The Arrowverse hints the story of Red Son could have happened on Earth-Prime in Superman & Lois. The superhero series has explored the many angles of Clark Kent — as a hero and as a father and husband. However, these last few episodes of Superman & Lois season 1 have also delved into what it would be like if the Man of Steel was evil.
In Superman & Lois season 1, episode 13, “Fail Safe,” Superman visited his half-brother Morgan Edge (whose Kryptonian name is Tal-Ro) while he was locked away in an ARGUS prison cell. While Clark was ultimately able to break free of his mind control in the previous episode, he admitted to Lois there was a part of him that enjoyed losing control and having no restraint with regards to his powers. With Superman tapping into that side of himself, the question turned towards whether Clark would’ve been someone completely different if he’d landed anywhere else besides Earth, or at least been raised elsewhere, which draws comparisons between him and his unethical brother.
To that end, the conversation between Edge and Superman suggested Red Son, the comics story that explores what the superhero would’ve been like had he been raised in the Soviet Union, could have come to fruition. The differences between how Clark was raised — with love, care, and genuine affection — versus how Edge was brought up by a cold and calculated hologram father already drives home the point of just how important the people in Superman’s life helped to shape the person he became. What if he hadn’t been raised by Martha and Jonathan Kent? Clark is adamant that he still wouldn’t have wound up like his brother, but that isn’t necessarily true.
To be sure, Tal-Ro was trying to ruffle Clark’s feathers; he wanted the great and morally sound Superman to understand how he might have made the same sinister decisions if their roles were reversed. The Man of Steel has always been a good person, but it’s not impossible to think how things might have been very different if his circumstances were altered. Red Son is a testament to that change, a chance to explore what an evil, destructive version of the superhero could be like. Fans have already seen elements of the Red Son storyline play out on Supergirl, with Clark’s cousin Kara Zor-El having a double who was trained in Kaznia and influenced by Lex Luthor.
It’s not too difficult to imagine how the same thing could have happened with Clark on Earth-Prime. Just one alteration to the way he grew up could have devastated the whole world. With Superman & Lois heavily exploring a potential evil Superman storyline and establishing how a corrupt version of him destroyed John Henry Irons’ world, it’s clear Earth-Prime’s superhero was very capable of the same things. Superman being worried that he could indeed cause devastating harm to others if manipulated reveals all viewers need to know about how easily a Red Son story could have played out on Clark's adopted home planet. Superman has incredibly strong willpower, as well as the love of his family and parents, so it’s lucky he didn’t turn out the way Morgan Edge did.
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