My Body Is Not Ready for “Superman & Lois” But The Trailer Doesn’t Care

For those of you who may be new here, you should know that I am extremely excited about the upcoming CW season. As a longtime fan of Tyler Hoechlin, his stint as Superman on the DCTV Universe has brought me great joy. So you’d better believe I watched the new Superman & Lois trailer repeatedly after it dropped earlier today.

We’ve met Hoechlin’s Clark Kent/Superman and Bitsie Tulloch’s Lois Lane before, with Clark being an occasional guest star on his cousin’s show, Supergirl, and Lois making her appearance in the 2018 multi-series crossover “Elseworlds”. (Due to Covid, there was no such event for 2020.) But the Superman & Lois trailer has the heavy task of establishing their spinoff series – introducing characters, like their two sons, or setting the tone.

What this teaser shows to me is a slightly more mature Clark than we’ve seen previously. Clark is older than Kara due to weird alien time things (I’m sure a bigger DC fan could explain it better than that), but when we’ve met him previously, he exuded a kind of boyish charm. Hoechlin’s Clark is goofy and affable, and though most of it is an act to distance himself from his Superman persona, he seems to have a very easygoing nature.

The Clark we see in this trailer, however, seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. We get to see happy moments (Clark and Lois’s wedding, for one), but with the ominous score, Lois’s dour voice over, the dark cinematography, and the prevalence of storm clouds, it gives the impression that this show may be a little bit darker than I previously expected.

The titles for the first five episodes don’t necessarily sound dark, nor does the first season summary, but the trailer certainly gives that impression. Of course, previous trailers – like this one from last September, which includes a basic overview of the DCTV Universe, or this one from just a few weeks ago – are a little more positive, featuring a more upbeat soundtrack and containing more optimistic quotes.

Moments of levity (such as Clark’s “I really wish I could get drunk sometimes”) are few, with somber elements – discord among their sons, a stash of Kryptonite, a mysterious potential villain clad completely in some kind of black armor – comprising most of the trailer. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z97oUvUeyO0

That doesn’t mean I’m not excited for the season (honestly, there is very little that will diminish my excitement for this show). It just means I need to prepare myself accordingly so that I’m not surprised when something bad eventually happens.

The biggest challenge facing Superman & Lois are the expectations. This is Superman, for crying out loud. This is one of DC’s heaviest hitters and there are multiple versions of Kal-el’s story that this will undoubtedly be compared to. I love Hoechlin’s take on Clark, and I genuinely enjoy basically every DC show on The CW (though they do have issues with diversity in front of and behind the camera). I just worry the upcoming show will attract viewers who are firmly prepared to dislike it on principle, and I really hope that doesn’t happen.

Superman & Lois premieres on Tuesday, February 23 at 9 pm EST in a special 2-hour event. The first season will consist of 13 episodes.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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