Superman & Lois just provided two major Man of Steel moments with huge parallels, 11 years after the latter was first released. Interestingly, Superman & Lois season 4’s story runs parallel with that of Henry Cavill’s Superman from the DCEU movie timeline in many ways. From the inclusion of Doomsday to the adaptation of DC Comics’ Death of Superman arc, the two are somewhat interlinked. By the time of Superman & Lois season 4’s ending, however, the show had done more than enough to solidify itself as its own compelling, emotional journey.

The finale focused on Superman, Lois, and their family as they faced off one final time against Lex Luthor and Doomsday. This arc gave Superman & Lois‘ ensemble cast a great send-off, allowing for both a fantastic story in its own right and several DC Easter eggs. Rather than having some of these Easter eggs be tied to James Gunn’s upcoming Superman film, the creators of Superman & Lois instead emulated Henry Cavill’s first movie from 2013. In doing so, two massive moments from Man of Steel were paralleled before Superman & Lois came to an end.

Superman & Lois’ Ending Emulates Two Controversial Man Of Steel Scenes

Doomsday’s Fate In Superman & Lois Referenced Two DCEU Scenes

The scene that referenced two Man of Steel moments was Doomsday’s sacrifice in Superman & Lois’ ending. After a season of clashes and conflicts, Superman and Doomsday duked it out once more in Superman & Lois season 4’s finale. Eventually, Superman incapacitated Doomsday and flew him towards the sun in order to kill the villain for good. However, Doomsday’s original form – Superman & Lois’ version of Bizarro Superman – awakened and remembered his life before being turned into Lex Luthor’s weapon. Doomsday/Bizarro calmed Superman down after this, before allowing himself to be pushed into the sun in self-sacrifice.

As an overall concept, Superman pushing Doomsday into the sun is reminiscent of Superman killing General Zod in Man of Steel. Both scenes involve the hero willingly killing one of his DC Comics villains. When looking at the scene closer, one small Superman & Lois moment brings to mind Jonathan Kent’s sacrifice in Man of Steel. As Superman is ready to punch Doomsday into the sun in Superman & Lois, the latter raises his hand to stop the violence, prompting Clark to push Bizarro into the sun lightly. In Man of Steel, Jonathan does the same to prevent Clark from saving him.

Doomsday’s Sacrifice Is Better Than Superman Killing Zod In Man Of Steel

Superman & Lois Improved On The DCEU Movie

Despite the similarities between Superman killing Doomsday in Superman & Lois and Superman killing Zod in Man of Steel, the former is certainly a more effective scene. The reason for this is the emotional impact of Doomsday partly sacrificing himself. While Superman still pushes Doomsday into the sun and thus deals the final blow, it is Doomsday’s decision that leads to this. Bizarro regaining his memories and choosing to sacrifice himself rather than live as the monster Lex Luthor turned him into is a very compelling character turn and increases the emotion of the moment.

This is a great depiction of Superman’s honor, with Clark respecting Bizarro’s choice and understanding the sacrifice to be best for both him and the people of Earth…

The scene from Man of Steel, on the other hand, proved to be controversial. Superman killed Zod to save a family from the latter’s wrath, but many found it a brutal depiction of murder that is not all that common with Superman. In Superman & Lois, though, the scene was entirely Doomsday/Bizarro’s choice, with Superman allowing the sacrifice to happen. This is a great depiction of Superman’s honor, with Clark respecting Bizarro’s choice and understanding the sacrifice to be best for both him and the people of Earth.

Doomsday’s Superman & Lois Scene Is The Perfect Contrast To Man Of Steel’s Jonathan Death

Furthermore, Doomsday’s sacrifice in Superman & Lois is a great contrast to Jonathan Kent’s in Man of Steel. Interestingly, both scenes involved the characters sacrificing themselves for seemingly the greater good. Doomsday willingly lets himself go to save Earth but also dies on his own terms rather than as what Lex had turned him into, whereas Jonathan Kent allows himself to die in order to keep Clark’s power secret from the people of Earth.

Jonathan’s sacrifice has been criticized in Man of Steel, with many holding the opinion that the situation of the tornado was chaotic enough to allow Clark to save his father with little to no exposure. While the scene still undoubtedly works in the context of Man of Steel‘s story, the contrast for Doomsday’s scene is notable. If Doomsday does not sacrifice himself, it is all but guaranteed that he will go on to commit more crimes in Lex’s name. Overall, these parallels in Superman & Lois are interesting, providing counterpoints to two massive Man of Steel moments over a decade later.