Pilot (Superman & Lois)

For other uses of Pilot, see Pilot (Disambiguation).

"Pilot"
Information
Season 1 » Episode 1
Episode number	1 of 33
Airdate	February 23, 2021
Network	The CW
Written by	Story by Greg Berlanti Todd Helbing Teleplay by Todd Helbing
Directed by	Lee Toland Krieger
Chronology
Followed by	Heritage

"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of Superman & Lois, and the first episode overall. It aired on February 23, 2021.

“	And suddenly, here I am, living in Metropolis, raising two teenage boys, married to the most famous journalist in the world, trying to make the world safer for the people I love.	”
— Clark Kent[src]

Synopsis

After years of facing megalomaniacal supervillains, monsters wreaking havoc on Metropolis, and alien invaders intent on wiping out the human race, the world's most famous superhero, The Man of Steel aka Clark Kent and comic books' most famous journalist, Lois Lane, come face to face with one of their greatest challenges ever - dealing with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today's society. Complicating the already daunting job of raising two boys, Clark and Lois must also concern themselves with whether or not their sons Jonathan and Jordan could inherit their father's Kryptonian superpowers as they grow older. Returning to Smallville to handle some Kent family business, Clark and Lois are reacquainted with Lana Lang, a local loan officer who also happens to be Clark's first love, and her Fire Chief husband Kyle Cushing. The adults aren't the only ones rediscovering old friendships in Smallville as the Kent sons are reacquainted with Lana and Kyle's rebellious daughter, Sarah. Of course, there's never a dull moment in the life of a superhero, especially with Lois' father, General Sam Lane, looking for Superman to vanquish a villain or save the day at a moment's notice. Meanwhile, Superman and Lois' return to idyllic Smallville is set to be upended when both a mysterious stranger and impassioned self-made mogul Morgan Edge enter their lives.

Appearances

Characters

Protagonists

• Superman (Clark Kent)
• Lois Lane
• Jonathan Kent
• Jordan Kent
• Sarah Cushing
• Lana Lang Cushing
• Kyle Cushing
• General Sam Lane

Antagonists

• Captain Luthor
  • Captain Luthor's A.I.
• Morgan Edge (pictured)
• Superman (Kal-El) (mentioned)

Other Characters

• Benny
• Cobb Branden
• Dr. Frye
• Dr. Donner (name seen)
• Dr. Reeve (name seen)
• Eliza (video call)
• Engstrom (mentioned)
• God (mentioned)
• Jonathan Kent Sr. (flashback)
• Jor-El (indirectly mentioned)
• Kal-El's Mother (indirectly mentioned)
• Lois Hannigan (mentioned in flashback)
• Lueck (mentioned)
• Margie Kelton (mentioned)
• Martha Kent
• Max "Maxy" Mencken
• Pastor Lindquist
• Perry White (flashback)
• Pete Ross (mentioned)
• Raiden (video game)
• Samuel Foswell
• Sean Smith
• Shuster (name seen)
• Siegel (name seen)
• Sippy (mentioned)
• Sophie Cushing
• Steve Lombard (mentioned in flashback)
• T. Welling (name unseen)
• Tag Harris
• Timmy Ryan
• Whit
• Luthor (mentioned)

Teams and Organizations

• Ace Chemical (name seen)
• Facebook (mentioned)
• FFA (mentioned)
• Galaxy Holdings (mentioned)
  • Daily Planet
    • Daily Planet Network
• HowToBasic (mentioned)
• HUD (mentioned)
• Instability Strip (poster)
• KIFR
• Luthor Wayne (name seen in video game)
• Megachord (poster)
• Metropolis Meteors
• Metropolis Police Department
• Oberlee Foods (mentioned)
• Seek & Keep Thrift Store (flashback)
• Sequoia
• Smallville Crows (name seen)
• Smallville Emergency Medical Technician
• Smallville Fire & Rescue
• Smallville Police Department
• Soul Asylum (mentioned)
• United States Army
• United States Postal Service (name seen)

Events

• War on Superman
  • Ambush on Superman
• Explosion at Shuster Mines
• Resurrection of Krypton (UE-33) (mentioned)

Species

• Artificial Intelligence
• Bass (mentioned)
• Humans
• Humans
• Kryptonian-Human Hybrids
• Kryptonians
• Kryptonians (mentioned)
• Vulcans (mentioned)

Objects and Concepts

• Steel's Ship
• Steel War Suit
• Clark Kent's Glasses
• ELT
• Green Kryptonite
• Green Kryptonite
• Kryptonite Dagger
• Injustice 2
• Kent Farm Truck
• Kal-El's Pod
• Rory's First Kiss (flashback)
• Sunstone Crystal
• Superman Suits

Locations

• Undesignated Universe
  • Earth
    • Asia
      • China
        • Shanghai
      • Fukushima (mentioned)
    • Arctic (flashback)
      • Fortress of Solitude (flashback)
    • North America
      • United States of America
        • Elison Nuclear Power Plant
        • Hudson Nuclear Power Plant
        • Kansas
          • Rice County
            • Smallville
              • Kent Farm
                • Kent House
                • Kent Barn
                  • Storm Cellar
              • Main Street
                • Seek & Keep Thrift Store (flashback)
                • Sequoia
              • Shuster Mines (mentioned)
              • Smallville Church
              • Smallville Community Bank
              • Smallville Cemetery
              • Smallville Firehouse (mentioned)
              • Smallville High School (mentioned)
        • Metropolis
          • Ace Chemical (name seen)
          • Daily Planet Building
          • Kent Townhouse
          • Metropolis High School (mentioned)
        • Oyster Creek (mentioned)
        • St. Louis (mentioned)
        • Twin Cities (mentioned)
        • Wichita (mentioned)
  • The Sun (mentioned)
  • Krypton (mentioned)
• Undesignated Universe (mentioned)
  • Earth (mentioned)
  • Krypton (mentioned)

Notes

• This episode had a TV special called Superman & Lois: Legacy of Hope that aired after it.
• This is the longest ever episode in the Arrowverse.
• Jonathan Kent is named after Clark's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent Sr. and Jordan Kent is named after his biological father, Jor-El.
• When Clark enters Jordan's room, he is playing as Raiden in the video game, Injustice 2 as opposed to playing Superman.
• The emblem on Superman's first suit is the same as the crest in the 1941 Fleischer Cartoons.
  • The flashback scene where Clark saves a young boy from a falling car is inspired by Action Comics 1 with the line "my mom made it for me" being directly lifted from it.
• Dr. Frye is a reference to the character of the same name from the 1978 Superman film.
• Two notes in Clark Kent's Apartment have various references to individuals associated with Superman.
  • One mentions Shuster and Siegel, which is a reference to the creators of Superman, Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel and Dr. Donner, which is a reference to Richard Donner who directed the 1978 Superman film.
  • Another note mentions Dr. Reeve which is a reference to Christopher Reeve who portrayed Superman in the Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology franchise. It also mentions T. Welling, which is a reference to Tom Welling who portrayed Clark Kent in the show Smallville.

Gallery

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  Script

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  Title Card

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  Clark reveals his identity to his sons

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  Recreated version of Action Comics #1

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  Newspaper

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  T. Welling and Dr. Reeve

Promotional Images

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