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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 9 Review

Well, this is quite the mess, you guys! Thanks to Lara and Jonathan, the children of tomorrow, and Lex, there is a MENACE to the space-time continuum now loose in the universe. Kara is in a coma, the kids have PTSD, and everything is going to hell. The one good thing is that Clark has returned to the Fortress of Solitude to try and regain his powers. The bad news? He has to go through a trial that will have him go full barbarian warrior to do so. Well, that’s not bad in and of itself, but it’s the lesson he’s supposed to learn.

Oh, and Brainiac is back.

How did it Get to this?

In the aftermath of the Eradicator’s escape into the timestream, Amanda Waller has taken charge. I didn’t touch on it before, but we got to acknowledge the fact that Waller is now willing to see the Kryptonians as allies and protectors of Earth. She’s finally learning from her mistakes. However, she’s still Amanda Waller, a no-nonsense soldier. And even though she doesn’t know where Jonathan and Lara come from, she doesn’t hesitate to draft them into her anti-Eradicator plan. Except Lois isn’t happy about that.

Lois has spent this entire season trying to come to terms with her future with Clark. She accepted that she’ll be a mom one day, and now she’s learning that she could become the kind of parent her dad was to her, and it scares her. She also makes things worse when she rightly calls Jonathan and Lara for making Luthor wake up the Eradicator before it was ready. And for Jonathan’s disrespect to her in general. He tried to shame her for not actually fighting. WHAT DOES HE EXPECT?!? Unless there’s some tech lying around that can give Lois Kryptonian powers, or some power armor, she can’t do much!

She at least has better luck with her daughter. Through Lara, Lois learns that her future self does care about her kids enough to give her a pep talk. But it’s ultimately Kara who has to talk some sense into Jonathan.

KARA! YOU’RE OKAY!

Thank heavens, Kara is not dead. She’s left in a coma for several days, and when she wakes up, Jimmy is asleep by her side. He stayed there the entire time because he cares that much. I know that their relationship has been a problem this season, and we only have one episode left. But I hope they become an item in that time. And if we get a fourth season, I would love to see them act like a couple.

So, Kara finds Jonathan moping on the Moon, angsty about how he can’t live up to his dad’s reputation. So Kara tells him the truth: he’s not perfect. Everyone sees him like that because he never gives up. So Jonathan reconciles with his family and agrees to help. But, honestly? I don’t really like this version of Jon that much. I get why he is the way he is, but his personality gets a little grating. Hopefully, when Lois and Clark do have kids, they’ll have a better life.

So, everyone comes together to fight the Eradicator. The Kryptonians, Steel, Slade and the other agents of Task Force X. Even Luthor.

Yeah, when Luthor tries to duck and hide like a coward, Jimmy calls him out on it. He was the one who set Lex on his current path, and he is so disappointed in how he’s turned out. Especially since he’s seen that Lex can be a hero for himself. So he tells him to either shape up and be a hero, or just admit that he’s the bad guy. And it works!

But where does this leave Kal-El the Barbarian?

Kal-El the Barbarian

So, as many of us probably guessed, Brainiac is technically not dead. The version we met in season two is dead, but the version that helped run Krypton remains active in the Fortress of Solitude. And he is unimpressed with how Clark lost his powers and seeks to teach him a lesson on strength. Thus, to get his powers back, Kal-El has to relive Krypton’s ancient history and the start of their Empire. He has to be a barbarian conqueror.

From the second I heard what Brainiac was telling Clark, I saw the red flags. It’s obvious that that ship of invaders was just people who crash-landed. The Kryptonians told themselves that lie to justify their tyranny. And despite Brainiac trying to force him to give in to Krypton’s past, Clark isn’t playing his game. He stays true to himself, choosing to befriend the aliens and help them, because that is what real strength is like.

And Brainiac just loses it as we get the big twist. It turns out, Brainiac was one of those stranded aliens, forced to serve the Kryptonians until the day their empire collapsed while being converted into an AI. And he’s justifying the entire thing like it was right for Clark’s ancestors to do that! This was some insane levels of Stockholm Syndrome at work, and it made me sick to my stomach. How broken do you have to be to justify your terrible lot in life like that?!? Even worse, Brainiac takes Clark’s sympathy for the Coluans fate as an insult! He cannot compute the fact that things could’ve been different, and so tries to kill Clark. Thankfully, Bizarro is able to save him, but…what now?

Oh, no! He’s Voiced by Steve Blum!

The Eradicator returns from the timestream, and now looks like an anime version of General Zod, more dangerous than ever. We only have one episode left of the season, and possibly the series, and we have no clue how Kal-El can get his powers back, let alone stop the Eradicator! Can we please get a happy ending for the final episode? Please!?!

Hopes aside, I liked the barbarian aspect of this episode and I hope that we get more seasons of the show. That, and I think Lois would love the outfit!

I Give “Vae Victis” a 4.5/5

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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 7 Review

So, where were we? Ah yes: Clark is having an existential crisis now that he’s lost his superpowers. Jimmy is in hot water with Kara for how badly he’s treated her all season. And before they can talk things out, they’re all abducted by Mr. Mxyzptlk for another one of his crazy schemes. And the entire gang is in swimsuits this episode.

This is going to be both fun and annoying!

Mr. Mxy is at it again!

So, after getting kidnapped by Mr. Mxy and changed into beach attire, the gang finds themselves in another dimension. The reason why is because he’s getting divorced from his wife, Glitzy! And according to him, their divorce proceedings are settled by a series of platformer-style games. Clark, Lois, Kara, and Jimmy play for Mxy, while alternate versions of Kara, Lois, Jimmy, and LEX play for Glitzy.

Now, the whole reason Mxy chose them, besides simply trolling, is that he thought Clark still had his powers. But for all his power, he didn’t know that Clark lost his, much to his dismay. And my amusement! All that power and he still doesn’t know that!

I don’t why exactly, but I like impish and chaotic characters like Mxy. Maybe it’s because I have a troublemaking streak of my own, or because they don’t care about the rules of reality, but they’re so entertaining to watch. But that doesn’t blind me to the fact that they are also super sus, and given our past experiences with this version of Mxy, I was on my guard. Especially when we saw what his wife looks like. I prefer personality over looks, but I think the best of both worlds can be ideal if necessary. Plus, Glitzy does seem like plenty of fun.

The Alternate Gang was Cool, I guess

In any event, I wouldn’t call this episode filler. There doesn’t seem to be any filler in this series, with every episode moving the plot forward a little bit. More importantly, seeing our heroes interact with their alternate counterparts is eye-opening at what their lives could look like. Given how the whole theme of this season is what the future can bring, it’s a source of great distress for them.

Firstly, we have Lois and her counterpart, General Lois Lane. It seems that in her timeline, things panned out similarly to what we’ve seen so far, with Clark eventually losing his powers. She, Jimmy, and Kara could handle that. But then, Clark died when Earth was invaded by enemies that, while I didn’t recognize them, I think the fandom should be worried about. Losing her lover led Lois to become just like her father: a cold-hearted soldier who hides their grief by throwing themselves into their job. It goes to show us that Lois always had it in her to be like.

Kara seems to be no better. Losing her cousin seems to have made her slide back into who she was serving under Brainiac, making our Kara fear the worst for herself. And alternate Jimmy? He became a tokukatsu-style superhero called Flamebird and is acting like everything is fine, but it’s isn’t. He’s just in denial about losing his best friend and, while he doesn’t say it, he never fully mended things with Kara.

The most interesting interaction, though, was between Clark and Alternate Luthor. Like in Jon Kent’s future, Superman’s death made him realize how pointless his hatred for him was. This is pretty telling, by the way. That makes it two times now that we’ve seen a Lex become capable of being a good person. It shows that it is possible for Lex to change, which only makes seeing our Lex fall down the rabbit hole of villainy all the more disappointing.

There is no One True Path

Ultimately, the contest comes down to the groups being forced to find their “one, true path” to the future. Lois and Clark stumble, and so do Jimmy and Kara. But then Jimmy, bless his heart, has a moment of emotional intelligence and apologizes to Kara for being an ass and promising to change. And then, it all clicks for her. The future is always changing and never set in stone. It is within their power to decide who they want to be! And that helps all of them stop worrying about who they are or what they might become.

For a moment, a part of me thought that this was all part of one big lesson that Mxy had for our heroes, but that would require him actually caring. He doesn’t, and neither does his wife.

In a twist that, I’ll be honest, part of me expected since it’s Mxy, the imps weren’t getting divorced. This was just them role playing for date night. And they were just using everyone to get access to the Cosmic Anvil, said to be capable of rewriting reality. They try to bribe everyone with the promise of changing their universes to whatever they want, but Clark is smart enough to not play their game. Instead, he lets the clock run out, meaning that no one wins.

Also, it led us to get this scene where Lex finally figures out that Clark Kent is Superman. The self-proclaimed smartest man ever, and he couldn’t figure that out. At least he had enough humility to take it with grace.

Keep Moving Forward

I know that this episode is going to feel a little like filler to some people, but in a show this tight-knit, filler isn’t really a thing. The whole point of the episode is having the gang get over their problems. Clark finally realizes that his powers don’t define him; Kara realizes that she can choose not to be what Brainiac wanted her to be; Lois learned to not fear the future as much. And Jimmy realized how much of a bonehead he’d been to Kara. But he’s going to have a lot of work to do if he wants to make things right.

Of course, the episode ends with us getting another curveball, as either Jon or another version of Jon appears before them. And there’s a girl with him that I’m pretty sure is his sister.

The future is still not safe!

I Give “The Ex-Games” a 4/5

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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 4 Review

So, the last episode established that the prospect of being a mom is something that freaks Lois out to no end. She knows that her and Clark are meant to be and does want a future with him. At the same time, though, she’s at that point in her life where she doesn’t want to give up the chance to have fun and be free! It’s a legitimately scary prospect for someone like her! So imagine when a boy who looks a lot like the two of them comes out of nowhere and starts calling them mom and dad. I could practically hear Lois’ brain go into meltdown, and I was enjoying every minute of it!

Surprise! Your Son’s Here to Visit!

So, Clark and Lois are happy on a little date to get away from the chaos (Kara and Jimmy’s dating attempts). Just when they’re at Lois’ favorite restaurant, this happens!

This is our official introduction to Jon Kent, AKA Superboy, after the brief teaser we got at the end of the last episode. And he is…not what I was expecting at first. I mean, I knew from the teaser for the season that he was going to be energetic, but that was underselling it. He’s a full-blown male keet, constantly flying around everywhere, asking everyone a billion questions at once, and behaving like someone half his age probably would. And it is absolutely precious!! Though, given what we saw of the future, the way he’s acting is perfectly understandable.

It isn’t until the end of the episode where Jon drops the energetic act and gets serious, but we didn’t to wait until the end to know why he’s acting like this. In his time, his parents are dead, most likely before he even got the chance to know them. Now that he’s been sent back to stop the apocalypse, he wants to get to know his mom and dad. It’s understandable that he would want to spend the whole day hanging out with them! And, if I’m being honest, it’s really wholesome to see how he’s the best of both of his parents. He’s got his dad’s desire to do good and help and protect people, and he’s got his mom’s mischievous streak. In other words, he’s perfect! And not even Lois is immune to his charms.

Lois, Jon is your Son!

So, Lois was already freaking out about her future and how it might be set out for her. But she spends most of the episode in complete meltdown. Because the fact that her future son is here means that it might actually be set in stone! For someone as free-spirited as her, it’s a total nightmare! Thus, Lois spends the entire episode trying to come to terms with the likelihood that she’s going to be a mom in the near future. But, as the day goes on, and she sees how much like his parents Jon is, Lois stops worrying so much about the future. She thinks that Jon being from it means that it’s going to be great.

And that’s the real tragedy of the episode. Because Jon spent so much time trying to live the family life he never had, he might be too late to change the future.

Hank Henshaw is Gone. There is only Cyborg Superman

It’s crazy to think that it’s already happening, but Hank Henshaw is now the big bad of the season. After getting rejected by everyone, from the citizens of Metropolis, to his former friend Lois, to even Lex, Cyborg Superman crashes out. He’s no longer trying to be a hero. Instead, he’s embraced his inner Homelander, and after breaking free of Luthor’s control, he wants to make the entire world burn. And having taken control of the Kryptonian Drones Luthor has, he can pull it off! And the fact that the show made Henshaw’s rebellion the B-plot and Jon’s time with his family the A-plot can only mean one thing: something bad is about to happen.

It’s happened in every season of the show. The fourth episode of the season sets us up for some big wham moment. Then the fifth episode upends the status quo and leaves us brokenhearted and worried about what comes next. Also, it should be noted that the title for next week’s episode, “The Death of Superman,” is a dead giveaway. The future that Jon tried to prevent may already be set in motion, and I am genuinely afraid for Superman and Supergirl as they go to fight Henshaw. Even moreso when you consider how this is only the halfway point of the season. If this is the halfway point, then what more could they have to throw at us!

This next week could be agonizing for me since I don’t know what will happen next, and I hate that! Thank heavens I have plenty of other shows to watch!

I Give “Guess Who’s Slammin’ to Dinner?” a 4.5/5

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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 3 Review

Jimmy Olsen, my brother in nerdom, why must you disappoint me like this?

So, if you saw the last episode of MAWS, then you know that Jimmy managed to have a fumble of near-biblical proportions. Kara straight-up asked him to date her, and he turns her down. He says that she needs to expand her horizons and experience more before finding that special someone. And then he gets jealous when every man, woman, and child is lining up to date her! And it only gets worse in this episode as Jimmy shows he’s jealous by trying not to look jealous by going to a matchmaking company. Meanwhile, Lois is having a panic about the future, and it looks like Hank Henshaw is set on his path to becoming the show’s version of Homelander.

Really, Dating Apps?

So, after Jimmy dropped the ball with Kara by convincing her to date everyone that isn’t him (half of Metropolis), he’s not taking it well. He’s determined to make Kara just as jealous as he feels by going to this new, scientifically backed matchmaking service, W.O.R.M.S., that just started. And Lois just spoke for me with how disappointed she was in him! And frustrated!

This is one of the goofier episodes of the series, no doubt about it. Which, knowing what this series is like, can only mean one thing: something bad is coming. I’m not just being paranoid, either. The first season had Lois figure out that Clark was Superman at the end of episode 4. Last season had Kara arrive on Earth in episode 5. I’m telling you, there is going to be some kind of drama or threat that’s going to take place in the next episode or two. And the ending of the episode only seems to make that more obvious, but more on that. We first need to talk about Lois and Kara’s day out.

So, after telling Kara about what Jimmy is doing, Lois learns firsthand that his attempts to make Kara jealous are doomed to failure. Kara openly shows her self-confidence by calling herself “as strong as she is beautiful.” I have to respect that level of self-esteem! But Lois manages to find an opening when Kara sees it as a competition and decides to “win” and make Jimmy her boyfriend. Which also means that Kara was only taking Jimmy’s advice because she still wants him.

I dont know if I should take this seriously or not, but I like seeing this kind of romantic drama unfold for the laughs! This show really knows how to lean into the absurd comedy, and I thank it for wearing its anime influences on its sleeves like it is.

Lois Would be a Great Mom

So, Lois spends the day helping Kara set up a dating profile by going out into the city, and it somehow leads to them having a musical duet about their thoughts on the future. Admittedly, I skipped it, but I got the gist: Kara is excited about the promise of the future now that she can decide it. But Lois? She has spent the last three episodes listening to Clark come up with plans for their future. He even has a model of the farm he wants to buy for the two of them, with a baby crib to boot! And Lois is freaking out about it!

I totally understand why Lois is reacting this way. She’s still a young adult in her twenties, she’s finally feeling successful in her life. She doesn’t want this stage of her life with the adventures to end. And she’s worried that settling down and having a family will change that. That, and while it doesn’t say it, I think she’s worried that she might be a good parent or wife since she didn’t have a stable life growing up.

I wholeheartedly disagree. I’ve seen many variants of Lois, and even after getting married, she is still every bit as badass as ever. If anything, she’d be the super cool mom that every kid would want to have. I just really hope that she sees that for herself by the end of the season, because I don’t want to wait.

Jimmy, Why do you think like this?

Meanwhile, Jimmy’s time at W.O.R.M.S. is a disaster. It turns out that his date is the supervillainess Giganta. And she’s been using this chemical perfume to transform people in a quest to find love, and kidnaps Jimmy. So Superman has to save him with help of the girls who run the company. It’s all incredibly silly and it ends on an equally silly note as Superman doesn’t want anything to do with the dating app. Jimmy, on the other hand, doesn’t learn his lesson.

It looks like it will be a while before Jimmy finally sees sense and accepts that he’s good enough for Kara. The problem is that this might end up interfering with a new threat on the horizon.

Cyborg Superman is Really Channeling Homelander

So, amidst everything that’s happening, Hank Henshaw is trying to show he can be a superhero like Superman. However, I think the showwriters must have asked Jack Quaid about his time on The Boys, because Henshaw was really channeling Homelander this episode. Firstly, when he stops a thief from stealing a purse, he slams them into a metal pole, and from the looks of things, he might have broken their spine. For stealing a purse. It’s enough to make people afraid of him, which is the opposite of what Lex wants.

It gets worse. When Intergang robs Lexcorp, Hank zeroes in on Siobhan and starts brutalizing her trying to get what she stole back. And keep in mind that the Intergang in this series is pretty harmless in terms of being supervillains. Heck, Superman is on a first-name basis with Silver Banshee and gets her to return everything like a parent scolding a kid. But Hank? He tries to kill her because she knocked off part of his outer shell, revealing the cyborg he really is underneath. It takes Deathstroke intervening to get him to stand down.

If Cyborg Superman wasn’t already channeling Homelander at this point, then the next scene cements it when Lex reveals he has the man’s cybernetics under his control. And if The Boys taught me anything, it’s that you can’t keep someone like Hank Henshaw under control forever. He’s going to break free and likely become the monster we see in the comics. Actually, he might even be worse if the final moments of the episode reveal anything.

Superboy is Basically Trunks here!

So, let us make sure that we got this correct: the future is in ruins. Superboy is getting sent back into the past to stop this future from happebing. And we also saw Jimmy and Lex Luthor die as this happens. This is pretty much the story of Future Trunks from Dragon Ball, and I absolutely love it. At the same time, though, my mind is already trying to come up with an idea about how this could happen. My current theory is that Brainiac and Cyborg Superman either team up or one gains control over the other, and it leads to this apocalyptic figure. And now Superboy has to stop that from happening.

On the plus side, this version of Superboy is Lois and Clark’s son. Which means that, like it or not, Lois will be forced to come to terms with her potential motherhood.

I Give “All’s Fair in Love and W.O.R.M.S.” a 3/5

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My Adventures with Superman Season 3, Ep 1 Review

It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since we last saw My Adventures With Superman, but I’m happy to say that the show is back! And better than ever, I might add! The show is going to have a tough act to follow, considering how season two wrapped things up in a way that could count as an ending for the show. But we all know that there are more stories worth telling about Superman, Lois, Jimmy, and now Kara. And with this season set to adapt the famous “Reign of the Supermen” arc from the comics, things are going to get bizarre. Though I think Bizarro might be the most appropriate term for this episode as we look as the new world after Brainiac.

I love Jimmy and Kara so Much!

It’s been some time since Kara and Kal-El defeated Brainiac, and their lives are slowly changing. The old fortress that Clark, Lois, and Jimmy found in season two has transformed into the Fortress of Solitude, and this might be the most opulent version of the iconic structure to date. Unfortunately, its appearance is somewhat marred by the reveal that Brainiac is still alive, albeit reduced to a state where he can’t do any harm…physically. As Kara leaves him to rot, he’s still trying to gaslight her into thinking she’s not a good person. Even worse, it’s implied that he has some influence over the robot caretakers of the Fortress. In other words, he’s going to remain a problem!

In the meantime, though, it’s Halloween, and the gang is happily celebrating at the Kent farm before heading back to Metropolis. Seeing Clark and Lois do a couple’s costume is just so adorable, but the real highlight has to be Jimmy and Kara doing the same thing! Indeed, this entire episode continues to push the Jimmy and Kara ship, with both clearly being into each other. Much like Lois before him, though, Jimmy is hesitant to take the next step since he thinks he’s not good enough for Kara, and it’s incredibly frustrating to look at.

To be honest, I had to pause my reaction video of this episode so I could go on a tangent about why Jimmy is more than worthy of Kara. He shouldn’t let the fact that she’s got superpowers stop him from shooting his shot! If anything, I think dating a beautiful, superpowered alien would be a big boost to my self-worth! I just pray that Jimmy takes Lois’ advice and doesn’t wait a whole season.

Not that Lois is one to talk, though. Now that she’s got her life working out for her, she’s nervous when Clark wants to take the next step and start thinking about the future. Moving in together, starting a family, that sort of thing. But Lois is so nervous about it because she doesn’t know if she can raise a family thanks to her own childhood. It’s sad, really. She would be an awesome mom!

Bizarro Cometh!

The main plot of the episode, though, centers around the gang investigating an abandoned military project, Caliban. Built concurrently with Project Cadmus, Caliban was focused on genetics research related to the Kryptonians. In other words, they were trying to clone them! At the moment, it’s unclear if Superboy, who is due to debut this season, is related to Caliban, but the group does find at least one clue that succeeded: Bizarro.

Now, in the comics, we know Bizarro as the mutated clone of Superman. He’s often a villain, but he’s not really evil, just misguided and having a thought process that doesn’t make sense to most people. The MAWS version of Bizarro, though, might be the most human variant to date, though. In terms of appearance, he looks like Superman, but buffer and with longer hair. In terms of personality, he’s incredibly kind, thanks to the late director of the project teaching him that rather than raise him as a weapon.

While Superman spends the second half of the episode fighting, and then protecting, Bizarro, the emotional crux is Kara seeing the videos the late director left to teach the clone about the world. Despite initially calling him an abomination, after seeing how he was raised, Kara sees a kindred spirit in him. She knows that Bizarro could have turned into a weapon, but instead, his father chose to raise him to be…human. And ultimately, that decision pays off, as when the base’s self-destruct goes off and they have to flee, Bizarro saves Superman’s life.

Uh oh

The episode ends on a very wholesome note for the heroes as Clark wears his Superman outfit to give out candy, much to a kid’s enjoyment. Bizarro goes out into the world, and hopefully, the lessons he learned will inspire him to do good in the world. Yet the bad guys are not resting, because it’s revealed that the drone that attacked Caliban was sent by Lex Luthor, trying to find something useful. Worse, the episode sets up that Luthor plans to turn the still-alive Hank Henshaw into a clone of Superman. And if you know what Henshaw was like in the comics, then you know that’s bad news for everyone!

The reign of the Superman arc has begun, and it’s off to a good start, in my opinion. Let’s hope the show can keep the momentum going, as with DC back in theaters and a spinoff getting greenlit, this could be the start of a new animated universe. Maybe even the second coming of the DCAU?

I Give “The New World” a 4/5

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