Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for 'Superman & Lois' Season 4Arguably, one of the most famous Superman stories ever told was the one about his death. In the mid-1990s, DC Comics effectively killed Superman, pitting him against the rampaging Kryptonian monster, Doomsday. The Man of Steel saved the world at the very high cost of his own life, leaving Lois Lane, the Kents, and the Justice League devastated at the loss. Now in its fourth and final season, has taken a page out of DC's '90s playbook, and has told their own version of The Death of Superman. With the most recent episode, "Always My Hero," seemingly restoring Tyler Hoechlin's Superman to life, one might wonder how DC managed to bring Superman back from the dead. Well, in true comic book fashion, the answer's a little complicated.
How Does the Man of Steel Die in 'Superman & Lois'?
At the end of Season 3, Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz) unleashes Doomsday on Smallville, and sets the monster's sights on Superman. The battle rages through the first episode of Season 4, "The End & The Beginning," where the pair clash on the moon, with Doomsday coming out the victor. Having ripped Superman's heart from his chest, the monster delivers it to Lex Luthor, all while dropping off the Man of Steel's corpse in Smallville. It's a brutal scene that sets the stage for the final season of this underrated Superman adaptation, calling us back to one of the darkest times in DC Comics history. But the comics tell a different story...
What Happens in "The Return of Superman"?
After Superman was killed by Doomsday, there were multiple attempts to bring him back to life. Cadmus took his body with the hope of restoring him, but Supergirl retrieved his corpse and saw it was re-buried. Unsurprisingly, it wouldn't stay in the tomb for long. Soon after, a Kryptonian artifact called "The Eradicator" arrives on the scene. Superman had battled the Eradicator before (which aimed to violently use the Man of Steel to preserve Krypton's heritage), but this time around, the living artifact hoped to possess Superman and live on through him. When that didn't work (due to Kal-El's spirit hanging around), he made a copy of the Man of Steel's body for himself, calling himself "The Last Son of Krypton," and took Superman's corpse to the Fortress of Solitude, where he used a Kryptonian Healing Matrix to slowly revive him — all while also siphoning his powers directly from his body, per Action Comics #692.
But before the Eradicator appeared to the world, Superman's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, visited his son in the afterlife. After a massive heart attack following Clark's death, Jonathan meets his son in an in-between state between life and death in Adventures of Superman #500. Though Clark is willing to die, Jonathan convinces his son otherwise, and when the farmer wakes up from his coma, he declares to his wife that he brought their son back. Of course, it would still take some time before Superman actually returned.
Superman's Return Changed Comics Forever
Either way one looks at it, Superman eventually wakes alone in his Fortress, and, by Superman: The Man of Steel #25, arrives back in Metropolis just in time to help his successors, Steel (aka "The Man of Steel") and Superboy (aka "The Metropolis Kid"), defeat the villainous "Man of Tomorrow" Cyborg-Superman, aka Hank Henshaw. Unfortunately, because the Eradicator had absorbed his abilities, Superman's powers had yet to return, but aided by a black Kryptonian solar suit and some advanced weaponry, he takes the fight to the Cyborg. Only after the Eradicator's "death" in Superman (Vol. 2) #82 are Superman's powers restored, and the world sees that the real Man of Steel had indeed returned.
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Somebody saaaaave me!
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The Death and Return of Superman changed comic books forever. Sure, characters had died and been restored in the past, but Superman's return (which wasn't too long after his apparent death) set a dangerous precedent in the world of comic books. Now, most of our favorite superheroes would die and return, including Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Captain America, and more. Still, The Death and Return of Superman remains a triumph in superhero storytelling, one that has been adapted to the screen various times before. It's a fantastic story that emphasizes the importance of a character like Superman, and proves once and for all that he's genuinely one-of-a-kind.
No wonder Superman & Lois wanted to tackle this one. It's perhaps the best way one could end a television series based on the Man of Steel. Given that the writers behind the series have proven themselves particularly fond of the Post-Crisis era of Superman that this story hails from, it's fun getting to see their take on how this would all play out. Now that Superman is apparently back from the dead — thanks to a heart transplant from General Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh), who tricked Lex Luthor into killing him — anything is now possible. Of course, elements such as the Eradicator (introduced back in Season 1) could still somehow factor in, but until the next episode, we'll continue to enjoy the ride.
The final season of Superman & Lois airs Mondays on The CW.
Drama
- Release Date
- February 23, 2021
- Rating
- Seasons
- 3
- Network
- The CW
- Streaming Service(s)
- HBO Max , Prime Video
