Pilot (Superman)

**"Pilot"** is the first episode of the first season of the ABC television series *Superman*. The episode premiered on February 14, 2013 and was the highest-rated new series in its time slot on ABC since *Flashforward* in 2009. The episode was the first episode of the series overall.

## Plot

On the planet Krypton, Councilman Jor-El returns home to his wife Lara and infant son Kal-El. Jor-El informs his wife that the Council has decided not to act on the impending destruction of their planet. Jor-El and Lara reluctantly send Kal-El away in a spaceship, before the planet explodes. Kal-El arrives three years later in Smallville, Kansas in 1993. Jonathan and Martha Kent, an older couple who own a farm, find the spaceship and Kal-El. They decide to take in the boy, after seeing him rip the door off their truck.

Twenty years later, Kal-El, now known as Clark Kent, says goodbye to Martha, as he is leaving for Metropolis. Martha wishes him good luck, and Jonathan is revealed to have died. Clark is seen to have the ability of super-speed, as he runs all the way to Metropolis. He enters the Daily Planet, where has gotten a job. Clark meets the Chief Editor Perry White, and his desk partner Lois Lane.

In flashbacks, Clark as a seven-year-old throws a football across town, and then speeds to pick it up, amazing Jonathan and Martha.

At the Daily Planet, Lois shows Clark around and helps him find his barrings. The two seem to be interested in one another, but Clark's girlfriend Lana Lang shows up and pulls him away. Lana is excited to move to Metropolis with him and it becomes apparent she knows nothing of his abilities or alien heritage.

In flashbacks, Clark is now a preteen and he meets Lana in middle school and immediately develops a crush on her. However, this leads to him using his heat vision for the first time, and he must hide it.

Clark and Lana move their stuff into their new apartment, but when Clark hears of a derailed subway train on the news, he leaves, much to Lana's annoyance. Clark takes off his glasses, and changes his clothes, wearing a red shirt and blue jeans, and he saves the train from falling. Lois is on the train and sees Clark from a distance, not realizing who he is, but she becomes obsessed with him.

Lois tries to get White to publish a story about the hero, but he refuses without a picture, despite nearly everyone on the train telling the news about their savior. Lois meets the eighteen-year-old intern, photographer Jimmy Olsen, and teams with him to get a picture of Metropolis's new savior.

In flashbacks, Clark slowly discovers new abilities, including x-ray vision, super breath, super hearing, and finally invulnerability.

Clark returns to Lana, who wonders where he went. Clark apologizes for leaving and claims his boss called him. Lana accepts his apology but worries that he may be hiding something. Elsewhere, a group of thugs see Clark's save on the news and set out to hunt the vigilante.

Lois and Jimmy try to lure out the hero, but nothing catches his attention. They return to the Daily Planet, where White asks them to not waste their time. Jimmy runs into a fellow intern, Cat Grant, who White assigns as his partner. Clark returns to work where Lois informs him of the new hero. Clark realizes the city will expect him to return.

In flashbacks, teenage Clark and Lana begin dating, just before Jonathan dies of a heart attack. This causes Clark to believe he must stay with Martha on the farm, rather than go to college. Lana stays in Smallville with him.

Clark goes to the Arctic, where he finds his Fortress of Solitude, a piece of Krypton that made its way to Earth. Clark is able to communicate holographically with Jor-El. Clark reveals he is using his abilities to save people. Jor-El informs him he is destined to save Earth from great threats, but he cannot let his attachment to humans get in the way of that. This angers Clark, who storms away.

Jimmy, with Cat's help, hacks into traffic cameras in the neighborhood of the train incident and finds a picture of Clark, unrecognizable, holding the train in his hands. Jimmy gives the picture to Lois, who White gives permission to publish a story with the picture.

Clark returns to Smallville to talk to Martha and he reveals what Jor-El said. Martha tells him that his best trait is that he was raised human. This inspires Clark to disregard Jor-El's statement and make it his mission to help humanity. Clark takes Lana out, and prepares to tell her his secret, but Lois interrupts their date. She shows Clark her story, and he is impressed but secretly scared. Lana notices the chemistry of Clark and Lois, but hides her worries.

Outside the restaurant, the thugs from earlier begin causing a scene to draw out the vigilante. Lois is caught in the crossfire, and Clark quickly changes into his red and blue outfit from earlier and fights the thugs. However, they take out weapons laced with Kryptonite, unaware this is Clark's weakness. This causes him to become weak and they are able to take him.

In flashbacks, Clark, now an adult, is shown his spaceship by Martha, where a hologram of Jor-El tells him to take his pod to the Arctic, where it will create a Fortress of Kryptonian essence.

Clark, still weakened, is taken to the rooftop, where the thugs throw him off the building. However, Clark suddenly hears Jor-El's voice calling to him, and he takes off flying, for the first time. This amazes Clark, while Lois sees the hero flying from the ground. Jimmy also snaps another picture of him. Clark returns to Lana, who informs Clark she saw the "Superman".

Clark returns to the Fortress, where he tells Jor-El that he intends to be a beacon of hope to society. Jor-El warns him of the dangers humanity can possess, but Clark tells him a part of him will always be human. Before he can leave, Jor-El reveals he wants him to have a gift. He unveils a red and blue suit, with the El family crest, resembling an S, on the chest. Clark agrees to wear it as his super-self.

Clark returns to the Daily Planet, where he discovers they have dubbed the hero as Superman and Lois's name is synonymous with his. Clark is finally introduced to the Daily Planet's owner, Lex Luthor, the billionaire CEO of LexCorp, the biggest business in Metropolis. Lex is wary of Superman, which causes a minor conflict with Clark, before Lex returns to his office. White notices the animosity between the two men and warns Clark not to get on Lex's bad side. Clark uses his super-hearing to hear a woman screaming for help, and goes to the roof of the Daily Planet, where he rips off his shirt, revealing the Superman suit underneath and he flies off.

In an ending tag, on the streets of Smallville, a purple light from space appears and a portal opens, releasing a man and a woman. The woman notices immediately that they have landed in the same town Kal-El did. The man tells her that they will find him and he will force Kal-El to "kneel before Zod".

## Cast

### Main cast

* Tyler Hoechlin as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman
* Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane
* Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor
* Brenda Song as Lana Lang
* Freddie Highmore as Jimmy Olsen
* Britt Robertson as Cat Grant
* Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
* Laurence Fishburne as Perry White

### Guest starring

* Jor-El
* Jonathan Kent
* teenage Clark Kent
* General Zod

### Co-starring

* Faora
* Lara
* teenage Lana Lang