On the pages of DC Comics, Superman is a character who stands for hope. Even within The CW‘s Arrowverse, the idea that the hero, along with his cousin Supergirl, represent hope is one that is a standard. Now, with Superman & Lois set to debut on the network next week, the series is coming at a time when real-life challenges have made hope in short supply for many. But for series showrunner Todd Helbing, it’s the hopefulness of the Superman character as well as the realistic challenges the show will see the titular characters face that he hopes will inspire that emotion in viewers as well.
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Speaking with Den of Geek, Helbing explained that the hope in Superman & Lois will come from a place that feels real, something audiences may take their own inspiration from.
“Superman has always been hopeful,” Helbing said. “Considering everything that we’ve gone through this year, hope is infused in there and it should be. But it has to feel real, and it has to come out of hopefulness for real struggles that anybody watching this can relate to. If Superman can struggle and he still remains hopeful, and if Lois can struggle and she remains hopeful, then I think maybe we can, too.”
Those struggles will also allow viewers to see a side of the iconic character that isn’t usually part of the stories told about Superman. Helbing explained that because Superman is often “perfect”, it makes it a little harder to dramatize him.
“Superman is a difficult person to dramatize because he’s perfect in a lot of ways,” Helbing said. “The analogy we always use is Superman is sort of but Clark can be clumsy as a dad. I think being clumsy as a parent, that’s something that we all are. We’re all figuring it out. There are a lot of books written about it, but the second it happens to you, you don’t know what you’re doing. So why would that be any different for the Man of Steel? In a lot of ways, that opened up the floodgates about really telling stories where people can relate to him in a way that they haven’t been able to before.”
Superman & Lois will premiere on Tuesday, February 23, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, followed by Superman & Lois: Legacy of Hope, at 9:30 p.m, which rounds out the two hours of primetime programming following the 90-minute premiere.
