WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for "Pilot," the series premiere of Superman & Lois.
Superman & Lois just arrived on The CW and introduced audiences to a very different Man of Steel, a hero who is also a husband and a father to twins with very different personalities. The show focuses on Clark Kent attempting to balance his life as Superman with his role as the father to his sons who need him as much as the world does. It is a more human look at Superman and one that lines up a lot more with classic versions of the Man of Steel than the more recent DCEU movies, making the Richard Donner Easter egg hold even greater significance.
The Donner reference comes in a quick shot early on in the pilot. The episode starts with a narration by Superman, catching the audience up with where he got his start and how he ended up in Metropolis as Earth's greatest hero. In the next scene, Superman saves a nuclear plant from detonating and then flies home to be with Lois and his kids. However, he missed dinner and also missed the therapist appointment with one of his sons. Superman has a lot on his plate, and his relationship with his kids is suffering from it. Clark then gets on the phone to talk to his mom.
During his talk with Martha Kent, she tells him that his family responsibility is as important as his responsibility to the world. If he doesn't spend more time with them, he will lose his sons sooner than he ever expected. While having the telephone conversation, there is a To-Do board in the background, and there are some names on it that come straight from Superman's past. The names include Siegel and Shuster, referring to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman. The name Dr. Donner is also there, referring to Richard Donner, the director of 1978's Superman movie.
Superman had existed in several iterations over the years, from the animated Max Fleischer short films to Kirk Alyn's movies and George Reeves's turn as the Man of Steel after that. However, when Superman came to theaters as a big-budget production in 1978, it almost dwarfed everything that came before. Based on Godfather author Mario Puzo's original story, the first Superman movie was about a man learning what it means to be a hero. Christopher Reeve took on the role for four movies, and the first film remains an iconic piece of cinema history, showing the pure goodness of the Man of Steel.
Richard Donner left after just one Superman movie, although he did have a "Richard Donner Cut" of Superman II released years after Richard Lester replaced him as the sequel's director. However, his original film defined Superman for fans for years to come. Superman was a hero who did good deeds because it was the right thing to do. He was a true altruistic hero in a world that needed one. Now, over 40 years later, Superman is back on the small screen, and this time it is as a father still trying to be the best man he can be. It is only expected that there would be an homage to a "Dr. Donner," the man who created the template for a selfless Superman.
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.