Anna Daniels
Crisis on Infinite Earths has lots of Supermen in it. Tyler Hoechlin is the Arrowverse Superman. Tom Welling reprised his role of Clark Kent from Smallville. Brandon Routh is already on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow but he returned as his Man of Steel from Superman Returns, which also connects him to the Christopher Reeve films.
Part two of Crisis on Infinite Earths visited Brandon Routh’s Earth. He joined up with Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) and her Hoechlin’s Kal-El to help save the multiverse. In just one episode, they gave fans the Superman Returns Again sequel they’ve been waiting for for 13 years! Crisis on Infinite Earths continues on The CW with The Flash and concludes with Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow on January 14.
Yes! Superman still has a son in ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’
A major plot point of Superman Returns was Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth)’s son Jason (Tristan Lake Leabu). Apparently, Lois had Jason with Richard White (James Marsden) while Superman was away for five years. Spoiler alert for the 2006’s movie, but you can maybe see where this is going.
Jason was actually Clark’s son. Superman Returns left Routh looking longingly at his son, wondering what he would do. Is he going to uproot a five-year-old’s family? How long can he keep it a secret when Jason is already manifesting Kryptonian powers? Unfortunately, there as never a sequel to explore it.
Crisis on Infinite Earths at least offers a status update on Jason. When Brandon Routh sees Tyler Hoechlin’s Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch)’s baby, he comments, “He looks just like my son Jason.” Of course, he never would have seen Jason as an infant but he can extrapolate.
At least it sounds like they had a relationship after the film ended and Clark is in Jason’s life. They must if he’s talking openly about his son. Or maybe these strangers from another universe were the first people in 13 years to whom he’s been able to mention his son!
‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ may be a tragic sequel to ‘Superman Returns’
While everything sounds great with Jason, the aftermath of Superman Returns was not happy for everyone. There is a memorial wall in the Daily Planet and it includes the names Lois Lane, Perry White and Jimmy Olsen. That means Kate Bosworth, Frank Langella and Sam Huntington’s portrayal’s of those characters are no longer with us.
Was Richard White’s name on the board? They only focused on the big three names from the comics. Of all people, it sounds like it was The Joker who killed all of Superman’s loved ones.
‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ is ‘Superman III: 2’ too!
When Lex Luther turns Brandon Routh against Tyler Hoechlin, they battle through the air and atop the Daily Planet building. Once Routh recovers he admits, “Actually, this is the second time I’ve gone nuts and fought myself.” Fans know he’s referring to the incident in Superman III.
In Superman III, Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) tries to make kryptonite, but only succeeds in turning Superman into a jerk. The true Clark Kent emerges and must defeat his lesser self. Christopher Reeve fights himself in a junkyard, and with 1983 effects it’s totally convincing.
Superman Returns directly followed the first two Christopher Reeve films. It sort of skipped over the later sequels, but Crisis on Infinite Earths confirms Brandon Routh was the Superman who fought himself in the junkyard!
Did you catch these bits from the ‘Superman’ movies too?
The connections to Brandon Routh’s and Christophre Reeve’s Superman movies continued. One bit of performance Routh carried over from Reeve was, as Clark Kent, he would push his glasses up his nose. He continues to adjust his glasses as such in Crisis on Infinite Earths.
If you listen to the music in Crisis, two pieces probably sound familiar. You must have recognized the triumphant John Williams Superman theme when Routh and Tyler Hoechlin were fighting. Did you also catch the gentler music when they first meet Routh? That comes from Superman’s date with Lois (Margot Kidder) in the very first movie when he flew her around Metropolis.
Written by: Cheat
