The CW’s Supes shows love a big seventh episode reveal. It was in Supergirl’s seventh episode that Hank Henshaw admitted he was actually J’onn J’onzz the Martian Manhunter. And now Superman & Lois’ seventh episode delivers an equally big twist. It turns out Wolé Parks’ Captain Luthor isn’t a Luthor at all. He’s actually John Henry Irons—a DC Comics character otherwise known as Steel. In the comics, Irons is an engineering genius with a suit of steel who stepped into Superman’s role when Clark was killed by Doomsday in a ’90s crossover event. Steel was also rather, er, memorably brought to life by Shaquille O’Neal in a 1997 film. And now he makes his small screen live-action debut in a newly reimagined form.
Of course, the namedrop itself won’t mean much to non-comics readers. But “Man Of Steel” does such a captivating job of laying out Irons’ background, that it doesn’t really matter. The flashbacks to Irons’ experiences on his own Earth don’t just humanize him, they recenter him as the hero of his own story. We see how his happy family life with Lois and their teenage daughter Nat was terrifyingly upended when Evil Superman and his Kryptonian army started randomly leveling Metropolis. And we see the haunting moment Irons has to stand by helplessly as Evil Superman murders his wife on live TV. It’s no wonder Irons has dedicated his life to taking down Kal-El. Especially since his first attempt to do so seemingly left him stranded from his daughter and trapped in another universe.
Though Irons functions as an antagonist in this episode, it’s clear that Superman & Lois doesn’t just see him as a villain. And so much of that comes from Wolé Parks’ wonderfully complex, deeply sympathetic performance. In retrospect, it’s kind of remarkable that the first few episodes of this series wasted Parks by trapping him behind the generic supersuit of “The Stranger.” Since he’s been allowed to take off the mask and actually interact with the rest of the cast, Parks has emerged as one of Superman & Lois’ most compelling players. He’s an innately magnetic actor with charisma to spare and a chameleon-like ability to shift his demeanor on a dime. I’m really excited to see more from him moving forward.
In fact, I almost wonder if “Man Of Steel” would’ve been better served by anchoring itself more firmly in John Henry Irons’ point of view and letting his entire backstory play out in one fell swoop. The fact that we have to wait until next week to see Clark and Irons’ big interrogation scene leaves the Steel reveal feeling just a touch unfinished here. But, on the other hand, “Man Of Steel” also gains something from the kaleidoscopic nature of its ensemble storytelling. This episode pays off Superman & Lois’ slow-burn approach by giving just about all of its characters something meaningful to do. And though there are a few elements of the series that still aren’t quite working—like the dime-store villain quality of Morgan Edge and Leslie Larr—for the most part, “Man Of Steel” is a continued step up in the show’s confidence.
A lot of that comes from how creatively and thoughtfully the episode depicts Superman’s powers. Writer Jai Jamison and director David Ramsey (a.k.a. Arrow’s John Diggle himself) have a real flair for delivering original riffs on Kryptonian abilities, starting with the horror Jordan experiences now that his superhearing has kicked in. First comes the physical pain of having every sound amplified into an overwhelming cacophony. And then comes the emotional pain of overhearing his brother sort-of flirting with Sarah at school. Like the best X-Men stories, Superman & Lois ties Jordan’s burgeoning powers to some classic coming-of-age teen angst. But it also maintains the optimism of a classic Supes story too. Though Jonathan and Jordan get into the worst fight we’ve seen between them, Jordan’s heartfelt apology is ultimately enough to bring them back to their brotherly camaraderie.
Clark also experiences some pain this week. First the emotional pain of watching Jordan suffer. And then the literal pain of being rendered powerless by Irons’ red sun lights. “Man Of Steel” drives home just how unnerving that final trap is by ensuring that Clark is otherwise confident and in-control throughout this episode. While teaming up with Lois to investigate “Marcus Bridgewater,” Clark uses his enhanced vision to see miles down the road and then casually flies a truck full of armed gunmen to the top of a cliff in order to get them out of the way. He really does feel all-powerful in this episode, which is what makes it so terrifying when he finally escapes Irons’ trap and nearly clobbers him into the ground. Or at least that’s how Irons sees it as his mind combines the Superman in front of him with flashes of the black-clad Evil Superman from his universe.
Thankfully, Lois is there to keep her husband in check.“Man Of Steel” is probably my favorite use of Lois yet. While the Edge/X-Kryptonite stuff continues to feel vague and kind of campy, her investigation into “Marcus” is much more interesting. Lois is fearless but not reckless. She confronts Irons at his RV but refuses to go inside where he could easily get the jump on her. And she’s clever on her feet too, ensuring she collects Irons’ fingerprints for Clark to take back to the DOD. The look of pure admiration on Clark’s face after Lois reveals her plan is a perfect celebration of her impressive investigative skills.
Across the board, “Man Of Steel” is a well-written, well-acted, well-directed episode full of impressively cinematic visual effects. And it smartly brings all of its various threads back to the show’s central theme of family. Clark and Lois ultimately decide to tell Jordan and Jonathan about everything that’s been going on in Smallville, which brings the Lane-Kents one step closer to becoming The Incredibles. Meanwhile, the addition of Irons’ long-lost daughter adds a familial element to his story too. That’s another reason I suspect Superman & Lois won’t just keep Irons as an antagonist. His love for his daughter connects him to the Lane-Kent family ethos—nevermind the fact that Nat literally shares Lois’ DNA too (albeit a Lois from a different universe but still). Now all that remains to be seen is how Clark and Lois are going to react when they learn their newfound nemesis is kind of, sort of multiverse family.
Stray observations
- It turns out Irons built his suit from old Lex Luthor tech but didn’t have time to update the AI inside, which is why it refers to him as “Captain Luthor.”
- Lois gives the multiverse a shoutout this week, which is pretty much the first time Superman & Lois has acknowledged that it’s in the same continuity as the rest of the Arrowverse.
- I love how Irons dismisses Clark as being “just Lois’ husband” when he sees him snooping around his RV! It’s a really fun use of Clark’s secret identity.
- Lana’s new job as the head of Morgan Edge’s “Young Executive Program” involves selecting the candidates for his X-Kryptonite trials. And while she doesn’t know exactly what’s going on yet, she’s smart enough to be wary about Edge’s intentions—and worried for her friend Emily, who’s now been chosen as a candidate.
- This episode makes a strong argument for why having some non-powered people around is a good thing for Team Supes: An unaffected Jonathan is able to smash out the red lights that render Clark and Jordan weak and powerless.
- Clark gently getting Jordan’s attention with his ice breath is such an adorable use of his powers!
- Speaking of which, Jordan’s superhearing problems sure seem to clear up quick, huh?
94 Comments
So help me, after all these years of superhero shows and movies being the dominant force in pop culture, i still get a little thrill whenever they introduce a character from the comics. Just a jolt of “hey, I know that name!” I also expect, and hope, that Irons doesn’t stay an antagonist, but at the same time, it’s hard to see how he could stand spending much time around Clark considering what happened to Lois on his Earth. Palling around with a guy who shares the face of the person who incinerated your wife doesn’t really seem likely. Still, I’m a sap, if a character is a hero in the comics, i’d rather they be a hero in the tv show.
He’s a villain in that he’s doing bad things but for sort of noble intentions. Unlike Edge who’s just plain evil.
You mean an anti-villain.
I think JHI is going to help provide enough information, and maybe technology, so that our Superman doesn’t go down the path his did. And then he will return to his earth to help rebuild it, because he is John Henry Irons, and of course that’s what he would do.Our Superman might even fight the evil Superman. Could happen.
It was gut-wrenching seeing evil alt-earth Superman murder Lois, after she said goodbye to her husband & daughter, to the ironic TV tagline “Lois Lane-Live”
“Our Superman might even fight the evil Superman. Could happen.”This would be nuts. Also, what if they held part of the fight in a…. junkyard? aka Superman III?
I would fully expect a scene where evil Superman is about to vaporize our Lois, and John Henry Irons thinks he’s about to see his worst nightmare repeat itself, but then our Superman flies in and takes the blast. Really, how could they NOT go there?
I’m pretty sure John Henry is gonna be like the Harrison Wells of this show. Antagonist for the first season, trusted ally the rest of the run. Of course, it was a bunch of different Wellses and the original Wells wasn’t Wells at all, but still, you can’t bring in John Henry and keep him a bad guy. They’re not even really painting him as bad so much as fearful of Superman breaking bad, which is very Luthor-ish , so it all fits for now.Actually, now that I think about it, maybe he’s more like the Deathstroke of this show.
“I also expect, and hope, that Irons doesn’t stay an antagonist, but at the same time, it’s hard to see how he could stand spending much time around Clark considering what happened to Lois on his Earth. Palling around with a guy who shares the face of the person who incinerated your wife doesn’t really seem likely.”As the review helpfully pointed out (and as I did not realize until I read it), John Henry Irons doesn’t know that Clark is Superman, in any universe—that’s why he told the AI Clark wasn’t a threat (I kept wondering why he would lie about that).
They may share a face, but it’s one obscured by glasses!
I was very bad at the Avengers movie my first time seeing it. When Thanos showed up on screen during the “court death” scene, the entire audience was silent and I said, “Oh, Sh*t, Thanos!”
Well this was quite interesting. The last time Steel was in something live action was that awful Shaq movie so it’s nice to see them use him again. And we even got Steel II with his daughter. Just in general I liked the backstory and building montages with Irons tonight. It really helped flesh out his character. Although since apparently he’s not Lex, hopefully that means we can still get Lex alter on.Speaking of, I don’t know why they focused on him being related to Lex when there are three other Luthor family members, one of whom has a history of sleeping around.I also liked Jon & Jordy’s team up tonight to save Clark. It managed to be fun without it being overbearing. Glad that they didn’t get punished for it either. Glad too that their fight over Sarah didn’t last long.So Irons really didn’t know that Clark was Superman? I guess he probably knows now since Jon & Jordy came to the rescue but seemed surprising.
He still may not know that Clark is Superman since Lois showed up too and might think they were all together. But still, when he was shocked Lois was married to someone, he’s gonna be even more shocked and maybe traumatized to find out she’s married to the guy that killed her in his universe.
I think it could be pretty realistic to say he doesn’t know John and Jordan were there. They crashed through the door and hit him with a truck, I wouldn’t necessarily expect him to be able to recognize who was driving it.
I swear, about ten minutes before they revealed his name, watching those “building my supersuit” montages, I was thinking “they should have made him John Henry Irons! He’s making the Steel suit!” then “Nah, wasn’t Nat his niece?” Because I am a dope:-PThis was kind of firing on all cylinders tonight… although, did Lar hear Lois call Clark “Superman”? If not, awfully damn convenient. Wonder if that will be her ace in the hole against Edge?Also, the fact that *all* the red sun lights go out when you break one is awfully f-ing convenient… plus, it feels silly that it’s instantaneously depowering. Superman can’t derive superpowers from red sunlight, but why does it negate the solar-energy he’s saved up? It’s like… red light bulbs are probably way easier to get than kryptonite. Why doesn’t everyone use these against Superman 24/7? And… how does JHI know Kryptonian? “Kal-El?” Hopefully we’ll get more details as we get to know him!And maybe Nat will pop through a portal to explain she’s defeated evil Supes… better than the alternative, that she’s dead too….
Yeah I love how the twist worked. If you know enough Superman lore the suit-building sequence is such great foreshadowing without giving everything away. Until they mentioned that the AI wasn’t reprogrammed from Captain Luthor, I thought he was merely John Henry Irons in our world and Luthor in the other.
It’s the same principle that, while it took Clark, Jordan, and Kara years to develop and hone their super-skills, any other Kryptonian exposed to a yellow sun instantly develops powers and knows how to use them.
There was interview with the EP (or maybe with Wolé? Not sure) where they explain JHI knowing Kryptonian as invaded nations learning the language of the invaders – so when the Kryptonians took over his earth, he ended up learning their language.
Steel knows Kryptonian, apparently, because his earth was occupied by Kryptonians and he studied the culture of his enemies
he studied the culture of his enemiesBecause they went and publicized it? Or just left it laying around willy-nilly?
Because they went and publicized it? Or just left it laying around willy-nilly?In some comics, Clark shares what he knows and has of Kryptonian culture with the world so some part of his people lives on through us. Occasionally you find a character who’s a Krypton enthusiast, or studying The Enemy (e.g Lex Luthor). But I think it’s more likely that the X-Kryptonians (or Ghost Kryptonians, or whatever we’re calling them) are acting like Zod would, like real-world conquering nations do. Strip the natives of their own language and culture and force them to adopt the conqueror’s own. Residential schools in the US, Stolen Generations in Australia, “Welsh Not” in Wales, etc. Irons knows Kryptonian the way a lot of people across the world know English.
I don’t think he was completely depowered, just weakened with the red sun flares. Otherwise that hammer would have killed him on the first shot. Of course his yellow sun power reserves would have ultimately depleted enough for a hammer blow to be fatal so good thing the kids showed up.
Not to mention, red sun energy doesn’t hurt Kryptonians, it just takes away their powers. That sequence was particularly bad.
“Also, the fact that *all* the red sun lights go out when you break one is awfully f-ing convenient…”They never got around to fixing Christmas tree lights on John Henry’s earth, I guess.But yeah, great ep. Even when I saw the title “Man of Steel” I had not even a hint that he was gonna be John Henry Irons. A black guy playing a Luthor isn’t really a stretch at this point either. So I assume this first season is the sort of comic book crossover arc where two good guys meet up and don’t realize they’re both good and kick the crap out of each other for a while. By season 3, John Henry will be picking Jonathan and Jordan up from school.
Also, the fact that *all* the red sun lights go out when you break one is awfully f-ing convenient…Indeed, you would think a man capable of building a functioning powersuit wouldn’t be stymied by the Achilles’ Heel of Christmas lights.
I thought all is the lights were being powered by a truck, which Jonathan took out. You could setup individual batteries for an array of lights, but not usually when you’re scraping together resources in a limited time and don’t honestly expect additional interlopers.
In every usage in the comics “red sun radiation” has not just meant “red light bulbs,” but a full-spectrum recreation of the rays of Krypton’s sun, which has been able to reduce Kryptonians to human-level powerless in an instant, regardless of solar power buildup. It’s like the entire means by which they use that power is turned off like the flick of a switch, not just that they’re deprived of the power supply. I don’t recall Kryptonians returning to Krypton or a Krypton-like environment being shown as anything but powerless, or anything like residual power staying on from built up solar energy.
Not sure where this page is from but he still has supersenses under a red sun in this comic.The DCAU and New52 Supermen also took longer to lose their strength and invulnerability than the other comics versions. To say nothing of Superboy-Prime in his red sun cell at the end of Infinite Crisis carving a bloody ‘S’ on his chest with a presumably super-hard fingernail.
This show continues to excel, and David Ramsey really knocked it out of the park (fitting that this episode includes the ‘multiverse’ reference as the first real Arrowverse continuity bit). Characters like Lois make smart decisions, there’s organic continuity between episodes with the Tag mention, and there’s some really good use of sound and visuals as Jordan tries to focus his hearing. Parks has emerged as one of Superman & Lois’ most compelling players.Yeah they really shortchanged him the first few episodes. Also definitely think they’ll find a way to reform him and keep him on as Steel, he’s way too good to cut after the season’s over.Pretty sure Lana’s friend Emily will be the sacrificial lamb for the X-Kryptonite trials.
I have to admit that, as much as I’m enjoying this show right now, I’m simultaneously looking into its future and dreading how screwed up it’s going to get as all the other Arrowverse shows inevitably have.
That Steel twist was great! “Captain Luthor” had so many similar qualities I was worried we’d never see John Henry Irons in the Beeboverse. The Prime-Earth Irons was already dead, which explains why this one isn’t experiencing lethal migraines.
On the other hand the show kind of forgot Jordan Kent was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder after the pilot. Becoming a popular footballer makes it go away? It doesn’t even infer his super-senses caused or exacerbated his condition.
I’m waiting for this series to to deliver glamazon Lois lifting!
the 1980s encapsulated in one panel
Really good episode! I was a dunce at not catching the Steel reveal until the show made it super explicit. (I paid attention to the title of the episode and still didn’t know! My brain sometimes.)
Makes me wonder about the potential for JHI to stay on as an extra. On the assumption that he somehow, miraculously is able to emotionally separate this Supes from his evil Superman, maybe it’ll evolve into him being one of the few heroes on the planet able to stop Superman if he ever runs amok (by either on his own, or some mind control silliness). Surely General Lane would see the military opportunity to set something like that up with the DoD as one form of insurance. Similar to how in the comics Supes gave Batman some kryptonite in case it ever happened.As for the episode itself, everyone again pulled off some great convincing performances. Although yeah, the Morgan Edge stuff is still probably the most one-note arc. Hopefully, there’s more to it than what we’ve seen from a superficial level.
I think it’ll be a very simple matter of Lois eventually convincing him. At the very worst, he’s like a Slade Wilson going forward I think. They somehow redeemed him, and he stabbed Oliver’s mom.
I think a lot depends on what happened to John Henry’s daughter, though. But I can’t see him being any less than a regular recurring character next season.
It would be interesting for Steel’s daughter to meet Lois
I also am curious if the X Kryptonite plays into JHI and/or his daughter gaining powers, on top of the possibilities of the two becoming part of this show’s ensemble. I’m hyped.
>maybe it’ll evolve into him being one of the few heroes on the planet able to stop Superman if he ever runs amok
Forgive me if I zoned out for a minute or two, but, did the episode do its due diligence in announcing that Irons was working with some ridiculously rare resource that nobody else on the planet could ever hope to acquire again?Otherwise, despite this episode’s very high level of quality, it just set up a massive problem for the show moving forward. It just presented a highly effective technological counter to Superman that doesn’t seem very difficult to construct. And right now, Steel does not seem like he would be shy about sharing the plans with anyone and everyone.
Speaking of David Harewood,
So…was this a change by the writers after Nadia Tucker left with her concerns about race on the show or was it always their intention?
It happened during the COVID break, according to the writers and actor. It was a breakthrough.
Oh, interesting. I was actually thinking is was pretty much bullshit to give us “Captain Luthor” and then reveal “well, the suit thinks he’s Luthor, but he’s not.” I somehow feel better knowing they actually changed course.Also, not only does this hearken back to the Supergirl/Henshaw thing, but it should be pointed out that both Henshaw and Irons are important parts of the Reign of the Supermen comic-book storyline.
Reading the interview on ew.com, it was pitched early in the writing process for the first season, around July of last year, so when she was probably still on staff, but I don’t remember her twitter thread well enough to know off hand when she left the show.
I’m calling it now: Irons dies eventually (probably sacrificing himself to save Clark/Superman in something resembling growth) and his daughter with alternate universe Lois will be adopted by the Kents and become a step-sister/love-interest-for-one-of-the-boys. “Any stranger can be your family if you say they are often enough” seems to be a running theme for the CW shows this season…It’s Berlanti-verse, Jake.
Oh gross. It’s not this Lois, but it was her DNA. That would make them quasi-half siblings.
“The look of pure admiration on Clark’s face after Lois reveals her plan is a perfect celebration of her impressive investigative skills.”Loved that scene. Honestly, I loved dang near everything about this episode.As I commented the other week, even when characters make mistakes, they seem like plausible mistakes, rather than the plot requiring some missteps.Loved how Jordan fought to master his hearing. It’s a small thing, but I’m glad they bothered to show him trying, failing, and trying again. That made his eventually getting a handle on them not feel cheap.And as for John Henry Irons, I say he was handled well all along, and I have zero complaints. The “Captain Luthor” mislead was justified appropriately, and the fact that his efforts are not based on just hatred or revenge makes me actively like the guy. A part of me would love to see him stay on our world after the X-Kryptonite threat is over, but that’s not John Henry Irons; he will return to his hellhole world and try to rebuild it. Because he is John Henry Irons.Speaking of, sure seems like the X-Kryptonite causes people’s personalities to get overwritten, as well as provide super powers. I wonder if it will overwrite Clark’s personality too? And the fact that he’s got a family is what allows him to fight his way back before killing a bunch of people? It would be thematically sensible that the Kent family is what keeps Superman from going down the same path as in John Henry Irons’ home dimension.
“The look of pure admiration on Clark’s face after Lois reveals her plan is a perfect celebration of her impressive investigative skills.”Loved that scene. Honestly, I loved dang near everything about this episode.One of my few quibbles on that score is that the show has shown zero attention to Clark Kent the reporter. I have no problem with Lois being a better one (she is, and should be), and understand that the show wants to give Lois her own area to shine in. But the Clark Kent that I know is a good reporter in his own right, and proud of it, and I’m a little disappointed the show hasn’t dealt with how he feels about – apparently – giving it up after being laid off from the Planet.I’d be down with a Season Two storyline where Clark finds a new vocation (Social Studies teacher? community organizer?) , or completely embraces being a stay-at-home “Mr. Mom.” But I’d like to see that evolution play out onscreen.
You make a good point about Clark not reportering. I am okay with it in that he’s been understandably busy with other things, but it would be nice to see him bust out his reporter chops some.
I loved this reveal. The actor is awesome, and the writing was really well-done as well. This show continues to really impress, and I love where it’s headed.
I jumped out of my chair when I heard the name John Henry Irons. and then when he summoned the hammer? Total freak-out! It all fit together so perfectly I was amazed I didn’t see it coming. But once I learnt the truth it all made so much sense! Lex’s war suit never covers his face! Steel’s does because he has a secret identity! We never heard a first name for the Stranger. He was JUST Captain Luther. Because the AI didn’t know his real name either, which is why it thought Clark was Captain Luther as well. It was all right there!
Why would Clark need to ask his holo-daddy about what’s happening with Jordan? Clark also had to deal with this, right? And why not ask Aunt Kara there is literally nobody else in the world who can help.
Jordan’s headaches started after Tag, well, tagged him a few times. I think it started after the first punch. He looked rough with two black eyes. Makes sense that Clark wouldn’t immediately think “oh its just super hearing kicking in” when his son appears to have a seizure. He scans him but nothing stands out about what he sees.
It also reinforces the difference between this story’s Superman and every other we’ve seen. This Superman is a dad. Dad-Superman flies his kid to the best health care possible IMMEDIATELY.
What was the shout out to the multiverse? I must have missed it.
Lois mentioned it to Clark in the car when discussing the possibility of Irons being an alternate Luthor.
This is such a high quality show, I am beyond thrilled that I get this treat every week. Especially after that episode of The Flash, which made this episode look like Citizen Kane in comparison. The performances, writing, directing, cinematography are all firing at such a high level, I sure hope they can keep anywhere near this quality over the long haul.Steel was also rather, er, memorably brought to life by Shaquille O’NealAny excuse to post one of the greatest scenes in the history of cinema:
Good to know that Shaq is still a better actor than that hack Annabeth Gish.
What. Is. Happening?!
More like what ISN’T happening?
This was yet another amazing episode with some lovely direction from David Ramsey whose biceps I once got to touch – one of the highlights of my life.What was the big secret Lois and Clark were going to tell the twins? Is the Luthorcorp AI calling everyone Captain Luthor because it called Clark that when he got in the RV?
Lois & Clark were going to tell the boys about Edge’s x-kryptonite experiments.
OH! Thank you! I was very confused.
I guess the idea is that the AI presumed that the person entering the RV was Irons, who it thinks is Luthor. Didn’t he mention something about how he’d only fixed the audio? Which sets up that the AI is actually blind.He did seem quite unconcerned, in retrospect, that Clark interacted with the AI at all. Even if he’s “not important” he’s going to be reporting back to Lois!
Good episode for Lana, though I am concerned that Edge picks her friend for the trial as an apparent deliberate attempt to threaten her for stalling & she now knows that he knows she is suspicious of him. And I still like Lana & Lois working together & Lois being concerned for Lana’s safety.I kind of like Leslie Larr. She can’t be super happy that in every single conversation she has with Edge he not very subtly threatens and degrades her. And she is his only entirely successful super-soldier!
Edge floating Kyle as a possible test subject junior executive definitely felt like a threat.
By the way, in the captioning, the test subjects are referred to as “Subjekts”, capital S, with a K. Which seems kind of stupid but maybe it’s a reference to a comics story line.
It is! https://www.google.com/search?q=superman+subjekt+17&safe=strict&ei=EgKvYITIKY-4tAb5-JuYCg&oq=superman+subjekt+17&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBggAEBYQHjoHCAAQRxCwAzoCCABQ7i1Y-jRgwzdoAXACeACAAY8BiAHUApIBAzEuMpgBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXrIAQjAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwiEmYbL5ujwAhUPHM0KHXn8BqMQ4dUDCA8&uact=5
Daniel “Colossus” Cudmore has already been referred to as Subjekt-17 by the press prior to his appearance on S&L.https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/superman-lois-x-men-daniel-cudmore/
Not if they replace him with Vartox!
TBH I absolutely loved Leslie Larr listening into – from far, far away – all the mess happening with the truck and just smirking to herself. So evil, love it.
“Superman is going to be busy for a while.” She is a quality bad guy
Leslie Larr is like the mustache twirling version of Ellie Kemper’s character from the office.
S&L is so far the best show in Arrowverse if you ask me
and this episode proves it. Well written from start till end,
characters actually feel like they have depth. I SHOULD
have realised he was Steel from the start, I’m so disappointed I
couldn’t figure out! I completely agree that there needs to be an
episode from his POV. In fact I think the show might actually be setting
up for a Steel spin-off or he might be a permanent character on this
show itself.Lois again proves how amazing of a
character she is in this episode. Juxtaposing her alongside Ruby Rose’s
hollowed out caricature of Batwoman, it’s astounding how much depth Lois
has. She’s not just a woman, but rather she’s an incredibly strong and
smart one and is full of personality. On the other hand Batwoman’s only personality trait seems to be “I’m a woman”.
I kept wondering if this could be a version of Steel. Of course it was clever to throw you off with “Captain Luthor” and not reveal the hammer right away to keep you off the scent.
It was a great reveal. And I legit did not clock it until they revealed his name. Then I squealed “Steel!”
My usual random thoughts: 1. Just how can Jordan—or Clark—hear sirens in the Arctic? The way the show depicts super hearing isn’t thought out well. And just what are those earmuffs made of that they can block it? 2. And of course Johnathan only thinks about how Jordan’s situation affects him. 3. Does Clark ever do any actual farming? I thought it was going to be a working farm? 4. Alt universe daughter was a nice touch. 5. How dumb is the AI that it can’t tell Clark isn’t “Capt. Luthor?” 6. Okay, Leslie appears to have super hearing. I wondered about the extent of her powers last time. 7. I wonder if we’ll see the girl who’s out of Johnathan’s league again? 8. Alt Lois says kryptonite affects “them.” Is she talking about Kryptonians in general, did their Superman have super kids, or did he create his own super army with x-kryptonite and regular kryptonite affects them? 9. John Henry Irons as a bad guy? That’s different.10. No, red sun energy doesn’t harm Kryptonians directly, it just takes away their powers. Read a comic, dammit! And while I know some folks don’t like comparisons to “Supergirl,” it doesn’t affect her the way it does Clark so maybe a little continuity would be nice.11. And speaking of continuity, after last episode’s focus on trust, it’s disturbing to see how close Clark came to losing it with Irons before Lois talked him down.12. Finally, Johnathan hit Irons with the truck hard enough to knock him at least thirty feet and not only did Irons survive but there was no damage to the truck? They definitely don’t build ‘em like that any more, LOL.
I think it’s unfair to call Jonathan selfish because he baulked at the prospect of having to lie to cover Jordan’s absence yet again. As he later pointed out, he’s done nothing but look out for his brother.
“Johnathan hit Irons with the truck hard enough to knock him at least thirty feet and not only did Irons survive but there was no damage to the truck? They definitely don’t build ‘em like that any more, LOL.”Irons explains that the hammer absorbs kinetic energy. When the truck hits him, we see that he’s holding the hammer in front of him, so the truck hits the hammer first, not JHI. So the hammer absorbs the impact.And we see an imprint of the hammer in the hood of the truck right after the hit.
I’m a bit confused about Jordan developing his powers. I thought that Jor-El said he wouldn’t ever be what Clark is- I guess he meant in terms of raw power and fine control? It would be more interesting if Jordan turns out to be more like Jo-Nah aka Ultra Boy and can only “pick” one power at a time- ie if hes using his heat vision he can be hurt, or if he’s flying he cant shoot etc.
I mentioned the same thing several episodes ago. I’ve been a huge Legion fan for years. BTW, Ultra Boy was cocreated by original Superman writer Jerry Siegel.
Indeed- as am I. It would make a lot more sense than just turning him in to a Superman Jr or Superboy
I’ve maintained this opinion since the inception that Jonathan is the actual Superboy and will probably unlock his power in the season finale. Especially considering the fact that Jon is the actual Superboy in the comics canon as well (talking about Jon Samuel Kent, not Lane Kent). Whereas Jordan’s an offshoot of the reality alteration they caused in Crisis.
Could well be. Sets up future storylines where Jonathan instantly takes to his powers versus Jordan struggling with them. Or maybe we’ll find out that Jordan was somehow exposed to Kryptonite X and given his powers, hence why they’re weaker than Supes
Not only is revealing that Captain Luthor is John Henry Irons a great twist, it immediately became my favorite CW translation of a DC character ever. It actually improved Steel imo, by making him an antagonist instead of a Superman worshipper. It also removed the hokey elements of his armor and elevated Steel as the master technologist in CW’s comic book universe.
When they dropped the name John Henry Irons, I was like “oh, well played, show!” So much more interesting than having him be Earth-3 Luthor.Speaking of, what’s the deal with the multiverse now? On “The Flash,” they’re still behaving as if there are no more parallel Earths. Yes, the Earths belonging to non-CW shows survived the Crisis, but the implication was that as far as the Arrowverse shows were concerned, all the Earths got smooshed and what remained was sealed off from the greater multiverse. (And then, thanks to COVID, we never once took advantage of the fact that Supergirl, Batwoman and Black Lightning shared an Earth.)Not only do we now have John Henry Irons from another universe, but “Stargirl” is supposedly reintroducing John Wesley Shipp as Jay Garrick. And while I don’t know whether this upcoming “Naomi” show is set in the Arrowverse, it appears that her comics origin story involves a parallel Earth.Maybe Cisco was a bit rash in removing his dimension-hopping ability?
Supes depositing a truck full of Edge’s goons onto a remote bluff before they could even open their doors was fun! That was such a perfect way to end a fight without hurting anyone.
Photo with Supergirl was cut from episode two. https://tvline.com/2021/05/18/supergirl-superman-and-lois-season-1-cancelled-crossover-moment/
“You’re not the Man of Steel – I am!” Ooohhh shiiiiiiiiiitttttttttt! That was such a great reveal! I’m really surprised, but happy, that this wasn’t spoiled on social media. It’s a genuine thrill to watch something you enjoy and then have something unexpected happen. Now, though, I don’t see Evil Superman in an ‘evil suit’ but Good Superman in a ‘Death of Superman’ rebirth suit, which in my head means he died on JHI’s Earth but then returned all wrong. Which I know doesn’t make sense, given that we see him with other Kryptonians, but whatever: It’s my head-canon, dammit!Great stuff across the board, too, from (almost) everything else in the episode. The only real merit to the Morgan Edge storyline is that it gives JHI and Superman a common enemy, so I wonder if that’s what will bring them together…?
This was a good one. And the reveal came just in time, because I always rage at the idea of Lex and Lois being together. In the comics, the cartoons, Terri Hatcher show, Smallville… The idea that Superman’s greatest enemy gets to sleep with the love of his life bothers to no end! Lol. But if it’s Steel, a kind of Superman in his own right, that takes a lot of the sting off.I’m warming up to the teenage stuff. Rolled my eyes a little when Jordan eavesdropped on Jonathan and got the wrong idea (because of course he did), but the argument it led to was pretty good (because Jonathan was right), and at the end when the boys were going nuts over the night they just had, it was a sweet note to end on. When the show isn’t being angsty with them, they are great.One weird thing: If Clark is the assistant coach, doesn’t he still need to be at school every day, same as the boys? Are coaches allowed to just not be around if they don’t want to be?
Presumably, he only needs to be there for football practice, which happens after school.
He’s also working for free, I’m assuming that lets him get away with missing days here and there when he’s otherwise engaged.
Definetly didn’t miss Lana’s asshole husband this episode, so that’s a plus! The Steel reveal was great! And I’m so glad that forced drama between the boys was quickly quashed.
That’s a really REALLY contrived reason for why the AI kept calling him captain Luthor in order to misdirect the audience.
You would think it would have bugged him enough that he would have changed it. (he’s smart enough to create the suit and weapons but not to change how the AI addressees him?!)
Man, I love this show.That’s it. That’s the post.
I thought that Captain Luthor was Alexander Luthor from Ultramans Earth . Lone Hero fighting against a group of supervillains. Took me by surprise that he was John Henry Irons instead. The x kryptonite is a call back to the silver age silver age Supergirl. She creates it trying make a cure for kryptonite poisoning. When it does not work she tosses it out the widow and gives her cat temporary superpowers over and over again.
Holy shit what a twist and man was it better than having him be a luthor. This show is so fucking great. The most annoying character is superboy and he is supposed to be annoying. Jesus if we find out evil Superman in steel world what cyborg Superman I may faint.
Ha! Just rewatched with my husband and didn’t catch this joke the first time around: toward the end, the DOD guy says to Superman, “so this guy came back from the dead to kill you” and Supes says, “wouldn’t be the first time”. He’s referring to Lex, who did come back from the dead and try to kill him. And on top of that, they thought Steele was a Luthor (possibly an alt-Lex) himself at first. I can’t believe I missed that, thought it was hilarious.