10 DC Comics The Superman & Lois TV Show Never Adapted – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Superman & Lois is one of the CW's best superhero series based on the extensive library of DC Comics. Primarily taking inspiration from Superman's Rebirth run, the show has adapted some of the best modern stories revolving around the Man of Steel. Many have praised the series as one of the most faithful depictions of Superman, second only to Christopher Reeve's iconic portrayal of him.

Superman & Lois made a great choice in using Superman's Rebirth run as a template for the show, but this has left many stories untouched. Presenting Superan at his best and pitting him against his greatest enemies, comics like Superman & The Authority and "Superman: Brainiac" would be welcome additions to Superman & Lois' overarching plot.

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One of Alan Moore's best known DC stories as well as the most memorable of his Superman tales "For the Man Who Has Everything" introduced the Black Mercy. The parasitic cosmic organism fed on the Man of Steel's life force and placed him in a dream state, where it gave him everything he wanted.

"For the Man Who Has Everything" is one of Moore's most revisited stories, and countless heroes have had to contend with the organism and its illusions. The story could have made for a brilliant done-in-one episode for Superman & Lois, letting audiences catch a glimpse at the CW's take on Krypton.

Superman and the Authority symbolized what may well have been Grant Morrison's final story for the Man of Steel. It also teamed the Man of Steel with the recently famous Authority, the main superhero of the Wildstorm universe. Superman and the Authority went head-to-head with the Ultra-Humanite, a genius super villain in the body of an albino gorilla.

Superman and the Authority is a recent story, but it released during Superman & Lois' first season, meaning the writers had time to introduce the gritty team to the CW. With a fourth season on the way and the Authority slated for DCEU projects, it could be a great place to introduce the team.

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Whether Batman would have been involved in the arc or not, the basic idea behind Public Enemies deserves a live action adaptation. The story depicted a world where Lex Luthor became President of the United States, and sent a team of government superheroes to hunt down Batman and Superman.

A Public Enemies arc could have shown how Superman would contend with a government working against him, and could have been a good introduction for the characters from the original arc. The likes of Captain Atom and Major Force would prove interesting enemies as they hunt down Superman & Lois' Man of Steel to bring him in.

"Superman: Brainiac" was the reintroduction of Superman's classic android villain to the DCU under Geoff Johns' brilliant run of Action Comics. The story begins in the past, with Brainiac stealing the city of Kandor from Krypton, followed by the present-based arrival of a Brainiac probe.

"Brainiac" would work brilliantly as Brainiac's introduction to Superman & Lois, and could send Clark on a cosmic adventure to the villain's ship. It would also allow for some in-universe exploration of Kryptonian history and culture, as Superman eventually finds his way to Kandor.

Superman: Year One is a relatively divisive Elseworlds miniseries that followed Clark Kent's origin as Superman. He went from a young boy to a Navy SEAL and then the hero everyone knows him as. However, for many, it was a disappointing spin on the hero's early life.

Superman: Year One had aspects that could have worked as an origin for the CW's Superman. It was far darker than the average Superman & Lois episode, but the series has never shied away from depicting a stern, serious Man of Steel. Flashback scenes could in the fourth season could definitely pull from this Frank Miller Elseworlds tale.

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Superman: Last Son is a fantastic collaboration between Geoff Johns and Superman II director Richard Donner. The story follows Superman and Lois' adoption of a Kryptonian boy and the subsequent attack from Zod and his fellow soldiers. It was one of the best stories depicting the duo as parents.

Superman: Last Son could have made for Superman & Lois' best story arc, in large part because of Richard Donner's involvement. Superman & Lois has already delved deep into Kryptonian lore, and even a loose Last Son adaptation would deepen that lore tremulously and expand the Kryptonian cast of characters.

The Rebirth era of Superman has served as the primary inspiration for Superman & Lois, thanks to its bright, optimistic view of the hero. However, not all of the run is a great fit for Superman. One of the best of these stories is "Imperius Lex," which explored both Superman and Luthor battling the forces of Darkseid on Apokolips.

"Imperius Lex" followed Superman and Luthor to Apokolips, on a quest for Luthor to claim rule over the hellish planet. Disappointingly, Lex Luthor hasn't appeared beyond one brief cameo at the end of Superman & Lois' third season. Should Lex return, fans would love to see him resemble the space-traveling, tech-heavy villain he is in "Imperius Lex."

While elements of All-Star Superman can be found in Superman & Lois (due to the story's impact on the hero), the overall story hasn't featured in the series. Considering comic chronicled the last days of a dying Man of Steel, its omission so far certainly makes sense.

All-Star Superman is effectively the definitive Superman story, but only makes sense as a heartfelt conclusion to the tale of Clark Kent. The series has been renewed for a fourth season, but whenever the curtains finally close on Superman & Lois, an All-Star Superman tribute would be an excellent way to close out the show.

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Superman: Man of Tomorrow was a brief run of digital first Superman comics. Easily one of the most overlooked creative runs on the Man of Steel, the story followed a slew of adventures for Superman in Metropolis that explored the hero's diverse rogues gallery.

Superman: Man of Tomorrow wouldn't have made for one continuous arc, but following an arc per episode could've been any exciting formula for Superman & Lois. Fans enjoy the one-shot nature from time to time, and using Man of Tomorrow as a template would have made for a richer exploration of the hero's world than the story-per-season template allows.

"The Warworld Saga" is perhaps the most difficult Superman comic to adapt into live-action, due to its high fantasy nature and intense battle sequences. For this reason, it's doubtful even big budget movies would faithfully adapt the storyline to film, let alone a CW series.

However, a more budget-friendly adaptation could definitely work. "The Warworld Saga," despite being new, is already a modern classic for the hero. The story follows Superman and the Authority as they travel to Warworld in a bid to end the tyrannical rule of Mongul following a series of attacks the villain launched on Earth. This gritty and intense comic would make for a memorable arc that changes the pace on Superman & Lois.

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10 DC Comics The Superman & Lois TV Show Never Adapted - CBR - Comic Book Resources