'Superman And Lois' Season 4 Ending Explained & Series Finale: Is Clark Kent Dead?

I remember how, during the pandemic years, Stargirl and Superman And Lois, two shimmering rays of light, helped a lot of viewers like me to persevere and cling to hope through tough times. Aside from having a common ground in exploring the human connection in superhero fiction with as much warmth and care as you’d expect, these two series had a unique, reassuring effect that I can’t quite put into words. Stargirl ended a couple of years ago, leaving Superman And Lois to shoulder the duty of providing the emotional comfort we needed—and the day the countdown to the end of this series began as well; we all knew how excruciatingly painful the ordeal would be. But I don’t think anyone was ready for the emotional gut punch the series finale would deliver, which made viewers literally bawl their eyes out in grief. The series marks an end not only to the Arrowverse but also to the entire two-and-a-half-decade-spanning CW DC TV series journey, which began with Smallville, another Superman classic. But what is really going to stay with me, as it will with viewers worldwide, is that Superman And Lois has reinstated the belief in the transformative power of fiction—something which doesn’t simply motivate or provoke but alters something within you.

Spoilers Ahead

The danger posed by the combined threat of Doomsday and Lex had put Clark at incredible odds, and as the episode begins, he is seen getting the hammering of his life at the hands of Doomsday all over again. Despite getting beaten up, Clark refuses to let his sons help him in battle, in fear of them suffering harm —and it isn’t until Lois pushes him to do so that he sees the error in his ways. Taking the weight of the world on his shoulders and facing off against Doomsday on his own had resulted in Clark meeting his end the first time, a mistake he isn’t willing to repeat once again. 

John Henry Irons and Lana, who appear together for the first time in this season (despite being a couple at present), meet with the Kents during the battle of Smallville, and it appears that despite no longer having the Steel suit at his disposal, he still has his Warhammer with him. Clark asks his sons to lure Doomsday towards Clark, to incapacitate him with a surprise attack with the warhammer. Doomsday, or Bizarro Superman, belongs to the inverse world, which means he is weakened by this earth’s sun—and this provides a simple solution to finally get rid of him. Clark flies off to throw Doomsday into the sun; however, given Clark isn’t at his best physical self, there is a risk of him getting killed in the process as well. However, as Clark nears the sun, Doomsday starts to regain his consciousness, remembers his past life, and decides to sacrifice himself, sparing Clark’s life in the process. Clark is moved by the incident, and it’s truly tragic to think about what happened with Bizarro at the end. He lost his family; his legacy as Superman was corrupted as he was turned into a monster and passed away alone—with the desire to return to his homeworld. He was truly Bizarro, the exact opposite of Superman in every way. 

Lex, on the other hand, donning John’s modified battlesuit, tries to kill Amanda when he realizes she has turned her back on him. However, Lois manages to rescue her right on time by sending the twins. As Lois coerces Amanda to publicly out Lex, John Henry learns about Milton’s machinations and manages to arrest him by leading a troop of DOD soldiers to apprehend him. Lex decides to terrorize the twins, when Clark, healed by the sun, makes a return to earth to give Lex a much-deserved beatdown. Lex tries to turn things in his favor by firing Kryptonite projectiles at Clark, but Clark manages to persist and finally breaks Lex’s battlesuit and hands him over to the authorities. Lex is sent to prison for good this time, as the evidence stacked against him, thanks to Amanda’s cooperation, results in his lifetime imprisonment. To add to the injury, he will no longer enjoy free rein in the prison, as he is sent to a section where Bruno Mannheim is in control. 

With the crisis averted, the episode makes a time jump to a year later, as John Henry and Lana are getting married—with Clark walking his best friend, Lana, down the aisle, while Lois officiates the wedding, as she reminisces about how much of an important role both of them have played in the lives of Kent family members. Lana and John are expecting their first baby, while Chrissy and Kyle are expecting their second. Jordan meets with Sarah, who was studying abroad and has returned to town for a while, and she maintains that she is better off away from home as she has found peace in her new life. Jordan, in turn, reveals that he too has found a place and purpose in his life in the town, shouldering his responsibilities as Superboy. A subtle yet emotionally heavy moment follows, as Clark looks on at a crochet design frame Martha Kent, his adoptive mother, had made—with ‘It went by so fast’ written on it. Not only is the series finale a reference to that, but it also acts as a meta commentary on the end of the journey itself. This is the only time the episode alludes to Clark’s mother, and it is done perfectly. 

Lois and Clark discuss their legacies, that the world will remember them by the ideals of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow they shared. The motto is often associated with Superman but truly reflects both Clark’s and Lois’ ideals. 

Clark had gotten a second chance at life thanks to Sam’s sacrifice, but it was borrowed time he was living on with an incompatible human heart. As Clark narrates the aftermath, it is revealed that he lived for 32 years more, and that he and Lois made the most of it during that time. They started a charitable foundation in Smallville to help the world hold on to the hope that, despite being fraught with woes and uncertainties, it will become a better place for future generations to come. Clark and Lois meet up with Bruno, who possibly gets exonerated later in his life, and offer him a chance to make a real change by making amends for his past actions. More than his heroic endeavors, Superman is known for connecting with people on a human level, and like always, Superman and Lois perfectly highlights that. Clark prepares super suits for his sons at the Fortress of Solitude as he entrusts them to take over the responsibility of saving the world in his absence, and in a glorious sequence, Clark, Jonathan, Jordan, John Henry, and Natasha are seen soaring above the clouds, wearing each of their costumes/armors. This is the first, and unfortunately probably the last, time Superboys will fly together in their costume. 

Clark and Lois grew older together, and the Kent family got bigger as Jonathan and Jordan got married and became fathers. By his own admission, Clark was no longer afraid of his mortality and cherished every single day he got to spend with his family. Eventually, Lois’ cancer relapsed, and this time, Lois had to take her leave from Clark. It was agonizing seeing Clark breaking down at Lois’ deathbed, with the twins by his side. To cope with the grief of Lois’ demise, Clark brought a canine companion home and quite obviously named him Krypto. The way the series integrated a character like Krypto into the narrative as well is quite telling. Eventually, having become a powerless human being in the final stage of his life, Clark suffered a heart attack, just like it happened with his father, Jonathan Kent, in the exact same place, and met his end in the same room where Martha Kent, his mother, had passed away. 

In a sequence that shows Clark moving to the afterlife, Clark remembers his second death to be something of a magical experience—as he reconnects with everything he held dear and precious in his life. Clark sees people close to him greeting him with a happy face as he passes over, and in a poignant scene, Lex is seen present as well, weeping for a life spent in futile pursuit of hatred and revenge. Clark forgives Lex, as this truly marks a satisfying end for their rivalry. As Clark emotionally recounts how joy, hope, wonder, and forgiveness have allowed him to attain a greater significance of life, he holds love as the most crucial of them all. In the final moments of the finale, Clark sees Lois waiting for him in the afterlife, and they finally reunite. Clark departs with his message to find love, and there wasn’t a better way to connect with the audience in the final moments. A grateful Clark, realizing that he had arrived in this world alone but has departed with a world to remember him by, emphasizes how he needed us as much as we needed him. Clark’s final words champion the spirit of life through a celebration of love, which he shared with Lois, and the rest of the world. While having both Lois and Clark pass away was a heartbreaking scenario, in the context of the series it made perfect sense. Their journey came full circle, and this version of Lois and Clark remains as the only version of the characters in live action whose arcs have found a proper closure. The befitting ending further solidified Superman and Lois not just as the best but as what will prove to be the most enduring, complete superhero saga in live action for a long, long time. We witnessed their journey as dutiful, loving parents, couples, saviors and keepers of justice—and their legacy will live on with generations to come, with every life they have changed for the better to some capacity. The series began with Clark’s monologue about arriving on Earth, and completed a full circle as it is once again his monologue, this time focusing on his departure, which marks the conclusion. With the soulful end to the final chapter, the next gateway is going to open with DCU later this week with Creature Commandos, setting the grounds for next year’s Superman movie directed by James Gunn. But given the way Superman and Lois has reached quite literally the peak of Superman media by the end, the toughest competition the movie is going to face is from the series itself.