One element hiding in plain sight on Superman & Lois sets its Man of Steel apart from the Arrowverse’s version. The season 2 finale of Superman & Lois brought with it the revelation that the show takes place in a different universe from the Arrowverse’s Earth-Prime. With this news, it makes clear that series lead Tyler Hoechlin is playing a different Superman from the version of Kal-El he was seen as in his Arrowverse appearances on Supergirl and the Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover event.
Of course, the idea of multiple versions of any one superhero isn’t exactly the most shocking news, with the emphasis on DC properties all inhabiting a larger Multiverse, which Crisis On Infinite Earths greatly emphasized. Still, Superman & Lois has felt completely different from any Arrowverse show right from the beginning, and there’s been one key giveaway of the difference between both universes Supermen played by Hoechlin. That can be seen in the five o’clock shadow on the face of Clark Kent on Superman & Lois.
This is a small but noticeable contrast to Hoechlin’s Arrowverse Superman, who was very clean-shaven in his appearances. While this might seem like a negligible detail, it actually alludes to the themes at play on Superman & Lois. Moreover, the five o’clock shadow Hoechlin bears on Superman & Lois is a visual hint to his extended time as a hero and the many challenges that has brought with it.
The Meaning Behind Superman’s Five O’Clock Shadow On Superman & Lois
Hoechlin’s Arrowverse Superman was consistently portrayed as a very cheerful and clean-cut hero with the Man of Steel’s very upbeat personality. While Clark still has those traits on Superman & Lois, they’re also contrasted against other factors. Most especially, with the show’s version of Superman being both married to Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tolluch) and raising teenage sons Jordan (Alex Garfin) and Jonathan (Jordan Elsass), with Jordan even developing the powers of a Kryptonian. Furthermore, Superman & Lois‘ version of Kal-El has been operating as Superman for 20 years by the show’s beginning.
Hoechlin’s Superman seen on Superman & Lois has been on many missions big and small in his time, with the series’ present-day events showing him also dealing with the challenges of life as both a husband and a father. While he’s still a hero to his core and source of hope for the whole world, the show’s version of Superman has been through more trials of many different kinds than his Arrowverse counterpart. Such a long life as the Man of Steel will inevitably leave him with plenty of stories to tell, which Hoechlin’s five o’clock shadow on Superman & Lois symbolizes.
With Superman & Lois‘ season 2 twist divorcing the show from the Arrowverse, Tyler Hoechlin’s had an interesting Superman career in embodying multiple versions of the Last Son of Krypton. With Superman & Lois continuing on its own world, the differences between the show’s version of Kal-El and the Arrowverse will likely continue to reveal themselves. The use of a five o’clock shadow for Hoechlin’s Kryptonian hero on Superman & Lois does a lot with a little in showing him as his own distinct incarnation, one who has dealt with quite a lot in his 20-year heroic life.
