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

[Yojimbo]

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 .

Heck, the Green Lantern Corps might come to Earth in full force demanding Kara to be turned over since we know at least one of them fell by her and Brainiac's hand.

 

[Christopher Glennon]

From the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com

My Adventures with Superman: "Pierce the Heavens, Superman!" - Episode Recap

Previously – Brainiac used a mind-probing device called the Black Mercy to enter Superman’s mind and visit crucial moments in his career to find his weakness. Meanwhile, a stolen space ship crewed by Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Monsieur Mallah, and the Brain ran into Kara. They struck an alliance, as Lois and Jimmy wanted to save Superman and Kara wanted to appeal to Brainiac. Brainiac played on Superman’s insecurities that his loved ones don’t truly accept him. Kara fought and seemingly beat Brainiac. However, Brainiac abandoned his robotic body for Superman’s while Superman’s mind remained trapped in a simulation of Krypton. The new Superbrainiac ejected Kara, Jimmy, and Lois and took the Kandor space station away. While Jimmy and Kara wondered what to do, Lois put a Black Mercy on herself to go save Superman.

We begin in the simulation of Krypton with a now fully grown Kal-El. He feeds a creature and shows compassion for it. Lara uses her heat vision on the creature and tells Kal-El that his kindness for it is a weakness. Elsewhere in the simulation, Lois Lane emerges from a crashed space ship. She is quickly surrounded by Jor-El and some Kryptonian soldiers. When he demands to know who she is, she can’t answer. Contact with the Black Mercy has stripped her of her memory.

Read the full review here

 

[Frontier]

I'm guessing Kara is going to willpower herself into a blue Supergirl suit like Clark did with his new one .

The only question is if Ma Kent will add the trunks to Clark's new suit and be the one to give Kara her skirt .

Heck, the Green Lantern Corps might come to Earth in full force demanding Kara to be turned over since we know at least one of them fell by her and Brainiac's hand.

And then we get a cool trial episode .

 

[Otaku-sempai]

How long before one of the Galaxy's villains hires Lobo to come after the Man of Steel?

 

[Yojimbo]

How long before one of the Galaxy's villains hires Lobo to come after the Man of Steel?

Ha, I was talking to @James Harvey about that. If he does appear they'd probaly use the short lived New 52 hot boy character design.

 

[Frontier]

Ha, I was talking to @James Harvey about that. If he does appear they'd probaly use the short lived New 52 hot boy character design.

The show might have tried to make Bishonen Slade work but I don't think even they're daredevil enough to bring back NuLobo .

Although now I suddenly have this idea in my head of him showing up and trying to steal Kara from Jimmy like some kind of Bad Boy character...

 

[M.O.D.O.K.]

I haven't had time to write about each episode, but I've been enjoying them all overall.

I get what they're trying to do with Superman's new costume with him embracing more of his Kryptonian culture, but it's kind of busy to me. I hope Ma Kent gives him some emergency red trunks when this is all over, at least.

I loved the "naaaah" callback with Steve, it was great. This episode's cast list was a bit bigger than normal. I'm surprised they brought back Perry and Vicky's voice actors for a couple of lines.

 

[Frontier]

I get what they're trying to do with Superman's new costume with him embracing more of his Kryptonian culture, but it's kind of busy to me. I hope Ma Kent gives him some emergency red trunks when this is all over, at least.

I like the idea of the new suit symbolizing him embracing his Kryptonian culture though I feel like it's coming off so many episodes kind of doubling down on giving him reason to reject said culture that it doesn't really work .

I think there is a very good chance that the finale ends with Martha giving Clark the trunks back and giving Kara her skirt to complete her Supergirl costume .

I loved the "naaaah" callback with Steve, it was great. This episode's cast list was a bit bigger than normal. I'm surprised they brought back Perry and Vicky's voice actors for a couple of lines.

They made up for it with everyone but Task Force X only getting grunts .

I feel like I can count on one hand the amount of episodes Slade has had dialogue on this show .

 

[Yojimbo]

They made up for it with everyone but Task Force X only getting grunts .

When I see stuff like that, I figure there was a lot of cut lines. To add to that notion, I noticed this episode was pretty lean in run time compared to the rest of the season. I think they wanted to keep the pacing at break neck speed and excised anything that slowed it down.

 

[RoyalRubble]

Episode 20 "My Adventures With Supergirl" - July 20, 2024

Superman, Kara, Lois and Jimmy team up to fight Brainiac, but will Superman have to choose between saving Earth and saving the people he loves?

 

[Christopher Glennon]

I'm a sucker for all things Clark/Lois, so it was great to see them reconcile in the Krypton simulation. The only thing that didn't work for me was Jor-El and Lara insisting they need to keep Lois away from Kal-El and then they kept leaving the room. I guess the simulation really was running low on power, somehow Lois kept managing to avoid detection.

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.

Sarge Steel could be interesting. I was thinking maybe the Human Defense Corps would be completely separated from Task Force X, and Sam Lane would be the one running it.

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.

Yeah, he definitely needs green.

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 could see that happening. I want Lex Luthor to be a bigger player, though. Put him more in direct conflict with Superman. And, naturally, he has to go bald.

 

[Yojimbo]

Sarge Steel could be interesting. I was thinking maybe the Human Defense Corps would be completely separated from Task Force X, and Sam Lane would be the one running it.

Yeah, I'd dig that.

Yeah, he definitely needs green.

Well, one episode left. 50:50 chance from a statistic point of view.

 

[Nobodyman]

Previously on Superman: Brainiac's fatal flaw is that he did not program love into his simulation.

"You're not breaking up with me, I'm breaking up with you!"

Hey look! Shaquille O'Neal's back!

Well, enemy of my enemy and all that.

Mandy? Huh. Well she wouldn't be the first evil Mandy we've seen on this network.

"Oh yeah, I blew up Krypton. Didn't I mention that?"

Oh boy. Kal vs. Kara round two.

Man, this better not end like Crisis on Infinite Earths.

"Hug it out, Kara. Let's hug it out."

SCREW YOU DAD!

Kara, No!

If you can endure the sun's heat, I think you can escape its gravity.

Yep, the sun is just one big battery for you guys.

 

[Rick Jones]

This version of Brainiac is so fiendish. I really enjoy that.

I'm not a big fan of all the villains becoming anti-heroes but desperate times...

Is the new Superman shield like the one James Gunn is using?

Looks like Brainiac caused them to go Super Saiyan.

 

[Nobodyman]

Oh my god, just die already!

"Take this, sucka!"

Upon reflection, Brainiac regrets not giving himself the latest version update.

Okay, NOW we get a commercial break.

Enough with the Kara death fake outs!

Alright, she's okay. And she's got a cool battle scar to show for it.

"Welcome to the family, Kara. Now we're gonna send you off to an orphanage instead of letting you live with us. Cause that's a cool thing to do."

And one last scene with Clark and Lois.

Bit of an abrupt ending for the season, but it works well enough. Bring on Season 3!

 

[Yojimbo]

The tenth and final episode of season two "My Adventures With Supergirl" is a satisfying conclusion to the story that began in season one and drives home the themes of what makes a family, fate vs. choice, loneliness and fear, love conquers all, and the important connections people have with each other mixed in with lasers, explosions, robots, and super anime punches but still leaves a few questions and resolutions open-ended and re-sets the board for season three.

Like some people here wanted, a green Brainiac but not the kinda green you expected? Nice little nods like "Eradicator Override" used on Supergirl or Brainiac using the "Black Zero" protocol.

To no one's surprise, Earth is saved, Lois decides to stay in Metropolis and decline Vicki's offer, and the trio of best friends is now a quartet. It was a relief this episode wasn't just about punching robots real hard and the power of love. This show still had one big revelation left to drop on us. Krypton was not destroyed by the forces of another planet the Empire could not defeat. It was their own A.I. system Brainiac that destroyed the planet. All out of fear, selfishness, and self-preservation. He did not want to exist in an era of peace because he, a war machine, would become useless and cast aside. Just to stop himself from being hypothetically trashed, he committed genocide. Then heaped mental and verbal abuse on Kara for two decades while periodically erasing her memory and using temporary brainwashing to make her destroy more worlds. And near defeat with no chance of victory or survival, opts to kill Superman and Kara, too. Loses. Then tries to kill Kara again. Suffice to say, this Brainiac was the worst. Probably the most vile depiction of the villain in animation yet. Good riddance. Knock wood.

It was a great full circle moment, to see over the past episodes, for a lot of characters whose lives were touched by Superman, Lois, and Jimmy to come back and help them. Brain and Mallah with the heist and space rescue. Livewire and Heatwave for the heist. Perry, Steve, and Vicki with breaking Jimmy, Lois, and Kara out of military custody. This episode with Livewire and Heatwave again, John Henry Irons from earlier this season, General Sam Lane, and the return of Rough House, Silver Banshee, and Mist who haven't been seen since the penultimate episode last season. Sure, you could argue they were just fodder in the typical anime showdown to clear the way for the stars to fight the big bad but the spirit of why they helped - they're not just run of the mill criminals or self-serving individuals but they care about the planet they live on, too. Metropolis looks out for its own, too. It's not just Superman saving the day.

While the threat of Brainiac is 99.9% over, other aspects of the season, for better or worse, get breezed over as the episode and season winds up. What were Jimmy and Kara helping The Brain and Mallah with? Rebuilding the damage to the Cadmus building (the synopsis for Issue #5 of the tie-in comic might have given it away: a big battle at Area 52 between season 1 and 2)? Why is Slade Wilson now with Lex Luthor and Lexcorp? Why is Waller MIA? Why is there a Thanagarian in the voice actor credits? While it made sense the fight focused on Superman and Kara vs. Brainiac, it is at the cost of anything substantial for Waller and Sam other than them saving each other's bacon once each and giving each other a nod. But implicitly it's a lesson for Waller about how she should have trusted Sam all along instead of throwing in with others of a dubious nature. We don't get to see her fate or what Checkmate's next move will be. One unfortunate omission from the epilogue is a scene of reconciliation between Lois and Sam. All we get is that Sam showed up to the Kent's party in Smallville. Shrug. And that one thing. Kara, why didn't you just chuck Brainiac's CPU into the Sun. And when she passed out, why Clark, did you not chuck it into the Sun instead of taking it back to Earth?! So there is a slight chance now for Brainiac to return in a future season. Only thing missing from that last shot of that CPU was a Freddy Krueger laugh.

Looking ahead to season three. The status of Task Force X and the Human Defense Corps are left vague in the season finale. As I touched on last week, we'll likely see both being reformed and/or merged to focus on general alien threats and perhaps Sam Lane will be reinstalled as the leader, Waller is the leader of one and Sam leads the other, or we could get a new leader and new addition to the recurring cast like Sarge Steel or the animated debut of Team Seven, who are the new baddies in the canon tie-in comic, take Task Force X's place finally. The defeat of Brainiac could serve as the galactic equivalent of the shot heard around the world and draw even more alien threats to Earth to test the planet's mettle, to try to conquer it, or to try and kill those Kryptonians who stopped Brainiac. This could be a great way to bring in more name characters from the DC mythos like Mongul, Despero, Khunds, Psions, Gordanians, Starro, Maxima, Lobo to name a few. Just not Darkseid. I know we had the Parademon cameo on Kandor but... Give stoneface a rest. Or there's still the issue of the rest of the universe not knowing Kara was under Brainiac's sway when she destroyed civilizations. We know one Green Lantern fell to them. Could we see the full force of the Green Lantern Corps show up on Earth to arrest Kara for multiple counts of genocide?

Stay tuned to Toonami because next week on the night of the 27th and 28th at midnight, the whole block will be a marathon of season two. Also on the 27th, the show will have a panel at San Diego Comic Con where they discuss season two and tease season three. Then the canon tie-in comic that takes place between season one and season two continues with four issues left coming out usually the first week from August to November. Knock wood sales are great and more canon mini-series get greenlit. Feels like there's still some odds and ends that Josie Campbell, Brendan Clogher, and Jake Wyatt could fill and address that they didn't have the time and real estate to during both seasons. Like they could do a whole mini-series of season two from Sam Lane's point of view and explore what he was up to when he left Lois's apartment up to his return in the season finale. Or what a missed opportunity they didn't do an actual weekly Flamebird podcast yet. Something like that would be easy on the budget especially if they keep it just audio and keep the show in the public consciousness during the long wait between seasons versus doing something more expensive like a direct-to-video movie. Not that I would decline that either. And here's hoping this show gets a Blu-ray release eventually rather than just DVD. As for when season three comes out, who knows. Late 2025 at the earliest. 2026 probably since these shows take a good two years to make start to finish. Please Warner. More canon tie-in content from the creators.

 

[Frontier]

You know it's serious when they skip the intro! And they threw in all the animation budget into this one!

Kind of surprised the Metallo's were easy enough to take down with bullets.

Show, it's way too late to try to inject any kind of dignity or honor into Waller at this point. She doesn't deserve it. Also, what a coward, Lex Luthor!

Nice to see Steel again, really wish they could give him a new armor.

So Superman and Kara can't fight the Metallo's, but the season 1 villains lead by Sam Lane can! I guess we're not going to treat them like villains any more? I know they're doing it to save their own city but Clark's suddenly calling them "friends" so it would be weird seeing them fight again in season 3.

Last minute redemption of Krypton by saying they tried to decommission Brainiac and end their warlike ways...and Brainiac destroyed them. So Clark finally gets to feel the full weight of mourning his parents and his planet.

Oh, so I guess in context Kara was the series' version of Eradicator whenever Brainiac controlled her.

It wouldn't be MAWS if Superman wasn't getting his butt kicked against an opponent he feels like he has to hold back with. But at least we got to see him show he could control the fight against Kara and dodge/destroy all the drones with the one ability he's had since he was a kid...flight.

Stop bullying Smol!Kara Brainiac! Good thing the power of family and hugs got through to her.

Kara and Clark getting the theme song power-up as they push Brainiac's ship into space.

Y'know a part of me wanted a more drawn-out fight than just "chucking him into space" or one-punching him, though very cathartic for Kara.

FINALLY injecting some green into Brainiac!

If you thought we were done with the anime moments, here's Kara falling and saved by the visage of her child cousin as both Els get re-powered by the sun and re-energized to battle Brainiac...and Kara finally gets her Supergirl costume!

I'm sure keeping Brainiac's core won't cause any problems.

Kara has a scar, loungewear, and the welcome reception of the Kents who accept her immediately! And she gets to catch up on lost time with her cousin by playing catch.

Oh, I guess everyone is invited to the Kent Farm huh?

Kara looking so smug as she gives Vicki an exclusive on Supergirl. Sorry Perry!

Lex didn't even really do anything useful and he still gets his company, his hair, and...Slade!?

Clark with the chad boyfriend moves of being willing to do long-distance from Gotham and kabedonning Lois, but no self-respecting Lois Lane will chase another reporters' coattails and leave Metropolis. Or Clark. And we get one last kiss for the road!

Nice to see the trio is now a foursome and Superman and Supergirl are now a crime-fighting team who can fly off with their loved ones hand-in-hand.

Y'know, looking at it at the end, I'm really bummed they didn't add the trunks and the skirt to Clark and Kara's costumes. It would really break up the blue. Ma Kent, you had one job (other than accepting Kara)!

 

[Yojimbo]

Oh and what a coincidence that

Spoiler

Supergirl powers up on the Sun twice this week, this show and the COIE finale.

Though it ended on a better note here.

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

"My Adventures With Supergirl" - Minor complaints; You know with how much the season focused on the various trickery and amoral tactics that Task Force X was getting up to, having Lex get away with Wade Wilson and a quick shot of Amanda being discredited feels pretty lacking. Just saying in Peacemaker they at least gave more of a definite video screwing over of Waller that felt like we should have gotten here then a brief shot in a montage. Also though I am glad it is made clear the Kryptonians were at war and only tried a cease fire peace tactic due to losing the battle it does feel off still having the blame on Brainiac. I mean that is still a pretty classic idea for Braniac to be the fault of the destruction of Krypton and not like I wanted him to be this super tragic figure or anything but I preferred a slight shade of grey more over it even though it did give an excuse for Michael Emerson to continue chewing all the scenery with this guy. And I know they probably couldn't do this but with how this one was structured I wish we just had like a commercial up front after Brainiac's first big rant and the rest of the episode played as is since having a commercial break after the fight just to pick up with Supergirl waking up a week later felt kind of off.

I am commenting on these minor issues though because I feel the rest of this really worked. I guess you could also argue some of the more cheesier moments like trying to huge the mind control Kara out of her rampage but honestly I felt the emotional core worked here. Clark knows that Kara is a good person being literally used by Brainiac and who she more actually is and thus wouldn't directly fight her and again showing her get out of that control by being reminded of love and connection over control does have a weight to it seeing how she was pushed by it before but isn't now. I guess I could also say "felt like there were sort of 3 different climaxes with them pushing Braniac into the sun being him turning it into a Kryptonite trap and pushing them in but them being sun powered didn't work" but I admit it was worth it seeing that big epic clash with Kara pushing through Brainiac and ultimately being the one to take him out. If you go to the One Piece manga thread (which if you're reading the manga please do I really shouldn't be the only one commenting on it) they did something like that recently so I appreciate seeing it here. And you know I also give credit of actually getting to see everyone help out in this big battle. I think i said last time "oh pretty obvious this is going to have Sam come back and help Clark and Kara out" but I do like bringing out the various former Task Force X members as well as Steel and heck even Hank and the planes and showing it was this massive team effort. That was also a point in Man of Steel but in MoS you didn't really care about these individuals as we never spent any time with them to get a sense of who they are but they spent time in this show doing so thus having them come together meant something. Even Sam helping out Waller and her returning the favor shows that yeah things aren't right between them but they are at least on this basic page of protecting the planet over say a scummy worm like Luthor.

I guess the wrap up also feels a bit quick as some stuff I wish was expanded on (like Lois reacting to her dad having come back and how she feels about him now) but I get limited time and what was there was nice. Honestly the whole playing catch between Clark and Kara I thought was lame but then him wailing it at her going "I'm not holding back" and her smiling I actually really liked. It shows that yeah though Clark loves earth and his family he does appreciate having someone now he can go toe to toe with and push him in ways that is still family and have this other kind of connection. And I also like Clark and Lois's talk and Lois admitting not wanting to go to Gotham and being the best Lois Lane and being with Clark... again it's shmaltzy but it really fits the vibe of this and just seeing the four having lunch and then there being this fire and Lois and Jimmy tagging along with their partners to scope it out just felt like the right note to end this season on. There are obvious fragments we'll have to come back to next season but even if this was the end of the show I think it is a solid end having a good battle and still making sure the focus was on the core cast and now settling into this new team dynamic so yeah that all worked well.

And honestly due to having a more climatic finale even if the comedy had to take an obvious back seat did I feel slightly edge this over the first season. There were still that clunker in the middle of the run but again I will take a bad episode in a 10 run if the rest are good and I feel that is mostly the case here. Some bad attempts at drama don't hurt if the actual story still hits it at the end and this the case here.

 

[Frontier]

Miscellaneous final thoughts:

• Once again Superman needs help to resolve the major problem in the season finale of his own show (and he doesn't even get the final hit on the Big Bad). Thematically I get it, and this season was as much about Kara's journey to becoming hero as it was Clark coming more into his own, yet at the same time is it really that hard for Clark to get any major wins solo?
• I imagine season 3 will feature more development of Jimmy and Kara's relationship which pretty much took a backseat in the finale over Clark and Kara's relationship (for sensible reasons, granted). Obviously the ending was very indicative of them being a thing now, but I imagine we'll get to see them officially start dating, Jimmy makes Kara realize what love is, and they have their first kiss. In-between Kara growing into being Supergirl, of course.
• What happened to Hank Henshaw?
• One of Lois' biggest conflicts this season was her relationship with her dad which was...not resolved at all in the finale and Sam Lane is just at the Kent Farm all hunky dory. I guess instead of abandoning her again he came back and supported Superman? Eh.
• I got the vibe that we're meant to think the season 1 villains will be officially phased out now that they're not bad bad guys any more and ended up helping out and becoming part of the team. I guess with Clark as he is now and Kara there too they basically pose basically no threat to either of them. Maybe season 3 will focus more on powerful alien threats to make up for it. But I also can't help but think it's just another instance of the show not really knowing how to properly utilize Superman's Rogues Gallery for the most part (also giving them all discount Iron Man armors was a choice).
• So was Jeannie Tirado's Lana Lang ultimately cut? Was there a childhood Smallville flashback they wrote and voiced but never properly integrated into the show?
• I find it kind of funny the News Legion are at the BBQ seemingly without their parents.
• I don't dislike Kara's Supergirl costume (I think the shoulder guards are a bit much and don't work for her like they do for Clark) but other than her wearing her cape like a scarf she and Clark are wearing pretty much the exact same suit. Like they couldn't have found more ways to differentiate the two? I mean, one way to accomplish that would've been to give Kara a skirt, but it's not like Supergirl has a tradition of wearing skirts or anything.
• Was anyone else really underwhelmed by the shows' version of Lex? I know he wasn't even intended to be in it and it was just kind of a lucky break they were able to still work him in, but overall he just didn't really impress me. It's like they want you tho think he's going on a similar journey into becoming his iconic Supervillain self while Clark is doing the same as Superman yet most of his development feels contrived to make him come off more successful and Lex-like rather than feeling like a natural progression of the character and he's hardly intimidating or impressive outside fear-mongering and having some computer/tech-wiz skills. Is anyone really expecting him to be a genuinely significant threat in season 3 after his use in this season? I do find it funny how little he and Superman have actually interacted in this show.
• Also after making it clear he doesn't care for Luthor...Slade Wilson is now in Lex's employ. Did he just follow the money? Does anyone really care enough about this version of Slade to want to see more of him? I feel like the writers care more about him than the audience does despite how little Slade actually does on the show. I'd rather we get Mercy Graves than more Slade.
• So if I'm understanding Brainiac's motivation correctly he was basically just doubling down on his programming to conquer planets for the Kryptonian Empire even if it meant committing genocide on said planets' populace and there were no actual Kryptonians to live on said planets. Although it did kind of make him come off like your typical cliche'd galactic conqueror.
• I hope in season 3 we have Kara learn more about Zor-El while Clark learns more about his biological parents as well. I really wish they had addressed more that Brainiac didn't jus use and absue her he stole the knowledge of her real father from her.
• I still wish we could get a fight where Clark gets to go all out against an opponent who can hold their own against him. That obviously was not Brainiac.
• It's interesting how the degree of Brainiac's culpability in Krypton's destruction has changed over the years. First in the DCAU he's an AI that was aware ahead of time that Krypton was going to blow up but never warned anyone and actively sabotaged any attempt at saving the people, then they established in other adaptions that him nabbing Kandor was what set off the instability that destroyed the planet. Here he just straight up blew it up.
• So what was Nemesis Omega? Was that a Kryptonian (Zod?) making a last ditch effort to invade Earth with Krypton exploding behind them? And it gave the Els their only chance at saving Kal while the portal was still open?
• I still want to see that smug smirk wiped off of Vicki's face.