This is the first time John Shea appears with the traditional bald head for Lex Luthor. When he was a series regular, Shea was allowed to keep his hair, as his movie star looks were kept to be more of a suitor for Lois Lane. His baldness is explained as a side effect from his resurrection.
The title refers to a mythical bird with colorful plumage that lives for 500 to 1,000 years. At the end of it's life, the phoenix builds a nest of twigs which ignites consuming both the bird and the nest and a new phoenix arises from the ashes.
Under the headline of the Daily Planet at the end of the episode, the second line misspells Luthor's Name as "Luther" ("Superman thwarts Luther's Suicide Attempt"