Supergirl Season 2: 8 Easter Eggs & References You Might've Missed In 'The Adventures Of Supergirl'

Superman Returns... To The Small Screen.

By Christian Bone /

Supergirl’s season two premiere represents a big change for the show. For one, it is the first episode to air on The CW network – marking a new direction for the series that will see it further conjoined with the likes of Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. Most significantly, though, it at long last saw the introduction of Kara’s cousin Superman. Not just as a silhouette or on the phone but actually there in the flesh.

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As much as Melissa Benoist still carried the episode, it has to be said that the Man of Steel totally stole the show. Tyler Hoechlin gave a very charming performance as a Superman who felt drawn from just about every adaptation of the character over his nigh on eighty year existence. He even shared the lack of underpants with Henry Cavill’s incarnation (though he certainly smiles a lot more than the DCEU’s super-sourpuss).

In that vein, the whole episode was steeped in affectionate callbacks and references to the adventures of Superman across comics, movies, TV and even radio. Some of these couldn’t be missed – like the name-checks of Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and Perry White – while others were a lot more subtle.

8. Radio References

First up, one area that the episode really draws from is the original adaptation of Superman – The Adventures of Superman radio programme that ran throughout the 1940s. Multiple iconic phrases that originated on that show made their way into the episode.

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When Superman first appears to help Supergirl rescue the failed Venture launch, she says “this looks like a job for the both of us.” This is a sly nod to the famous line “this looks like a job… for Superman!” Another staple of the radio show was the phrase "up, up and away", used as a way to signify to listeners that Clark was about to fly off. Clark and Kara both use the phrase here.

Likewise, there are not one but two uses of the term “mild-mannered” – Clark uses it to describe himself and Cat later refers to Kara in the same way. This description of Superman’s alter ego originally featured in the intro to the radio show.

Surprisingly, there isn’t a “is it a bird? Is it a plane?” reference, but then that one might just be a bit too on the nose. Plus, it was previously used in The Flash to introduce Brandon Routh (star of Superman Returns).

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