My Adventures With Superman S1: Spoilers & Discussion

[Mantis-Ray]

I can see Lois using all of this as fuel for a rebuttal article that restores Superman's reputation and gets Lois her official reporting job.

This would be the perfect piece for Lois to write that officially nets her a reporter job.

After all the government is blatantly committing several human rights violation including forcing criminals onto their payroll with shock collars and is the excessive brutality on Superman.

Perfect to write about.

[TaliaJoy]

I personally wasn't really bothered by the public turning on Superman (especially since they didn't really imply that everyone hates Superman completely or go too over-the-top about it). From the public's point of view, he basically caused a major traffic accident for no reason. He's also a very new superhero who hasn't done a big, grand "saving everyone" thing yet, just various good deeds. Plus, I guess I just feel like it would be normal for people to be skeptical of something as weird and powerful as Superman.

In my opinion, it's confirmed Alex is Lex at this point. It would be so random to bring him back otherwise, and what he said obviously makes perfect sense for something for Lex to say.

[Ascended]

Feels like they’re taking inspiration from Superman Smashes The Klan for Supes’ power levels (there he was suppressing his power because he wanted to fit in). Once Clark accepts he’s not normal and never will be, which we see he’s already moving towards via his reaction to Lois’ comment when previously being normal was all he wanted, we will probably see his strength increase. That’s how SSTK ended.

I think we're definitely heading towards a 'inner awakening unlocks new power levels' thing.

Absolutely loved that scene where Lois suggests spending the day being normal. That captured a big piece of Clark most writers never manage to, and I never thought this show, of all things, would hit that chord.

I wonder if the twist is that connecting with that Kryptonian heritage is what drives some of the multiverse's Supermen evil? Like the old Byrne era Eradicator story. Clark's overloaded by the AI and it re-wires his brain. That feels like a good twist; the General and Waller end up being responsible for creating the thing they feared, realizing only in hindsight that Superman was never a threat...until they turned him into one.

This would be the perfect piece for Lois to write that officially nets her a reporter job.

Is it mean that I kinda want Clark to miss out on the promotion? It might make for a fun dynamic next season if Clark's working for Lois, and Clark could get a subplot for next season trying to 'catch up' to them. Plus, even for a show like this, I like to see writers acknowledge the price Clark sometimes has to pay to be Superman.

[TaliaJoy]

Is it mean that I kinda want Clark to miss out on the promotion? It might make for a fun dynamic next season if Clark's working for Lois, and Clark could get a subplot for next season trying to 'catch up' to them. Plus, even for a show like this, I like to see writers acknowledge the price Clark sometimes has to pay to be Superman.

That would be interesting, honestly. Normally, things seem to come pretty easily to Clark as far as his journalistic career goes...it often feels like he goes from being a nobody to being a star reporter for the Daily Planet almost instantly. (This is especially funny in interpretations where he didn't even go to college or have newspaper experience.) It would be nice to see him have to work hard for it, especially since being Superman will probably hinder him. I also think that maybe Clark won't be able to get away with writing about himself because Lois knows his secret and will get mad at him for breaching journalistic ethics...something like that could be an interesting conflict.

[itsxtray]

My problem with the episode is Clarks naivete. Why would he trust the dude that he knows is a criminal in a plot to free more criminals? He was going to set them free and then what? Just let them go? Use your brain for just a couple seconds Clark and this should smell fishy right away, it was incredibly dumb. Forget genius Clark, this show isn't even going for decently intelligent Clark.

Also, Superman was just livestreamed getting jumped and abducted to millions of followers shouldn't the citizens of Metropolis be just as worried about these powerful randoms as they are Clark? They don't know anything about them just like they know nothing about Superman.

[Frontier]

Is it mean that I kinda want Clark to miss out on the promotion? It might make for a fun dynamic next season if Clark's working for Lois, and Clark could get a subplot for next season trying to 'catch up' to them. Plus, even for a show like this, I like to see writers acknowledge the price Clark sometimes has to pay to be Superman.

It feels weird to say this because we've actually seen this Clark be a solid Superman but Lois probably needs the credit more at this point.

That would be interesting, honestly. Normally, things seem to come pretty easily to Clark as far as his journalistic career goes...it often feels like he goes from being a nobody to being a star reporter for the Daily Planet almost instantly. (This is especially funny in interpretations where he didn't even go to college or have newspaper experience.) It would be nice to see him have to work hard for it, especially since being Superman will probably hinder him. I also think that maybe Clark won't be able to get away with writing about himself because Lois knows his secret and will get mad at him for breaching journalistic ethics...something like that could be an interesting conflict.

That reminds me how one of the first things Lois did after Clark confesses he's Superman to her in the Death of Superman animated movie is accuse him of ethics violations for writing about himself .

My problem with the episode is Clarks naivete. Why would he trust the dude that he knows is a criminal in a plot to free more criminals? He was going to set them free and then what? Just let them go? Use your brain for just a couple seconds Clark and this should smell fishy right away, it was incredibly dumb. Forget genius Clark, this show isn't even going for decently intelligent Clark.

Also, Superman was just livestreamed getting jumped and abducted to millions of followers shouldn't the citizens of Metropolis be just as worried about these powerful randoms as they are Clark? They don't know anything about them just like they know nothing about Superman.

Admittedly he was absolutely drained and sleep-deprived so he probably wasn't thinking as clearly as he would've been otherwise.

[Confuzzled]

My problem with the episode is Clarks naivete. Why would he trust the dude that he knows is a criminal in a plot to free more criminals? He was going to set them free and then what? Just let them go? Use your brain for just a couple seconds Clark and this should smell fishy right away, it was incredibly dumb. Forget genius Clark, this show isn't even going for decently intelligent Clark.

This is a strange hangup to have as I'm pretty sure naive young Clark is what is attracting more Gen Z fans to the character. Also think it's in character for a 21-22 yo Clark to believe in the goodness of people and to perceive Mist and his gang as decent kids who just happened to get the short end of the stick.

I dunno, him not being able to see through Mist (no pun) didn't seem as dumb as say, him getting played by Businessman Lex. You want Clark to be compassionate and give the little guy the benefit of the doubt.

[Vordan]

I wonder if the twist is that connecting with that Kryptonian heritage is what drives some of the multiverse's Supermen evil? Like the old Byrne era Eradicator story. Clark's overloaded by the AI and it re-wires his brain. That feels like a good twist; the General and Waller end up being responsible for creating the thing they feared, realizing only in hindsight that Superman was never a threat...until they turned him into one.

That would be the best way to handle it and I hope your theory is correct. That’s how S&L handled their evil Superman in a comic tie-in. That Clark was abused by humanity so when he got an offer to build New Krypton, he accepted. And yeah I do think Lara is going to be this show’s take on the Eradicator, having her be the one to try and “reprogram” Kal would be awesome.

Is it mean that I kinda want Clark to miss out on the promotion? It might make for a fun dynamic next season if Clark's working for Lois, and Clark could get a subplot for next season trying to 'catch up' to them. Plus, even for a show like this, I like to see writers acknowledge the price Clark sometimes has to pay to be Superman.

Hah! That would be great, maybe have both Lois and Jimmy get full offers while Clark is stuck being an intern? That would be an easy source of both drama and comedy.

My problem with the episode is Clarks naivete. Why would he trust the dude that he knows is a criminal in a plot to free more criminals? He was going to set them free and then what? Just let them go? Use your brain for just a couple seconds Clark and this should smell fishy right away, it was incredibly dumb. Forget genius Clark, this show isn't even going for decently intelligent Clark.

Also, Superman was just livestreamed getting jumped and abducted to millions of followers shouldn't the citizens of Metropolis be just as worried about these powerful randoms as they are Clark? They don't know anything about them just like they know nothing about Superman.

The whole point of the conversation with Lois and Jimmy that he has is to show that he’s sleep deprived and not thinking clearly. Lois asks what he plans to do when he finds the general and he doesn’t have an answer. He’s just determined to get the guy and is trying to bulldoze his way to what he wants. It’s no different from say, Zuko’s “plan” to kidnap Aang in the North Pole in Avatar: The Last Airbender. They both have tunnel vision because they’re young and laser focused on their goal to the point of not thinking about the bigger picture.

[Ascended]

It feels weird to say this because we've actually seen this Clark be a solid Superman but Lois probably needs the credit more at this point.

Yeah Clark has handled things pretty well so far. But here, we see him developing his enhanced senses and he seems to spend all that time on Super duty since there's always more trouble for him to deal with, letting his responsibilities as Clark slide. I'm hoping that after this, he needs to find a new work-life-work balance.

Up to this point, Clark has only had to act as Superman when the threat is right in front of him. How will he handle it when he can hear everyone's problems across Metropolis?

That would be the best way to handle it and I hope your theory is correct.

Whatever the show does, I think it'll be fun and entertaining. They're slowly earning my trust here. But yeah, it'd be a good way to tie up the narrative and connect the Krypton flashbacks to the stuff with Waller and the General, plus it'd help develop Lois' 'can I trust him not to go evil?' subplot.

Hah! That would be great, maybe have both Lois and Jimmy get full offers while Clark is stuck being an intern? That would be an easy source of both drama and comedy.

If Jimmy doesn't get promoted while Lois (or Clark) do, I'm not gonna be cool with that. Maybe they all stay interns, maybe they don't, who knows, but Jimmy is already the third wheel here and I'd hate to see him held back while Clark and Lois get to move forward.

The whole point of the conversation with Lois and Jimmy that he has is to show that he’s sleep deprived and not thinking clearly.

Precisely. Dude is at the end of his rope and not thinking things through. It's surprising how quickly he agreed to take on the military. It's a very Superman thing to do, to go after anyone doing wrong regardless of their station, but Clark usually puts more consideration into his actions. But yeah, he was definitely not on his game at all, and that's a big part of why things went the way they did. Superman fully rested and thinking clearly wouldn't have fallen so easily for the ruse, nor struggled with the villains (outside of Parasite) like he did.

[NaVi]

The excuse that he doesn't sleep and that's why his IQ drops to the level of a stone is very good, but sleeping well I trust a strange being (Mxy), this Super doesn't stand out for his intelligence. Nobody wants a Superman like Batman, I'm Batman and when I go to sleep I look under the bed in case there's a monster that wants to attack me (I'm sure they'll look), but at least think about it for a bit.

[DochaDocha]

After some time to think about it, I came to the conclusion that the General wants to take out Superman because he's afraid of the possibility Superman goes rogue, but to catch Superman he devises a plan that is contingent on Superman performing an act of sympathy. Kind of a strange plan, but not the weirdest thing we've seen in stories about the threat of EVIL SUPERMAN.

[Vordan]

After some time to think about it, I came to the conclusion that the General wants to take out Superman because he's afraid of the possibility Superman goes rogue, but to catch Superman he devises a plan that is contingent on Superman performing an act of sympathy. Kind of a strange plan, but not the weirdest thing we've seen in stories about the threat of EVIL SUPERMAN.

He thinks Superman is putting on a fake front of being a hero in order to catch Earth off guard. It makes sense that he would seek to take advantage of that by putting someone in danger in order to lure Superman in. Either way it’s a win: Superman has to help to keep up appearances, or he drops the act and provides the General more ammo to smear him as a threat.

[Mantis-Ray]

Ya know Alex's rant is so funny cause for his all complaining about Superman, the problems he's talking about were ultimately caused by a human.

Ivo is the one who took technology he barely understands to make a weapon, uses it without caring about the safety risks, and then proceeds to go on a rampage with it nearly killing a bunch of people and himself. And thats ignoring that Amazotech was going bankrupt because of Ivo's bad business' decisions. Him using alien technology ignores that Ivo was desperate for any kind of solution. If he didn't have access to Kryptonian tech, then he would have done a different kind of dangerous stunt to save his ass.

Absolutely nothing was Superman's fault because that requires ignoring every decision Ivo made in the process that lead to him becoming Parasite.

His argument is also basically whataboutism. Keeps rambling about the if possibility of Superman going bad, while completely ignoring or just not caring about the actual people who have gone bad. Sure Superman "might" be a threat, but what about the people actively currently threatening Metropolis or how the government is conscripting supervillains and arming them with technology even they don't fully understand?

Everything he's saying is like the most Lex Luthor **** ever, so if he isn't Lex then its a Hell of a Red Herring.

[Frontier]

Yeah Clark has handled things pretty well so far. But here, we see him developing his enhanced senses and he seems to spend all that time on Super duty since there's always more trouble for him to deal with, letting his responsibilities as Clark slide. I'm hoping that after this, he needs to find a new work-life-work balance.

Up to this point, Clark has only had to act as Superman when the threat is right in front of him. How will he handle it when he can hear everyone's problems across Metropolis?

Especially for this Clark where he's only just become Superman and the identity, up to this point, wasn't as much a priority for him compared to being Clark.

If Jimmy doesn't get promoted while Lois (or Clark) do, I'm not gonna be cool with that. Maybe they all stay interns, maybe they don't, who knows, but Jimmy is already the third wheel here and I'd hate to see him held back while Clark and Lois get to move forward.

They're already basically treating him like an official photographer.

Precisely. Dude is at the end of his rope and not thinking things through. It's surprising how quickly he agreed to take on the military. It's a very Superman thing to do, to go after anyone doing wrong regardless of their station, but Clark usually puts more consideration into his actions. But yeah, he was definitely not on his game at all, and that's a big part of why things went the way they did. Superman fully rested and thinking clearly wouldn't have fallen so easily for the ruse, nor struggled with the villains (outside of Parasite) like he did.

And he was still able to fight off all of them except Parasite in the end.

Ya know Alex's rant is so funny cause for his all complaining about Superman, the problems he's talking about were ultimately caused by a human.

Ivo is the one who took technology he barely understands to make a weapon, uses it without caring about the safety risks, and then proceeds to go on a rampage with it nearly killing a bunch of people and himself. And thats ignoring that Amazotech was going bankrupt because of Ivo's bad business' decisions. Him using alien technology ignores that Ivo was desperate for any kind of solution. If he didn't have access to Kryptonian tech, then he would have done a different kind of dangerous stunt to save his ass.

Absolutely nothing was Superman's fault because that requires ignoring every decision Ivo made in the process that lead to him becoming Parasite.

His argument is also basically whataboutism. Keeps rambling about the if possibility of Superman going bad, while completely ignoring or just not caring about the actual people who have gone bad. Sure Superman "might" be a threat, but what about the people actively currently threatening Metropolis or how the government is conscripting supervillains and arming them with technology even they don't fully understand?

Everything he's saying is like the most Lex Luthor **** ever, so if he isn't Lex then its a Hell of a Red Herring.

Yeah, I don't really get why Lois and Jimmy didn't bring that up. They were literally there.

[Mantis-Ray]

And he was still able to fight off all of them except Parasite in the end.

I like how Parasite is very clearly the closest to an actual Metahuman and the strongest of the group.

Cause compared to Banshee and Livewire who have strong offensive abilities, they are clearly still human so their physical durability folds completely once Superman gets a good hit in. And thats a case for everyone, Heatwave, Roughouse, Deathstroke, their tech isn't good enough to close the physical gap once the element of surprise wears off. Roughhouse specifically uses strength-enhancing power armor and it is not good enough for a one to one.

Except Parasite, who is very obviously the strongest member of the team and can actually engage in a physical struggle with Superman. Which says a lot about Ivo as a genius as the Parasite equipment is something he personally built and modified. Everyone else is using technology on loan from the government, but Ivo is using something he had an active hand in designing and developing.