WARNING: This following contains spoilers for Superman & Lois Season 1.
The first season of Superman & Lois depicts the Man of Steel and the world's greatest journalist balancing their day jobs while raising their twin sons, Jordan Elsass' Jonathan and Alex Garfin's Jordan. However, this quest for peace defies the lesson learned in Superman II, which moved Kal-El to sacrifice any chance for his own family.
From the beginning, the CW drama invites comparisons to the films starring Christopher Reeve as Superman. During its pilot's opening montage, Tyler Hoechlin's Clark Kent reflects on the fatal heart attack of his adoptive father Jonathan, a plot point first introduced in Superman: The Movie. Clark's biological father also bears similarity to his theatrical counterpart, with Angus Macfadyen's Jor-El offering guidance via the Fortress of Solitude in a manner similar to Marlon Brando's version.
These parallels sharpen the difference between the two interpretations of Clark's Kryptonian parents. Superman II depicts Clark defying their wishes by giving up his powers to be with Margot Kidder's Lois Lane, reversing his decision only when Terence Stamp's General Zod invades. In The Richard Donner Cut, this choice is forced upon him by Jor-El, who states that he cannot invest his "time and emotion in one human being at the expense of the rest."
In contrast, Macfadyen's Jor-El actively supports Clark's marriage to Elizabeth Tulloch's Lois, and helps his grandson and namesake Jordan acclimatize to his newfound powers. When Clark's mother Lara inhabits the body of Emmanuelle Chriqui's Lana Lang, she is overjoyed to learn that Clark has a family of his own. Unlike their predecessors, this Jor-El and Lara envision their son finding true love while still acting as humanity's champion.
It is actually Lois' father, Dylan Walsh's General Sam Lane, who objects when Clark places a greater focus on his private life. In Episode 4, "Haywire," he even orders Jonathan and Jordan not to distract their father from his duties. When that almost gets them killed, Lois dismisses Sam's excuses as "the same toxic, honor above all else crap" from her childhood, during which Sam neglected her to fulfill his perceived obligations to the US Department of Defense.
In the same episode, Clark also lets Lois down by failing to turn up at a crucial town meeting, allowing Adam Rayner's Morgan Edge to take control of the local mines for his own nefarious ends. His absence was a result of him searching for Brendan Fletcher's Thaddeus Killgrave, who was able to escape the authorities thanks to Superman's reduced presence in Metropolis. At first, the reservations of Brando's Jor-El seem to be justified, as Clark cannot fully commit to the part of Superman without straining his marriage and vice versa.
Nonetheless, he never faces the same binary choice between being a superhero and an ordinary life that he did in Superman II. By that film's end, Reeve's Clark had decided to sacrifice his personal desires to be the best hero he can be, lying to everyone so his secret remains hidden. For Hoechlin's Clark, having honest relationships not only stabilizes but actively saves his life. When Wolé Parks' initially hostile Steel prepares to kill a possessed Superman, Jonathan's heartful appraisal of his father changes his mind, resulting in him freeing Clark and becoming his staunchest ally instead.
In short, the initial homage to the Christopher Reeve movies gives way to a firm rejection of their isolated Man of Tomorrow. Although the cynicism of the cinematic Jor-El is represented in Sam Lane, even he is eventually won over by Clark's vision of Superman as a family man, with the support of his loved ones making it a reality. Instead of putting his duty to the world entirely before his duty to those he cares about, Superman & Lois creates a Kal-El who can make time for them both, and who is a better hero to everyone because of it.
Superman & Lois: The Complete First Season arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on Oct. 19.