Superman & Lois introduced its big bad in the form of The Stranger, a mysterious armoured being we soon learned was from a world destroyed during Crisis on Infinite Earths. He'd clearly battled the Man of Steel before, and appeared determined to destroy Earth-Prime's Kal-El as well.
At the end of the episode, the mysterious villain (who very nearly succeeded in killing Superman when he stabbed him with Kryptonite) returned to a futuristic ship, and removed his helmet. We only saw the back of his head, but the man - played by actor Wolé Parks - was named as "Captain Luthor." That was quite the twist, and one that's definitely grabbed the attention of fans.
Could it be that, on his Earth, Captain Luthor was the hero, and Superman was the villain?
Talking at the TCA Press Tour panel for Superman & Lois, showrunner Todd Helbing didn't comment on that, but shared his thoughts on why it was important to introduce a new Lex Luthor.
"When Greg [Berlanti] and I first started talking about this, we wanted an iconic villain for Superman. We wanted an iconic role. But it was our opportunity coming out of ‘Crisis’ to tell a new story and bring the audiences this new journey with somebody that they feel like they’ve known," he explains. "You know, obviously Jon Cryer’s on Supergirl, and he’s done this crazy, amazing job with Lex Luthor. But our show is different. We wanted to tell a new story, and I think there’s a lot of twists and turns, and secrets are revealed, and mysteries unfold in the way that this version is going to feel fresh and new and completely different than anything we’ve seen before."
It's hard not to wonder where things will go from here, and how Superman & Lois handles its lead villain. We've grown used to something of a formulaic pattern with them in The CW shows (they'll make sporadic appearances throughout the season before being defeated in the finale), but as this series feels like a departure from the norm, here's hoping Helbing shakes things up a little.
What's your take on Captain Luthor? Don't forget, you can read our review of the premiere here.