WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for "Heritage," the latest episode of Superman & Lois.
Superman & Lois just introduced another version of the Man of Steel -- and one that wears a black suit, at that.
In "Heritage," the latest episode, Captain Lex Luthor revealed a little more about his vendetta against Superman. Chiefly, he relived some moments from his own world, which appeared to be like the Kents' world but for a few key differences. For one, Luthor isn't the maniacal supervillain as played by Jon Cryer in Supergirl. For another, he once fought alongside none other than Sam Lane.
The flashback picked up in a battlefield, where Luthor fought in the trenches alongside General Lane. The camera never peeled back to show who Luthor and his platoon were fighting. The shot merely showed him and the others firing their guns off into the distance, with red lasers returning fire. "This is hellfire!" Lane cried into a walkie-talkie. "31! Engaging hostile ammo bots!"
Suddenly, the sky crackled with thunder. Luthor's platoon stopped shooting, and the return fire halted. Everyone turned slowly to look up, only to see Superman hovering high above them with a scowl on his face. Unlike Superman & Lois' protagonist, this Man of Steel worse an all-black costume emblazoned with a silver "S" shield.
Setting his jaw, this black-suited Superman unleashed his heat vision on the trenches. Men fell as they scrambled to escape, but they had nowhere to run. Lane threw himself at Luthor, shielding him with his own body and allowing him to escape unharmed. "To hell and back," Lane gasped with his final breaths. Shaken, Luthor took Lane's dog tags, which ironically bore the Superman symbol.
In the comics, Superman's black suit -- called the Recovery Suit, or the Regeneration/Solar Suit -- debuted following The Death of Superman in Reign of the Supermen. It was intended to heal Superman should he suffer a grievous injury, as it was built to absorb solar energy, the source of his power. Additionally, it offers increased protection to the wearer. The suit was originally intended to appear in 2017's Justice League, but was scrapped from that film. It will, however, appear in Zack Snyder's Justice League, as revealed by posters and other key art.
Notably, this is not the first or only time Superman has worn a black suit in the Arrowverse -- sort of. In "Elseworlds," a crossover between Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl, John Deegan used the Monitor's Book of Destiny to rewrite his reality and become Superman. Of course, Deegan's version of Superman wore an all-black suit, which distinguished him from the true Superman, who went toe-to-toe with him. Deegan's Man of Steel did not last beyond the crossover. What's more, it appears Superman & Lois' black costume features the updated design Tyler Hoechlin wears in the series.
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 on The CW.