After starting off brilliantly with a pilot episode that gave viewers insight into the key characters and established an exploration of Clark’s identity as the central crisis, the second episode of My Adventures With Superman doubles down on the titular character’s Kryptonian heritage. In the pilot episode, headstrong Lois’ determination to investigate the illegal trafficking of military-grade robots led Lois, Jimmy, and Clark on a collision course with mercenary Leslie Willis, and Clark saved his colleagues while maintaining a disguise. However, both Lois and Jimmy got fascinated by the appearance of this unknown savior, whom Lois names Superman, with the intention of revealing the identity of the person in question. In the episode Adventures of a Normal Man Part 2, Clark appears in Superman’s iconic red and blue costume for the first time, and the possibility of incorporating the larger DC universe is showcased at the end too.
Spoilers Ahead
What Did Clark Know About His Origin?
Once again, like the pilot episode, the second episode opens with a flashback scene, taking viewers back to Clark’s childhood days. After accidentally discovering his new powers, Clark wants to know how he acquired them in the first place. To answer their adopted son’s questions, his human parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, dig up an area near their farm to reveal a large spaceship platform. Kid Clark gets to know that he came to Earth in this spaceship when he was an infant and has since been raised by the couple as their own child. A curious Clark stands on the platform, which activates it; a number of strange hovering pillars created from the spaceship surround him, and touching one of them projects a holographic image of a person dressed in all white, an otherworldly garb, who starts speaking with Clark in an alien language. All of a sudden, the platform starts folding underground on its own, which causes Martha, who was standing nearby, to almost fall into the underground crevice. A visibly scared Clark rescues his parents, and in his absence, as the platform reverts to its previous form, he quickly covers it up entirely using his powers. A frightened Clark hugs his parents and states that he is unwilling to learn about his past anymore. Jonathan still suggests retrying, as he feels Clark should learn where he came from, but a concerned and protective Martha forbids him. A touching moment ensues that is a direct reference to Geoff Johns’ comic “Secret Identity,” which had been recreated in “Man of Steel” (2010) as well, as Clark tearfully asks his adoptive parents whether he isn’t their son, to which Martha replies that he will always be their child. Still in shock at the alien nature of the entire ordeal that unfolded before his eyes, Clark questions his identity, and tears roll down his face.
The prologue section flashbacks are becoming pivotal, showcasing how Clark Kent came to be the person he is. The dichotomy of being an alien but still being known as humanity’s best example is what makes the character most fascinating, and his kindly human parents, the Kents, played a major role in shaping that character, which was the focal point of this prologue. But there are many answers that Clark has to seek out himself, and no matter how much he wishes to run away from them, he will end up finding them out eventually.
Back To The Base: Legacy Of A Dying Planet?
In the present day, Lois has managed to find a rundown room to be their team office and has also salvaged a ‘scrub-down’ for themselves, which is filled with possible sighting reports and vague evidence about this mysterious savior of theirs, whom she named ‘Superman.’ Jimmy and Lois are absolutely obsessed over Superman, with the former even making a streaming channel named ‘Flamebird’ dedicated to conspiracy theories regarding aliens and otherworldly presences. The name ‘Flamebird’ is an Easter egg for the mythical Kryptonian dragon gods, who inspired the names of two legendary heroes of Krypton and later human heroes on Earth. Clark, understandably in a precarious situation as his secret identity is at risk with Lois pursuing it passionately, asks her why she won’t drop it and follow other interesting leads. However, Lois is fixated on this particular case not only because of the prospect of it being a big story but also because she is moved by the altruism of this unknown savior. She wants to really know the person who saved their lives, and hearing Lois talk candidly about Superman, the identity question once again pops up in his mind. Taking a quick break, Clark flies away to his parents in Smallville.
Martha is initially overjoyed to see her son return but gets concerned after learning Clark wants to revisit the spaceship, this time to go through the entire ordeal and know where he came from. Digging up the spaceship, Clark activates it, and the strange pillars converge to transport him to another colorless plane, where the man in white once again makes a visit and tries his desperate best to communicate with Clark in his alien language. When verbal communication proves to be a hindrance, the man in white transforms the entire plane into a view of the cosmos and shows Clark a vision through tactile projection. Clark sees a planet on the verge of total annihilation due to internal warfare and a catastrophe triggered by the corruption of its sun and realizes the man in white is actually his father, who, along with his biological mother, sent away an infant Clark on the spaceship moments before the planet was completely destroyed. Now, although the names are not mentioned, the world knows the origin story of beloved Superman, Kal El, the last son of the doomed planet Krypton, sent to Earth by his birth parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van. Some hints are provided during this sequence to suggest there might be some modification to the background story, which shall be revealed as the episodes progress.
What Are Jimmy And Lois Up To?
Meanwhile, Lois takes Jimmy with her to investigate the woman who set off the giant robots at them previously. During her conversation with Jimmy, it becomes apparent that Lois has taken a liking to Clark. Jimmy has photos of the ship that was going to be used to transport the robots, and using that clue, the duo arrives at the salvage docks. They aren’t able to find the shipment, but they follow foot trails that lead them through tunnels.
On the other hand, Leslie Willis finds herself followed by unknown agents due to the fact that her previous shenanigans with the stolen military robots have drawn some unwanted attention. Leslie takes care of the agents by knocking them out and states her wish to meet the controller operative of the agents by using their communication device, as Leslie considers them to be the owner of the stolen tech.
As planned, Leslie and the operative meet at a city bistro, and the former proposes a trade: her stolen tech in exchange for her going scot-free. As the operative, whom she deduces to be black ops, presses her to give away the tech anyway, Leslie reveals that she has planted bombs all over the city through the tunnels (the same tunnels Lois and Jimmy are walking through) and that she will happily trigger them if her demands aren’t met. Right at the moment, Lois and Jimmy appear at the scene by coming out of the tunnel through a manhole opening, leading to Leslie believing that the black ops have used third-party assistance. As she is about to set the bombs off, the black ops operative knocks the detonator off of her, and Leslie reveals her true form as the electricity-manipulating metahuman known as Livewire. A battle ensues between the two, which sends the civilians scattering, and amidst this ruckus, Jimmy and Lois try to keep the detonator from falling from Leslie’s hands.
A Job For Superman
Inside the projected plane, after seeing the vision, Clark begins to wonder about his past, but right at that moment, his biological father—the man in white—disappears, and a garb in blue and red, much like the one he was wearing, gets fitted around Clark’s body. In a transformation scene that will remind viewers of the famous “Sailor Moon” transformation sequence, Clark is transformed into a costumed hero and gets brought back to reality. Martha is amused to see her shy, innocent, dorky boy being completely transformed into a confident, strong individual and suggests adopting the name Lois gave him: Superman. Perhaps to keep an impression of her boy’s pure heart intact, Martha adds a belt and shorts to the costume; the classic Superman costume with cape, trunks, and belt is thus assembled.
Jonathan arrives, appreciates his son’s new getup, and hands him his phone, where Jimmy’s voicemail reveals the danger he and Lois are in. Clark flies off to Metropolis and saves his friends from a vehicle thrown at them, almost recreating the classic Superman pose from his first appearance in “Action Comics #1”. Seeing Superman hovering with a smile on his face is a sight to behold, and understandably, Lois and Jimmy cannot hold off their excitement. However, there’s hardly much chance of getting to know Superman as Livewire attacks him, blaming him for sabotaging her plans previously and putting a target on her back. During the fight, the operative strikes Livewire’s major power amplifier crystal, which causes a passive power surge around her, encapsulating her in an energy bubble and transforming her to a heightened colorless state. Superman realizes she is in mortal danger and enters the energy sphere to detach the crystal from her. As he touches the crystal, Superman sees visions of interplanetary warfare and a space portal opening above a civilization—visions he cannot comprehend but which reveal to viewers that the crystal is probably of Kryptonian origin. By destroying the crystal, Clark saves Livewire’s life and quickly repairs all the damage caused during the battle across the city before flying off. Moments like this make Superman endearing; taking the time even for the littlest things, even with the burden of the world on his shoulders, is what makes the Man of Steel so unique.
Jimmy and Lois present a proper picture of Superman to Perry, who is so shocked to see it that he orders them to stop the press. However, he still isn’t considering promoting the team, and they are sent back to their work. At Clark’s apartment, Lois makes a visit; she is overjoyed after meeting with Superman and speaking with him, but she wishes Clark would have been there to meet him as well. Clark states he was sure Lois would find out about Superman eventually, reinstating his faith in her capabilities and almost sharing his feelings for her. However, Jimmy interrupts in classic third-wheel fashion and shows them an early copy of the next day’s newspaper, which Flip gave him, where the news of Superman’s appearance has made the front page, but the credits are given to the journalists; Cat Grant, Ronnie Troupe, and Steve Lombard instead of them. Tough Luck for Lois and co., but it won’t be enough to demoralize her anyway.
Where Did Livewire End Up?
The scene shifts to a holding cell where Livewire, aka Leslie Willis, is kept in captivity and gets tortured by the black ops, now assisted by two other big-shot agents. Although Leslie’s plan to blow up the city has failed, she states that all the technology at her disposal has been shared among low-level criminals in the city. Unshaken at the update, the operative asks her about Nemesis Omega, Zero Day, and Task Force X, and as she states that she is unaware of them, he asks her about Superman. The episode ends by showing the agents, the supposed ‘good guys’, who have imprisoned Leslie and leaves viewers speculating about their motivations.
Once again, although the names haven’t been specified, the foreshadowing of one eye being covered, adept combat skill in engaging even with a metahuman without having powers himself, and the black and orange dress code reveal the operative to be none other than Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke. Mentioning Task Force X and showing the female person of color as one of the agents totally reveals her to be Amanda Waller, the ruthless undercover operative often associated with Suicide Squad, the questionable criminal exploitation co-op of the government. The third agent might be Rick Flagg Sr., who has been associated with covert programs of the state in comics, but we will know for sure only in future episodes. Nevertheless, Superman’s presence has made an impact in the world and has intrigued some of Earth’s secretive agencies who might have clues about his past, and the correlation will eventually be explored.
