In 2021, DC finally brought a version of Superman to our screens that everyone had wanted for years. This was a vision of the Man of Steel that had been teased a few years prior, but not entirely fleshed out. But, despite airing just before the Snyder Cut of Justice League made headlines everywhere, this wasn’t Henry Cavill’s Superman in the all-black suit. Because just one month before the Snyder Cut dropped and stirred up a whole bunch of Superman discourse, an entirely different and enduring version of the Man of Steel debuted as part of the CW’s larger Arrowverse. Except, of course, this wasn’t really like the rest of the Arrowverse at all. This was Superman & Lois, a show that was a kind of mashup of the romance sensibilities of Lois & Clark and the initial groundedness of Smallville.
Debuting on February 23, 2021, Superman & Lois feels like a recent memory, but with so much chatter about different takes on the Man of Steel since then, it feels like a lifetime ago. Technically, Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman, not Henry Cavill, was the incumbent live-action Superman when David Corenswet took over the role in 2025. And, looking back on Superman & Lois, it’s clear that this series proved that audiences were ready for a kinder, brighter version of Kal-El. Rewatching the debut of Superman & Lois today feels like an earlier draft of what the big-budget 2025 blockbuster pulled off just a few years later.
