Season Review: My Adventures with Superman Season 2

DC Comics adaptations are in a period of transition right now as we await the first stage in James Gunn’s “Gods and Monsters” movie universe. We’re getting some interesting stuff in the meantime, like the just released Crisis on Infinite Earths animated trilogy, the upcoming Penguin miniseries on HBO set in the universe of “The Batman”, and Batman: Caped Crusader animated series beginning next month. But the Man of Steel, the one who started it all, isn’t getting left out either, as the final season of the critically acclaimed Superman & Lois TV show is fast approaching to close out over two decades of superhero television on the CW (first beginning with another Superman show, Smallville, back in 2001). And of course, what we’re here to talk about, the second season of My Adventures with Superman, which follows up from the pleasant surprise of the first. This season was being made alongside the first, so we would’ve gotten it even if the first one bombed, but thankfully it didn’t and we have at least a third on the way. But how did this sophomore year for the last son of Krypton fare? Well, there’s still plenty of stuff to like, but also some reasons to be concerned.

Carrying on from the events of the first season, Clark has fully settled into his life balancing a reporter job, his love life with Lois, and being a part time superhero. But Task Force X, now led by Amanda Waller, isn’t done with him yet, gaining new allies (including the newly rebranded Lex Luthor) in their war to defeat Superman not just in battle but also in public opinion. On top of that, Clark finally learns that one of his own kind may still be out there, and meets Kara, his cousin and the only remaining Kryptonian, who has also been adopted and brainwashed by Brainiac, a supercomputer that once served his people. So, does this new season manage to balance all of these things very well? Well, I would say no. The first half of the season deals very much with the Task Force X stuff and how it relates to Lois and her father, but once Kara arrives on Earth, the ratio of focus gets all shot to hell. It genuinely feels like once they decided to fit in the Kara and Brainiac, they almost lost interest in the developing subplots about Waller and Luthor building some case against Superman, as Waller goes completely overboard by forcing martial law on everyone in Metropolis, followed by her forces being completely pantsed when Brainiac arrives. Also, and this is probably just a nitpick, but I think I’m just getting tired of the “anime aesthetic because anime” thing. It was fun in the mid-2000’s but I’m gonna need more justification in this decade.

And yet, the thing that keeps me coming back to this show (besides the obligation to talk about it for money) is that it has, for lack of a better term…heart. While the characters and plots may be a bit saccharine and plastic looking at times, when it gets to a situation about bringing people together and love winning in the end, I feel it. Lois trying to reconnect with her constantly disappearing father, Kara finding love when meeting Jimmy when she comes to Earth, or Clark making a connection with his cousin to let her know she’s not alone in this universe just because the rest of her people are gone. This show is, at its core, about kindness, love, and courage in the face of fear, hate, and prejudice. It’s by no means the best superhero show out right now that’s covering all of those things, but it does it well enough, and most importantly, it’s an authentic and reverent representation of Superman, a character who has definitely taken a beating in being portrayed well. As mentioned, we’re getting at least one more season of this show and it’s the first season being made after they’ll have heard the feedback from these first two, so here’s hoping they take the critiques to heart and keep the stuff that works. And if it doesn’t, well…there’s always that James Gun movie to look forward too, right?