In 2021, DC finally delivered a Superman adaptation that audiences had long desired. This portrayal of the Man of Steel had been hinted at previously but never fully developed. However, despite premiering shortly before a major event dominated headlines, this wasn’t Henry Cavill’s Superman in the black suit. Just one month prior to the Snyder Cut’s release and the subsequent Superman discussions it generated, a completely distinct and lasting version of the Man of Steel launched within the CW’s broader Arrowverse. Yet, notably, it differed significantly from other Arrowverse shows. This was Superman & Lois, a series that blended the romantic tone of Lois & Clark with the early realism of Smallville.
Premiering on February 23, 2021, Superman & Lois seems like a fresh memory, yet the constant discussion of various Superman interpretations since then makes it feel distant. Technically, Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman, rather than Henry Cavill’s, held the live-action mantle when David Corenswet assumed the role in 2025. In retrospect, Superman & Lois demonstrated that viewers were receptive to a gentler, more optimistic Kal-El. Revisiting the series’ debut now feels like watching an early prototype of what the major 2025 film achieved a few years afterward.
Though technically originating from the wider Arrowverse, Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman initially surfaced in a 2016 CBS/CW episode called “The Last Children of Krypton.” At that point, Supergirl was transitioning from an independent series to joining the larger Arrowverse, which—ironically or not—foreshadowed the opposite trajectory for Superman & Lois. While the main characters, portrayed by Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch, participated in the CW’s extensive Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover in 2019, Superman & Lois ultimately became, like Supergirl at its start, an isolated series situated in an alternate universe without firm ties to the broader Arrowverse. Although Season 1 of Superman & Lois included some nods to Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), the program later officially and retroactively confirmed its setting in a parallel reality where Superman served as Earth’s primary champion, and all prior Arrowverse connections existed only in audience memory, not character memory.
In essence, Superman & Lois represented a heartfelt Superman reinvention, similar to the current DCU approach. The series premiere opens with a retelling of Superman’s origin, culminating in a modern homage to the 1938 Action Comics #1 cover featuring Superman lifting a green automobile overhead. After rescuing a child from danger, the youngster praises Superman’s outfit, which deliberately evokes the Golden Age design, including an “S” symbol on a black field rather than yellow. Superman’s reply captures the show’s core spirit. Smiling, Hoechlin responds, “Thanks, my mom made it!”
The nod to the occasional comic book backstory where Martha Kent sewed Superman’s iconic suit was more than a simple Easter egg. The fundamental storyline of Superman & Lois soon proved deeply tied to Superman’s Earth parents. In the pilot, Lois Lane and Clark Kent relocate with their two young sons to Smallville seeking a more down-to-earth existence. Similar to the upcoming 2025 Superman movie, the series established that Lois knows Clark’s secret identity, positioning their partnership as truly equitable. (Admittedly, Zack Snyder also did this. In 2016’s Batman v. Superman, Amy Adams’s Lois Lane is fully aware that Clark is Superman.)
The key takeaway is that while Superman & Lois didn’t originate the concept of a gentler, more realistic Superman, it redefined the character in a way seldom seen outside comic books: by portraying him as a devoted, engaged father. The series boldly transformed the Superman legend into both a family drama and a thrilling sci-fi adventure, filled with nods to the hero’s extensive legacy. While perhaps not the most iconic Superman interpretation, it stands as the most underappreciated. In today’s landscape, if David Corenswet’s Superman hadn’t arrived in 2025, this show would be considered the most inspiring depiction of Kal-El since Christopher Reeve first donned the costume.