Superman & Lois gives comic book fans quite the plot twist during this week’s episode, “Man of Steel,” shedding light on the enigma that is Marcus Bridgewater/Captain Luthor (Wolé Parks) and giving the title an ironic ring.
It’s been difficult to see Marcus as a villain because his view of Superman is so skewed. The Superman on his Earth was evil, but our Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) is anything but.
We see more flashbacks of Captain Luthor on his Earth, where he was married to Lois Lane (Bitsie Tulloch) and had a daughter named Natalie (Tayler Buck). As a family, they see Superman and his army destroy their world and take away everything they hold near and dear, and that includes Lois herself.
After arriving on this Earth, Captain Luthor makes it his mission to stop this Superman from doing the same thing. And seeing Lois with him can’t make things easier.
But as this week’s episode of Superman & Lois teaches us, there is more to Captain Luthor than meets the eye.
Who is Captain Luthor?
As it turns out, Captain Luthor isn’t even the guy’s real name. Comic book fans were likely tickled to learn that his real name is John Henry Irons, aka Steel. In the comics, John Henry Irons is one of four people who assume the mantle of Superman after the genuine article dies fighting Doomsday. When Superman comes back from the dead, Irons went from being called “The Man of Steel” to just “Steel.”
Clearly, things are a bit different in Superman & Lois. And it appears that Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner) is the one who created the evil Superman army on John’s Earth.
Can you see the pieces all coming together? On John’s Earth, he’s content with Lois and their daughter Natalie. But when Lois dies on national television, the father and daughter come together to create a super-suit for John. After his suit is ready to go, John goes off to fulfill his mission and destroy Superman.
But our Superman is different!
The Clark/Superman we know is simply not capable of killing in the same manner as John’s Superman. Or at least, he wouldn’t willingly kill anyone, but with Edge getting his hands on X-Kryptonite, it’s very possible things could take a dangerous turn.
Edge’s goal seems to be creating an evil Superman army, and it could be that Clark falls under his control via the X-Kryptonite. If that is indeed what ends up happening, then John’s services could be needed.
If we take a closer look at the events that are unfolding, we could also argue that John is lending a hand to the very events he’s trying to prevent. Edge managed to set a trap, allowing his assistant Leslie (Stacey Farber) to transport X-Kryptonite without anyone knowing. If John hadn’t been so distracted with his mission, perhaps this very thing could have been avoided.
At some point “our” Superman goes to meet John, only to reveal one more interesting plot twist: John is the villain he knows as the Stranger, the very same guy who was trying to kill him back in the pilot. All at once, we learn that Captain Luthor isn’t a Luthor, but John Henry Irons, aka Steel, and the Stranger all wrapped in one.
Anyway, John uses solar flares to knock Superman out, but luckily the Kent family shows up just in time to save the day. Side note: I love that there was utter chaos in this scene with characters learning the truth at the same time as the audience. I’m going to credit Arrow’s David Ramsey, who directed this episode, and did a terrific job.
Jordan’s super-hearing
Throughout this Superman & Lois episode, Jordan (Alex Garfin) continues to struggle to control his super-hearing. It’s overwhelming, and he can’t seem to get a handle on focusing it. Clark tries to help him as best he can, but it doesn’t seem to do much of anything. Over the last few episodes, Jordan has grown frustrated with this life that has been thrust upon him, and surely blames his superhero father for his misery.
On top of that, Jordan’s relationship with Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) has been up and down lately. The brothers are close, but moving away from Metropolis and learning their father is Superman hasn’t been easy on either of them. Jonathan has been trying to cope, but even he is over trying to cover for Jordan’s frequent absences at school.
This brings us to the moment Jordan finally uses his super-hearing to hone in on one conversation over hundreds of noises he can’t block out. Unfortunately for him, it’s a conversation between Jonathan and Sarah (Inde Navarrette), who seem to be bonding and getting closer, and dare I say a bit flirty. That doesn’t sit well with Jordan, and he has no problem expressing his anger when Jonathan gets home from school. It turns into an argument between the two brothers but also lays the groundwork for their team-up when their father is in need of saving. It’s thanks to Jordan’s super-hearing that they find Clark and ultimately save him from John’s wrath. It’s an epic moment for the Kent family, and I’m hoping we see more of this in future episodes.
Lana deals with Morgan Edge
Elsewhere, Lana (Emmanuelle Chriqui) starts working with Edge, which I fear isn’t going to turn out well for her. She’s hoping to get the inside scoop on him to help Lois, but what she doesn’t realize is she’s treading some very dangerous territory. Edge is pure evil: If he learns what Lana is really up to it’s going to be bad, really bad.
As expected, Superman & Lois continues its streak of well-written, riveting and exciting episodes. The story development here is so fun to follow, especially considering the most of the other DCTV shows on The CW are just not doing it for me.
This series has been a mature and fresh take on the Man of Steel’s story, and I’m ready for some more of it!
Grade: B+
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