Apparently, there is not enough room for two Supermen after all, despite the existence of Elseworlds, infinite Earths and multiverses. The President of Entertainment, Brad Schwartz, at The CW came clean in a recent sit-down about the real reason the television seriesSuperman & Loisis being canceled after its fourth season. And, as it turns out, Warner Bros. doesn’t want another Man of Steel property up and running when James Gunn’sSuperman: Legacydrops in theaters in 2025… for fear of competition. Schwartz said in an exclusive interview withThe Wrap:
They [Warner Bros.] don’t want a competing Superman product in the marketplace.
Season 4 ofSuperman & Loiswill premiere later this fall on The CW. And, according to the same report, the superhero TV series boasted the best total audience numbers — an impressive 819,000 — during its third go-round. Season 3 of The CW’sWalkercame in second place with 690,000.
Superman & Lois
Two Supermen have occupied the entertainment space successfully at the same time in the recent past. While Tom Welling’s version of Clark Kent came of age over 10 seasons on the WB and CW’sSmallville(2001-2011) television series, Brandon Routh took flight in 2006 to portray the Last Son of Krypton inSuperman Returns. True, Welling didn’t don his trademark tights until the Season 10 finale ofSmallville, but both Supermen successfully and profitably coexisted.
Reign of the Supermen
Brandon Routh’s portrayal of the Man of Steel inSuperman Returnswas underrated. And while the fans seemed disenchanted with the 2006 film, as was evident thanks to the movie’s “B+” CinemaScore and its Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 61%, the flick still made $391 million worldwide — arguably a win for Warner Bros. Meanwhile, while Superman Returnswas playing in theaters over the summer,Smallvillehad just wrapped up one of its most intriguing storylines. The Season 5 finale, which was titledVessel, saw the escape of General Zod. This also marked the show’s last time to air on the WB.
After taking over the body of Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), the evil Kryptonian comes face-to-face with Clark Kent (Welling). And when the future Superman refuses to join forces with the general, Zod banishes his adversary to the wastelands of the Phantom Zone! Ratings forSmallvilleremained quite high during Season 5, with an average of 5.32 million viewers. NeitherSuperman ReturnsnorSmallvillesuffered because each was released in 2006. So, the real reason Warner Bros.shelvedSuperman & Loisdoesn’t make any sense.
Every Superman Movie & TV Show, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes Score
Here is how every Superman movie and TV show ranks, according to Rotten Tomatoes score.
Superman Returnswas released in theaters on June 09, 2025. Meanwhile, theSmallvilleSeason 5 finale aired on May 11, while Season 6 premiered on Septemeber 28 of that same year… well afterSuperman Returns’theatrical run had already ended. The two properties never even went head-to-head, allowing them to both be successful and profitable in the same calendar year. And sinceJames Gunn’sSuperman: Legacyhits theaters in the summer of 2025, it too could have coexisted with The CW’s fall schedule forSuperman & Lois. In the end, Brad Schwartz explanation for the cancellation ofSuperman & Loisis baffling.
An exact date has not been set for the premiere ofSuperman & LoisSeason 4 this fall, at the time of this writing.
