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My Adventures With Superman S2 Ep 6 Review

When I think My Adventures With Superman has hit rock bottom, the show goes deeper. Having been kidnapped by his cousin, Kara, Superman wakes up to find himself in the middle of deep space. Worse still, Kara takes him before the self-proclaimed leader of the New Kryptonian Empire, Brainiac. Brainiac is always bad news no matter what version it is across the multiverse. However, as the episode reveals just how abusive he’s been to Kara, the MAWS Brainiac might be one of the most evil versions I’ve ever seen.

If this episode had come out just a week ago, I would’ve put this Brainiac on my list of worst dads in animated history. That’s how bad he is!

Kara is So Lonely!

After coming to Kara’s starship, Superman is understandably mad at his cousin. Especially when Kara insists and keeps insisting that she did him a favor, she thinks Earth being such a nice place to live has corrupted Clark’s brain and wants to show him what it means to be a true Kryptonian. First by showing him holographic images of their home and then by trying to bond with him over their powers. In her defense, Clark enjoys himself. However, he also realizes that she’s in denial over how unhappy she is with her life.

Case in point: she keeps mementos from the planets she’s visited and helped annex into the Empire, including her photos with Jimmy, something that Clark can’t help but tease her over. It’s sweet…but it also hides a very disturbing truth. One that becomes apparent when she shows Clark first-hand Thanagar, one of the world’s annexed into the Empire. Instead of the beautiful civilization she remembers, though, Kara and Clark discover a dead planet. And the reason for the inconsistencies becomes apparent by the end of the episode: Brainiac.

Brainiac is AN EVEN BIGGER MENACE!!!

Taking a page from the DCAU, I see that this version of Brainiac is also an AI that helped run Krypton. Unlike DCAU Brainiac, though, MAWS Brainiac looks straight out of Evangelion, making him look far more sinister. In addition, Brainiac’s idea of an empire consists of wiping out all life on planets he has Kara conquer. The reason she doesn’t remember this is because he keeps erasing her memories and controlling her like a puppet. And on top of this, we see how Brainiac hurls verbal abuse at Kara whenever she steps out of line, no matter how little it may be! And now he wants to do the same thing to Superman!

Oh, and if we need any more proof of how evil Brainiac is, He’s saving the memories of those that he’s slain as AI programs, and they remember all of the pain and horror that Brainiac made Kara inflict on them! That’s one of the most messed up things I’ve ever heard!

If you’ve read my reviews of The Owl House, then you know how much I loathe abusive parents. Even calling Brainiac a parent is an insult to parents everywhere! This version of Brainiac might be among the most vile I have ever seen in all of fiction! And thankfully, Kara begins to realize this for herself. Despite erasing her memories again, the mementos she got from Earth bring her memories straight back. Once that happens, she realizes that everything Brainiac has told her is a lie. He’s been using her to destroy planet after planet, a weapon in the name of his sick concept of an empire! And just as Kara realizes how badly she has messed up, another ship appears, carrying the Brain, Mallah, Lois and Jimmy.

And that’s where the episode ends.

Waller is Gonna Make Things Worse

We have yet to learn how Lois and Jimmy managed to travel to space, but I’m guessing that this will be the main focus of the next episode. And from what the previews have shown us, things are getting worse in Metropolis. Waller, being the paranoid fool she is, is looking to seize control of Metropolis and turn Superman into the enemy of humanity. And I’m just shaking my head at how ignorant Waller is. She may be right about Brainiac planning to invade Earth using Superman as his weapon, but she’s still wrong about Superman. Jimmy and Lois can help Kara save Clark before that can happen. I don’t know if that’s possible, but I’m praying that it is.

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I Give “The Machine Who Would Be Empire” a 4/5

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