Superman & Lois season 1 pays homage to Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman by incorporating a villain from the ’90s series into the Arrowverse. Something that has become a common thing for The CW’s DC TV franchise is the many nods they do to previous DC shows that came before them. Before the Arrowverse was even a thing, Smallville was The CW’s big superhero property as the Superman prequel paved the way for Arrow and the other shows to come to life. A decade later, Superman & Lois is the network’s latest drama focusing on Clark Kent and Lois Lane raising a family in Smallville.
While the latest Arrowverse spinoff has been setting its own tone, Superman & Lois has still included a few Easter eggs to other Superman live-action properties. But even before Smallville, there was the 1993 show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, starring Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain in the respective roles. Both of them have actually visited the Arrowverse over on Supergirl as Queen Rhea and Jeremiah Danvers. However, in the latest episode of Superman & Lois, titled “Holding The Wrench,” the Arrowverse had a sneaky tribute to an original character from the ’90s show.
In “Holding The Wrench,” a lieutenant named Jason Trask, played by Spencer Lang, is brought in by General Sam Lane to interrogate John Henry Irons, a.k.a. Steel. Jason Trask may not mean a lot to the mainstream audience watching Superman & Lois, but it definitely rings a bell for Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman fans. In the first season of Hatcher and Cain’s show, Trask, played by Terence Knox, was a minor villain in the second and eighth episodes. Leading a mysterious government organization, Trask saw Superman as a threat to the planet and wanted the Kryptonian killed. Since Lois was one of the few people that Superman had a known relationship with, Trask used her and Clark as bait.
In his second and final episode, Trask discovered Clark Kent’s identity as Superman as he tried to kill the Man of Steel. However, Trask met his death after being shot. The Arrowverse counterpart initially appeared to be a bit shady, as Lt. Trask was ready to take special measures to get answers out of John when Superman couldn’t. However, Superman & Lois’ Trask becomes a victim himself when an X-Kryptonite-influenced lieutenant Rosetti kills him. While it was a short run for this Trask, it is still neat to see Superman & Lois pay a small homage to Lois & Clark, even for one episode.
Whenever a new Superman project gets to honor previous iterations, whether it be actors from one property showing up on another or nods like Trask, it’s genuinely fun. They may be in their respective universes, but these tributes feel like Superman films and shows complimenting one another. Only time will tell what other Easter eggs from Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman that Superman & Lois season 1 may hold as the series moves forward.
