‘Superman & Lois’ stars promise ‘epic’ and ’emotional’ closure in the final season

“That would’ve been a hell of a way to leave the series.” Superman & Lois star Tyler Hoechlin laughs about the season 3 finale leaving fans with the image of Superman and Doomsday flying full speed toward their death match.

“We cannot possibly go out on that one scene of Doomsday and Superman about to crash, and then it just goes to black,” star Elizabeth Tulloch tells Entertainment Weekly. “That would be awful for the fans and for us, not having any closure.”

Thankfully Superman & Lois pulled off an epic save that would make the Man of Steel himself proud. The CW’s drama about Clark Kent (Hoechlin), Lois Lane (Tulloch), and their family returns this fall for a shortened fourth and final season that not only picks up immediately after that cliffhanger, but also ultimately accomplishes by the end of the 10 episodes what the season 3 finale did not: closure. “We tested fate there, the way we ended season 3,” showrunner Todd Helbing tells EW. “So we’re really relieved that it all worked out.”

The producers had always hoped and planned for the series to run for at least seven seasons, but it turns out that broadcast TV is nowhere near as invincible as Superman, and the Nexstar Media Group acquisition of the CW was the kryptonite bullet that took down most of the network’s original series. So while ending after only four seasons was a tough pill to swallow, the showrunners, cast, and everyone involved are all clinging to the silver lining that at least they “were able to end it exactly how we wanted to end it,” showrunner Brent Fletcher says. “And that means a lot for us.”

The two-hour season premiere continues Superman’s galaxy-spanning fight with Doomsday — “There’ll be plenty, plenty, plenty to watch in the premiere with that,” Hoechlin teases — but fans already know where this tragic story is heading. In July, it was confirmed that the show is delivering its “own version” of the iconic Death of Superman comic book arc from 1992-1993 by revealing Clark ultimately dies in the battle.

“It’s epic,” Tulloch says. “And that throws Lois once again into this situation where she is a heroine and she has to keep her family together. It’s obviously extremely shocking and traumatizing with just the grief, but also how much time do you have to grieve when you have Lex Luthor [Michael Cudlitz] still coming after you, and when Doomsday is still around? Not much. She really needs to step up and be the strong one for her family, which she does.”

As for what that means for the man behind Superman? “I would just say there were parts of my day where I was less active than others, if that gives anything away,” Hoechlin jokes. “I may have snoozed through a rehearsal or a blocking at one point. [But] I definitely am still part of the show, obviously. I was filming for many months this year, but I don’t know if I want to give away necessarily in what capacity.”

A few follow-up questions prove to be Hoechlin’s own kryptonite as he eventually spills more intel on how viewers will still see him onscreen this season. “There are flashbacks, there are also other elements,” he says. “So I feel like people can read between the lines there and put it together… There’s one flashback in particular with Dylan Walsh [who plays General Sam Lane] that I had an unbelievable time with, it was so much fun.”

The showrunners hadn’t originally planned for the Death of Superman arc to be the final season’s story, but they had already pitched their own version of it for season 4 way before they knew that would be the end. “It all worked out oddly in a really nice way,” Helbing says. “It’s just sad that it had to be the last season.”

Fletcher reveals that “most” of the ways in which they’ve adapted the arc “deviate” from the comic book source material. “We thought it would be impactful, emotional, surprising,” he adds. “It’s important and poignant, and it turns out it’s a great send-off for our hero and our family and these iconic characters that you care about. There are a lot of big surprises in it that are thrilling, but there’s also big emotion.”

“In some ways, we were probably the most successful with [adapting] this one,” Helbing says. “So I’m excited to see what people think.”

And in classic Superman fashion, the situation appeared dire before it all worked out. In June 2023, news broke that seven cast members would not be returning as series regulars for the final season: Walsh (as General Sam Lane), Emmanuelle Chriqui (as Lana Lang), Erik Valdez (as Kyle Cushing), Inde Navarrette (as Sarah), Wolé Parks (as John Henry Irons), Tayler Buck (as Natalie), and Sofia Hasmik (as Chrissy Beppo). However, the showrunners promise that all seven characters will still appear in the final season, just in a decreased capacity.

“Unfortunately, with the state of the business, we had to do it,” Helbing says. “That was one of the decisions that unfortunately was made [to make the final season happen].” Fletcher agrees, adding, “That was a lot of the secret sauce that helped us get this done.”

“But when we talked to all the cast members, everybody understood it, and they were still committed to being in as many episodes as we could put them in,” Helbing adds. “It also afforded us [the opportunity] wrap all these storylines up in a really satisfactory way. People get a full meal, so the episodes they were in, they’re part of the storyline in the way that maybe they weren’t the past three seasons, and it’s really satisfying.”

Just like how Superman always finds a way to save the day, Superman & Lois persevered against all odds to deliver a final season that the stars and showrunners promise is a worthy ending. “Somehow we may have actually pulled off our strongest season of the series,” Hoechlin says. “And that’s saying a lot with some of the limitations that we had put on us.”

In addition to Clark, Lois, their twin sons Jordan (Alex Garfin) and Jonathan (Michael Bishop), Lex Luthor, and the seven former series regulars’ characters, expect to also see “surprises” in the form of cameos. “This was the final year and resources were thin, so we called in favors,” Fletcher says. “There’s a lot of fun characters that pop in.”

The Flash alum Tom Cavanagh will appear, and the showrunners reveal “it is a definitely a new character from the DC Universe,” and not another version of Harrison Wells or Eobard Thawne or anyone else he previously played in the Arrowverse. “It is not something you’ve seen before,” Fletcher confirms. “I wish we could have had this character for 18 seasons. It was fun.”

As for who else will appear in the final season, all details are being kept more confidential than Superman’s secret identity. “If we tease them, we’ll spoil it,” Helbing says with a laugh. “But I’ll say we have a couple that we think are fantastic.”

When Superman & Lois takes flight for the final time in the season 4 premiere, the end looms closer than ever. And not even Superman himself was trusted with knowing the series finale story until it was time to film it. “I still didn’t know the actual ending until we got pretty close to it,” Hoechlin reveals. “We had discussed potential endings throughout the various seasons, what we thought would be kind of cool, and even up until about halfway through the season, I was still wondering which direction they were going to go.”

And that’s exactly how the showrunners wanted it — not just for the actors but also, more importantly, for the fans. “I don’t think people are going to think we’re ending the show the way that we are,” Fletcher teases. “When it ends and the credits come up, they’re going to be surprised.”

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When Hoechlin finally did learn how the series would conclude, he was blown away by what the writers accomplished. “I think they’ve done a beautiful job of saying something poignant,” he adds.

But be careful what you wish for, because Tulloch warns that it’s “a very emotional episode.”

“There will be closure, and everyone’s going to be crying in the final episode of the series,” she says. “I did.”

The final season of Superman & Lois begins with a two-hour premiere on Monday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, on The CW.