Warning: SPOILERS for Superman & Lois Season 1, Episode 10 - "O Mother, Where Art Thou?"
Superman & Lois introduced Kal-El's Kryptonian mother, Lara, in the body of Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui), and her heartwarming moments with Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) within the Arrowverse fixed a problem in every Superman movie. In Superman & Lois, Lara was revealed as the inventor of the Eradicator technology, and she was the mother of Superman's half-brother Tal-Rho, who became Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner) before Lara married Jor-El (Angus Macfadyen) and gave birth to Kal.
Superman's birth mother, Lara Lor-Van, has only appeared in three movies, and her role has always been minimized in favor of Jor-El and his relationship with their son. In 1978's Superman: The Movie, Lara (Susannah York) helped Jor-El (Marlon Brando) send baby Kal on his spaceship to Earth, but the movie didn't give her any dialogue during her final farewell to her only son, which frustrated York. Instead, the focus was entirely on Brando's Jor-El, who espoused that Kal, "my son," was receiving everything his father could give him on his journey to his new home. Lara wasn't seen or mentioned again, and it was Jor-El's avatar who taught Clark (Christopher Reeve) everything he needed to become Superman. Brando didn't return for 1980's Superman II, so Lara's avatar replaced him in the Fortress of Solitude, but the Superman II: Richard Donner Cut excised Lara's reshoots to restore footage of Jor-El. In 2013's Man of Steel, Lara (Ayelet Zurer) had more agency in the prologue. Still, after Krypton exploded, she was similarly forgotten, and Superman (Henry Cavill) only met Jor-El (Russell Crowe) later in the film.
Thankfully, Superman & Lois didn't wait long to correct Lara's absence and introduce her in the Arrowverse. In a twist, Lana Lang volunteered to undergo the Eradicator process that Morgan Edge used to implant Kryptonian personalities and powers into Smallville's citizens. When Lana emerged from the Eradicator, she had Lara's personality, which meant Superman finally met his birth mother. Although Clark had many questions about how Tal-Rho could be his brother, Lara's answers assured him that she wasn't part of Morgan Edge's evil plan and that she married Jor-El for love as opposed to being genetically matched by Kryptonian custom, as she was with Tal-Roh's father, Zeta-Roh. Clark was also heartened that Lara was proud he became the hero she believed he would be and that he found love in Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) and has twin sons with her.
While the Superman movies always hold up the Man of Steel's relationship with Jor-El as sacrosanct, the Superman TV shows have given his mother Lara more emphasis, which she deserves. In Smallville, Helen Slater played Lara in a few episodes that deepened her role in sending Clark (Tom Welling) to the Kents on Earth, and she also got to interact with her son. By contrast, Henry Cavill, Brandon Routh, and Christopher Reeve's Supermen in the movies tend to lean on Jor-El for advice, although the DCEU's Man of Steel has a loving relationship with Martha Kent (Diane Lane). Overall, Superman's TV shows like Smallville and now, Superman & Lois, have strived for and achieved a greater balance for Superman and his Kryptonian birth parents, although Jor-El always gets more attention.
Supergirl has been the inverse of Superman, and Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) has a stronger relationship with her mother, Alura (Laura Benanti/Erica Durance), than she does with her father, Zor-El (Robert Gant/Jason Behr). Meanwhile, even though Jor-El is always available to counsel Clark in the Fortress of Solitude, Superman's relationship with his birth father's avatar lacks warmth in the Arrowverse. This is why, even though it was only in a few short scenes using Lana Lang as her avatar, it was still so moving and special for Clark and Superman & Lois's fans to see him get to spend precious time with his mother, Lara. It's a shame the Superman movies have routinely failed to deliver the same.
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June 18, 2021 at 12:49AM
