After a whole season of never truly showing Superman on screen, Supergirl aired its Season 2 premiere with actor Tyler Hoechlin in the role of the Man of Steel.

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The brief introduction to his character was packed with Clark Kent-isms that we’ve long missed on screen: a smiling, earnest, dorky man who uses phrases like “lickity split” while talking to Daily Planet boss Perry White. After sensing danger, he immediately runs down an alley, rips open his shirt to reveal the signature S-shield, and launches up, up and away to help Supergirl save the day.Hoechlin’s Superman isn’t just a hero, but a humble person who exudes hope and optimism. When he arrives at the DEO, the agents who couldn't have cared less about Supergirl suddenly gather around to applaud his efforts and catch a glimpse of the big guy. Rather than walk past them like someone who sees himself as a god, Superman approaches the agents with a smile, shakes their hands, and thanks them with utter gratitude for their help protecting the planet.This Superman is always thinking of others. When he sees Alex Danvers, he offers to help her find her father with heartfelt sincerity. After saving the shuttle with Supergirl, he stops to say hello to the civilians who happened to be riding by on their bikes. After saving a family from being gunned down by John Corben’s drones, he gives them a wink before rocketing back into the air to save the next citizen in need. The guy is your impossibly nice big brother, your most dependable best friend, and your biggest role model all in one.The CW didn’t hold back giving us every aspect of this new Superman all in one episode. He makes full use of his powers -- ice breath, heat vision, X-ray vision, super strength, and flight. There's brief mentions of Lois Lane, just enough to let us know they're together and going strong. He also dons the ol’ spectacles to do some investigating into the crash, taking Kara along with him under his Clark Kent guise. We see him put his journalistic skills to good use, questioning Lena Luthor about her involvement with the shuttle. He approached her with utmost respect, but he also wasn’t afraid to turn the heat up in pursuit of the truth, Anderson Cooper style. There’s some steel under that Kansas wheat, indeed.Most importantly, the showmakers balanced the presence of Superman with Supergirl. This is still her show, and they didn’t forget that. Supergirl was the first to get to the shuttle, and she took the brunt of the weight as she held it up from the nose as Superman tried to slow it down from the back. When the building started to collapse, she had Superman hold it up while she figured out how to fix it and repaired the broken support beam. And when Corben’s drones attacked, Superman cleaned up the city as Supergirl put herself in between the drones and their target, taking a rocket to the face in the process. While the narrative did play up the fact that Supergirl is living in Superman’s shadow and showed us how she deals with that, never was the Girl of Steel shown to be any less the hero.What we got last night was a return of the classic Superman. It’s kind of funny that getting an accurate interpretation of a character is a big deal, but it’s actually been decades since we’ve last seen the classic Superman on screen (1993’s Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, to be exact). Superman was overly sad throughout Superman Returns. Smallville had its merits but the show was built around his journey as Clark Kent, so we never saw him as Superman until the final shot. Superman in DC’s animated features is modeled after the subdued New 52 version. And Henry Cavill’s brooding, conflicted Superman abandoned everything fun, inspiring, and colorful about the character. This new take on Superman is a return to form, a much-desired palate cleanser after so many errant versions.Finally, Superman is a Big Blue Boy Scout again.

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Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN