It’s the final season of Superman & Lois on The CW, and we’ve already had a slew of big things going down. Superman (Tyler Hoechlin)_died and returned. General Lane (Dylan Walsh) died, probably not to return. And Jonathan Kent (Michael Bishop) finally got powers. So will the series take another big leap and bound in the final season by having Superman reveal his secret identity to the world?
Spoilers for this week’s episode, “When The Lights Come On,” past this point.
It’s a thought that’s been bouncing around in my head all season long, particularly with Jordan and Jonathan flying around the Earth in dinky costumes. And it’s only gotten more glaring since Superman was seen dying in Smallville’s Main Street, with multiple ancillary characters realizing that Superman is also Clark Kent in the process. And in this week’s episode, it’s pretty clear the secret identity is pretty much not a secret in the small town of Smallville anymore.
Convenience store worker Denise (Kelcey Mawema) knows about Clark. Aidy Manning (Monique Phillips) is emboldened by her knowledge of Clark’s true identity to stand up to Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz). Heck, Coach Gaines (Danny Wattley) knows that Clark is Superman, and Jon and Jordan have superpowers, too. There’s even an implication that the rest of Smallville probably knows, based on how they also stand up to Lex.
While this identity contagion could be kept to the town of Smallville… That’s not how secrets work. And with new characters discovering Superman’s identity every episode this season, and only four episodes left, it’s pretty clear we’re about to reach critical mass on the whole secret identity thing. Add in Clark dealing with aging at a normal rate thanks to a transplanted heart from General Lane, and he’s going to have to pass the Superman mantle to his Superboys, sooner rather than later. It’s likely that when he does that, after a classic Kent family conversation, they’ll announce who they are to the whole world.
There’s Precedent For Superman Revealing His Identity From The Comics
In fact, in DC Comics, Superman has revealed his secret identity — or had it revealed forcibly — at least nine times. While most of these are old-school comics where Clark was revealed to be Superman and the info was undone by the end of the issue, there are two notable times it wasn’t just a goof.
The first is the classic Alan Moore and Curt Swan story “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” which ran in Superman #423 and Action Comics #583 in 1986. After the events of 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, all of DC continuity was being rebooted and simplified. So Moore and company crafted one final story in the original Superman continuity. In it, Moore told the whole history of Superman, including how Toyman and Prankster revealed Superman’s identity, live on television. This was short-lived, though, because as mentioned the continuity rebooted after this.
Slightly more permanent was the storyline titled “Truth” which kicked off in 2019’s Superman #18. Written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Ivan Reis, Superman came to the conclusion that he can’t preach honesty to other people if he doesn’t follow that edict himself. So after revealing his identity to editor Perry White, then Jimmy Olsen (who already knows), he holds a press conference and reveals himself to the world.
Ultimately, it didn’t change a whole lot. Lois still got in trouble. Jonathan, his son (there’s only one in DC Comics) has powers, so he can protect himself. And Superman is able to live his life without lying to anyone anymore. Naturally, even that was reversed thanks to machinations from Lex Luthor in more recent comics. But at least it lasted for a few years.
So will Superman & Lois go a similar route? With two super-sons able to protect themselves, will an aging Superman reveal his identity to the world? We’ve got four more episodes to find out.
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”
- Monday, October 21, 2024: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 4: “A Perfectly Good Wedding”
- Monday, October 28, 2024: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 5: “Break The Cycle”
- Monday, November 4, 2024: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 6: “When The Lights Come On”
- Monday, November 11, 2024: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 7: “TBA”
- TBA: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 8
- TBA: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 9
- TBA: Superman & Lois, Season 4, Episode 10 *SERIES FINALE*
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