Warning: SPOILERS for Superman and Lois episode of “Always My Hero” ahead of us!
When Superman and Lois was renewed for Season 4 in June 2023, it became clear that just a few days later this had to happen to ensure the final season of the DC TV show. As a result of budget cuts imposed by Nexstar, which took over The CW, Sam Walsh was the first actor to be removed from the main cast, and shortly thereafter six other actors were downgraded from series regular status. Thus, the core group of season four consisted of Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark Kent/Kal-El, Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois Lane, Alex Garfin’s Jordan Kent, Michael Bishop’s Jonathan Kent, and Michael Cudlitz’s Lex Luthor.
Fortunately, it was eventually clarified that these remaining actors would still appear Superman and Lois Instead, season 4, only cyclically. Unfortunately, this means we’ve reached the end of the road for Walsh’s Sam Lane, who has been around since the show began in 2021. Just two episodes after he was buried alive and saved from suffocation, not to mention Superman himself died in battle, Sam was brutally murdered in the new episode “Always My Hero,” marking one of the show’s most tragic moments. However, the death of one of them sparked a positive light Superman and Loisthe most important characters in the TV schedule for 2024.
(Photo: The CW)
How Sam Lane died in Superman & Lois
I should have known something would happen to Sam Lane in this episode, considering how much of the focus was on him and keeping in mind that we wouldn’t be seeing much of him in the final season. Sure, in “Always My Hero”, Jonathan finally gained superpowers, John Henry and Natalie Irons agreed to work for the Department of Defense full-time, and Jordan found out that Lois had chosen Jonathan to live with in that terrible phone call sent to her by Lex Luthor. Ultimately, however, it was Sam who shined the brightest, both in flashbacks and in the present-day narrative.
In the first case, we saw him find out that Clark Kent was Superman, try to convince him not to marry Lois because of the way of life he leads, and then finally accept that his daughter fell in love with the Kryptonian on their wedding day. Currently, Sam finds himself in Lex Luthor’s crosshairs because the Department of Defense general is the only person who knows the location of his estranged daughter, Elizabeth (whom we know he plays Agents of S.H.I.E.L.DElizabeth Henstridge). Luthor is desperate to find her and even sent Doomsday to the Department of Defense headquarters to force Sam to tell him where Elizabeth is.
Sam was severely injured when he was accidentally shot by a soldier who was forced to help Lex Luthor. The gunshot wound looked bad enough that he could have easily bled out, but that wasn’t what killed him. Doomsday pulled this off when Sam refused to tell Luthor Elizabeth’s whereabouts, meaning the memorial service shown at the beginning was for him and not Clark. However, there was another reason why Sam sacrificed himself, beyond protecting Elizabeth and keeping all the other Department of Defense employees from harm.
(Photo: The CW)
Why Sam Lane’s death was necessary
At the beginning of “Always My Hero”, Sam Lane asked for a sample of the serum, which Bruno Mannheim tested on Inverse-Superman’s body in Superman and Lois Season 3 as part of his attempts to cure his wife Pei. Although said attempts were unsuccessful, the serum resurrected Reverse Superman, although it was Luthor’s own experiments that led to his transformation into Doomsday. The serum contained Superman’s blood and was found to be the key to resurrecting the Man of Steel after his original heart was destroyed.
After being shot, Sam injected himself with the serum, and John Henry and Natasha found him seconds later. At first I was worried that Sam was trying to transform himself into a Doomsday-like creature so he could fight him head-on, but what he actually did was much more noble. As Natalie revealed, Sam was looking for a donor heart to use the serum on, as introducing it into Superman’s body and using the Fortress of Solitude’s technology could bring him back to life. Eventually, however, with little time left, Sam decided to do the deed himself, record a farewell message to Lois, and then turn himself in to Doomsday.
The theory turned out to be correct, as John Henry transported Sam’s body to the Fortress and convinced Lara’s artificial intelligence to perform the procedure before Superman’s blood left his heart. Clark opened his eyes and took a breath in the stasis pod in the final seconds of “Always My Hero”, so as many others suspected, he returned to the living. With this in mind, Lara told John Henry that she had “concerns” about using Sam Lane’s heart and how it would affect Clark even if the procedure was successful.
In other words, just because Superman is back doesn’t mean we should expect him to make an immediate recovery. In fact, I’m afraid it will be several episodes before all of Clark’s abilities are fully revealed, if they aren’t saved until the series finale (which is when we meet the mysterious character of Tom Cavanagh). Fortunately, the newly empowered Jonathan can now join Jordan, John Henry, and Natalie in the fight against the bad guys, hopefully enough to hold the fort and keep Lex Luthor at bay until Superman gets back on his feet.
New episodes Superman and Lois airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW, and Max subscribers can stream the first three seasons. Also, be sure to check out DC’s lineup of upcoming TV shows to see what will catch your eye. Also remember this James Gunn Superman The film will be released on July 11 according to the 2025 release schedule and will inaugurate the film side of the new DC Universe series.