The CW’s Superman & Lois Puts Zack Snyder’s Man Of Steel To Shame

Tyler Hoechlin’s portrayal of Superman in Superman & Lois may not have the same iconic status as Henry Cavill’s version in Man of Steel, but there’s no denying that his Clark Kent is in an entirely different league. Not only that, but the CW TV show seems to understand Superman and the characters in his world better.

Henry Cavill’s Superman vs. Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark Kent

Most fans would agree that Henry Cavill was close to being the best live-action Superman we ever got, second to only the one and only Christopher Reeve. Still, as great as his performance as the Man of Steel was in, well, Man of Steel, Cavill’s Superman fell short in one crucial aspect: his Clark Kent alter ego. Man of Steel‘s brisk pacing left little time for character development – which is strange, considering it was an origin story. The result was a Clark that felt underdeveloped and flat. That’s certainly not the best way to introduce one of the most important characters in a franchise.

Surprisingly, many of the most popular renditions of the Man of Steel leave Clark Kent as an afterthought. But what if I told you Greg Berlanti‘s The CW, of all things, handled Superman better than the Snyderverse ever could?

Superman & Lois: A Different Approach

As entertaining as it was, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was a retelling of the origin story we all know by heart. Showing Kal-El’s arrival on Earth and his relationship with his adoptive parents is something we’ve seen multiple times in Superman histories – live-action or otherwise. However, Superman & Lois went with a different, more adventurous route. Instead of showing Superman’s origins, we see him after he’s adopted Earth as his home, forming a family with Lois and facing the greatest threat he’s ever encountered: parenthood.

This narrative moves the Man of Steel closer to where he is in the comics. It makes Superman & Lois feel like a more modern story, even if it is “limited” by the constraints of a TV budget.

One common complaint Zack Snyder faces in each of his films is that his characters are frequently underdeveloped, and Man of Steel wasn’t the exception. Characters like General Zod felt like cartoon villains, lacking real motivations, and hence diminishing their impact in the Superman mythos. Even Henry Cavill’s Clark Kent felt more like a cardboard cutout than an actual character, leaving some die-hard Superman fans sorely disappointed. The fact that Superman & Lois was a serial gave the showrunners a chance to develop this version of Clark with all the attention and care the character deserves.

Lois Lane In Superman & Lois vs. Man of Steel

The same goes for Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois Lane. Man of Steel gave us Amy Adams as Lois, but her peerless performance never got a chance to shine amid the chaotic narrative of Snyder’s Superman film. Superman & Lois mends those issues giving us a Lois who feels more like a real human – one who happens to be married to the Man of Steel.

A Blueprint For The DCU

Superman & Lois could be the perfect blueprint for the stories we’d like the upcoming DCU to tackle. There’s no denying the massive appeal of Superman stories where he’s just the invincible Man of Steel, faster than a speeding bullet and all that. However, some of his most memorable storylines involve his struggle with humanity, and that’s something that live-action films have seldom explored.

The DCU should explore new facets of the characters we know and love. Knowing James Gunn, it’s very likely that he’ll use humour to tell surprisingly touching stories. We can only hope he keeps developing Lois and Clark’s marriage in the upcoming cinematic universe.

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Tell us, is Superman & Lois far superior to Man of Steel? Leave your thoughts in the comments.