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This article contains spoilers for Superman & Lois season 4 episode 8.
The Arrowverse may finally be coming to an end as Superman & Lois airs its final season, but that doesn’t mean the show doesn’t still have a few surprises up its sleeve. Season 4 episode 8 “Sharp Dressed Man” sees Lois (Bitsie Tulloch) and Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz) go head-to-head in a battle of wits on national television. As riveting as it is to watch the two debate each other, the real treat of this episode lies in who Superman & Lois brought in to play the host of this televised exchange – Arrowverse veteran Tom Cavanagh.
Tom Cavanagh first appeared in the Arrowverse as Harrison Wells, the brilliant scientist behind Star Labs, and Barry Allen’s (Grant Gustin) mentor in The Flash. We soon find out, however, that Wells is no longer Wells, but rather Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash, in disguise. After this reveal in season 1, Cavanagh continued to make appearances in The Flash as well as appearances in other Arrowverse shows, as Thawne and Wells.
Cavanagh not only played the original Wells and Thawne Wells, he also played Earth-2’s Harry Wells, Nash Wells in the Crisis on Infinite Earth’s crossover, Sherloque Wells, Harrison Orson Wells, and H.R. Wells, among others. Even though his character technically dies in season 1, the Arrowverse kept finding ways to bring back Cavanagh.
His appearance in Superman & Lois is the first time that Cavanagh has played an Arrowverse character that isn’t a version of Wells or the Reverse Flash, instead playing Gordon Godfrey. There have been a few different versions of Godfrey in comics and media over the years, but the character is most known for being a charismatic and manipulative television host.
Also known as Glorious Godfrey, the character first appeared in The Forever People #3 (1971) and was created by Jack Kirby. Godfrey is one of Darkseid’s Elite, and possesses mind control powers. In most iterations of the character, Godfrey is portrayed as a sensationalist media personality, like a pundit or televangelist. Superman & Lois’ version of the character is similar, with Godfrey hosting his own show (titled Godfrey! of course), but Cavanagh still manages to put his own twist on it.
When asked why they brought Cavanagh back to the Arrowverse for this role, co-showrunner Todd Helbing told TVLine that “It was the no-brainer of all time.” According to co-showrunner Brent Fletcher, “[Cavanagh’s] hilarious and has more energy than a 10 year old. [The character is] not like him at all, but he can play that guy perfectly.”
Even though Godfrey may be an entirely different character than Cavanagh has played in this universe before, Arrowverse fans on Reddit can’t help but notice a few similarities in mannerisms between Godfrey and his previous characters. Cavanagh has played both the villain and the good guy, a line that a man like Godfrey has to walk very carefully to keep up his public persona. We may know that he’s basically in Lex Luthor’s pocket – Lex Corp. does own his show after all – but that doesn’t mean Godfrey can show all of his cards to the general public.
Cavanagh is a good fit for this role, regardless of his past with the Arrowverse, and his appearance makes for a fun homage. Superman & Lois may be the end of an era for superhero television and the CW, but it’s nice to know that the Arrowverse is ending on such a strong note.
New episodes of Superman & Lois premiere Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW, culminating with the series finale on December 2.
The post Superman & Lois Just Introduced an Unexpected Arrowverse Cameo appeared first on Den of Geek.
