'Superman & Lois' showrunner on that multiversal finale twist, how it'll change Smallville in S2

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's the Season 1 finale of Superman & Lois! The latest addition to The CW's Arrowverse wrapped up its debut season earlier this week with the arrival of a character who underscores the storytelling flexibility that comes with a multiverse. While Marvel is making all the multiversal buzz these days, the Arrowverse was still able to open up the door to the idea of infinite realities long before He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) made his grand appearance in Loki.

***WARNING! The following contains major spoilers for the Season 1 finale of Superman & Lois!***

After the dust had settled and the battle against Morgan Edge was over, Smallville was rocked to its foundations in Episode 15 — titled "Last Sons of Krypton" — with the surprise arrival of Natalie Irons (Tayler Buck), the daughter that John Henry Irons (Wolé Parks) had with an alternate version of Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) from his version of Earth.

Fresh off her arrival in the prime universe, TVLine has confirmed Buck is already locked in to return as a series regular in Season 2 — so we'll be seeing a lot more of that very messy, confusing family reunion.

Speaking with the outlet, showrunner Todd Helbing teased what Natalie's arrival means for the show's second season. For example, the Irons come from a reality in which Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) has turned evil and wrecked the planet, which is why it took him so long to finally become pals with the Man of Steel we know and love in the Arrowverse.

While the creative team doesn't "want to repeat that storyline" of a person who views the Man of Steel as a threat, "there’s going to be some explaining from John Henry about how this world works" now that his daughter has to adjust to this reality, Helbing said. 

He continued: "Now, we’re going to dive into what it means for him [John Henry] as a parent — the things you would do for your kids, even if it means putting yourself in harm’s way."

During a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Helbing promised that the dynamic shift caused by Natalie is explored right off the bat in the first episode of Season 2. "The thing that I loved so much about this version of Lois Lane is you see all of her personal struggles and what she's overcome to be who she is, and I think we're going to reveal a lot more of that in Season 2. So Nat is certainly a part of that."

All 15 episodes of Superman & Lois' debut season are now available to stream through The CW app.