The season 1 finale of Krypton delivered plenty of shocking twists, but one particular clue may actually hint at the true cause of the Krypton’s destruction. Though Brainiac’s attack on Kandor was said to be the moment that would doom the planet, Krypton’s fate may actually be indirectly linked to the reveal that Nyssa-Vex (Wallis Day) is a clone.
In the final episode of the season, fans get to see Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe) defeat Brainiac by trapping him in the Phantom Zone. Unfortunately, Seg is accidentally sucked into the portal as well, leaving General Zod (Colin Salmon) to finish what he came through time to do: make Krypton kneel before Zod. As Krypton’s new leader, Zod announces plans for galactic conquest, which seem to include Earth. Meanwhile, Doomsday breaks free of his prison. On top of all these developments, we also find out from the Black Zero leader, Jax-Ur, (Hannah Waddingham), that Nyssa is a clone.
Related: Krypton Season 1 Finale Explained: Zod’s Plan, The Phantom Zone & Doomsday
Though the revelation seems almost minor in comparison to the other events in the finale, it could be one of the show’s most important reveals yet. The addition of clones could have a major impact on the show’s direction going forward, especially if the series continues to be faithful to the source material. In the comic books, Kryptonian cloning is what ultimately leads to the planet’s destruction.
In the show, Jax-Ur explains that the real Nyssa nearly died in the same skimmer accident that killed her mother. Though her body was beyond saving, there was enough neural activity to transfer her consciousness into a new body. Jax-Ur has apparently spent her career in science working on and perfecting the cloning technology. This research was intended to save lives and end suffering, but elite houses wanted to use it to achieve immortality.
Jax-Ur and the science that involves using clones to give people immortality is all part of Krypton’s comic book background. Cloning eventually begins to play an integral role in Kryptonian society, but it gets to a point where people begin to question if clones deserve to have the same rights as citizens. This disagreement leads to the Clone Wars, which rage for a thousand years. In the end, the powerful weapons used in the war—including one called The Destroyer—destabilize Krypton’s core. As a result, Krypton explodes centuries later.
Zod has already revealed that Brainiac is responsible for Krypton’s destruction in the show’s future, but it is possible that he doesn’t know all the facts, and that there are other reasons why Krypton is destined to explode. Or maybe the destruction is inevitable, and changing the past only impacts how Krypton is destroyed. Fans will have to wait and see where this storyline will take the characters in season 2, and if the presence of clones will indeed be Krypton’s downfall.
