Previously on SUPERMAN & LOIS…
Holy shit, what an episode this was!
Directed by David Ramsey (better known as DIGGLE on ARROW), the seventh episode of the show’s inaugural season was easily one of the best so far, providing an unexpected and brilliant character reveal.
I feel like I should have seen this one coming. In the first 6 episodes of the first season, we’ve been led to believe that actor Wolé Parks was playing Lex Luthor from a different Earth. All of the information we had supporting that made perfect sense: he hated Superman, he was married to (or at least dating) Lois Lane and his computerized AI system referred to him as Captain Luthor. It all added up! So, of course it was all a lie!
Well, not all of it. The character is from another Earth and he was married to Lois Lane on that Earth, but we get the reveal in this episode that this is an alternate Earth version of John Henry Irons! Considering the episode title is “Man of Steel,” I definitely feel like I should have figured this out before it was said on the show. The giant hammer Parks wielded when battling Superman was also a dead giveaway…
Typically an ally of Superman’s in the comics, the John Henry Irons of Earth-whatever presented here watched an evil Superman – who may have outfitted people with superpowers thanks to X-Kryptonite – destroy Metropolis and kill his wife. The death and destruction led Irons to adapt a LexoSuit to his needs so he could confront the alien tyrant on his own world. We don’t know if he succeeded before CRISIS brought him over to this Earth, but he certainly wasn’t successful in taking down our Superman, who has yet to become evil.
The man who would be Steel convinced Lois to set up a meeting with Superman (with Clark right by her side) so he could plead for help in saving the world. But it was all a trap. Irons lured Superman into a battlefield bathed in red sunlight and went on to pummel him with his super-hammer. Superman may have been squashed by the multiversal menace, too, if not for a timely rescue from his twin sons, Jordan and Jonathan.
The rescue attempt came after the twins had probably the most conflict we’ve seen between them this season. With Jordan adjusting to a very nasty case of super-hearing overwhelming him, Jonathan had to once again cover for Jordan’s missing school. When Jordan’s crush Sarah talks to Jonathan to find out where his brother is, Jordan finally manages to focus his super-hearing enough to hone in on them. And then, when Jonathan gets home from school, he confronts his brother for hitting on the girl he likes. Jonathan, who broke his wrist last episode trying to stop Jordan from breaking another teen’s face, goes right back at his brother and calls him a jerk and tells him not to spy on him.
For once, I didn’t mind the teen drama and angst in the show. It wasn’t overwhelming like it has been in other episodes and didn’t feel as forced as Jordan’s usual rebellion against his dad. Thankfully, the twins make up just in time for Jordan to hear that Superman is in trouble. Jonathan takes Clark’s truck and Jordan leads them to the battle, driving in and hitting Irons with the car and saving their dad.
With everyone safe and Irons imprisoned at the Department of Defense, Lois and Clark decide to let the kids in on what’s going on, and everything in the previous clauses have so much potential for chaos. Will DoD head Sam Lane be simpatico with Irons? And can you imagine how much angst can come from completely knowing what’s going on with your superhero dad’s secret life?
After a season-best episode of LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, this has been a banner week for the ARROWVERSE. Hopefully the two shows can keep the momentum going.