His appearance in Superman & Lois is the first time that Cavanagh has played an Arrowverse character that isn’t a version of Wells or the Reverse Flash, instead playing Gordon Godfrey. There have been a few different versions of Godfrey in comics and media over the years, but the character is most known for being a charismatic and manipulative television host.

Also known as Glorious Godfrey, the character first appeared in The Forever People #3 (1971) and was created by Jack Kirby. Godfrey is one of Darkseid’s Elite, and possesses mind control powers. In most iterations of the character, Godfrey is portrayed as a sensationalist media personality, like a pundit or televangelist. Superman & Lois’ version of the character is similar, with Godfrey hosting his own show (titled Godfrey! of course), but Cavanagh still manages to put his own twist on it.

When asked why they brought Cavanagh back to the Arrowverse for this role, co-showrunner Todd Helbing told TVLine that “It was the no-brainer of all time.” According to co-showrunner Brent Fletcher, “[Cavanagh’s] hilarious and has more energy than a 10 year old. [The character is] not like him at all, but he can play that guy perfectly.” 

Even though Godfrey may be an entirely different character than Cavanagh has played in this universe before, Arrowverse fans on Reddit can’t help but notice a few similarities in mannerisms between Godfrey and his previous characters. Cavanagh has played both the villain and the good guy, a line that a man like Godfrey has to walk very carefully to keep up his public persona. We may know that he’s basically in Lex Luthor’s pocket – Lex Corp. does own his show after all – but that doesn’t mean Godfrey can show all of his cards to the general public.

Cavanagh is a good fit for this role, regardless of his past with the Arrowverse, and his appearance makes for a fun homage. Superman & Lois may be the end of an era for superhero television and the CW, but it’s nice to know that the Arrowverse is ending on such a strong note.