#Do Superman & Lois have anything to work with after Supergirl?

Superman & Lois is coming to TV screens in 2021, but is it ground well-tread?

Although it’s lost its namesake, The CW’s Arrowverse looks to grow more than ever before in the coming months. All of the remaining DC superhero shows in this TV universe have been renewed, and they even have a few new ones in the planning stages, such as Green Arrow and the Canaries.

Perhaps no series has generated more hype, however, than Superman & Lois. Of course, with that hype comes a major question: is this show’s creative potential dried up before it’s even premiered?

Part of that uncertainty has to do with its origin on Supergirl, which focuses on Superman’s cousin. Previously existing as an offscreen mentor for Melissa Benoist’s titular hero, the Man of Steel made his first major appearance as a guest star in the show’s second season, played by Teen Wolf star Tyler Hoechlin.

His portrayal essentially brought the wholesome optimism and charm of Christopher Reeve’s Superman into the modern era, and this approach proved popular with fans, especially after the dour doldrums of Henry Cavill’s version in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

This led to several more appearances and even talk of a spinoff. Such speculation only strengthened when one of the crossovers introduced Elizabeth Tulloch as journalist/love interest Lois Lane.

Up, up, and away?

Eventually, a series starring Hoechlin and Tulloch was officially announced. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s slated to premiere in January 2021 with the other Arrowverse shows. However, has Supergirl left her cousin anything to work with after five seasons of adventures?

The reason I ask this is that, from the beginning, Supergirl essentially functioned as a gender-swapped rendition of a Superman series. Sure, there are a couple of additions (such as her adoptive sister Alex), and the writing delves much more into politics than one would expect (or want). However, fundamental similarities are hard to ignore.

First, she was raised in a rural town by an adoptive Earth family. Second, her cover is a mild-mannered reporter, complete with the glasses. Much of the first season even focuses on her “will they, won’t they” romance with a fellow reporter. Third, she has regular chats with a holographic recreation of her alien parent.

Add to this the fact that the show has introduced and vanquished several of Superman’s most infamous foes. Examples include Toyman, Metallo, Parasite, Livewire, Silver Banshee, and even Mister Mxyzptlk. Bringing these villains back—at least the ones who aren’t dead or retired—would simply retread old territory, and it would feel especially tired given how recent Supergirl is.

Among the only possible exceptions to this would be Lex Luthor. Although he made his debut in Season 4, he is Superman’s most iconic nemesis and has repeatedly shown himself to be the most resourceful of the Man of Steel’s rogues. He could easily evolve as a character, develop an intriguing dynamic with his enemy, and grow into a more dangerous threat as the series progresses.

Plus, I doubt many fans would object to seeing more of Jon Cryer. In terms of performance (more than writing), he might be the best live-action Lex Luthor ever.

This looks like a job for…someone else.

Using so many Superman baddies in Supergirl also makes it tricky for this new show to adapt any stories they were involved in. The guy who immediately comes to mind is Manchester Black, a metahuman who routinely kills criminals for the greater good and believes Supes doesn’t go far enough for justice.

He and his team were introduced in Joe Kelly’s “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?,” and this story was adapted into the animated feature, Superman vs. The Elite.

It’s a tale that challenges Superman’s old-fashioned values in a modern, cynical society, ultimately cementing how his reluctance to kill or exact his own brand of justice shows an honorable restraint and faith in humanity that are sorely needed.

There’s only one problem: the Elite have already been dealt with as part of a topical plot about anti-alien prejudice, and Manchester Black himself is dead. That makes it tough to translate this story for Superman & Lois unless you change the characters who are involved.

To be fair, that’s a prospect which the creators should be familiar with. After all, they did it with Alan Moore’s “For the Man Who Has Everything,” easily one of the most beloved Superman stories out there. In it, the Man of Steel falls victim to the “Black Mercy,” a parasitic plant traps him in a vision of his heart’s desire.

For good old Cal-El, this is simply living on a farm with a wife and son, having regular visits with his alien father due to Krypton never exploding. To break free, our hero must sacrifice these loved ones and this idyllic life to resume his responsibilities in the real world.

In the comic, the plant comes courtesy of Mongul, an alien warlord. Supergirl, by contrast, gives that role to the title character’s evil aunt and her cartoonish boyfriend. Basically, they use the Black Mercy on the Girl of Steel to get her out of the way of their sinister scheme. Riveting, I know. Aside from that, Moore’s premise plays out in much the same way. The writers even lift lines directly from the comic. You can see how reusing it for Superman & Lois would come off as lazy.

So, which popular tales are left? Well, there’s always Mark Millar’s “Superman: Red Son.” This What-If story sees Superman raised in the Soviet Union during the Cold War instead of on a Kansas farm. Sure, the showrunners took inspiration from this with a Russian doppelganger of Supergirl, dubbed “Red Daughter,” but they have yet to go all the way with the alternate universe presented by the comic.

That being said, you have to consider that the Arrowverse—Supergirl included—is no stranger to parallel dimensions and diverging timelines. They have explored different versions of Earth on several occasions, often making them central to the plot. This recently culminated in Crisis on Infinite Earths, a massive crossover event about the destruction of the entire Multiverse. The last thing the writers probably want to deal with is yet another alternate universe.

We’ve heard it before, Superman.

In this age of superhero entertainment, that might be a problem for Superman & Lois: the oversaturation or outright failure of ideas to resonate. Take General Zod, for instance. Not only do people still remember Terence Stamp’s portrayal in Superman II, but we recently got a much hammier version from Michael Shannon in Man of Steel, a remake that divided viewers.

Not to mention, Hoechlin’s Superman already fought Zod in a hallucination on Supergirl, which established that he defeated the evil dictator years prior. Would his own series have him fight this hit-or-miss foe again? Where’s the sense in that?

Then, there’s Lobo, an intergalactic biker/bounty hunter who made his live-action debut in SyFy’s Krypton series. Due to the antihero’s cult status, there was talk of a spinoff.

Sadly, the network decided to pass on that idea, and Krypton was canceled after two seasons. CW execs might see this character as a failed experiment and may not want to bring him back so soon after he was associated with such a loss.

To be fair, however, Lobo could be granted the same second chance as John Constantine. Despite his NBC canceling his show after one season, the snarky master of the dark arts was brought into the Arrowverse, eventually enjoying a recurring role on Legends of Tomorrow. Theoretically, they could give a similar treatment to Lobo.

Because the show seems poised to be just as much about Lois as it is Clark, one esteemed storyline that might prove tempting is Grant Morrison’s “All-Star Superman.” Why? Not only is a large part of that tale told from Lois’s perspective, but the plucky reporter even becomes a superhero at one point. Because he wants his lady love to experience the world as he does, Superman synthesizes a serum that grants her the same powers as him for a limited time.

Why not make this permanent? Well, the serum is only possible due to his rapid increase in mental ability, which is one of the boosts he gains from absorbing more sunlight than usual. Unfortunately, this solar radiation will also turn him into pure energy, effectively giving him a year to live. Bringing in a plot which results in the title character’s death is likely not a concept that the writers will be comfortable with, at least not initially.

For this reason and a slew of others, the series may also stay away from the most notorious story in the Man of Steel’s long history: “The Death of Superman.” Much like “The Dark Knight Returns,” this narrative and its gimmick have been milked beyond belief, especially in recent years.

We’ve seen, an animated film in 2007, several callbacks in various TV shows, and another (two-part) animated film in 2018 and 2019. Most infamously, though, was when the comic’s seminal moments were clumsily crammed into the climax of Batman v Superman, resulting in wasted drama toward a “death” which audiences knew would be reversed in the subsequent Justice League flick.

So, the writers aren’t likely to use this comic. Not only would they not want their protagonist’s death early in the show, but they’re probably wary of the bad taste that Batman v Superman left in viewers’ mouths.

Ignoring “The Death of Superman” would also make it difficult to include the newer characters who rose up in the hero’s place. That means that guys like Steel and Superboy would need completely different backstories. Fortunately, this is not unheard of; it’s been done in several works like Superman: The Animated Series and Young Justice. Supergirl itself even did this with Cyborg Superman (dumb name, I know), radically altering his design and making him a tool for anti-alien group Cadmus.

Sadly, that flexibility probably wouldn’t extend to Doomsday, the mysterious monster that kills the Man of Steel. He is remembered primarily for this act, existing as an unstoppable force of death. Integrating him into the show without having him do the deed would likely cheapen the character to being just another freak of the week. True, you could make him a small cog in a larger machine—Justice League Unlimited accomplished this well—but you still have the limitations of the medium.

You’ll (not) believe a man can fly.

A battle between Superman and Doomsday would result in catastrophic destruction and chaos on a widespread scale, and the creators simply can’t convey that convincingly on a CW budget. Whenever Supergirl has shown fights between Kryptonians or otherwise godlike beings, it’s always felt very tame and underwhelming. Attempting to portray Doomsday in this way would severely diminish the impact, and he’s not the only one to potentially suffer from this.

Some of Superman’s foes might be just too big (for lack of a better word) for live-action network TV. Chief among these is the despotic god known as Darkseid, who’s basically a more evil version of Thanos from the Marvel franchise. Instead of Infinity Stones, he seeks the enigmatic Anti-Life Equation to impose his order across the cosmos.

On top of his strength and powers presenting the same budgetary issues as Doomsday, he also runs his own planet of Apokolips, filled to the brim with vast armies, hellish fire pits, and demonic creatures. If you think the CW could handle something that effects-heavy, then you’re out of your mind.

However, I doubt we’d see him in this show even if they did have the resources. He’s supposedly making an appearance in the upcoming “Snyder Cut” of Justice League, and Warner Bros. has an annoying habit of not wanting more than one version of a DC character to exist at one time. It’s why Deathstroke didn’t show up more on Arrow; he was poised to appear in films like the aforementioned Justice League and Ben Affleck’s Batman flick.

The villain more likely to show up is Brainiac, a computerized being akin to HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Roaming the galaxy in pursuit of ultimate knowledge, he collects data on planets and then annihilates them. He sometimes even shrinks entire cities and keeps them on his ship.

The reason that he might appear is simple: part of him already has. First, in her show’s debut season, Supergirl tackled Indigo, a mechanical baddie bearing Brainiac’s symbol. Second, she later encountered the villain’s descendant in Brainiac 5, who came from the future to aid her.

Like Darkseid and Doomsday, though, Brainiac might be too large-scale for Superman & Lois. If his massive ship and assimilation tech don’t scare the VFX artists away, then his army of death-bots surely will.

With most of the viable villains already taken and much of Superman’s identity already explored in Supergirl, it’s hard to have the Man of Steel’s trademark optimism for this upcoming series. Granted, all of this is pure speculation. For all we know, Superman & Lois could be one of the best works to feature this storied superhero. At this point, though, I’m content to just wait and see.

Are you excited about Superman & Lois? Which characters and stories are you hoping to see? Do you think the creators will bite off more than they can chew?

Superman & Lois, along with the rest of the Arrowverse, will air on The CW.