EXCLUSIVE | Nelson Lee introduces the Dragon King, the next Injustice Society member to appear on 'Stargirl'
'Stargirl' continues to bring classic, obscure characters to the spotlight with its focus on the Injustice Society of America (ISA). This season brings in the Dragon King, played by Nelson Lee. Lee is no stranger to superhero television, having worked with Geoff Johns and Neil Jackson on the 'Blade' television series for Marvel. In an exclusive interview with MEA World Wide (MEAWW), Nelson Lee talked about the Dragon King and what makes the character really tick.
Lee talked about how he was introduced to the role in the first place. "Well, my good friend and [the] amazing creator Geoff Johns contacted me when I was shooting ‘Mulan’ in New Zealand and asked me what I was doing, and if I was interested in coming for this amazing role," said Lee. "I'll be honest, I'd never read or seen Dragon King before," he adds, but soon read up on the character's various appearance in the comics - from his first appearance in 'All-Star Squadron' to his machinations in the pages of 'Star and S.T.R.I.P.E.' - the latter of which was written by Johns himself.
Introducing the character for fans who might not know who the Dragon King is, he said: "He's a Japanese scientist whose name is Dr Ito - that's his other name. His moniker is the Dragon King and he is about a hundred years old. And he's been around since the first World War and he's just been experimenting on himself ever since." He described what really drives the Dragon King. "One of his obsessions is just perfection. Seeking perfection in himself, seeking perfection in everything else and figuring out how things work. So that's kind of his thing. And he's been over the years evolving and making himself stronger and stronger, which was how he's able to be alive," he said. "He's a tinkerer, and that's what he's gonna do in Blue Valley with our girl."
Lee then talked about leaving his own mark on the character with his performance and the "immense freedom" that comes with performing a lesser-known character. "Whenever you see a Batman or Supergirl or Superman - that comes with a weight, because of everyone's expectations. We looked at Dragon King and it's a character that's kind of on the fringe but still super cool and amazing. There's a greater amount of freedom and it's exciting to kind of take something that has never been brought into television, into live-action and playing with that. No one's ever heard of Dragon King, no one's ever seen him. There's a lot of fun with that. I think we did a great job."
Lee also let us in on how the Dragon King views the members of the new Justice Society that 'Stargirl' will feature. "He curious. He'd be curious why the staff works for Courtney. He's dying to get his hands on any of them to do some dissections and some experiments to figure out how they work. I think if anything, he sees it more as a curiosity as opposed to something that he takes for granted or something he's going to be afraid of. The Dragon King lost his fear many many decades ago."
Aside from the Dragon King, of course, Lee mentioned that there's another Injustice Society member who is his favorite villain on the show - the entirely CGI character of Solomon Grundy. "Grundy is just so much, it's so awesome. I love seeing him, I love every little glimpse, every little hint that you see of Grundy. He's just so much fun."
The Dragon King is set to make his very first appearance in the upcoming fourth episode of 'Stargirl,' which airs on DC Universe on June 8, and the CW on June 9.