WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Superman & Lois Season 1, Episode 11, "A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events," which aired Tuesday on The CW.
In the latest episode of Superman & Lois, we get a full-blown trip down memory lane as Tyler Hoechlin's Clark Kent gets mind-probed by Morgan Edge/Tal-Rho (Adam Rayner). It provides key insight into what Kal-El did when Jonathan Kent died, as well as what took him to Metropolis. And in the process, we're provided a heartwarming and inspirational story of how Superman got his name.
Clark spends years being tutored by Jor-El at the Fortress of Solitude, and when he gets back to Smallville, he and Martha agree it's time to change the world. She had a dream of him flying and knitted him his costume, so Kal-El hits up Metropolis where he begs for a job at the Daily Planet.
Perry White throws him into the bullpen with Lois and while everyone's enamored as Superman continues to make headlines, Lois hates how other stories, especially humanitarian pieces, don't get as much traction. She's also extremely distrustful of the Man of Steel, thinking he's an invader being fake, which isn't a surprise as she's General Sam Lane's daughter.
But while she and Clark bond on the job, one key incident downtown changes her perception of Kal-El when Atom Man attacks a community of Indian immigrants. It's a mix of Max Fleischer's Superman and the Superman Smashes the Klan story where Kal-El stopped Nazis from attacking Asian minorities, with Atom Man simply wanting to purify the place and create a whiter America.
Atom Man launches two bombs but Superman uses heat vision to destroy one and super-speed to grab the other, covering the blast. When Lois sees how the immigrants react to him, it makes their first official meeting life-changing. She quickly switches from snide to accepting, and as she asks him his name, he says he's sure the papers will give him a good one. As he flies off following a handshake, Lois then coins the nickname "Superman," as everyone -- including herself -- is in awe.
It alters the main DC lore where Clark nicknamed himself, moving from Superboy to Superman when he got to the city. It's a clever change as Lois realizes he's there for humanity after swatting Atom Man away, showing how ready he is to fight for the underdogs.
Granted, when she interviews the alien later on about his Kryptonian heritage, he does hear her saying she's in love with Clark, not Superman, which pushes him to make the next move to get married. It's a nice tweak as it shows that, although she did name him, she's not a fangirl of the superhero, which keeps her love and adoration of Clark pure, innocent and admirable.
Superman & Lois stars Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Dylan Walsh, Alex Garfin, Jordan Elsass, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Inde Navarrette and Wolé Parks. The series airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
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