Just a few hours after Superman: Legacy director James Gunn formally announced David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as his new big-screen Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively, The CW's Superman & Lois brought its third season to a close with a Doomsday-level twist - by actually introducing DOOMSDAY - that will surely have fans counting down the days until season four rolls around in 2024 or 2025.
Yes, two seasons after pulling a bait-and-switch and introducing Bizarro (Tyler Hoechlin) instead of Doomsday, the show subverted expectations yet again by actually turning the Bizarro Superman into the devastating DC Comics villain Doomsday.
After resurfacing during the closing moments of last week's penultimate hour, Lex Luthor managed to capture the resurrected Bizarro and repeatedly killed him in an effort to increase his power to an unprecedented level before unleashing him on the world, and directly at our beloved Man of Steel.
The pair exchanged earth-shattering blows before Clark realized the villain couldn't be killed and he managed to lure him all the way up to the moon, where the closing shot saw Superman and Doomsday charging at one another at top speed, setting the stage for a brutal, no holds barred, duel to the death we won't learn the victor of until sometime next year, if not 2025.
Tonight's finale also marked the final series regular appearances of Emmanuelle Chriqui (Lana Lang), Dylan Walsh (Sam Lane), Erik Valdez (Kyle Cortez), Inde Navarrette (Sarah Cortez), Wolé Parks (John Henry Irons), Tayler Buck (Natalie Irons), and Sofia Hasmik (Chrissy Beppo).
Now, while the season four cost-cutting measures don't necessarily mean this will be the last we see of the characters as many, if not all, could potentially return in a reduced capacity next season, although since there's no guarantee, the writers did seem to resolve every departing party's storyline in a relatively satisfying manner, while leaving the door open for potential returns in the fourth and presumably final season before the DCU launches in 2025.
First up, John Henry and Lana finally sealed the deal and got together, although the future status of their relationship remains to be determined as Sam also offered John Henry a full-time position at the DOD, which would require John and Natalie to relocate to Metropolis. Meanwhile, Jordan apologized to Sarah for being a dick the past few months and the pair decided to part ways amicably, agreeing that it was too soon for them to be friends. Finally, Kyle and Chrissy find out they were going to be parents and received support from Lana, so there were smiles all around.
As for what any of this means for season four, namely that Superman/Doomsday cliffhanger, it seems probable that some version of the "Death of Superman" storyline will be adapted next season, although we can't imagine they'll keep Tyler Hoechlin sidelined for long, if at all, so this could also have a fairly quick resolution at the top of season four. Michael Cudlitz has been upped to series regular, so Lex Luthor will indeed be the big bad, and knowing this show, there's probably more than a few surprises in store as well, despite a reduced budget, so stay tuned!