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In its first season, Tyler Hoechlin’s Man of Steel in Superman & Lois is way better than what Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill crafted in the DCEU.
In its first season, Superman & Lois took fans by surprise, silencing critics who didn’t think Tyler Hoechlin could pull off the Man of Steel. Many wondered if he’d fill out the suit, or if he’d intimidate as Kal-El, while others wondered if he could bring warmth and inspiration to the role as Clark Kent. As it turns out, not only does Hoechlin’s Superman do just that, he embodies it way better than what Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill crafted in the DC Extended Universe.
Now, this isn’t to knock Cavill’s Superman, which took time to go from a violent, rash brawler to someone calmer, hopeful, lighter, and well, more optimistic. It took three films, though, culminating in Justice League, with the depictions before aggressive and cold. Admittedly, it didn’t help that Snyder hardly let him be Clark. Those fleeting moments he was Clark were all about learning about his past, being confused by his Kryptonian heritage and then wondering if he was truly a messiah.
There wasn’t much of him as a family person, apart from Pa Kent’s caustic upbringing or later on with rare moments of Martha trying to encourage him to cope. As for Cavill’s Clark and Amy Adams’ Lois, we saw them more on the job rather than intimate moments. This, of course, would have made her later arc of being pregnant resonate so much more, and truly help Cavill achieve what Christoper Reeve and Margot Kidder laid down decades ago in their more personal connection.
Hoechlin’s Superman, though, gets to do this and then some. He comes off so humble, relatable and human as the show doesn’t focus on him constantly battling one big villain after the other. It frames him as a flawed father trying to protect his kids, as well as a husband who desperately wants to ensure Lois isn’t totally disillusioned with the media and state of the world. He’s fighting so many battles on so many fronts mentally, with the show smartly using Morgan Edge as his brother to further show Superman that his greatest strength, and weakness, lies in the concept of family.
This allows him a lot more heart and soul moments, whether it’s fighting with Jordan over his powers, trying to keep Jon in line, teaching them about romance, arguing with Lois on how to parent, being worried Sam Lane is endangering their civilian identities, and also, reconnecting with Lana to remember what Smallville was like before his parents died.
In other words, the show organically shows what’s his biggest vulnerability outside of Kryptonite — his love for those he keeps close, which resonates more than a physical threat. It’s a slow, smart yet cerebral approach, as opposed to slugfests and action bonanzas.
Granted, Hoechlin’s Kal-El has much more time in a full season to be fleshed out, the movies should have done a character portrait with Cavill’s version, rather than rushing his journey from boyhood to manhood so quickly. And as a result, because, Hoechlin gets to explore this full dynamic and a larger emotional spectrum with both sides of the character, he’s a better Superman than Cavill ever had any hope of being.
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