When Seg-El first sees the Fortress of Solitude, a fraction of John Williams' theme from "Superman (1978)" is heard in the score, and again at the end just before the closing credits.
In the source-material comics, Kryptonian women take their father's full name as their last name (i.e Superman's mother was Lara Lor-Van and Supergirl's name is Kara Zor-El; if this protocol were being followed, Nyssa-Vex would be known as Nyssa Daron-Vex and Lyta-Zod would be known as Lyta Dru-Zod.
In the comics, Black Zero was a villain who caused Krypton to explode. However, this storyline was soon ignored and Krypton was said to have blown up due to a natural disaster.
The harsh measures which were inflicted on House El, were similar to what Ancient Rome magistrates imposed on those convicted of treason. Not only would the individual be subjected to capital punishment, their family would be stripped of title, fortune, and property.
Val of House El was sentenced to death for stating that "we are not alone in the universe" and not pledging loyalty to the Voice of Rao. There are two examples from the historical past where the Catholic Church interfered with expression of beliefs that were different than their own:
- Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake,or Auto da Fe (Portuguese for act of faith), for espousing that there were planets beyond the visible sky of Earth, and that these worlds contained life
- Galileo was convicted of Heresy for proposing the idea that the sun was the center of the "solar system" as opposed to the Earth; He was placed on house arrest for the rest of his natural life.