Warning: SPOILERS for the Superman & Lois episode “Always My Hero” are ahead!
When Superman & Lois was renewed for Season 4 in June 2023, it became clear just days later was needed to happen in order to deliver what ended up being the DC TV show’s final season. As a result of budget cuts mandated by Nexstar, which took over The CW, Sam Walsh was the first actor to be cut from the main cast, and six others were downgraded from series regular status soon after. This left the core Season 4 group comprised of just 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 those other actors would still appear in Superman & Lois Season 4, just on a recurring basis instead. Unfortunately, this means we’ve reached the end of the road for Walsh’s Sam Lane, who’s been around since the series began in 2021. Just two episodes after he was buried alive and saved from suffocating to death, not to mention Superman himself died in battle, Sam was brutally murdered in the new episode “Always My Hero,” making for one of the show’s most tragic moments. However, there was a silver lining that came from the demise of one of Superman & Lois’ most important characters on the 2024 TV schedule.
How Sam Lane Died on Superman & Lois
I should have known something was going to happen to Sam Lane this episode given how focused it was around him and remembering how we wouldn’t be seeing much of him this final season. Sure, “Always My Hero” also saw Jonathan finally gaining superpowers, and John Henry and Natalie Irons agreeing to work for the DOD full time, and Jordan learning that Lois had picked Jonathan to live in that awful phone call sent to her by Lex Luthor. In the end, though, it was Sam who shined brightest, both in flashbacks and the present day narrative.
In the former, we saw him learn Clark Kent was Superman, attempted to convince him not to marry Lois because of the kind of life he leads, and then ultimately accept that his daughter was in love with the Kryptonian on the day of their wedding. In the present day, Sam found himself in Lex Luthor’s crosshairs, as the DOD general is the only one who knows knew the location of his estranged daughter, Elizabeth (whom we now know is being played by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Elizabeth Henstridge). Luthor is desperate to find her, and even sent Doomsday to DOD headquarters to force Sam to tell him where Elizabeth was.
Sam was badly injured when he was accidentally shot by a soldier who was coerced into helping Lex Luthor. The gunshot wound looked bad enough that he could easily bled out, but that’s not what killed him. Doomsday carried that out when Sam refused to tell Luthor Elizabeth’s location, meaning that the memorial service shown at the beginning was for him rather than Clark. However, there was another reason why Sam sacrificed himself besides protecting Elizabeth and keep everyone else at the DOD from being harmed.
Why Sam Lane’s Death Was Necessary
Early into “Always My Hero,” Sam Lane requested a sample of the serum Bruno Mannheim tested on the Inverse-Superman’s body in Superman & Lois Season 3 as part of his attempts to cure his wife Peia. While said attempts were unsuccessful, the serum did resurrect the Inverse-Superman, though it was Luthor’s own experimentation that led to him being transformer into Doomsday. That serum contained Superman’s blood, and as it turned out, it held 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 hims seconds later. At first, I was worried that Sam was trying to turn himself into a creature akin to Doomsday so he could fight it head on, but what he really did was far more noble. As revealed by Natalie, Sam had been looking for a donor heart to use the serum on, as inserting it into Superman’s body and using the Fortress of Solitude’s technology could bring him back to life. In the end though, with little time remaining, Sam decided to carry out the deed himself, record a goodbye message for Lois and then give himself up to Doomsday.
The theory proved correct, as John Henry flew Sam’s body to the Fortress and convinced the Lara AI to carry out the procedure before Superman’s blood was out of his heart. Clark opened his eyes and took a breath within his stasis pod in the final seconds of “Always My Hero,” so as myself any many others suspected, he’s back among the living. That being said, 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’s returned doesn’t mean we should expect him back at 100% right away. In fact, I’m now concerned it will take several episodes for all of Clark’s abilities to fully reemerge, if not be saved until the series finale (which is when we're meeting Tom Cavanagh's mysterious character). Fortunately, between the newly empowered Jonathan now being able to join Jordan, John Henry and Natalie in fighting bad guys, hopefully that will be enough to hold down the fort and keep Lex Luthor at bay until Superman’s back on his feet.
New episodes of Superman & Lois air Mondays at 8 pm ET on The CW, and Max subscription holders can stream the first three seasons. Don’t forget to also look over the lineup of upcoming DC TV shows to see what catches your eye. Also remember that James Gunn's Superman movie will arrive July 11 on the 2025 release schedule and kick off the film side of the new DC Universe franchise.
