Superman & Lois definitely exceeded expectations (stay tuned for our review) when it premiered on The CW last night, and there's understandably a huge amount of excitement about where things go from here. The series will hopefully be able to maintain that cinematic feel moving forward, but something that's got everyone talking is how last night's episode opened.
Recapping Clark Kent's life up until this point, we learn that when he first arrived in Metropolis, the Man of Steel donned a homemade costume (made by Martha Kent).
As you can see, it does quite resemble the classic costume Kal-El wore in Action Comics #1, and is clearly meant to pay tribute to Superman's earliest appearances. Of course, the hero lifting that car is obviously meant to pay a direct homage to the cover of that iconic comic book. We never expected to see anything like this in the show, and while it's likely a one-off, we can't help but hope future flashbacks show more of the rookie Superman protecting his new home in that suit.
It all depends how Superman & Lois plays out, but the series has definitely started off strong, and this Easter Egg points to a lot of love - and faithfulness to the comics - being part of the show.
Check out the memorable scene below:
Click on the "Next" button below to check out 10 supporting
characters we need to see in Man of Steel 2...or Superman & Lois!
10. Steel
Does Metropolis have room for another superhero?
While he was originally introduced following the "Death of Superman" story arc, Steel’s origin story could very easily be changed to make him one of the people who were no doubt inspired by the Man of Steel’s heroic actions when he saved the city. After all, seeing him fighting side by side with his idol against a major new threat would do doubt make for enjoyable viewing.
"The New 52" comics portrayed him as being under the employ of General Sam Lane, creating this armoured suit for someone to use to take down Superman. However, he quickly realised the error of his ways and stole it to help the hero fight Brainiac, and that too has a lot of cinematic potential. Handle Steel the right way, and Warner Bros. could even give him a spinoff.
9. Sam Lane
In case it wasn’t already obvious from the name, General Sam Lane is the father of Lois Lane. Man of Steel was a pretty busy movie, so it’s easy enough to understand why he wasn’t included there, but it would be foolish of Warner Bros. not to use him somewhere down the line.
Sam and Lois have a complicated relationship, and he’s not a fan of either Clark Kent or Superman. In fact, his actions have bordered on the point of villainy a number of times in the past when he’s come up with various schemes to take down Metropolis' Man of Tomorrow.
Like Lex Luthor, Sam is convinced that the alien poses a threat to Earth, and even if a movie doesn’t go down that route, seeing him insert himself into the lives of Lois and Clark following the events of the past few Superman stories would shake their world up in a big way.
8. Lana Lang
Those of you who watched Smallville will no doubt be very familiar with Lana Lang. Clark Kent’s first love before he moved to Metropolis and became Superman, she’s one of only a handful of people who know his secret, and they’ve had a very interesting and complicated relationship over the years.
Lana has actually served in a number of roles in the DC Comics Universe, at one point becoming CEO of LexCorp and even suiting up as a costumed hero during the Silver Age.
While bringing "Insect Queen" to the big screen is far from a priority, it would be fun to see Lana make her presence felt in Metropolis, possibly leading to some sort of love triangle situation and really putting Clark’s relationship – which so far is going a little too perfectly – with Lois to the test.
7. Maggie Sawyer
The military factored into Man of Steel in a big way, and while they took a backseat in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, it's clear the hero is very much on their radar.
It would be a nice change of pace for his next movie to put the spotlight on the city’s police department and how they go about handling having this hero – and his villains – in their midst. In the comics, Captain Maggie Sawyer was introduced as the head of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit, a branch dedicated to handling super-powered menaces when Superman is unavailable.
Openly gay, Maggie is in a relationship with Batwoman, and if her introduction in the sequel were to lead to that also playing out here, that would be no bad thing as the movies could make better use of Kate Kane.
6. Superboy
Like most DC Comics characters, there have been a few different versions of Superboy over the years. Some have been younger versions of Clark Kent, while others have been clones or hailed from alternate realities, but utilizing this character in the movie could work really well.
Seeing as Lex Luthor got his hands on the corpse of General Zod in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Kon-El/Connor Kent version – who was a hybrid of Lex ad Clark’s human/Kryptonian cloned DNA and created to be the ultimate living weapon – would perhaps work best.
That would be similar to Titans, of course, but it would also shake up Superman’s life in a big way, especially if he has to take this young hero under his wing and teach him the ropes.
5. Krypto
Is this too goofy for a movie set in the DC Extended Universe? Not necessarily, and while the introduction of Krypto would certainly be a departure from the serious tone of Superman's previous big screen appearances in this shared world, who doesn't love an adorable pooch on the big screen?
Krypto was the El family's pet dog on Krypton, who eventually wound up on Earth and gained superpowers like Superman's. This link to his homeworld could be surprisingly emotional for Clark Kent, especially after everything he's been through (being killed by Doomsday and later resurrected, for starters).
We're not entirely sure how Krypto would factor into a Man of Steel sequel, but as a supporting character, he could bring a lot to this movie, and hell, perhaps Warner Bros. can give him a spinoff?
4. Cat Grant
Cat Grant made her presence felt in the Supergirl TV show a few years back, but it’s worth noting that the version there was very different to her comic book counterpart. As a result, she could very easily also make her presence felt on the big screen.
The head of the Entertainment and Arts section of the Daily Planet, Cat is extremely flirty and sexual, and just so happens to have a thing for Clark Kent. Extremely provocative, she doesn’t hesitate to flaunt her newly augmented breasts in front of the reporter and the two even dated for a short time before he realised that Lois was the one he should be with.
Throwing this sort of spanner into their relationship would be a lot different to what we’re used to seeing in these movies, while Cat’s tragic past could also come into play.
3. Pete Ross
Man of Steel revealed that Pete Ross bullied Clark Kent as a youngster, but later seemed to confirm that he realised his childhood foe and Superman might actually be one and the same.
Exploring that in a sequel isn't exactly a must, but it's an idea with some potential. If Jesse Eisenberg were to return as Lex Luthor - and run for President - then Pete could be his Vice President, secretly doing what he can to ensure Superman is treated fairly by the new U.S. regime.
Throw in his ties to Lana Lang, and adding Pete to the mix could shake up Clark's personal life in a number of intriguing ways. There are plenty of comic books to take inspiration from, anyway.
2. Supergirl
A prequel comic for Man of Steel revealed that Supergirl actually arrived on Earth thousands of years before Superman in that crashed ship he discovered, which massively complicates her introduction in a future movie (despite theories she may have been the first Amazonian which didn't pan out).
The studio is unlikely to be beholden to a piece of barely seen tie-in material like that, so they could very well find a way of bringing Supergirl into this world, giving her a lead role.
The TV show is obviously nearing its end, and there have been rumblings for a while now that the Girl of Steel could be coming to the big screen. Introducing Kara Danvers in the Man of Steel sequel first would be a smart way of setting the stage for her to then fly into her own solo outing down the line.
1. Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen being left out of Man of Steel was a surprise, so adding Clark Kent’s best friend – and Superman’s close ally – to these movies is a must. Of course, we did meet "Jimmy" in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice where he was portrayed as a C.I.A. agent who, uh, got shot in the head.
Luckily, it wouldn't be remotely difficult for a sequel to explain that the man who died there was just posing as the real Jimmy, and that opens the door to a future movie exploring this friendship.
Superman definitely needs some levity in his future big screen adventures (that was the best part of Zack Snyder's reshoots), and this intrepid photographer could help with that in a huge way.