The 1 Key Scene That Breaks Superman & Lois' Earth-Prime Reveal

John Diggle's cameo in Superman and Lois season 1 completely ruins the idea the show is set on another Earth apart from Arrowverse's Earth-Prime.

The 1 Key Scene That Breaks Superman & Lois' Earth-Prime Reveal

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Superman and Lois season 2.

The idea that Superman and Lois is set on its own Earth apart from the core Arrowverse world of Earth-Prime falls apart when one considers John Diggle’s cameo in season 1 and his reference to other superheroes in the finale of Arrow. There is some irony in this, as Diggle’s cameo was the only evidence that Superman and Lois was set in the same world as the other CW superhero series. That changed in the wake of Superman and Lois‘ season 2 finale and comments by showrunner Todd Helbing, which revealed that Warner Bros. and DC Comics decided to set Superman and Lois outside of Earth-Prime early on in Superman and Lois season 1.

The revelation that Superman and Lois isn’t set on Earth-Prime has driven a wedge into the series’ viewership. Many Arrowverse viewers are upset that Warner Bros. would set the show outside of the Earth-Prime setting after all the effort that was made during the Crisis on Infinite Earths event to bring all the CW superhero series together into one Earth. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. elected to set Superman and Lois apart due to the difficulties in filming crossover episodes during the COVID-19 pandemic and the streaming rights issues that required viewers to subscribe to both HBO Max and Netflix to see all of Crisis on Infinite Earths after it originally aired. This decision might have been accepted had it been made obvious Superman and Lois isn’t set in Earth-Prime from the beginning, rather than through a series of clues and hints. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. declined to clarify the point until Superman and Lois‘ season 2 finale, where General Sam Lane confirmed that Superman was the only superhero on their Earth, although he had seen “other worlds and the leagues of superheroes they have on them.”

General Lane’s claims contradict a scene from the Superman and Lois season 1 episode “Through the Valley of Death,” in which John Diggle made a cameo appearance, delivering special weaponry from ARGUS that was to be used in a weapon capable of killing a brainwashed Superman. When Diggle discovered what the tech was to be used for, he read General Lane the riot act, saying that he was done with “…Doppelgängers, other worlds, glowing boxes, losing the people I love…” in apparent reference to Crisis on Infinite Earths and the series finale of Arrow, where he acquired a glowing green box presumed to contain a Green Lantern ring. Diggle also seemed to reference Oliver Queen and the other heroes who fought besides Superman during Crisis on Infinite Earths, saying “He’s the best we have. Oliver would’ve said that. Hell, they all would have.”

The Superman and Lois season 2 finale, “Waiting For Superman,” attempted to explain this by establishing that a different John Diggle existed on that Earth. This John Diggle approached John Henry Irons regarding the mysterious death of Irons’ doppelgänger on that Earth and Diggle’s belief that the criminal organization Intergang was involved. This further established that an organization called ARGUS existed on the Earth of Superman and Lois and combated superhuman-related acts of crime, but did nothing to address this Diggle’s earlier comments about other heroes and someone named Oliver working with Superman.

It’s possible that Superman and Lois season 3 will explore the relationship between this John Diggle and Superman and reveal that he had been referring to his fellow ARGUS agents rather than about other superheroes when he was speaking to General Lane. “Oliver” could also be explained to be someone other than Oliver Queen, although it’s also possible that the Oliver Queen of Superman and Lois’ Earth became an ARGUS agent rather than a violent vigilante as in Arrow. As it stands, however, Diggle’s cameo in Superman and Lois season 1 raises more questions than it answers.