"My Adventures With Superman" Season Two Talkback (Spoilers)

[Neo Ultra Mike]

"The Death Of Clark Kent" - Okay not going to lie: I still feel HOW Lois and Clark broke up in "Most Eligible Superman" could have been handled a lot better. Again how it was phrased and the build up really should have been tightened but I will give credit that it was at least part of the overall arc and pay off shown here. And though there is a twisted kind of irony how typically the Black Mercy is used in stories like "The Man Who Has Everything" even in the JLU episode, I actually really think the useage of it here makes a lot more sense. Instead of just crafting some sort of perfect harmony, Brainiac is going through these memories and rearranging them to sift through all of Clark's battles to find his weaknesses. And when getting a feel for his insecurities actually coming up with fictional scenarios to alter them for his own bidding which I really have to applaud the team for going so dark with it. Not really in terms of violence or language but just in terms of the idea of Clark thinking Lois was offing him over and over and then hitting with that real memory when Superman claimed Brainiac was just making false ones for his claims and then the whammy of Clark thinking he's home on Krypton which allows Brainiac to fully take over. Like I do appreciate they did spend a lot of time showing going through the memories and Clark actually trying to fight back but how thourough Brainiac was. And I also appreciate actually giving Brainiac some bits of seeming empathy talking about actually appreciating and caring for Kara but just feeling that bringing back the empire is a more worthwhile goal and having to purge love from his system. Like I guess the idea is Brainiac shouldn't have any sense of empathy or like organic values but I like the idea some seeped into him and him not wanting to deal with them for the sake of his mission and again in this show I do like more the idea that Kryptonians were a flawed people who did have this intense desire for conquest likely only quelled by their own destruction and Brainiac not being some just evil program collecting but rather having a goal related to that original Krytpon. It fits for this show and yeah does allow Michael Emerson to flex more really allowing to creep out the role.

And I also appreciate how serious this one was. Sans Mallah and Brain talking about upgrades or catching them at the end and Kara admitting she "admires" Jimmy and Lois finding out Kara thinks he rules the planet not really a lot of actual comedic bits but honestly I wanted this one to really focus on the drama and on the heavier tone really selling the idea of how monstorous Brainiac is. And him going into Clark's body and wailing on Kara really shows the menace he is and I even like how Jimmy bringing out hte Kryptonite Brainiac just goes "you know I can just leap into another body you'll be killing them" and then getting rid of them through a hole in the ship. Like it was a fairly well staged bluff since obviously he would need the body but I do like how the Kryptonite was staged and used as a way to allow the others to escape and now Lois has to save Clark by entering the mind scape... based on the previews her losing her memories feels pretty kind of padded like "wouldn't it be challening enough in the mind scape to find Clark does she need to forget herself for that?" But eh if my biggest complaint is wondering about the plot of next week that's a good problem for this one to have as yeah it's a very solid ep. Does make me wonder how this is going to wrap up considering there's only two episodes left and Brainiac having Kal's body mixed with Amanda and Lex going to war against Superman feels like a plot that'd be more then two episodes but eh guess we'll see.

 

[Yojimbo]

Brainiac having Kal's body mixed with Amanda and Lex going to war against Superman feels like a plot that'd be more then two episodes but eh guess we'll see.

For a hot second it made me wonder if the League of Lois Lanes got it wrong and all the evil AU Supermen were really AU Supermen being controlled by AU Brainiacs. But visually didn't match Supraniac at the end of this episode unless he's controlling them like Kara forcing them to "comply" and no one on those AU worlds figured out what was really going on.

Indeed. Don't really see a way out for Superman to be exonerated so season 3 will probably start off with a tainted reputation and him trying to get make amends. Sort of what we didn't get after STAS' "Legacy" aired. The thing is I don't think even Lex will be able to build enough improved Kryptonite energy cores in less than a day to beef up the Metallo army. If they sunk all those bits of Kryptonite into those cores - wonder if they'll just cobble a bomb or nuke together and try to destroy Superainiac sacrificing part of Metropolis to do it. We are talking Waller here. The only other thing they can use is the Red Sun Omega Field if they still have any. Unleashing Ivo would be a terrible idea. Then there's the wild card, Sam Lane. He blipped out of the season early on and hasn't been since since. Him popping up in the season finale to help would be interesting.

 

[Rick Jones]

I was randomly trying to think of any superhero cartoon episodes this one might have reminded me of, structurally, and my mind went right to episode 12 of Spectacular Spider-Man. Peter Parker is mentally trying to fight off the symbiote while backtracking through past events that led up to his current life. Brainiac was a little more successful in skewing the past negatively for Clark though. I really thought he would beat it at the end. And now his rescuer might need rescuing too.

 

[RoyalRubble]

Not a lot to comment this week but the mind games Brainiac was playing with Superman were pretty entertaining. I also wasn't expecting that Super Brainiac Man at the end, a pretty nice but creepy surprise.

Kara's redemption is starting out fine. Hope she manages to do more against her adoptive father and cousin though. Still it seems probably Lois will manage to help as well, so the next episodes should be interesting. Only two more left this season. Time went by pretty fast.

 

[-batmat-]

Got a little confused with Lois and the Black Mercy. She found another one? How did she know that using one on herself would mean she could help Clark somehow? I mean, that threw me off a bit because I was thinking on how the Black Mercy worked on JLU, but Im guessing its different here, but how did Lois know that?

 

[Otaku-sempai]

Got a little confused with Lois and the Black Mercy. She found another one? How did she know that using one on herself would mean she could help Clark somehow? I mean, that threw me off a bit because I was thinking on how the Black Mercy worked on JLU, but Im guessing its different here, but how did Lois know that?

Here, the Black Mercy is technological. Maybe Lois acquired it from Kara?

 

[Yojimbo]

Got a little confused with Lois and the Black Mercy. She found another one? How did she know that using one on herself would mean she could help Clark somehow? I mean, that threw me off a bit because I was thinking on how the Black Mercy worked on JLU, but Im guessing its different here, but how did Lois know that?

Above the throne there's a circle of Black Mercy's levitating. You can see it at the start. Watch closely at 18:42, there's 2 Black Mercy's floating behind Suprainiac for some reason and as he's proclaiming there's "only the Machine who would be Empire!" at 18:52, the camera POV suggests Lois is eyeing one of them instead of looking directly at Suprainiac. Then note she's then absent up to the point when he vents the three out. So off-screen, she nabbed one of them.

 

[Frontier]

For a hot second it made me wonder if the League of Lois Lanes got it wrong and all the evil AU Supermen were really AU Supermen being controlled by AU Brainiacs. But visually didn't match Supraniac at the end of this episode unless he's controlling them like Kara forcing them to "comply" and no one on those AU worlds figured out what was really going on.

This just reminded me the League of Lois' never apologized for trying to kill Clark...then again, they'd probably say "I told you so" if they saw what was going on .

Indeed. Don't really see a way out for Superman to be exonerated so season 3 will probably start off with a tainted reputation and him trying to get make amends. Sort of what we didn't get after STAS' "Legacy" aired. The thing is I don't think even Lex will be able to build enough improved Kryptonite energy cores in less than a day to beef up the Metallo army. If they sunk all those bits of Kryptonite into those cores - wonder if they'll just cobble a bomb or nuke together and try to destroy Superainiac sacrificing part of Metropolis to do it. We are talking Waller here. The only other thing they can use is the Red Sun Omega Field if they still have any. Unleashing Ivo would be a terrible idea. Then there's the wild card, Sam Lane. He blipped out of the season early on and hasn't been since since. Him popping up in the season finale to help would be interesting.

Honestly it does seem likely but I kind of don't want them to go in that direction because it feels like we keep repeating this plot of people distrusting and turning on Superman and the execution feels so contrived to me. And I feel like it's high-time the tables finally get turned on Waller because she's greatly overreached and doesn't need to get validated by a hijacked Superman invasion .

Though it would be kind of funny if Superainiac is the reason Lex loses his hair .

Kara's redemption is starting out fine. Hope she manages to do more against her adoptive father and cousin though. Still it seems probably Lois will manage to help as well, so the next episodes should be interesting. Only two more left this season. Time went by pretty fast.

I'm guessing Kara will get her blue suit next week .

Also I hope somebody finally tells this poor girl about Zor-El .

 

[Yojimbo]

Honestly it does seem likely but I kind of don't want them to go in that direction because it feels like we keep repeating this plot of people distrusting and turning on Superman and the execution feels so contrived to me. And I feel like it's high-time the tables finally get turned on Waller because she's greatly overreached and doesn't need to get validated by a hijacked Superman invasion .

Depends on if Brainiac's technokinesis extends outside Kandor. He could in theory easily turn the Metallos to his side and Task Force X / Human Defense Corps lose their trump card. Sam might have squirreled away a Red Sun Omega Field or the Omega Cannon he had in the S1 finale. I'm all for them moving away from the government paranoia arc and none of this continuing into season 3 but we got only 2 episodes left... Brainiac would really have to run his mouth off openly bragging to TFX about what he did and Superman's just his puppet and was never a threat to them for no one to blame Superman post-S2.

 

[Christopher Glennon]

From the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com

My Adventures with Superman: "The Death of Clark Kent" - Episode Recap

Previously - Kara had taken Superman to Kandor, Brainiac's space station. Brainac failed to sway Superman to his way of thinking, so he decided to change tactics. Kara realized that Brainiac had been tampering with her memories. Back on Earth, Lois and Jimmy enlisted the help of The Brain and Mallah, and the four of them stole the Amazo jump jet. They blasted off into space only to run straight into Kara, who has begun questioning her entire life.

Brainiac uses a device called the Black Mercy to trap Superman in an unconscious state. He enters Superman's mind and reveals that Kandor, and thus his robot body, is falling apart. Brainiac wants a new body and intends on using Superman's. Superman's memories bring him to his first fight with Livewire in Metropolis. Brainiac watches on, saying he will find Superman's weakness. He declares that Superman's death will be the rebirth of Krypton.

Read the full review here

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 19 "Pierce the Heavens, Superman!" - July 13, 2024

Jimmy and Kara race back to Metropolis to stop Brainiac's invasion of Earth! Meanwhile, Lois tries to free Clark from Brainiac's control.

 

[Nobodyman]

Previously on Superman: "I am no longer Brainiac or Superman. I am...Superbrain! Trademark, original character, do not steal."

The Fortress of Solitude?

Oh no, it's a Man Who Has Everything situation.

Well, it just keeps getting from bad to worse.

Man, Brainiac's MO is just to take the form of an abusive parent, isn't it?

The cake is...not a lie.

Memory by hand-holding.

Daily Planet to the rescue!

Steve to the rescue. So wrong yet so right.

Oh yeah, sure Kal-El, all this glitching out really looks on the level.

Love conquers all! Even evil memory-wiping computer programs!

Uh, can we save the lovers spat for later?

Damn. Lois just friggin' curbstomped fake Jor-El.

Never mind, Lois is The One.

Not only is that a great kiss, it's a kiss that may have just saved the world.

Dang. That's a lot of Kryptonite.

Go Kara!

Well that ain't good

Next week: More Brainiac soapboxing.

 

[Yojimbo]

I'd say they took a gamble with the breakneck pace of this episode. Pros and cons to that. But sorta like last season, there was a big battle in both the penultimate and the season finale and seems they're going that way here as well.

Lois Lane finds herself in a limited simulation of Krypton with no memory but the amnesia because she kinda wasn't supposed to slap the Black Mercy on her human head while it was already in use. They could have really parsed out amnesiac Lois stuck in a simulation for a # of episodes but thankfully it got resolved very quickly once she runs into Kal-El but then finds herself in a Groundhog Day situation as the Jor-El and Lara sims can only reset it to when Lois arrives and they can't actually erase her. What unfolds is a somewhat humorous montage of Lois trying to outsmart Jor-El and Lara while making Kal-El remember who he is.

Once Superman's back with Lois making an admission of making mistakes and professing her love, the shocker is Lois clocking Jor-El several feet anime battle style. Of course in Superman's head, Lois is the strongest person he knows. Kudos for getting through the rescue in the simulation in less than an episode but not making it feel too rushed but just enough to keep up with the pacing of the battles in Metropolis. Two nice bonuses were a cameo of a baby Sun Eater and the speaking debut of Lara, voiced by Rhea Seehorn.

Similarly to the big battle at the end of season one, a Flamebird livestream works in favor of our stars. Two innocent journalists being arrested by the military live is enough to inspire Perry, Vicki, and Steve to concoct a jail break. And a lot like Livewire's words of wisdom when it comes to love, Kara hears what she needs to about choosing to be a hero from... Steve Lombard. Oookay. And also like last season's end, Task Force X is bamboozled. Brainiac utterly defeats them in seconds. Flicks Slade, Damage, and Atomic Skull aside without much effort. Destroys a ton of Metallo robots with ease. Then hacks the rest of the Metallos into being his drones. Waller's faith in Luthor is yesterday's news and got a feeling Checkmate's confidence about Waller being a capable leader are equally plummeting. Brainiac, alone, proves a Task Force X needs to exist but not so narrowly focused on living Kryptonians so it doesn't look like they will be dissolved. Reformed more likely. Perhaps Sam Lane will be reinstalled. Or someone new will be brought in like Sarge Steel. Maybe Team Seven from the canon tie-in comic will get another shot. It'll be interesting to see what happens when the smoke clears.

Thankfully, Superbrainiac is a short-lived horrorfest. Not enough to make Superman's reputation flatline and for people to be scared of him. The fight between him and Kara was nothing to write to home about and really is more about building up to the moment of Superman's grand return than being an awe inspiring slugfest. The important take away is Kara making the choice to be a hero for herself, not for anyone else. But despite the return of Superman, in a new costume, and Kara's stand, Brainiac refuses to give up and prepares to destroy the planet. The hacked Metallos take out Superman and Kara. Task Force X is left looking like pushovers. The big honkin' cannon is powered up. Which wild card is going to ruin the next blast? The Brain and Mallah who had to portal away early on this week? They made a pair of arms for the ship, might they have other upgrades? Sam Lane, who fled to lay low earlier this season and has a cache of tech? All the people who got powers from being exposed to Kryptonian tech by Task Force X? John Henry Irons? It feels like an all hands on deck of "the city" coming to Superman's aid is on the horizon yet again.

Naturally, it made sense for there to be callbacks from this current season like the heist in "Olsen's Eleven" or the memory of Lois and Clark in the Stryker's secret elevator shaft in "Adventures with My Girlfriend" but the nice deep cuts were Kal-El still on some level remembering Lois loved cake which came up last season during the gala at Ivo Tower in "Let's Go to Ivo Tower, You Say" or Lois pointing out she came up with the name "Superman" which was back in the series premiere "Adventures of a Normal Man Part One" or the memory of the big kiss and Jimmy alluding to the events of "Zero Day Part Two" telling Kara they beat the impossible before. Couldn't go wrong with Steve invoking "wolf pack" either. One blink-or-miss easter egg was in Steve's van, one of the papers posted up for a Jump City Community College – Jump City, of course, being the setting for the early 2000s era Teen Titans animated series.

"Superman!" is a fast paced roller coaster ride that might seem to be too rushed by some (Superbrainiac is hardly utilized to wreck havoc on Earth, Lois' plight in the Krypton sim is resolved too quickly) or others will feel it's just the right speed to get fans hyped for the big finish in the season finale. Either way, not a bad cliffhanger. Task Force X has nothing left. The two aliens with powers are down for the count. Brainiac is ready to make sure third time's the charm. The final moments of the episode seem like all is lost but hey remember, the show's been renewed for another season so something's about to happen that's keeps Earth around or the show's gonna take a weird turn. The thrill ride concludes in one week.

 

[Frontier]

Look at Kal-El with the Kryptonian drip! And he's still as much of a wholesome good boi as ever, trying to become friends with a Sun Eater of all things. Shame the AI version of his mom is being controlled to carry out Brainiac's plans.

This rescue is off to a great start with Lois immediately having amnesia.

"You're under arrest" - I mean, admittedly, they DID steal government property, Kara DID cause property damage, and Superman technically IS about to invade. Just, y'know, Waller is still the worst.

Aw, they're having their 1st Meet Cute again! Only know it's Kal-El and amnesiac space woman! I wouldn't have minded if they fell in love again over the course of the episode but I guess Lois needed to get Clark's memories back fast.

"No, you're Clark Kent!" - He actually IS named Kal-El though but I guess it would take all day to go into a "what's his real name?" debate.

Amanda Waller didn't count on the power (and distracting presence) of the press! Literally the only thing Perry and Vicki would be willing to team-up over! And Steve is based as always!

Lois' future Kryptonian in-laws are REALLY not winning her over with the constant interruptions and time looping. Actually this episode felt kind of anti-Krypton in general. I kind of was hoping they'd explore Krypton and Clark living in it more.

Superaniac steamrolling through Task Force X was so satisfying. And then easily subduing the Metallo's and controlling them. Way to go Waller and Lex!

"He gets beat up a lot" - Self-awareness! But it's the perfect reasoning for Kara to fight on, however fruitlessly, against her "father" for the sake of Earth. She's like 90% Supergirl at this point.

I knew what would really get through to Clark is finding out Lois stole something dangerous and doing his usual line.

Well, Lois has power now, because Clark sees her as the strongest in his eyes!

The Power of Love to restore their main looks and then breaking through the Black Mercy with their love like it's straight up Gurren Lagann! It was probably the most anime moment of the entire show up to this point.

Superman is back! With a new upgraded costume! Are they going to add the trunks to it or...?

Oh of course Brainiac has Kryptonite-resistant armor that gives him a Final Boss worthy white form. I would've liked it if they'd added some purple or green to be honest.

Superman and Supergirl teaming-up to stop Brainiac was cool until they got felled by Brainiac.

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

"Superman!" (aka "Pierce The Heavens, Superman") - I think I said last time my major complaint was the preview of next week where it seemed Lois's memory was blank going into Clark's Black Mercy world which felt pointless, but turned out it did HAVE a point to it. So I'll say if they correct this point I'll take it back next week, but why did it seem the next episode preview indicate that Brainiac apparently DIDN'T fire his death laser into Metropolis before monologuing again? Like serious I really get annoyed when episodes end on this cliffhanger that seems impossible to get out of and the answer is "uh... have the next episode start sort of the same way but change it a bit so you can get out of it". That feels like a cheat so yeah if that doesn't turn out to be true I'll give praise to it but yeah the big thing that bugged me about this episode.

I will say the stuff more on earth wasn't really that great until the end. I do really like the idea of Jimmy's arrest by Waller's forces being what gets the Daily Planet (and by extension Vicky Vale) to come up with a plan of getting them out with Steve pretty much taking Jimmy knocked out Lois and Kara while distracted and baming out that was pretty funny. But honestly I felt though this season has done a lot of good things with Kara's angst especially again a few weeks back realizing she had been used and unsure of what to do next Jimmy encouraging her to be her own person could have been better handled. I think if they had more time with him pointing out she has shown her own interests and ideals and is obviously more then a trained warrior and really has the potential to be whatever she wants but that did feel a bit rushed. Like it was there but you could have like given another minute for that to mean something since yeah her showing up to fight Brainiac and block the laser was decent but needed more of a distinct oomph that felt kind of lacking. Not the worst thing ever but didn't click for me as well as it could have.

That said I do think the stuff with the Black Mercy was handled really well. I said last week I was annoyed at the idea of them apparently for no good reason having Lois not have her memory but yeah it's made clear why that's the case here; as this whole Black Mercy was obviously Brainiac's way of trying to control and use Kara and now Clark and put them under his more control but he can't do the same for Lois so is more just trying to get rid of her through the programming but it only being able to really stun her. And I'm sucker for an "Edge of Tomorrow" "Groundhog Day" esque set up which yeah this one doesn't have the time to really have fun with and go all out on the repeat over and over again but I do like Lois realizing she has more control over the scenario and then pointing out her feelings for Clark and what she did to get to him. Again the break up wasn't really handled that well but getting to this moment of her overcoming her fears to want to be with him was great. And I will say it was a good really empowering kind of corny that within Clark's memory world Lois has the same powers he does because he sees her as someone just as worthy of that power as he is which yeah is really sort of charming. Plus Lois punching out fake Zor-El and then flying with Clark has this really cool asethetic going on and it does show the strength of that relationship and how invaluable Lois is as Clark's support. Though yeah this isn't the finale so Brainiac taking control of those Metallo Units to take out Clark and Kara as he prepares to waste Metropolis is a solid cliffhanger especially again with Michael Emerson's take on Brainiac. My guess is with Clark and Kara still out of it we're going to see Sam Lane having gathered some allies to knock away the repuprosed Metallos enough for Clark and Kara to get out of their range and fry them before taking out Brainiac. That would make the most sense but we'll see if the show goes there.

Otherwise really solid finale like that whole part in the black mercy in the end though again I see as totally cheesy also really clicked for me and felt quite in spirit of Superman and this take on it and built well on themes even if again earlier episodes didn't always connect the lines together the best. Still good stuff here.

 

[Yojimbo]

Lois' future Kryptonian in-laws are REALLY not winning her over with the constant interruptions and time looping. Actually this episode felt kind of anti-Krypton in general. I kind of was hoping they'd explore Krypton and Clark living in it more.

It was more like Brainiac's version of Krypton. Basically every Kryptonian except Kal-El in the sim were Brainiac. At least I think that's why at some points you heard his voice overlaid others.

edit: Oh yeah and "Mortigi Kodon" is Esperanto for "Kill Code".

 

[RoyalRubble]

Pretty good episode this week. I liked how Lois tried to reach Kal and remind him of his life as Clark. It was nice how the two still connected inside the simulation, after he realized just how insane Lois' actions were, so she must be real. Also, some amusing bits of Lois being discovered each time, but also cool scenes of her punching Jor-El or her and Superman piercing the heaven... or at least the simulation dome or whatever that was.

Nice seeing Steve saving Jimmy and the others. Lex and his Metallos (the new, improved versions with Krptonite included!) worked pretty well but not necessarily as they planned since Brainiac took control of them. Looking forward to the finale, with Superman and Kara hopefully continuing their fight with Brainiac.

 

[Frontier]

It was more like Brainiac's version of Krypton. Basically every Kryptonian except Kal-El in the sim were Brainiac. At least I think that's why at some points you heard his voice overlaid others.

Yeah, I think from the get-go you see in that scene of Lara scolding Kal-El that she started talking more cold and robotic, which was probably a sign she was talking how the simulation wanted her to talk rather than how Lara would have actually responded to her son in that situation.

I just wish that Clark was in a better situation to learn more about his parents and his culture, but maybe they'll address that when we do more with the Fortress.

 

[Yojimbo]

I'll bet Brainiac is defeated presumably in the season 2 finale but what could be the ramifications of that in season 3? Perhaps more alien incursions on Earth. Basically, Brainiac going down is the galactic equivalent of the shot heard around the world and other name alien villains come to Earth to conquer what he couldn't or simply just want to test their mettle against Superman. Despero, Mongul, Khunds, Starro, Psions, Gordanians, Evil Star, Spider Guild, etc. Heck, Maxima would be an entertaining episode.

 

[Frontier]

I'll bet Brainiac is defeated presumably in the season 2 finale but what could be the ramifications of that in season 3? Perhaps more alien incursions on Earth. Basically, Brainiac going down is the galactic equivalent of the shot heard around the world and other name alien villains come to Earth to conquer what he couldn't or simply just want to test their mettle against Superman. Despero, Mongul, Khunds, Starro, Psions, Gordanians, Evil Star, Spider Guild, etc. Heck, Maxima would be an entertaining episode.

I feel like season 3 is going to be focused on Lex solo trying to destroy Superman but I think defeating Brainaic will definitely put a target on Earth's back, whether it be from Darkseid...or people who have a beef with Kara .

We still haven't even seen Lana but Maxima competing with Lois over Superman could be a lot of fun .