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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 5 Review

The Death of Superman has to be one of the most famous comics of all time. And why shouldn’t it be? After all, the idea of Superman, the OG superhero, dying in battle? It sounded unbelievable…which is why it worked so well. So when we have an episode whose title is “The Death of Superman,” that’s going to make me worry. And while the worst-case scenario didn’t end up happening, I think that the title remains appropriate.

Cyborg Superman Must Die

At the end of the last episode, the man formerly known as Hank Henshaw crashed out, broke free of Lex’s leash, and threatened to destroy Metropolis. Superman and Supergirl have flown in to stop him before anyone can get hurt, but they might be flying to their deaths. Because, as Jon belatedly reveals, Cyborg Superman kills his dad in this fight. After that, he turns his wrath on the rest of the world, killing everyone we know and love. Jon was sent back in time to stop this from happening, but he was so caught in seeing the parents he never knew that he put it off. It was reckless, irresponsible…and perfectly understandable.

Don’t get me wrong: Jon almost screwed up big time. But when you consider how he never knew his parents, you understand why he wanted to milk this. Especially since we’re not exactly sure if the multiverse theory is in effect for time travel in this story, since that means he would be going back to a future still ruined. But if the Future Trunks parallels weren’t already blatant, they get even more so when we learn what happened to Kara.

Kara Became Future Gohan?!?

I didn’t address it last episode, but it was apparent that Jon was actively avoiding Kara, despite how badly she wanted to bond with him. I saw the red flags going up and immediately thought, “Oh no, Kara is dead in the future, isn’t she?” Tragically, that was indeed the case. And for bonus points, it’s revealed that after Clark and Lois died, Kara raised Jon as her own. She was like the Future Gohan of this story, complete with the tragic and undignified death! Jon couldn’t bear to look at her because of this.

And that was when I knew that Cyborg Superman had to die. I know that not every hero will kill his villains, but the monster once known as Hank wasn’t going to stop until he destroyed the world that had rejected him. Even when Lois tried to talk her former friend down, he was ready to kill her. Thankfully, the series didn’t disappoint with how absolutely brutal this fight was. But even with three Kryptonian warriors fighting the monster, he was still able to get the upper hand thanks to his Kryptonite reactor!

And this is when we get the moment that can be called the death of Superman.

The Death of Superman

Depsite being on the brink of death thanks to Kryptonite poisoning, Clark manages to see his son being choked out by Cyborg Superman. Thus, his papa bear instincts kick in, and through sheer willpower, he forces himself to fight off the Kryptonite to save Jon. But Hank then threatens to self-destruct and take the entire city with him…until he learns that Jon is Superman’s future son. And for some reason, this makes him regret everything that he did. I think that it was because he realized that if Kryptonians and Humans can have kids, then that means that there’s a future where all of humanity will have superpowers and be safe. I don’t know. I’m just glad that Hank let himself die before he killed everyone else.

So, with the apocalypse prevented, Jon returns to his time with the hope that it will be a far better future than the one he knew. However, that’s the only good thing to come of this episode. In order to save his son, Superman pushed his powers so hard, he’s seemingly burned them out. He’s…powerless now. And without his powers, Clark Kent is just Clark Kent, meaning that Superman is technically dead. And the time couldn’t be worse, as while one bad future was prevented, another might be on the horizon. This time, though, it’s at the hands of Lex Luthor!

Okay, I have mixed feelings about this episode. On the one hand, I like how they managed to thread the needle regarding the death of Superman. On the other hand, part of me kind of wishes we could have gotten to see Clark temporarily die and then come back, but I guess we’ll have to wait for Doomsday, if he ever shows up. Plus, I know that Clark is going to get his powers back, eventually. This is just going to be a means for Clark to learn who he is without his powers. In the meantime, Supergirl will have to pick up the slack. The bad news is that the preview for the next episode shows that the drama between her and Jimmy is about to get even worse.

I give “The Death of Superman” a 3/5

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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 2 Review

I’m sorry that I didn’t post my review for last week’s episode of MAWS sooner, but I got distracted by other things. The good news is that this means that I am able to get the new reviews out back-to-back. The bad news? There are a few moments in this episode (and the next) that just feel so cringe! And it’s all thanks to Jimmy Olsen, who might have just fumbled the easiest romantic W I have ever seen! And I am so disappointed in him!!

I love Conventions!

It all starts when the gang heads to a fan convention for the day. Lois is going because Cat got her assigned the gig because she knew something crazy would happen around her, and Clark is supporting her. Jimmy is going as a guest because he turned his adventures into a comic book series that has made him a millionaire once again. And Kara? She’s going as the guest of honor, and wants to be close to Jimmy.

Jimmy, Why you Fumble the Ball?

This episode is really just three plots running concurrently with each other, but the one I was most invested in was the one with Kara and Jimmy. The two have such incredible chemistry together, and it’s obvious that the show wants us to ship them. But it’s insisting that the two go through the same relationship hurdles that Clark and Lois did in the first two seasons! In this case, Jimmy is the one who is insecure at the idea of dating a superpower alien. And it frustrated me to no end throughout this episode.

On the one hand, I wanted to feel proud of Jimmy for having the maturity to turn down Kara when she straight-up asks him to be her boyfriend. He doesn’t want to take advantage of her or ruin things if it goes wrong and that she should expand her horizons first. But as someone who’s never been able to get a girlfriend or have a romantic relationship, I’m super mad at him!!

JIMMY, DUDE! YOU ARE BEING GIVEN THE CHANCE TO DATE A BEAUTIFUL, SUPERPOWERED ALIEN GIRL WHO IS TOTALLY INTO YOU! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE IN THIS DAY AND AGE?!?!? HOW CAN YOU BE FUMBLING THE BALL SO BADLY?!?

I know that the showwriters are only doing this for the sake of drama, but still, it frustrates me to have to see history repeat itself with our beta couple. I was practically foaming at the mouth when I saw Kara use the convention to announce she was looking for a date. Because despite what Jimmy js afraid of, there are plenty of guys and girls out there that could take advantage of Kara. In fact, I’m going to bet that that will end up happening before the season is out and Jimmy is going to regret doing that to her.

Not Interested in the other Stuff

The other main plots of the episode are not as interesting, sadly. Superman spends it fighting this woman with Kryptonite whips that is way too into him. Meanwhile, Lois sees the Toyman selling toys at the convention, and becomes convinced that he’s up to no good. All she manages to do at first is just make her out to be the bad guy that Jimmy initially makes her be in his comics. But it turns out she was right! Toyman managed to turn his entire booth into a mecha from Gundam, complete with the pose as he used it!

I know that should be a bad thing, but my nerdy half has to respect Toyman for doing that. Thank heavens it’s more acceptable for adults to play with toys now. Superman doesn’t even need to stop him, though, because another beats him to the punch. However, it’s who does it that is most concerning.

Hank Henshaw is gone. There is only Cyborg Superman. And if you know what he did in the comics, then you know to be afraid. Very afraid!

This is going to be a crazy season and I’m already enjoying where this will go. Though I have lost a lot of respect for Jimmy for that UNBELIEVABLE FUMBLE, and will only regain it when he steps up and gets the girl of his dreams!

I Give “Mobile Suit Toyman” a 2.5/5

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