While fans have debated how Superman & Lois ties into the larger Arrowverse since the show's inception, it looks like we finally have an answer, and, as it turns out, it doesn't.
Well, not in the traditional sense, at least.
Thanks to a timely speech from General Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh), we learned that Superman & Lois doesn't take place on Earth-Prime with sister shows Supergirl, The Flash, and the rest of the Arrowverse, but actually takes place on its own Earth, where Clark Kent is the planet's only known protector.
Speaking to his grandsons Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alex Garfin), Lane told them, “I’ve been working for the DOD for a long time. I’ve seen things you would not believe — glimpses of other worlds, and the leagues of superheroes they have on them. And even though we only have your father on this planet, thank God that we do, because he’s the finest of any Earth.”
In an interview with TV Line, showrunner Todd Helbing confirmed the twist, and it sounds like it was always the plan to keep this series separated from the rest. “From Day 1, there were questions of how we were connected to the Arrowverse. If you go back to the first script that got sent to Warner Brothers and DC, it had a lot of references to other heroes like The Flash. There were moments when we were shooting, and I think I’ve said this before, but there was a photo of Kara on Lois’ desk at the Daily Planet. All of that stuff got slowly pulled out, and the more we did that, the more it became a can of worms to even mention it.”
He continues, “DC and I had a conversation during Season 1, and the decision [to keep Superman & Lois separate] was made then, but I couldn’t make it public until the end of this season. So when I got all these questions [in previous interviews], I knew what we were doing, but I could never talk about it. It got a little frustrating on my end, but I totally understand DC’s position. So this put that to rest. I’ve said from the beginning that we want to put our own stamp on the Superman property. This wasn’t meant to alienate us from the Arrowverse, but because a lot of the other shows are sadly no longer going to be on the air, it felt like the right thing to do.”
That would explain why we haven't heard anything about Kara Danvers and seemingly suggests the Girl of Steel hasn't yet arrived on Earth in this universe. Whether we could see Melissa Benoist reprise the role at some point in the future, however, remains to be seen.
On a related note, with the show taking place on a different Earth in the vast multiverse, it's also now confirmed that the Diggle (David Ramsey) we've seen in Metropolis, including in tonight's finale, is a different Diggle than the one who used to run with Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell).
“This is also a new Diggle. David Ramsey had grown a beard and grew his hair out. He called me and said, ‘I’ve been growing my hair, I look different. Do you want me to shave and get a haircut?’ So not to add more confusion to it, but he’s a different Diggle.”
As for what comes next, it sounds like Diggle may have a bigger role to play next season as he teams up with John Henry Irons (Wolé Parks) to investigate Bruno Manheim and Intergang, which should be plenty interesting.
There will also be plenty of exciting changes coming for the Kent family next season as they adjust to multiple people - including Chrissy - now knowing Clark's secret, a new Fortress of Solitude, and a free Tal-Rho (Adam Rayner), who may be seeking some redemption.