Where ‘Superman & Lois’ Left Off, Plus New Family Issues & Threats in Season 2
Preview
This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s Sci-Fi & Fantasy Special Collector’s Issue, which is available for international order online at SciFi2021.com.
After 83 years of comics, radio shows, films and TV iterations, what is left for the Man of Steel to conquer? Domestic drama! “This isn’t a superhero show like we’re used to seeing,” says Elizabeth Tulloch, whose stoic Lois Lane moved from Metropolis to Smallville with hubby Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin, right, with Tulloch) and twin sons Jonathan and Jordan (Jordan Elsass and Alex Garfin) in this new take on DC Comics’ first family.
Between the requisite cape-flying action involving alien visitor John Henry Irons (Wolé Parks) and villainous mogul Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner), the supercouple is proving to be super relatable, working to be there for their boys and each other. “They’re not killing it as parents, in particular Clark,” Hoechlin notes. “But we wanted to show that even though they’re struggling, they still make each other laugh.”
Jonathan Kent (Jordan Elsass)
“The fact that he doesn’t have powers weighs on him,” says Elsass of the Kents’ athletic human son, who’s helping brother Jordan cope with being half-Kryptonian. Still, he’s got some Lois-like investigative skills.
Jordan Kent (Alex Garfin)
Beset by social anxiety disorder, Jordan began manifesting powers and abilities after the move to Smallville. At first, this caused tension between the boys as Clark trained Jordan, but Jon always has his brother’s back.
Lana Lang Cushing (Emmanuelle Chriqui)
Clark’s high school sweetheart is now a married mom of two. Lana was working for Morgan Edge until his secret identity as Superman’s evil brother Tal-Rho—and his plan to turn her fellow townies into Kryptonian soldiers—came to light.
Bettina Strauss/The CW
Kyle Cushing (Erik Valdez)
Smallville’s fire chief is a grump with a good heart, as proven by his love for wife Lana and daughters Sarah and Sophie. Unfortunately, Kyle became a social pariah after Edge brainwashed him into playing a key role in his failed plan to take over Smallville.
Where We Left Off
It was a battle royal for Superman as he took on half brother Morgan Edge, who’d transformed into the Kryptonian life-force-powered Eradicator and set out to destroy Smallville. Good thing Supes had John Henry Irons—suited up as Steel—to help out. Hiding in the Kent barn, Lois used special tech to enter Jordan’s mind to free him from the control of Edge’s alien father, Zeta-Rho, just before Jordan choked the life out of Jonathan. During the siege, Kyle proved a hero in his own right, saving the life of a local, leading to his reinstatement on the fire department.
As the dust settled, Smallville gathered at the Cushings’ house, where Gen. Sam Lane revealed his retirement from the military and Irons decided it was time to leave town…until a spaceship came crashing down to Earth carrying his daughter, Natalie.
The CW
What’s Coming Next?
Secrets and identity will play an even bigger role in Season 2, says showrunner Todd Helbing. “Now the kids are a year older. Jordan and Jonathan’s (Garfin and Elsass) interests are going to draw them away from the family a bit more, and Clark’s going to have a hard time.”
He’ll have even more on his mind now that John Henry Irons’ teen daughter, Natalie, has arrived and met this planet’s version of her late mother, Lois Lane. “When you introduce one new person into a dynamic, it can completely change things.”
Plus, expect a new threat in Lois’ struggles at running the Smallville Gazette with partner Chrissy Beppo. “Lois has been a reporter for 20 years, but she’s never been an owner,” Helbing adds. “So that comes with its own new set of headaches.”
Superman & Lois, Season 2, 2022, The CW
