Frank Ockefels III and Diyah Pera/The CWThe Man of Steel is coming back to National City!
E! News can exclusively reveal that Tyler Hoechlin is officially returning to Supergirl for its season two finale! No story details are available yet, but his presence alone should be enough to excite Supergirl fans everywhere after his first appearance on the show got rave reviews.
Kara's (Melissa Benoist) cousin originally made his way to National City in the season two premiere to help deal with a malfunctioning LexCorp spacecraft, and then hung out for another episode before returning to Metropolis, knowing that Supergirl could handle things on her own. His exit made it clear he could easily return, and now the time is apparently right.
After Superman's last appearance, executive producer Andrew Kreisberg said he definitely hoped to bring Hoechlin back.
"We're thrilled with working Tyler, which has been an amazing experience," he told reporters at the time. "We just selfishly hope we get to do it again because it really added to the show in a way," he said.
Kreisberg also credited the success of Supergirl's Superman to the fact that Hoechlin was playing a Superman we hadn't seen much of before.
"We very cognizant of not wanting him to come in and steal her thunder, so this Superman that we designed was something that you really haven't seen too much of," Kreisberg said. "Usually when you see Superman, even when it's in the Christopher Reeve movie or Man of Steel or Lois & Clark, he's just starting out and we wanted to show Superman who's been doing this for a decade and has gotten really, really good at it."
"He was really coming in as a supporting character for Kara, to be a friend and a cousin and a mentor," he continued. "We simultaneously wanted to have a Superman who was relatable and fun and sort of everything that you remember about Superman from your childhood that was great, while also, at the same time, de-mystifying him a little bit."
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on the CW.