Elements of the Superman & Lois episode “A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events” is being discussed within. If you have not seen the episode yet, you might want to read the non-spoilery Part 1 of this interview instead!
Now that the June 22 episode of Superman & Lois has aired, we can share the rest of our Adam Rayner interview which discusses more of what’s up with his character of Morgan Edge who has been revealed as Superman’s Kryptonian half-brother Tal-Rho.
If you’re reading this, you probably know all of that already, so let’s just get right into it!
KRYPTONSITE’s CRAIG BYRNE: Does the costume help you feel more like the alien person?
ADAM RAYNER: Oh, yeah. I mean, there is a little bit of help with the muscles, let’s be honest about it. You put that on and it totally transforms your physicality. The suit… the whole thing. It changes you and empowers you. It’s terrific. I recommend it. If you have the means, get yourself a Super-suit. Really, there’s no feeling like it.
Were you expecting to deal with such big visual effects when you signed on?
No. I thought I was this billionaire. I didn’t know what he was gonna get up to. But I certainly never imagined that I’d be on the wires, in the suit, blasting through mountains and punching Superman.
Of course, a lot of that a lot of that is handed over to the VFX guys now, but I didn’t come thinking that I was going to be getting involved in much physical stuff, so that was a surprise, as well. I’m not quite the young man that I was when I was running around being Simon Templar, but I can still just about squeeze into the suit, and do some fighting when called upon.
What does Morgan think of Kal-El having a family?
Well, he is pretty contemptuous of it, given that they’re humans. There’s this whole thing which s very strongly suggested with him, that humans are not worthy beings. It’s all about Kryptonians. He’s a Kryptonian supremacist, in the sense that these are the only people that count; the only people that are important. The fact that he bred with a human, it’s just kind of disgusting and pitiful to him. It’s a wonderful metaphor for the situations we’ve seen throughout history.
What’s next, now that Edge has Superman on his side?
If he can keep them on his side, then he’s unstoppable. We’ll have to see whether he’s able to do that.
What does Zeta-Rho want his son to do?
Zeta-Rho wants to his son to just follow the original plan. This will become clear throughout the next couple of episodes, he wants his son to follow the original plan. That’s important for resurrecting Krypton, because what Tal-Rho has actually done has veered a little bit from the original plan, because he quite likes his Earthly existence, despite his difficult beginnings, he quite likes who he’s become. But Zeta wants him to follow the original plan, which is something quite different, and that is a source of conflict.
Do you think Morgan could have been as good as Clark if he had had a more positive upbringing, or do you think that would have been impossible considering who his father was?
My feeling is that he would always have been a bit more trouble. If he had a very different life experience, I think he would have certainly turned out differently, but I think in terms of the nature and nurture argument, I think there’s some trouble in his nature, as well as in his life experience. So he wouldn’t have turned out as bad, necessarily, but I think he always would have been troubled to some degree.
Are we going to be seeing the businessman Morgan Edge again by the end of the season, or has he just given up on that?
The truth is, that side of things was always a means to an end, and it’s the end that we’re interested in from now on. In a nutshell, his entire Earthly existence as Morgan Edge the billionaire was to have the means and the resources to put the endgame into play, and once that happens, there’s no looking back.
Is Edge going to want to exact revenge on Lana for the things that she’s done?
That’s not a priority. Let’s just say that there are other more pressing matters to attend to.
Was there a Tal-Rho on the alternate world that John Henry Irons came from?
That’s a good question. I don’t think so, but that kind of complex inter-show mythology is not my area of expertise.
Are there any actors in the series that you hope you get to work more with?
Really, all of them. This is a tremendous cast. I know we always say that, and it’s become a bit of a platitude, but this one really is a good one.
I’d love to do more with everyone. I’m enjoyed enormously the scenes I had with Bitsie [Tulloch] as Lois Lane. That was just so much fun. She knows she was so unintimidated and so rude to him in a way that no one else dared to be, so that was great fun. I could have played that all day. It was great. But then, Tyler and I have have great fun as well. So really, all of them. It’s a tremendous cast.
Do you think Morgan understands Lois a little bit more now that he’s seen a Clark’s memories?
He will certainly have a greater insight into her. He understood that she was a force to be reckoned with, right from the first time he appears. There’s a sense that ‘I have to watch this woman. She could cause me trouble.’
Superman & Lois returns with their next new episode July 13 on The CW. See the trailer for the next new episode here!