My Adventures with Superman feels like a rebuttal to the grimdarkness that has informed so much DC content in recent years. The show manages to balance a very family-friendly version of the Superman mythos with some fresh ideas for its primary characters. Beware spoilers for My Adventures with Superman Episode 5, "You Will Believe A Man Can Lie."
"You Will Believe A Man Can Lie"
When Batman isn't wearing his Batsuit, he's essentially in a Bruce Wayne costume. Bruce is someone he needs to be at times to ensure that Batman can continue to exist, or to get into places that Batman can't. Bruce is a mask for Batman, something that countless Batman stories have explored. Clark Kent and Superman, though, are different in that they're both equally important facets of Kal El--neither Clark nor Superman is a fake character, even if both aspects do hide a part of who he is.
I'm enjoying this version of the character for much the same reasons that I love Christopher Reeves' and Tyler Hoechlin's versions. Both sides of the character are believable both on their own and in the context of each other.
One of the things that often happens in this part of the Superman story, though, is that Clark has to lie to Lois to the point of gaslighting. He's trying to protect her and his secret identity, but in the process, it starts to feel a bit weird. Like he needs to either tell her, or move to Bludhaven and take up a new job. This Clark starts to move in that direction, but this episode is about how Lois is able to put the pieces together and reach a conclusion before Clark even gets the chance to lie.
Lois chases Superman all over town with the help of a police radio scanner, finally cuffing herself to him when she catches up with him. Of course, for as smart as Lois is, she forgets that this dude can literally hold a truck above his head one-handed, so that plan doesn't last very long once he's ensured that she's safe.
Superman eventually ends up fighting the pre-Deathstroke Slade Wilson in his ability-augmenting combat suit, reminding us that Deathstroke has become an A-tier villain in DC in recent years--he seems to pop up in every version of the DC Universe, whether it's Titans, Arrow, the DCEU, or this show. It's definitely surprising to see him going head-to-head with Superman, though, when he's usually fighting characters like Batman, Nightwing, and Green Arrow. It's even weirder to know that this Slade is voiced by Chris Parnell, who provides the voice for Rick & Morty's least-capable character, Jerry.
The fight itself is a lot of fun and well-choreographed, and shows just how careful this Superman is being about his power. He doesn't know his own strength yet, and is a little afraid to test it when it could kill someone. Deathstroke feels like a good early-career Superman adversary for this, but he won't be anything once Superman gets the hang of his still-growing abilities.
When Superman finds Lois again, this time as Clark, she's ready for a do-or-die moment as she steps backward off the side of the Daily Planet building. Unlike Superman II, where Clark was able to work things out so that Lois couldn't prove he was Superman and it was played for laughs, Clark saves her as Clark, catching her in flight.
Lois' response here is a little more stereotypical than I would've liked. She's furious that this guy who she's known for a few months maximum didn't tell her all of his personal secrets, especially the one where he's the strongest man in the world and the last of his alien race. Something he'd wanted to tell her anyway. It felt like a moment when a good, honest conversation would've fit better--with Lois asking questions and Clark being honest. Instead, she's holding the Truth up as a spear that she can attack things with. What would've happened if she'd learned who he was before they were friends? Would she have published a front-page article in the Planet about how Superman is a dork from Kansas, effectively destroying any chance he had at a real life?
It makes Lois' motives somewhat questionable, and I'm hoping the show tries to wrestle with that. Her pursuit of the truth could've destroyed a friend's life, and she's mad at him for trying to do what he thought was the right thing.
I'm still really enjoying this fresh take on Superman, especially how bright and optimistic it is. That's a tougher-than-ever needle to thread these days, and so far the show is doing a very good job.
