Superman is in the pilot, but he's only seen in shadow and flying through the sky from a distance. In fact, his arm is the only clear part of him that fans will see when he welcomes Kara to Earth in a flashback. By that point, he's 24, and it's not for at least another decade or more that Kara decided to suit up and fight crime when she too reaches the age of 24. Superman is clued in to Kara's arrival by the Department of Extranormal Operations and delivers her to the Danvers, a married couple who are scientists that apparently also helped him to understand his powers. He wants Kara to have a normal upbringing, and that includes never seeing her cousin because it's implied that that was the only time they met. That's the last the audience sees of Superman too, but he's mentioned throughout the pilot. Here's the strange thing though; not once is he called "Superman"! They instead dance around it, referring to him in the vaguest way possible ("My friend in blue," for example). It's strange, but no one is going to be confused as to who they're actually taking about.
