Brandon Routh's Superman has returned.
In the official first look at "Crisis on Infinite Earths," this year's major Arrowverse crossover, Routh takes up the mantle once again. Now sporting graying temples, he wears the Man of Steel's iconic red and blue suit, complete with the red briefs. On his chest, he boasts the red and black symbol of Superman as he appeared in Mark Waid and Alex Ross' Kingdom Come.
Kingdom Come was a 1996 Elseworlds storyline that was set in a drastically altered future for the DC Universe. In this future, the Joker killed Lois Lane during an attack on The Daily Planet. Though Joker was ultimately killed by another hero, Clark Kent retired Superman and spent the next decade in his Fortress of Solitude.
He eventually reformed the Justice League and created a prison for violent heroes who killed in the name of justice. This experiment was ultimately destroyed, with Shazam sacrificing his life in the process, and so he returned to Kansas, where he rebuilt his life with Wonder Woman. It is unclear how much "Crisis on Infinite Earths" will borrow from this storyline.
Routh won't be the only Superman character in the crossover. Tom Welling and Erica Durance will reprise their Smallville roles for the massive crossover event as well. Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch will also appear as Superman and Lois Lane, reprising their roles from last year's Arrowverse crossover.
In addition to his role as Kingdom Come Superman, Routh will also reprise his DC's Legends of Tomorrow role as Ray Palmer, aka the Atom. He will be joined by Osric Chau as Ryan Choi, who will become the new Atom in the crossover. Since Routh is exiting Legends of Tomorrow with Courtney Ford in Season 5, this could set Choi up to take over his predecessor's spot on the team.
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" begins Sunday, December 8 at 8 pm ET/PT on Supergirl, then continues in Batwoman on Monday, December 8 at 8 pm ET/PT and in The Flash on Tuesday, December 10 at 8 pm ET/PT. After the winter hiatus, the crossover will conclude on Tuesday, January 14 in Arrow at 8 pm ET/PT and in DC's Legends of Tomorrow at 9 pm ET/PT.