DC’s New Death Of Superman Adaptation Beats Henry Cavill’s Version In 4 Ways

Superman and Lois told its own version of the popular DC Universe story “The Death of Superman” in Season 4, and in many ways it’s a much better execution than the DCEU timeline version that was told with Henry Cavill. Superman has died multiple times on screen, and each version of the story has done something interesting and unique with the material. However, this latest version might be the best. As Superman and Lois inches toward the end, “The Death of Superman” arc has been an excellent feature of the CW show.

Although Superman is often considered a bright and hopeful character, Superman and Lois told one of the darkest stories of its recent episodes. With the DCU set to be rebooted in the near future with James Gunn’s Superman, it’s unlikely that audiences will see this story again for some time. Fortunately, the creative team behind Superman and Lois worked hard to make Tyler Hoechlin’s final season as Clark Kent memorable and special, creating one of the best versions of this family story yet.

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Superman & Lois had seasons to build emotional weight for Superman’s death

Tyler Hoechlin’s years as Superman made this death more impactful

Perhaps the biggest criticism of Henry Cavill’s “The Death of Superman” story is that it took place too early in the DCEU. Everything that is known about Man of Steel 2film that was never made, suggests that there was much more to tell about the character. Instead, DC rushed to compete with Marvel in creating a shared universeleading to Superman’s death in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This rushed production didn’t give the audience enough time to get up close and personal with the character and what he represented.

On the other hand, Superman and Lois had much more time to build the legacy of Tyler Hoechlin’s iteration of Superman. Starting with an appearance in Supergirl and plenty of ties to the Arrowverse, Hoechlin’s hero established himself before he even received his own series. Having 3 full seasons of stories about Superman’s relationship with his family and his world gave audiences the opportunity to feel invested in the character, making his death that much more impactful.

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Superman’s Family Makes Adaptation of Superman’s Death Hit Home

Lois, Jordan and Jonathan are the heart of Superman and Lois

The DCEU has tried to build family connections with Superman. Man of Steel had some very impactful moments with Kevin Costner as Clark’s father, and Diane Lane’s Martha played a significant role in resolving Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, there were far fewer loved ones in the series who looked up to the hero, making his death feel much more isolated.. Although Lois loved Clark and her pregnancy was confirmed in Zack Snyder’s Justice Leaguethis family connection is not as explored and effective.

In Superman and Loisthe family is as important to the series as the celebrated hero. Lois is the show’s titular character, and many stories featuring Jonathan and Jordan have been shared over the years.highlighting relationships within the family. With Clark a central tenet of their everyday lives, the human impacts of his death become immediately apparent. While the DCEU made excellent hero choices, the exploration of family ties wasn’t as intense or effective.

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Doomsday ripping out Superman’s heart makes his death that much more intense

The Doomsday Threat Looks Much Darker on The CW Series

Superman’s death in the DCEU came amid a chaotic CGI fight scene that saw Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman teaming up to take down Doomsday. Viewers didn’t love this version of the classic villain, and it didn’t significantly represent the threat that Doomsday posed in the comics. Simply, Superman’s death in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice it was too dark visually and overloaded with meaningless CGI to make a big impact. The scene didn’t seem as shocking as it should have.

These criticisms are well covered in some of the messy details Superman and Lois used to make their version of this battle much more intense. With a much more brutal version of Lex Luthor alongside and Bizarro’s transformation into Doomsday well executed, the scene is a shocking and disturbing version of the story. Seeing Doomsday rip out Superman’s heart to give to Lex makes this iteration of the story that much more gruesome, disturbing, and unsettling.in the best ways.

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Superman and Lois’ rebirth story is closer to the original comics

It’s worth following some of the source material closely.

The comics that told the stories of Superman’s death and return were followed much more accurately in the new series, although there were still some deviations. Still, the DCEU version of this story was more focused on telling Zack Snyder’s larger story Justice League story than following comic book canon. This led to a departure from comic book history that avoided “Reign of the Supermen!” bowand led to Clark’s complete regeneration.

Superman and LoisJust like the comics, there was more time to tell these stories. As a result, the series manages to loosen the pace and focus on Clark’s regeneration in a similar way to what was done in the comics. This led to Clark’s recent restoration in Superman and Lois episode 4, which appears to weaken him, much like the comics approached his initial return. With a larger cast of Superman characters, including Steel and Superboy, the show feels more similar to the celebrated comic book, resulting in a more satisfying version of the story.

Superman and Lois did a lot of things right throughout its 4 seasons, and many have praised these recent episodes as some of the best of the entire series. Although Henry Cavill’s role as Superman was quite effective, Some of the DCEU’s execution of the story for his character didn’t feel entirely faithful to Superman’s long history. Happily, Superman and Lois took many of these criticisms to heart and provided one of the best versions of “The Death of Superman” that audiences have yet to see in any television series or film.

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