The Arrowverse Superman origins in Superman & Lois bear similarities and differences to previous origins seen in Superman movies and TV series. Every new Superman film and TV series since 1978's Superman: The Movie rehashed the Man of Steel's familiar origin: Baby Kal-El rockets to Earth as the doomed planet Krypton explodes. Jonathan and Martha Kent raise him in Smallville as Clark Kent, and he eventually moves to Metropolis, where he fights evil as Superman. With Superman: Legacy as the next step for the Man of Steel on the big screen, fans will likely get another retelling of how Superman came to Earth.
The Arrowverse's introduced Superman in Supergirl season 2 in 2016 but the Arrowverse Superman origin waited until Superman & Lois to fill in the blanks. Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) relived how he became the Man of Steel, met his love Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch), and fathered his twin sons Jordan (Alex Garfin) and Jonathan (Jordan Elsass). These revelations came thanks to the machinations of Morgan Edge (Alex Rayner), who was revealed to be Tal-Roh, Superman's Kryptonian half-brother. Here's the origin of Superman in the Arrowverse, explained.
Clark's Superman Training With Jor-El
The Arrowverse Superman origin echoes what Superman: The Movie established: Clark Kent leaves Smallville and travels to the arctic, where he hurls a Kryptonian crystal into the ice, creating the Fortress of Solitude. Inside, Clark finds a hologram avatar of Jor-El, his Kryptonian father, who reveals Clark's birth name is Kal-El and trains him how to use his superpowers. In Superman: The Movie, Clark trained for 10 years, and he was instructed in every subject in accordance with Krypton's 28 known galaxies under Jor-El (Marlon Brando). One difference is that, while Reeve could already fly, Tyler Hoechlin's Clark spent about nine years with Jor-El (Angus Macfadyen) where he learned how to fly.
Hoechlin's test flight is reminiscent of Henry Cavill teaching himself to defy gravity in Man of Steel. However, Zack Snyder tweaked Superman's origin, so Cavill met Jor-El (Russell Crowe) in a crashed Kryptonian ship. Cavill's Clark spent the least amount of time with Jor-El, who only gave his son a quick download of Kryptonian history. Tom Welling's Clark Kent visited his version of the Fortress of Solitude many times and learned from Jor-El (Terence Stamp), but he spent most of the decade preparing to become Superman living in Smallville and fighting crime in Metropolis. Out of everyone, Hoechlin's education matched Reeve's in terms of depth.
Where Superman's Costume Came From
There was no explanation for Christopher Reeve's costume in Superman: The Movie. He was wearing it when he left the Fortress of Solitude to begin his adventures. In the Arrowverse Superman origin, Tyler Hoechlin got his Superman suit from his adoptive mother Martha Kent (Michele Scarabelli), who sewed it for him during his years away. This is similar to Dean Cain's Superman in Lois & Clark, whose costume was also sewn for him by Ma Kent (K Callan). Interestingly, Hoechlin's first Superman suit is identical to the one in the classic 1940s Max Fleischer Superman cartoons. There's no explanation as to where the Superman suit Hoechlin's Clark currently wears came from.
In Smallville, Tom Welling's Clark received his Superman suit from Jor-El in the Fortress of Solitude, which was identical to the costume Brandon Routh wore in Superman Returns. Man of Steel provides a more elaborate origin for Superman's suit; his costume is a traditional Kryptonian bodysuit, but it's meant to be worn underneath protective armor. Zack Snyder's Justice League established that there were multiple Superman suits in the Kryptonian ship, including the black costume Henry Cavill wears after Clark Kent is resurrected.
How Clark (And Superman) Met Lois
Along with his powers and costume, Superman's love-interest Lois Lane is an essential part of his backgroun. Like Superman: The Movie and Lois & Clark, Tyler Hoechlin's Clark meets Elizabeth Tulloch's Lois Lane during his first day of work at the Daily Planet. However, all three have differences. In Superman: The Movie, Lois (Margot Kidder) doesn't take Clark seriously as he fumbles around in his guise as a mild-mannered reporter. In the Arrowverse Superman origin, Clark and Lois quickly form an office romance, which is similar to the flirtatious relationship between Dean Cain's Clark and Teri Hatcher's Lois. The outlier is Smallville, where Erica Durance's Lois was the cousin of Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and came to live in the Kent Farm in season 4. Inevitably, Clark and Lois became romantically involved.
Like in Superman & Lois, Lois and Clark in Smallville got married and raised a family in Smallville during Crisis on Infinite Earths when Welling met Hoechlin and Tulloch's Clark and Lois. Superman traditionally meets Lois by saving her life, which sets the tone for their relationship. Reeve's Superman saved Lois from a helicopter falling off the Daily Planet. Hoechlin's Superman saves Lois from being roasted by Atom Man. Both those versions coined the name "Superman," as did Amy Adams' Lois in Man of Steel. Zack Snyder's film changes things up by having Miss Lane track down Clark Kent as the mystery man who performs rescues around the world. Kent saves her when she enters the Kryptonian ship, although he isn't Superman yet.
Arrowverse's Lois Loved Clark, Not Superman
Superman & Lois' biggest and most interesting deviation from the classic Superman and Lois Lane trope is that Lois fell in love with Clark, and she was never romantically fascinated by Superman. In fact, Lois was wary of the Man of Steel even though he saved her life. Lois and Clark became a couple after one year and they quickly married after Clark brought Lois to Smallville to meet Martha. Clark also told Lois that he was Superman because he didn't want to keep secrets from his future wife.
This is wildly different from how Christopher Reeve's Clark kept his secret from Margot Kidder's Lois, who discovered the truth in Superman II. However, after briefly giving up his powers so he could be with Lois, Clark resumes being Superman and wipes her memory with a Super Kiss. Instead, Superman & Lois has more in common with Smallville since Erica Durance's Lois eventually fell for Clark, who didn't become Superman until years later. But afterward, Lois encouraged his career as the Man of Steel when they worked together at the Daily Planet.
How Lana Lang Factors Into Superman's Origin
Superman & Lois' Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui) also factors into Clark's decision to move to Metropolis and become Superman. After he returned to Smallville, Clark was hoping to reconnect with Lana but he found she was in a relationship with Kyle Cushing (Erik Valdez). Lana is traditionally Clark's high school girlfriend but she didn't date Clark in Superman: The Movie and had no impact on his becoming Superman.
Christopher Reeve's Clark later reconnected with Lana (Annette O'Toole) when they were adults in Superman III. In Smallville, Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) married Superman's former friend turned enemy, Lex Luther (Michael Rosenbaum), and gained powers of her own. However, she was a major character and love interest of Clark who eventually learned he had superpowers. The love story was between Lana and Clark for the entire start of the series, and it remained so until Lois Lane came along.
Superman: Legacy Should Make Similar Bold Origin Story Choices
When Superman: Legacy arrives, a new Superman will hit the big screen. The question is whether James Gunn changes his origin from what fans already know from other shows and movies. The movie appears that it will focus on a younger Superman who is already a hero, which should be along the lines of the sequels to Superman: The Movie and Man of Steel.
However, the truth is that the new movie needs to really make some bold origin story choices as it starts the Gods & Monsters chapter of the DCU. While the Arrowverse Superman origins changes brought little new in Superman & Lois, the new movie should take a different approach to what makes Superman who he is. This already seems like a giant change from Man of Steel, with Superman returning to his roots of the big blue boy scout. With that said, Gunn knows his comic history and fans should expect it to remain loyal to the books while differing from anything that came before in the movies and TV adaptations.