The Superman & Lois premiere debuted a Man of Steel signaling device first used on the show by General Sam Lane. Having it be the general who first uses the device raises several questions given his contentious relationship with Superman, as is established both in the comics and on Supergirl.
For decades, the symbol of a bat, illuminated against the clouds in the night skies of Gotham, has been that city’s signal to Batman that his help was needed. The signal figured prominently in the series premiere of the CW’s Batwoman, as the powers that be in Gotham were going to turn off the Bat-Signal permanently to encourage the people to stop summoning their missing hero. Yet, the arrival of Batwoman gave the people of Gotham new hope and the Bat-Signal was once again illuminated for her to see. For Superman, the signal device allows him to hone in on a particular person or incident that needs his attention.
Throughout Superman’s history, there has been a different way for those closest to him to signal for help. The comics brought the invention of the signal watch, which Superman gave to his best friend Jimmy Olsen. Later, on the CW’s Supergirl, not only did James Olsen still carry his famed signal watch and would often use it with Supergirl, but the show also gave a signal watch to the person closest to Supergirl, her sister Alex. Now Superman & Lois has introduced this new, cigarette-lighter-sized device used by both General Lane, and later in the premiere, Lois herself.
The fact that General Lane has a signaling device and appears to work closely with Superman could be attributed to Crisis on Infinite Earths. Before the creation of Earth-Prime, the relationship between Superman and General Lane was complicated at best. It was noted in a first season Supergirl episode, “Manhunter”, that Superman didn’t work with the government, particularly avoiding military partnerships because of Cadmus. Seeing Superman and General Lane in a seemingly cordial working relationship is a drastic change from that scenario, suggesting that Superman & Lois may not take place on Earth-Prime, but in a timeline set on an alternate Earth. The show hasn’t established its proximity to Crisis. Possibly, Superman & Lois will take place in a bubble, as if the rest of the Arrowverse doesn’t exist. The twist at the end of the pilot further supports this idea.
The use of the supersonic signaling device over the more standard Bat-Signal type method is necessary for Superman. The single light shining over Gotham only reaches a limited area as Batman’s protection is generally limited to one city. Superman on the other hand protects the world and the signal emitted by the device shown on Superman & Lois can reach the Man of Steel no matter what part of the world he is in. No doubt he must block out all the other sounds of the world, and that is one of the skills he has mastered.
Many more questions remain about the use of the signal device on Superman & Lois. Now that they know the truth about their father, will Jonathan and Jordan be given similar devices? More poignantly, Superman’s mother, Martha Kent apparently chose to not carry a signal, perhaps because her son didn’t need one to distinguish her voice, and perhaps also because of her unselfish unwillingness to make her son choose between her and the world.
