "Outlands creature" into her head that had been inserted into his, incapacitating her and allowing himself to escape.

#### "House of Zod"

*Main article: House of Zod*

While escaping from Dru-Zod, Seg encounters Raika, who he frees and attempts to escape with until being captured by Cythonnites, worshippers of the Ice Goddess Cythonna. They had intended to hold and interrogate Seg, but he eventually escapes with Raika's reluctant help. Fleeing into the Outlands, Seg is found by Dru-Zod, but not before he could send out a distress signal to Adam Strange who, together with Lyta-Zod, rescue Seg and capture Dru.

#### "Civil Wars"

*Main article: Civil Wars*

Dru-Zod reveals to Seg that the planet will die in 200 years if Brainiac collects Kandor, causing Seg to grow suspicious of Adam, who knew but did not reveal that information. Seg has Adam locked up, and then joins forces with Dru to utilize a super weapon against Brainiac, unknowing that it is Doomsday. After realizing the danger of Doomsday and escaping from hostile Cythonnites, Seg assures the greatly wounded Dru that they would find a way to stop Brainiac without Doomsday.

#### "Transformation"

*Main article: Transformation*

While transporting the wounded Dru-Zod to help, Seg is accosted by Sagitari but manages to convince them that Dru is merely drunk due to the Nova Cycle celebration, and that they'll be right along. They then take Dru to a private healer. While there, Seg is informed by Kem that Nyssa-Vex has been indicted as part of the failed coup to oust the Voice of Rao, and scheduled for execution. Seg sets out to save her, despite the protestations of Lyta-Zod, who split up to search for her mother Jayna-Zod in the meantime.

Nyssa, who had incapacitated her father Daron-Vex when he entered her room attempting to kill her, forced Daron to allow Seg in past the Sagitari guards when he showed up. Seg interrogates Daron, but he knows nothing and pleads for his life in exchange for help out of the area. Nyssa wants to kill him anyway, but Seg stays her hand and accepts. As Nyssa passes her pistol to Seg, Daron knocks the pistol out of their hands and calls for the guards, escaping, while Seg and Nyssa defeat the guards and leave using their uniforms as disguises. They nearly make it out, but despite Nyssa kissing Seg to hide their faces, they are found and cornered by Sagitari in the lower districts until Lyta-Zod and company come to save them.

Lyta-Zod and Jayna-Zod argue to expel Nyssa from the group, but Seg angrily overrules them, yelling that "none of our hands are clean". Seg then concocts a plan to reveal the Voice of Rao as an alien in order to turn the populous against him, but before it could be executed one of the Voice's aides, Sevi, reveals it first. Brainiac however, expected it, and used it as an opportunity to claim transcendence and rebirth, promising eternal life and an end to the division between the rankless and guilded, increasing his popularity rather than destroying it.

#### "Savage Night"

*Main article: Savage Night*

With information Kem retrieved from Sevi, Seg learns that the Genesis Chamber is being diverted and destroyed by the Voice of Rao, threatening the reproduction of the entire species. Lyta suggests attacking the Voice while in the trance-like state induced when absorbing energy from the Genesis Chamber, although Jayna notes that the Red Shard pose a problem. Seg suggests hacking into Brainiac's neural network to separate the Red Shard from the Voice, incapacitating them, and so heads with Lyta to retrieve Dev-Em's body for use as a way in.

After finding Dev, who was still alive, Seg carries him back to the skimmer for transport to the Fortress of Solitude for analysis. While analysis is underway, Seg and Nyssa talk about the absurdities of their current situation, and bond over it and the fact that they do have a child together. Later Dru-Zod contacts Seg, with news that Black Zero will help with the plan to take down the Voice of Rao on the condition that they get Daron-Vex. Seg gives the decision to Nyssa, who accepts the condition.

Seg heads to the Genesis Chamber to start the operation with Black Zero. Jayna and Black Zero give Seg and Dru cover to reach the center, but when they arrive the neural connection is still live and the Red Shard is still active. Seg suggests to give more time, but Dru becomes impatient and downs one of the Red Shard. At just that moment, Val-El's hologram succeeds in hacking the network and incapacitates the Red Shard, with the Voice exiting his trance just in time to engage Dru while Seg knocks out a fleeing Daron-Vex. The Voice gets the upper hand, knocking down Seg and choking Dru until Jayna arrives and shoots him, causing him to release Dru and fall into the genesis apparatus.

Seg then stops by Kem's bar, where Jayna shares her concerns regarding Dru-Zod. They are interrupted by Ona's arrival, but she does not respond normally and begins to beep like bomb. Before exploding, Adam Strange rushes in between Seg an Ona and activates his Zeta Beam, protecting Seg from the explosion and transporting himself back through time, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

#### "Hope"

*Main article: Hope*

Seg sends Kem to Kryptonopolis, it is implied because Seg fears that Kandor is doomed. After three days of fruitless searching for the Voice of Rao, Seg laments the leaderless chaos following his disappearance, making it harder to find his location. Lyta questions whether Seg truly believes this conflict can be won, and Seg laments that Adam Strange believed that he could save the universe when he "couldn't even save him", assuming Adam is dead. Seg goes on to say that he has lost too many people and cannot bear to lose more, and Lyta reassures Seg that he won't lose her.

Seg then has a dream that he is within Brainiac's Skull Ship, and is impaled by Brainiac prior to waking up to find Lyta gone from his bed. Jayna-Zod convinces Seg that Dru-Zod is attempting to release Doomsday, probably with Lyta's help despite Seg's wishes, although Seg does not initially believe the probability. Even so, Seg and Jayna combine El and Zod blood to open the Doomsday Vault and, with the cooperation of the Cythonnites, move Doomsday's tomb somewhere Dru cannot find it. Seg then waits for their arrival, and Dru reveals that Seg is actually his father, proving it by using his blood alone (with the blood of El and Zod in one) to open the Doomsday Vault; only to realize that it is already empty. Seg admonishes Lyta for her betrayal, and leaves them under Jayna's guard when he is called away by his Cythonnite allies.

Meeting up with the Cythonnites and Nyssa-Vex, Seg learns that the containment field around Doomsday's tomb had been damaged during transport, and that Doomsday will inevitably be released. Raika decides to move Doomsday into Kandor so that Doomsday will be collected by Brainiac and taken away from Krypton forever, and although Seg objects, the Cythonnites threaten to kill him if he interferes. He lets them go.

Nyssa and Seg return to the Fortress of Solitude, discussing the myriad problems they face, when Nyssa suggests taking a skimmer and fleeing to Argo City. Seg wonders if she'll be the next persont o "screw [him] over", to which Nyssa responds that she's not Lyta, reassuring him partially, although it takes encouragement from Val-El's hologram to completely rekindle his spirits.

Seg deduces that the Voice needs power, from the Genesis Chamber or elsewhere, in order to power his Skull Ship and hasten its arrival. Working from this theory, Seg and Val-El's hologram realize that the Voice must be going to Kandor's dome generator. Seg sends Nyssa to convince the remaining Sagitari, while he convinces Black Zero, to work together to take down the Voice. They succeed, and a joint task force is formed which Seg gives a brief speech to. He then tells Nyssa to take his sunstone to Val to have him shut everything down, and to then run to Argo City.

Accompanying the task force, Seg finds the Voice at the generator. The Voice manipulates the two united forces into killing each other and captures Seg with some form of magnetism or telekinesis, pushing him out toward the generator beam. Before that can happen, Nyssa appears and stabs him in the back of the skull with the sunstone, causing the Voice to explode. Nyssa and Seg kiss, but are interrupted by the deactivation of the generator, and flee when they notice Brainiac reconstituting himself, bringing the sunstone with them.

#### "The Phantom Zone"

*Main article: The Phantom Zone*

With the dome down, snow begins to fill Kandor, with Seg and Nyssa hugging each other for warmth. They eventually encounter Lyta and Dru, and agree to go free Val-El from the Phantom Zone. Dru is sent into the Phantom Zone, and retrieves Val-El, finally reuniting Seg with his grandfather. Val reveals that he saw Seg grow up, and that there is no way to stop Brainiac, for every future he had seen in the Phantom Zone showed Brainiac taking Kandor.

Seg intends to evacuate as people many as possible, although he tries to make Lyta stay behind. While Dru and Val discuss using Doomsday, Nyssa and Lyta leave together to save her baby and evacuate civilians, respectively. Seg and Dru go together to Kandor find Nyssa and Lyta, as well as to help with evacuation. On the way, Dru suggests making a deal with Brainiac to offer Val-El, and his knowledge of the future, in exchange for Krypton being spared. Seg attempts to stop him, to dissuade him, but Dru is totally undeterred and continues on, while Seg heads to the Fortress of Solitude to warn his grandfather.

Val-El insists that he must die to deny Brainiac his knowledge as the Phantom Zone would be far worse than death, with Seg fiercely denying that he has to die. In the middle of their argument, Brainiac and Dru arrive. Seg points a gun at Val-El and threatens to shoot him if Brainiac comes near. Brainiac, disbelieving that Seg would shoot his grandfather, sends Seg flying away with a gesture. Brainiac then demonstrates that he knew the Val-El Seg threatened to shoot was a hologram, and that he was not convinced for a moment. Seg then activates the Phantom Zone portal, gloating that he didn't need to convince Brainiac of anything; he just needed Brainiac to step on the platform.

As Brainiac is banished to the Phantom Zone, growling in rage, he sends tendrils down to ensnare a laughing Seg, drawing him into the Phantom Zone as well. Val grabs onto Seg as he is being pulled into the portal, attempting to save him, but as this happens Superman's cape begins to reconstitute itself, indicating that this action would preserve the timeline. Seeing this, Seg rephrases Kal's own quote from when he entered the Phantom Zone, "Keep believing in a better tomorrow," and says to his grandfather; "Start believing in a better tomorrow again". Seg then lets go, and is drawn into the Phantom Zone with Brainiac.

### Season 2

#### "Light-Years From Home"

*Main article: Light-Years From Home*

Seg-El, trapped in the Phantom Zone, experiences disorienting possible futures such as General Zod killing Lyta-Zod. After finding a "hallucination" of his grandfather Val-El, the hallucination explained that Seg was surround by worm holes, leading to separate points in space time. With his sunstone, Seg is able to open one them to return to the real world, but just as he did the "hallucination" revealed itself to be Brainiac, who escaped the Phantom Zone with Seg.

Arriving in Colu, Brainiac's homeworld, Seg questions Brainiac who calmly explains how how he manipulated Seg. Brainiac then insists that Seg is dehydrated and must focus on staying alive, not revenge, and that Seg is needed in order for Brainiac himself to survive. Explaining that he intends to build a ship using remnant Coluan technology, Seg decides to attack Brainiac immediately.

Seemingly succeeding and standing over Brainiac's corpse, Adam Strange arrives, much to Seg's delight, who believed Adam had died in "Savage Night". Wondering why Adam came back for him, Adam tells Seg that Earth has been lost in the future and that he hopes Seg can restore the timeline. After learning that General Zod has taken over Krypton, Seg regrets that he did not trust Adam during the events of "Civil Wars", when Adam tried to warn Seg about Zod. Learning that his infant son Cor-Vex is alive, Seg and Adam try to head back to Krypton using the Zeta Beam, but they are interrupted by a howl and subsequently captured by Lobo.

#### "Ghost In The Fire"

*Main article: Ghost In The Fire*

Awakened by Lobo bound against a tree with Adam Strange, Seg-El banters with Lobo and then offers to take him to Brainiac's corpse in exchange for his freedom. Lobo agrees to the deal and releases the two, but upon arriving at Brainiac's corpse, Lobo scans it to realize that "Brainiac" is not there. Having abrogated the deal, Lobo moves to attack Seg, but Seg reflexively uses telekinesis to deflect Lobo's weapon, and Lobo then realizes via the scanner that Brainiac is *inside* Seg.

Using Brainiac's reflexes to even the odds, Seg engages Lobo in battle until Lobo gets the upper hand. Just as Lobo is about to "cut open [Brainiac's] new home from tip to taint", Adam Strange shoots Lobo with a blaster, ripping a hole through his body. Lobo begins to heal, but Seg and Adam take this opportunity to escape.

Returning to Lobo's campsite for Adam's Zeta Beam, their way home, Seg insists that Adam not take him along unless Brainiac can be removed, and if not, to kill him. He asks Adam to promise to do this, but while Adam hesitates, Seg's eyes flush fully black.

#### "Will To Power"

*Main article: Will To Power*

Seg-El runs through the Coluan forest while Adam Strange struggles to keep up. Adam has Seg halt so he can tell him something, but Seg is impatient to move on as staying in one location is "not logical", before Seg's eyes eventually go blank as Seg himself wakes up within his own mind, talking to Brainiac. Brainiac offers Seg eternal life, which Seg rejects; freedom from worry, uncertainty, pain, and burdens, which Seg also rejects; and the ability to achieve anything they want, together, as one, which Seg seemingly finally accedes to, causing Seg to wake up in control of his own body.

After explaining to Adam that Brainiac needs an organic body to "strip it for parts and repair himself", that he is weak and that Seg can access Brainiac's mind, Seg forms a plan to defeat Brainiac and takes Adam along with him. Seg plans to bring Brainiac to the Coluan natal chamber where he was created, to lock Brainiac into place so that Seg can separate from the weakened Brainiac while Lobo kills him. Adam has reservations about connecting Brainiac to a supercomputer, but Seg says he has no other choice.

Arriving at the natal chamber, Brainiac once again wrests control from Seg and they converse mentally, with Seg trying to "endure" Brainiac and hide information from him. He transforms into Nyssa-Vex, Kem, and eventually Lyta-Zod, and manages to get underneath Seg's skin, who misses Lyta dearly. However, Seg eventually snaps out of it, and tells Brainiac that what his is experiencing is "fear", causing the facade to slip and Brainiac's true form to bleed through. "Lyta" then tries to approach Seg, but within his own mind, he uses telekinesis to keep Brainiac away until he wakes.

Waking up to find Lobo killing Adam, Seg uses telekinesis in the real world to launch Lobo away from him. Adam pulls Seg off the table, ripping Brainiac out of him to reform, and then together they activate Adam's Zeta Beam to escape from a rapidly approaching Lobo back to Krypton. Seg lands, passed out, with Adam in the Outlands and Adam has to resuscitate him. Seg freaks out, but Adam manages to get him to focus on the fact that he is now back on Krypton, and together they head back toward Kandor.

#### "Danger Close"

*Main article: Danger Close*

In the Outlands, Seg-El remembers in a dream the time he first met Lyta-Zod in the Rankless District, with Brainiac commenting on it just before he wakes up. Adam urges caution on their journey to Kandor, but they arrive in good time anyway, Seg shocked at how different the city has become. Seg comes up with a plan to use Lyta, Zod's right hand, to bolster the Resistance while Adam gets into contact with Seg's grandfather Val-El.

Seg manages to make it to the Primus' quarters to meet Lyta, who is shocked to see him alive and takes him to her bed. Seg, using knowledge of the future from Adam and from his time in the Phantom Zone, tries to convince Lyta to stop General Zod. Lyta however, asks Seg to come with her, showing him Cor-Vex, his infant son by Nyssa-Vex. Lyta also asks Seg to stay with her and "our son", but Seg says that Cor will always be his and Nyssa's son, until Dru-Zod arrives; she was referring to him. He asks how Lyta could do this, but she says he will understand and departs.

Alone with General Zod, Zod tries to convince Seg that House El and House Zod working together can build great things, while Seg reiterates more and more of his visions of the future where Zod goes too far. Seg says that if he moderates himself, Zod has the "chance to be the best of both houses", but Zod only asks that Seg help him broker a surrender with Wegthor before sending him to a medical bay for treatment. Once there, Seg notices Raika and tries to talk to her, but she does not remember him and soon begins to have a panic attack until she is sedated. About to be taken away to the "Somatic Division", Seg demands to be taken along as General Zod's father, to which they reluctantly agree.

At the Somatic Division, Seg discovers that Lyta helped brainwash Raika, and ultimately that Lyta herself was brainwashed by General Zod, before Zod himself arrives and begins to have *Seg* brainwashed. After it completes however, Brainiac speaks to Seg, and he is able to dispel the brainwashing before incapacitating his guards. On the Somatic Reconditioning device, he discovers that Brainiac is still within his mind.

#### "A Better Yesterday"

*Main article: A Better Yesterday*

Leaving the Somatic Division, Seg-El arrives at General Zod's chambers to confront him, striking him and holding him at gunpoint. After taunting Zod, Zod demands to know how Seg resisted the reconditioning, at which point Brainiac appears as a hallucination beside Seg, advising him not to answer truthfully. As Seg looks at Brainiac however, Zod also looks but sees no one there. Brainiac continues giving Seg advice until Seg tells him to "shut up", alerting Zod that something is amiss, until Seg orders Zod to fix Lyta.

Insisting to Zod that they were not and never will be a family, that he cares only for Lyta, Seg demands that Zod free Lyta from her conditioning. Due to a solar flare however, they are unable to do so immediately, and so Seg instead contents himself with interrogating Zod in the meantime. He questions how many people Zod reconditioned, and asserts that he took away Lyta's empathy, that she will turn on him once she knows the truth, although Zod disagrees.

As Seg forces Zod to contact Lyta, Jax-Ur answers with Lyta as a hostage. Distracted by Lyta in pain, Zod manages to disarm Seg and hold *him* hostage instead. Seg says that if Zod brings Lyta home safe that they can talk, but Zod says he doesn't need to make his father proud anymore, that he doesn't need anything from Seg, before knocking Seg out cold.

Coming to, Seg notices the conversation between Zod and Lyta, until time seems to stop and Brainiac appears. He asks whether Seg believes that Zod is "not willing to let [Lyta] die", saying that "Zod is quite a formidable liar". Seg asks Brainiac what is happening, whether he has returned, and Brainiac says that he never left. He counsels Seg to warn Lyta and kill Zod, which he tries to do, but Zod deactivates the connection before he can warn her. They then fight each other, and as Zod begins to choke Seg, Seg remembers his vision from the Phantom Zone where Zod strangles Lyta.

Seg is saved when Jayna-Zod and Dev-Em arrive, but General Zod pulls a knife on Seg for use as a human shield. Seg implores Jayna to shoot anyway, to end the war, but she cannot kill her daughter's lover. Dev goes to shoot anyway, until Zod throws a knife at Jayna, forcing Dev to stop in order to grab it out of the air as Zod escapes. The three then leave the area. Using Brainiac's knowledge, Seg continuously one-shots every Sagitari they encounter, allowing a smooth escape. As Seg heads to the old Rankless District to meet up with the rebel underground, he notices Jax on the Kandor communications system, and watches as she accuses Zod of having Sagitari lie in ambush within the tunnels while only having decoys board the Space Elevator. For this seeming betrayal, Jax cuts open Lyta's throat even as Seg watches in horror.

#### "In Zod We Trust"

*Main article: In Zod We Trust*

Seg-El is visibly distraught after having watched Lyta-Zod die, and is shepherded by Jayna-Zod and Dev-Em to a side alley where he begins to scream. Dev-Em tries to formulate a plan to return to the Outlands, but Seg says that Dev was on Wegthor, and asks how something like this could have happened. Jayna jabs that he should ask his grandfather, and Seg fires back that Val-El would've done everything he could to prevent it. When Jayna says "It wasn't enough, was it?" Dev cuts in, trying to diffuse the argument by saying that Lyta wouldn't want them arguing, to which Seg says that no one knows what she wants because she was reconditioned. When Dev expresses doubt, Seg angrily yells that he saw it with his own eyes.

Brainiac then appears before Seg, counseling him to stop grieving and act, which angers Seg to the point where he yells at Brainiac to "stop", unnerving Jayna and Dev who only saw Seg yelling at thin air. Seg recovers, continuing to say "stop blaming yourself", and then follows Brainiac's advice to keep moving. When Dev reports that Nyssa is arriving in Kandor, Seg is keenly interested in her. Seg manages to find her after she has an altercation with two Sagitari, much to her relief. He forms a plan to use Nyssa as bait in a scheme to recover Cor-Vex, and although Dev questions him, Seg tells Dev not to "patronize me", that he fully intends to keep those he loves safe.

Nyssa, after securing her son, jumps out of General Zod's tower to land in Seg's skimmer, which is damaged in the escape. Although they make it to the Outlands, the damage causes the skimmer to fail, until Brainiac again appears and offers his assistance. Seg reluctantly accepts it, and then stabilizes the ship using Brainiac's knowledge and reflexes, to arrive safely in New Lurvan.

Seg stays outside in the cold, crying, until Brainiac arrives one last time. He notes that Seg's tears are of frustration at the prospect of defeating Zod, not sadness, and applauds his rationality, saying that Seg is correct that he cannot defeat Zod alone. Seg tries to deny this, but Brainiac cuts through, saying that Seg knows it to be true and merely suppresses it, to which Seg agrees. Brainiac offers to give Seg the power to defeat Zod if Seg brings Brainiac to his ship, and although Seg is fearful that Brainiac won't just leave afterward, Brainiac offers Seg his word. Looking at his son, Seg acquiesces to Brainiac's request, and then asks Nyssa to trust him and accompany him.

#### "Zods and Monsters"

*Main article: Zods and Monsters*

Driving a skimmer through the Outlands, Nyssa-Vex and Brainiac both try to talk to him, with Seg remaining silent until Brainiac reveals that he can hear Seg's thoughts. Realizing himself compromised, Seg rapidly tells Nyssa not to let him anywhere near Brainiac's Skull Ship, breaking his deal with Brainiac, and continues saying that Nyssa must remove Brainiac from him until Brainiac freezes Seg in place. Seg manages to grate out "fortress", and Nyssa begins going there, but Seg remains motionless.

Brought into the Fortress of Solitude by Nyssa, Seg asks to hold his son one last time, but collapses as Brainiac seizes control of his body. Val-El's hologram then takes over trying to rid Seg of Brainiac. After being analyzed and discovering the cluster of "Nanites" to be on Seg's brain stem, Seg insists they go forward with the procedure of removing Brainiac, but then destroys the machine when Brainiac forces him to, saying "I am sorry, Seg-El, but you know I cannot allow you to complete this procedure." Seg then says to restrain him, and continue. Nyssa balks however, since it would have to be done manually, but Seg convinces her to do so anyway. He also sarcastically notes that even she fails, he'll have too much brain damage to care.

After seemingly successfully completing the procedure, Seg thanks Nyssa, and holds his son Cor-Vex for the first time since being freed of Brainiac. When he says Cor's name however, Nyssa says she doesn't want Daron-Vex's name tainting Cor, and that she wants him to be an El. Seg agrees and suggests "Cor-El", but Val-El's hologram interjects, saying that when someone enters the House of El, they typically take the first name of an El ancestor, and with Nyssa's approval, Seg renames Cor-Vex to Jor-El.

Seg changes into clothes bearing House El's sigil, but is shocked when an alarm goes off and Val's hologram reports that Brainiac's Nanites are "gone". Seg has the hologram scan the Fortress three times to no avail, and even has it scan Nyssa and Jor-El, but it finds nothing. Seg assumes Brainiac to still be within him, until the hologram begins glitching out, reforming itself as Brainiac.

Brainiac tells him that, had Seg honored their arrangement, everything could've been avoided. Although Seg disbelieves Brainiac, he doesn't care, and again offers Seg the chance to join him. Seg asserts that despite Brainiac's time living in his head, Brainiac still doesn't understand him if he thinks Seg wants the "power to destroy" as Brainiac does. Brainiac rebukes him, saying he wants to preserve, not destroy, but Seg says that although he can "call it what you want", Brainiac is just a monster with delusions of godhood, and that he will never join Brainiac. Although Brainiac is disappointed, he respects Seg's choice, but before he departs, he steals Seg's son up to his Skull Ship and vanishes. Nyssa screams in hysterics, and Seg restrains her as she sobs.

#### "Mercy"

*Main article: Mercy*

Seg-El sets about scanning nearby sectors for any trace of Brainiac, but Nyssa-Vex convinces him that it's a waste of time. They both agree not to give up, and Nyssa suggests searching for Val-El who saw Brainiac's futures, but they are interrupted by the arrival of Jayna-Zod and Dev-Em. They inform Seg and Nyssa that General Zod's fleet of interstellar craft are now completed, and that it is preparing to launch for Wegthor.

In response, Seg devises a plan to enter Fort Rozz via several smuggler tunnels he and Kem once used. Although they successfully infiltrate the fort, the Sagitari that Seg attempted to subdue managed to fire off a shot and alert the guards. Their group is quickly surrounded, and Seg and Nyssa surrender while Jayna and Dev stealthily retreat. Seg later mocks his captors for seemingly not knowing where they're going, until they tell him they're taking him to see General Zod. Once there, Seg accuses Zod of letting Lyta die, and Zod orders them detained until he can somatically recondition Nyssa.

Within his cell, Seg is frustrated that they cannot escape. Nyssa comforts him, and they agree to stay by each other's side in their search for their son Jor-El. At that moment however, Dev-Em arrives and frees them, and Seg reunites with Lyta after escaping.

Seg-El also appeared in the illusion created by Black Mercy within Lyta-Zod's mind. Both Seg and Lyta were seen leaving The Rankless District and traveling with skimmer in Kryptonopolis. Soon after they were married, but Lyta knew that it was just all illusion, regained consciousness in the laboratory and soon escaped.

#### "Blood Moon"

*Main article: Blood Moon*

In the Outlands outpost, Seg discussed with Lyta, Jayna and Dev-Em about how to communicate with Val as the communications with Wegthor were cut. Dev suggested that Seg and Nyssa travel to his modified skimmer for Wegthor. While Jayna, Dev and the exhausted Lyta stayed, Seg and Nyssa found his skimmer, which was slightly broken. They came to Wegthor where he reunited with Val and later with Kem and Adam. Seg warned Val that Zod's fleet of the ships was coming on the moon. Seg, Nyssa, Val, Kem and Adam stayed in HQ to observe the assault team on the surface for upcoming attack. The ship arrived with Sagitari and Doomsday. Commander Rune-Lux and his team fired on Doomsday, but the latter killed all of them with ease. Faced with difficult situation, Seg suggested to capture the ship. Seg and others separated to capture the ship and to slow down Doomsday so they could evacuate all rebels and civilians. Seg, Val-El and Kem were in the mines where Val told them to put an explosives while Val could detonate them afar. The power network in HQ however was destroyed and Val told them to activate the explosives on the surface. Seg and Kem continued on the work, but Doomsday arrived and killed the whole unit, while barely escaping from him. Seg noticed that his detonator was missing and wanted to retrieve it, but Kem decided to do it instead to save Seg's life by putting a force barrier between them. Seg was shaken to his decision when Kem left. After the explosives were detonated by Kem, the moon began to crumble. Seg managed to find a skimmer, but the moon exploded in space, much to Val and Nyssa's horror.

### Original Future

At some point in the future, Seg-El will conceive a child named Dru-Zod with Lyta-Zod, who will grow up unaware that Seg is his father. He will also one day have a son named Jor-El who will later father his own child named Kal-El.

## Personality

*"You think I'm gonna go live up there and leave you down here? I--I'm sorry, that's not happening."*
—Seg-El to Ter-El and Charys-El[src]
Despite his tough upbringing, Seg is loyal to his family, but is willing to break the rules when he deems fit; one example being romantically involved with Lyta. His love for Lyta is seen as a flaw to those who wish to degrade his family such as Lyta's mother, Jayna. Despite this, Seg is unwilling to ally himself to those who have secret agendas or those who lie to him.

When in a comfortable situation, Seg's true colors are shown as kind and occasionally sarcastic. He also has a paternal side while around Kem's friend and later ward, Ona. His paternal side is also shown when he holds his infant son, Cor-Vex for the first time.

Growing up, his best friend is Kem a fellow Rankless. As kids and as adults, they always had each other's backs and considered each other honorary brothers. This is evident after Ona dies and Seg mentions he sent Kem to Kryptontoplis to keep him safe and help him grieve his ward.

Upon hearing from Adam of Cor-Vex's birth, Seg immediately asks if he [Cor] is alright, indicating that he loves his son, despite not yet knowing him. When he gets to meet Cor for the first time, he gives his little son the nickname Little Guy and is surprised at how dark the infant's hair is. As a father, Seg is devoted to his family and will do anything to his son and Nyssa safe and is proud to have his now renamed son carry his family name of El.

Seg possesses the ability to see the good in people despite their misdeeds as seen with Nyssa when he tells her he put his blind faith in her when he allowed her to walk into House Zod unarmed before she stepped out of a window into a waiting skimmer with their child in her arms.

## Abilities

* **Kryptonian physiology:** Seg-El is a Kryptonian and possesses their physical attributes. According to Kem, he has superior stamina and resilience, which allowed him to last for almost two minutes in a bar fight against government officials and impressing Kem. He has quick reflexes, as he swiftly reacted to an attempted Black Zero bomber. Nyssa-Vex said he was a wonderful choice for Binding with her, and the Oracle of the Genesis Chamber foresaw the product of their union as a male of sound health who would live 173 cycles. He can outrun being arrested, and he was strong enough to punch down Strange with a single punch. He survived being attacked by a Sentry-infected Rhom.
* **Genius-level intelligence:** Seg-El is highly intelligent, like his grandfather, as noted by his mother. According to a government official, he always has something clever to say. Adam Strange entrusted him to find the Fortress of Solitude and save his grandson. After learning the truth about the fortress, he quickly deduced that his grandfather was exiled because he found something he was not supposed to. Nyssa-Vex said he is a quick learner who looked sure of himself. His grandfather's copy guided and educated him on his family's history and his work, and told him that their greatness lives on in him, as he was the torchbearer of their legacy and must keep the flame alive to pass it on to the next generation. He also said his accomplishments would stand alongside all those who came before him and would forever inspire those that follow if he believed in himself, as his grandfather always had.
	+ **Expert scientist:** A genetic council deemed Seg-El best suited to join the Science Guild, and his mother wanted him to continue his grandfather's work. He convinced Daron-Vex to let him continue his grandfather's earlier work with the Science Guild and serve Kandor City the way he did, and was given unlimited access to their data banks (including climatology reports, atmospheric physics, and meteorological phenomena). He quickly intuited how to access the fortress' hidden knowledge and activate his grandfather's computer program, and understood the intentions behind the holographic projections. When Strange found the Sentry, Seg-El thought to reverse-engineer it to figure out how far away Brainiac was, with assistance from his grandfather's projection. However, the Sentry had already found a host, leading him to conclude the parasite was dormant. He thought to disable the technology with an electrostatic discharge grenade to save his friend, in which he succeeded.
	+ **Skilled tactician:** Seg-El quickly devised a plan to find one of Brainiac's Sentries, and Nyssa said he became better at lying.
	+ **Bilingualism:** Seg-El speaks English and he effortlessly translated a Kryptonese message in the fortress
* **Skilled hand-to-hand combatant:** Seg-El has displayed proficiency in fighting. He was able to defend himself from government officials in a bar fight, even impressing Kem for lasting almost two minutes. He also quickly subdued an attempted Black Zero bomber and overpowered a Sagitari, despite the latter being a member of the Military Guild and the Voice of Rao security detail. He prepared to defend himself from Adam Strange but the latter quickly backed down. He later defended himself against two more government officials, and resisted arrest from two more attempting to arrest his father, even disarming one of them of their blaster. He was able to quickly punch down Strange with a single punch. Seg-El later resisted being retrieved by Quex-Ul and another Sagitari, but he was subdued by the former. He almost attacked Strange again, but was stopped by Kem, and later was given a concealed blade to use against Daron-Vex.
* **Stealth:** Seg-El briefly hid from two Sagitari attempting to arrest him, but he was found and taken in. Kem said he disappeared without a trace.
* **Indomitable will:** Seg-El quickly subdued a Black Zero terrorist and was commended by Daron-Vex for his bravery. According to Jayna-Zod, the House of El are known for their resolve, and Dev-Em said their name is synonymous with resistance amongst the Rankless.

## Trivia

* The spelling of Seg's full name 'Seg-El' comes from Superman creator Jerry Siegel. The original spelling of Seg's name 'Seyg' was inspired by 'Siegel'. As a nod to Siegel, Lobo calls Seg 'seagull' when he and Adam are captured by the bounty hunter.

## Behind the Scenes

* This is the first live-action incarnation of the character Seg-El.

## Appearances

### Season 1

* "Pilot"
* "House of El"
* "The Rankless Initiative"
* "The Word of Rao"
* "House of Zod"
* "Civil Wars"
* "Transformation"
* "Savage Night"
* "Hope"
* "The Phantom Zone"

### Season 2

* "Light-Years From Home"
* "Ghost In The Fire"
* "Will To Power"
* "Danger Close"
* "A Better Yesterday"
* "In Zod We Trust"
* "Zods and Monsters"
* "Mercy"
* "Blood Moon"
* "The Alpha and the Omega"

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Goldberg, Ian, Goyer, David S. (writers), Donnelly, Ciaran & McCarthy, Colm (directors) (March 21, 2018). "Pilot". *Krypton*. Season 1. Episode 1. Syfy.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kalteux, Luke (writer), Ramsay, Julius (director) (July 3, 2019). "Danger Close". *Krypton*. Season 2. Episode 4. Syfy.
3. ↑ Welsh, Cameron (writer) & Donnelly, Ciaran (director) (March 28, 2018). "House of El". *Krypton*. Season 1. Episode 2. Syfy.
4. ↑ Tucker, Nadria (writer), Shill, Steve (director) (April 4, 2018). "The Rankless Initiative". *Krypton*. Season 1. Episode 3. Syfy.
5. ↑ Kalteux, Luke (writer), Boak, Keith (director) (April 11, 2018). "The Word of Rao". *Krypton*. Season 1. Episode 4. Syfy.
6. ↑ Patel, Lina (writer), Ramsay, Julius (director) (April 18, 2018). "House of Zod". *Krypton*. Season 1. Episode 5. Syfy.
7. ↑ Egan, Doris (writer), Dennis, Kate (director) (April 25, 2018). "Civil Wars". *Krypton*. Season 1. Episode 6. Syfy.
8. ↑ Francis, David Paul (writer), Hüseyin, Metin (director) (May 2, 2018). "Transformation". *Krypton*. Season 1. Episode 7. Syfy.
9. ↑ Kob, David (writer), Roskin, Marc (director) (May 9, 2018). "Savage Night". *Krypton*. Season 1. Episode 8. Syfy.
10. ↑ Fiveash, Chad and Stoteraux, James (writers), Ettlin, Lukas (director) (May 16, 2018). "Hope". *Krypton*. Season 1. Episode 9. Syfy.
11. ↑ Fiveash, Chad & Stoteraux, James & Welsh, Cameron (writers), Donnelly, Ciaran (director) (May 23, 2018). "The Phantom Zone". *Krypton*. Season 1. Episode 10. Syfy.
12. ↑ Goyer, David S. & Welsh, Cameron (writers), Roskin, Marc (director) (June 12, 2019). "Light-Years From Home". *Krypton*. Season 2. Episode 1. Syfy.
13. ↑ Horne, Kiersten Van (writer), Roskin, Marc (director) (June 19, 2019). "Ghost In The Fire". *Krypton*. Season 2. Episode 2. Syfy.
14. ↑ Patel, Lina (writer), Ramsay, Julius (director) (June 26, 2019). "Will To Power". *Krypton*. Season 2. Episode 3. Syfy.
15. ↑ David Kob (writer), Hüseyin, Metin (director) (July 10, 2019). "A Better Yesterday". *Krypton*. Season 2. Episode 5. Syfy.
16. ↑ Tucker, Nadria (writer), Hüseyin, Metin (director) (July 17, 2019). "In Zod We Trust". *Krypton*. Season 2. Episode 6. Syfy.
17. ↑ Thompson, Joel Anderson (writer), Watson, Erica (director) (July 24, 2019). "Zods and Monsters". *Krypton*. Season 2. Episode 7. Syfy.
18. ↑ Aldrin, Katie (writer), Kilner, Clare (director) (July 31, 2019). "Mercy". *Krypton*. Season 2. Episode 8. Syfy.
19. ↑ Francis, David Paul (writer), Welsh, Cameron (director) (August 7, 2019). "Blood Moon". *Krypton*. Season 2. Episode 9. Syfy.