"When we were dreaming about having a family, it didn't look like this, did it?" says Lois Lane in the newest trailer for Superman & Lois, set to join The CW's Arrowverse next month. But the line could just as easily have been said by fans envisioning the new series, as the trailer is a far cry from the typical Arrowverse vibes, and feels tonally closer to Zack Snyder's darker DCEU works, such as Man of Steel.

While this lends a certain cinematic quality to the trailer and is, in many ways, a breath of fresh air for the Arrowverse, there is a risk the series is learning the wrong lesson from Snyder's Superman adaptation. Snyder's DCEU films have been divisive, to say the least. If Superman & Lois follows in Snyder's footsteps, it may struggle to please audiences.

RELATED: Superman & Lois: Everything We Know About The Arrowverse Spin-Off (So Far)

Superman versus Zod in Man of Steel

For many longtime Superman fans, Man of Steel drifted a little too far from the hope and optimism the character embodies. The city-leveling carnage, Superman's decision to remain in hiding and shy away from his responsibilities, and the brutality of Zod's final defeat all painted the film in a much darker tone than typical of a Superman story. And while there is no earth-shattering destruction to be seen in the Superman & Lois trailer, the tone is quieter, Superman appears to be lost in doubt, and the visual influence of Snyder's work is evident in every frame. The Kents seem to be down on their luck and retreating from the world. Their relationship with their two teenage sons is strained, and at one point, Clark — the symbol of eternal hope — questions whether he is a bad father after one of his sons is almost crushed under falling metal piping.

Humanising Superman is hardly a bad idea in itself. The all-powerful alien savior clearly needs to be granted his fair share of flaws if an audience is going to relate to him. It is the apparent decision to use Man of Steel as a guiding philosophy in this endeavor that may cause issues. Clark's choice to move his family from Metropolis to his hometown farm in Smallville might signal a desire to retreat from the world, which just might be spilling over into his heroic alter ego. It's evident that his sons do not know he's Superman — at least, at first. The discovery appears to be a source of friction between the boys and their father, possibly meaning viewers will, once again, see a Clark shying away duties of Superman. If criticisms of Man of Steel proved one thing, it's that audiences have little time for a Superman more concerned with his own security and self-pity than saving others.

RELATED: Superman and Lois Series Debut Expands to Two Hour Event

Superman and Lois trailer couple

Hope is not lost though. True, this trailer is channeling Man of Steel without so much as an attempt at subtlety, and the darker tone exhibited in the trailer has grated with the inherent optimism of Superman before. But Superman is still in action here, signaling he may not have turned his back on those who need him. Clark is cracking jokes about wishing he could get drunk, suggesting the apparent darkness could be a quirk of the trailer more than the backbone of the series. And Lois offers words of reassurance to Clark, which should perhaps give the audience hope, telling him "every life" has its problems, "even the extraordinary ones." This could be a good sign that Superman & Lois understands the character in areas where Man of Steel struggled.

Ultimately, Snyder's film showed a Superman who starts off feeling burdened by a need to fit in with humanity and finds purpose in the idea he should rise above them. By contrast, the Superman & Lois trailer ends with Clark finding solace in the fact that, despite his far-flung origins and superhuman capabilities, at heart, he is as human as any one of us. If the series is going to succeed where Man of Steel failed, it must find the humanity in the superhuman.

Superman & Lois stars Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Dylan Walsh, Alex Garfin, Jordan Elsass, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Inde Navarrette and Wolé Parks. The series premieres Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 8 pm ET on The CW.

KEEP READING: Why Superman and Lois Gives the Man of Steel a New Costume