Superman & Lois Does Something No Superman Adaptation Has Ever Done Before

This article contains: spoiler In the case of “Superman & Lois”.

Secret identities are extremely important and key to superhero stories. It helps maintain the illusion that anyone can be a hero and anyone can be underneath the mask. Still, there are many superheroes who don’t have secret identities. The Marvel Cinematic Universe essentially abolished that concept from the very beginning when Tony Stark revealed his identity to the world. In the DC Universe, at least in the comics, Wonder Woman, like Aquaman, remains a secret about her true identity (mostly because he is not only a superhero, but also the king of Atlantis). , even Elongate Man essentially revealed his true identity the moment he revealed himself. I gained power.

But some heroes, like Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman, remain sacred and (mostly) untouched because their identities are so important to their characters. Even when the true identities of these characters are revealed, it doesn’t last long. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” made an entire movie out of Peter Parker finding a magical way to make the world forget that he’s Spider-Man and when Superman will be. In 2019, he announced to the world that he was the Clark Kent of comics, and it didn’t take long for the world to magically forget about it.

Secret identities are sacrosanct in the Arrowverse, too, and have been a major source of drama for most of its run. “Arrow” and “The Flash” in particular mined a lot of drama from heroes having to lie to their loved ones about who they really are. Of course, that was until Oliver Queen revealed his secret on Arrow, but that didn’t change the show’s dynamic all that much, and eventually Oliver died. However, things are different in the final Arrowverse show. In the final season of “Superman & Lois,” the Man of Steel did something he’s never done before in a live-action movie or TV show. He publicly revealed his secret identity and told the world that he was Clark Kent.

Like other shows in the Arrowverse, “Superman & Lois” pays a lot of attention to the idea of ​​secret identities, the cost of maintaining them, and how it affects the heroes’ personal lives. I did. For most of its run, the show focused on the sacrifices Clark Kent made to keep his powers a secret from his friends and family, how his parents forced him to keep his secrets, and how it affected him. Torn apart, alienated friends, and damaged relationships.

Tyler Hoechlin may not have starred in big-budget movies, but he does a great job as Clark Kent in Superman & Lois. He makes everyone love Clark Kent and at the same time explains why he’s actually the Man of Steel because there’s no way this guy can be a superhero (bespectacled or not). It perfectly captures the endearing goofiness of overlooking things.

In the season 4 episode “A Regular Guy,” we finally meet Superman’s friend Jimmy Olsen, who is not Clark’s friend. Rather, it’s clear that a relationship that was on the brink of becoming a friendship was broken off by Clark’s constant lies and gaslighting to Jimmy to protect his secret identity, and he literally sacrificed himself to have a friend. I’ve had to do this many times in the past. At one point, seeing Jimmy’s disappointment and coldness, Clark tells Lois it’s okay because he’s “used to it” and Tyler Hoechlin portrays Clark’s goofy appearance as a sign of the heartbreak he had to sacrifice. A man uses his personal life as a shell to hide and do good for the world.

It was clearly a problem for other people in the family as well. The moment Clark and Lois decide to tell their two sons that he is Superman, the family dynamics and trust between them immediately changes. The show and its characters constantly question whether it’s a good idea to keep one’s identity a secret, even to protect others. It’s very Superman-like to keep secrets, but not so much for Superman to actively lie to people. That’s why the moment when he finally reveals himself to the people of Smallville, and to the world, is so monumental. There’s no battle in this episode, and Superman barely appears, but it feels just as epic as a big battle with a supervillain.

Superman & Lois has always been a different, more human take on the Superman mythos, not just because it centers on Superman’s family, but because this is the moment when everything changes forever. is. Sure, other writers have imagined what would happen if the world found out that Clark Kent was Superman (even “Young Ville” did it briefly), but if that’s the case for a long time. It didn’t last. Considering this reveal happened a few episodes before it became clear that there was no going back with the end of Superman & Lois.

Additionally, the show found a way to avoid the major problem of Superman revealing his true identity. Because once everyone knows who Clark Kent is, he’s basically dead and no one will treat him the same. However, in “Superman & Lois,” the town of Smallville gradually becomes the first to learn of this fact, as they realize how much they have done not only for Superman, but also for the Kent family. Because of this, they decide to keep the secret. We’ve spent three seasons having characters talk about how much Martha and Jonathan Kent have done for the community without expecting anything in return, and now it’s time for the town to do something for Clark. has come. This is Superman’s equivalent of the great train scene in Spider-Man 2, where the New Yorkers protect Peter’s identity and the people of Smallville band together to drive Lex Luthor out of town after he messed with Clark and his family. is.

But it wasn’t easy. Superman and Lois explores the possibilities of what this confession might mean legally for Superman (such as whether he could be sued for property damage or assault in an act of heroism). Sex is barely mentioned, but the lives of Clark, Lois, and their sons bear no resemblance to normal life. Jonathan’s girlfriend briefly broke up with him due to the amount of attention he received from the press and fans at the age of 16. He and Jordan are now constantly being teased by fans and texted by random celebrities like Jamie Kennedy, and even his high school football coach. Now they are constantly asking Jonathan and Jordan to return to the team after leaving last season. Superman did the right thing, but as always, it came at a cost.

All other Superman adaptations are based on the classic Superman paradigm and maintain the status quo, even if some things are temporarily changed. However, this is not the case with “Superman & Lois,” which has always pushed its characters to the forefront. It started with Jonathan and Jordan’s appearance in the first episode, killing Sam Lane, giving Lois breast cancer, giving Superman a befriended half-brother (who then disappeared into Bizarro World), and now… , forcing Superman to reveal his true identity. A world in which he is becoming mortal.

Yes, the Man of Steel is losing his powers. In the first episode of the final season, Superman dies in a battle with Doomsday (a cartoon-accurate and visually stunning Doomsday), and even when he comes back to life, he not only charges with the sun, but also returned to the state. Instead, he begins to age, his hair turns gray, and finally realizes that he is gradually losing his powers, that he will never outlive his loved ones, and that he will become a normal man who, like Lois, will grow old and die. I found out. This led to Clark never really thinking about getting older, at least not at a normal human pace, and even though he went through a midlife crisis, this character always focused on Clark. It’s a perfect coda to the depiction of. Not the Kryptonian Superman, but the human Kent.

This has always been a show about family, heritage, and what better legacy than becoming the man of tomorrow and Clark leaving the Cape to pick up his two sons? Before director James Gunn introduces the new Superman in 2025, which he promises will be a gentle, comic-accurate “big guy,” he’s a perfect example of what most accurately captures every aspect of the character. It was “Superman & Lois” that gave us the story of Superman as seen in the comics.