You probably knew this was coming, based on the introduction of Doomsday at the end of Superman & Lois Season 3. But even knowing that Season 4 is the final season of The CW series, it was still a shocker to see it actually happen. Spoilers past this point, Superman dies in the Superman & Lois Season 4 premiere.
Now, before you panic: no, Tyler Hoechlin is not leaving the show early. He’s still on board for the full 10 episodes of the final season. And there’s every chance that Superman will, in fact, return, based on what happens in DC Comics. However, things are looking extremely dire at the end of Season 4, Episode 2, so let’s recap how Superman dies… And how he may come back.
How Does Superman Die In Superman & Lois?
The death of Superman on Superman & Lois is so much more awful than you might have predicted. In the Season 3 finale, we saw him fighting Doomsday on the moon. That fight continues nearly the entire length of the Season 4 premiere as the two battle in space (somehow breathing, but whatever, we’ll let it slide). They bash at each other, throw each other through asteroid fields, and even have a heat vision versus freeze vision battle — because if you’re not aware, this version of Doomsday is a corrupted version of Bizarro who was killed dozens of times by Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz), making him stronger each time in the process.
Spent and beaten, Doomsday proceeds to rip the heart out of Superman’s chest. Then to really rub it in, he lands on Main Street in Smallville and tosses Clark’s lifeless body in front of Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch), Jonathan Kent (Michael Bishop), and Jordan Kent (Alex Garfin). While Doomsday brings Superman’s heart to Lex, with Lois uttering the devastating phrase, “This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not before me.”
In tonight’s second episode, Jordan brings his father’s body to the Fortress of Solitude. There, the hologram of Kal-El’s mom (Lara Lor-Van, played by Mariana Klaveno) puts him in stasis, in the hopes that they can bring him back somehow. And there is hope. We discover that this version of Superman has a Wolverine-style healing factor. They can’t build new Kryptonian organs, but if they can bring back Superman’s heart, they can heal him.
Unfortunately, this is all part of Lex’s plan. He uses Superman’s heart to trick Jordan into tracking him down. And then after weakening the Superson with Kryptonite rays and an audio device, proceeds to stamp on Clark’s heart while Jordan watches. It’s… Pretty awful.
The episode ends with a hologram version of Clark apologizing to his family for leaving them alone, while his body lies in a Kryptonian stasis changer before them. That’s a series wrap on Superman, right? Next week the show will just be titled & Lois? Well… No.
How Does Superman Die In DC Comics? And How Does He Return?
So things are vastly different and way less horrific — but equally epic — in DC Comics. The Death of Superman was a storyline running through multiple titles from 1992 to 1993, and it all followed a rampage by Doomsday as he tore his way to Metropolis. Superman and Doomsday fought to a standstill, ultimately punching each other so hard that they both died at the same time.
I’m going to keep the next part short because it’s very complicated. But four different characters emerged, all claiming to be Superman, returned. They were Superboy, Steel, The Eradicator, and Cyborg Superman. The twist was that none of them were Superman. Superboy was a clone using the DNA of Superman and Lex Luthor. Steel was (and is) John Henry Irons, played by Wolé Parks on Superman & Lois. The Eradicator… I don’t even really want to get into but basically, he’s a program/thing created to protect Kryptonian culture. Cyborg Superman is an insane man named Hank Henshaw whose origin is actually very similar to Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four, except he went crazy and turned himself into a cyborg who looks like Superman.
As mentioned, none of these folks are Superman, because Superman’s body was secretly taken to what is called a regeneration matrix in the Fortress of Solitude. The Eradicator brought him there in order to suck his energy, which is why the matrix didn’t revive Superman as quickly as possible — and when he came back, he had a mullet, an aversion to magic, and wasn’t quite as strong as he was prior to the whole event. The mullet may not be related to the Eradicator, by the way.
So, How Could Superman Come Back On Superman & Lois?
We’re already far afield from a one-to-one with the Death of Superman storyline. However, a lot of the elements are in place. Superman is in a healing matrix (or a close approximation) in the Fortress of Solitude. The show already has Superboy (that would be Jordan), Steel, and Lex Luthor in the mix. Tal-Rho (Adam Raynor), Superman’s brother, used The Eradicator on Superman & Lois — and he’s still alive on Bizarro’s mirror Earth, so he could come back as well. And of course, there’s Doomsday.
The only element really missing is Cyborg Superman, though Hank Henshaw was a character played by David Harewood on Supergirl, so Superman & Lois may not want to touch that for fear of confusion. Regardless, while the exact specifics of Superman’s return are TBD, I would not expect Hoechlin to be doing time as a friendly, advice-giving hologram for the rest of the final season. Likely Superman will return, but depowered in some way, a la the Return of Superman in the comics.
Is Tyler Hoechlin Leaving Superman & Lois?
Once again, no, Tyler Hoechlin is not leaving Superman & Lois. He’s one of the main cast members they kept for the final season, unlike some others who were relegated to guest star status. He’s here until the bitter end. After all, his character’s name is in the title. How he comes back, though? We’ll have to see.
Superman & Lois airs Mondays at 8/7c on The CW.
Where To Watch Superman & Lois:
Superman & Lois Season 4 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The final season of Superman & Lois premieres with two episodes on The CW on Monday, October 17, 2024 at 8 pm ET / PT. Episodes then stream the next day on The CW website and app. After the premiere, it will air once a week for 10 episodes total in Season 4, with exact air dates TBA.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Superman & Lois Season 4, with premiere dates:
- Monday, October 7, 2024: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 1: “The End & The Beginning”
- Monday, October 7, 2024: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 2: “A World Without”
- Monday, October 14, 2024: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 3: “Always My Hero”
- TBA: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 4
- TBA: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 5
- TBA: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 6
- TBA: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 7
- TBA: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 8
- TBA: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 9
- TBA: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 10 *SERIES FINALE*
Listen to Sons Of A Gunn:
Discover more from Comic Book Club
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.