We haven’t seen much from Syfy’s upcoming Superman-ish series Krypton just yet, but a new behind-the-scenes video gives us the first great look at Blake Ritson (RocknRolla) as the DC Comics character, Brainiac. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because the sometimes-villain / sometimes-hero briefly appeared on The CW’s Supergirl and the results were … not great. And that’s not a knock on the fantastic Jesse Rath, but rather a nod towards just how good Syfy’s version of Brainiac looks.

The introduction to Brainiac, ahead of the show’s arrival on Syfy March 21st at 10pm, comes courtesy of USA Today. Executive Producer David S. Goyer, star Cameron Cuffe, and DC Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer and President Geoff Johns weighed in on Krypton‘s take on Brainiac in a new video, along with some background info from the comics and concept art that went into his creation. Then, in the USA Today interview, Ritson himself comments on the process that went into playing the character and what fans can expect from him.

Check out the new Krypton video below, followed by Syfy’s first official image of Brainiac:

That make-up job took the team and Ritson anywhere from seven hours to four-and-a-half hours; time well spent, in my opinion. He talks about the visual effects’ impact on the cast and crew, and a lot more about Krypton, at the above link, but we’ve included some choice quotes below.

Here’s what Ritson had to say about his role as compared to other parts he’s played:

“I’ve played characters who’ve objectively committed monstrous actions, but feel entirely justified, as they’ve acted from a misplaced sense of a noble cause. Generally speaking, people cast themselves as the hero in their own narrative.”

While Ritson is well aware of a villain’s view of himself as the hero, it’s hard to defend Brainiac’s actions, but he tries:

“Yes, he traverses the universe in a gigantic skull ship, ripping cities out of planets, miniaturizing them and placing them on board. But he does so in the spirit of conservation. In his mind, he’s committed to the ultimate philanthropic act: saving all of creation. In many ways it’s analogous to Noah plucking out two of every animal to ensure their survival, even while knowing that others must perish.”

As for the background story of Krypton, “it’s something of a blank canvas that has allowed a lot of freedom for the writers to world-build,” Ritson said. “This is a major expansion of the Superman universe and mythology and the civilization that fostered the greatest hero that ever lived.”

That being said, here’s the official synopsis for Krypton:

Syfy’s Krypton, the much-anticipated Superman prequel set two generations before the destruction of the legendary Man of Steel’s home planet, will follow Superman’s grandfather — whose House of El was ostracized and shamed — as he fights to redeem his family’s honor and save his beloved world from chaos.

Krypton will be executive produced by David S. Goyer (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Dark Knight trilogy) through his Phantom Four banner. Damian Kindler (Sleepy Hollow) will serve as executive producer/showrunner; Colm McCarthy (She Who Brings Gifts, Peaky Blinders) is set to direct and co-executive produce the pilot. The pilot teleplay and story is written by David S. Goyer & Ian Goldberg (Once Upon a Time, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). Krypton will be produced by Warner Horizon Television and is based on characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, published by DC Comics.

via Collider