Warning: Spoilers for Superman & Lois season 2, episode 9
Superman & Lois just found an unexpected way to tell DC’s “The Death of Superman” story. The iconic 1990s crossover event saw the Big Blue Boy Scout die at the hands of Doomsday. The immense popularity of the story has led to it being retold in animated movies, video games, TV shows, and even the DCEU.
Based on the direction of The CW’s Superman & Lois show, there was a hope among the fans that the Arrowverse would adapt the story as well. After all, it introduced Steel, who was a key player in the comic book version of “The Death of Superman”. Season 2’s Doomsday teases fueled theories that it could happen but these turned out to be misdirects meant to hide Bizarro’s debut. This hurt the chances of the storyline ever playing out, and admittedly, it always felt like an unlikely scenario from the very beginning, especially since Superman is one of the show’s two central protagonists.
Albeit with a big twist, the Arrowverse managed to quietly do its own version of “The Death of Superman”. In Superman & Lois season 2, episode 9, titled “30 Days and 30 Nights”, Clark crossed over into Bizarro World and didn’t come back. For a month now, the world has been getting by without him. Scenes of Steel saving an airplane revealed that he’s been acting as Superman’s replacement, which is a major element of the original story. When Superman died, John Henry Irons rose up and worked hard to fill his role as a protector of the Earth. Not unlike what happened in the comics, the people of the Arrowverse’s Earth are learning to live without Superman while Steel protects them in his place.
“30 Days and 30 Nights” deepened the connection with a huge “Death of Superman” Easter egg. A newscast referred to him as the “new Man of Steel”, which is a reference to the role he assumed in Superman’s absence. Like his comic counterpart, the Arrowverse’s Steel is proving that even though he doesn’t have Clark’s powers, he has what it takes to prevent catastrophic disasters and keep innocents out of harm’s way. The extra responsibilities are also giving him a taste of what it’s like to be Superman.
Of course, Steel’s new position in the Arrowverse is sure to be a short one since Superman should return from Bizarro World in due time. Given that Clark isn’t truly dead in Superman & Lois, this can’t have the same emotional impact that the original story had on DC’s characters, but it can share some of the event’s long-standing repercussions. Superman eventually returned to life, but his replacements – including John Henry Irons – continued to operate as superheroes on Earth. So even after the Earth gets Superman back, it can still look to Steel as one of its most important defenders.
Superman & Lois releases new episodes on Tuesdays on The CW.