As “The Flash” bids farewell to its stint on The CW, the remnants of the Arrowverse now find a home in “Superman & Lois.” Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch, who first appeared as the iconic Kryptonian and the Pulitzer-winning reporter in “Supergirl,” have now embarked on their separate journey in “Superman & Lois.” With three seasons under their belts following the events of “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” they have had the opportunity to explore their unique narrative of balancing superhero duties and raising twin boys in the humble town of Smallville. The series, while being mostly disconnected from the rest of the DC television universe, has enjoyed the benefit of focusing on its central plot without having to cater to cross-over setups.
Despite the absence of the Flash, Firestorm, Black Lightning, and Supergirl from “Superman & Lois,” the show is far from devoid of metahumans for Superman to face. While their presence certainly ramps up the action, an excess of metahumans, many boasting the same powers as Superman, diminishes the uniqueness of his super abilities.
The Power Proliferation: X-Kryptonite
In the first season, the discovery of X-Kryptonite in the Smallville mines lures billionaire Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner) into the picture. Utilizing the X-Kryptonite, Edge does more than just harbor Kryptonian consciousness within human bodies, akin to “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” The substance also confers superpowers upon the human hosts. The question arises – how does Edge possess this knowledge? Well, Edge is no ordinary billionaire like Bruce Wayne or Lex Luthor. He shares more with Kal-El, as he too is endowed with superpowers due to being Superman’s half-brother, Tal-Rho. His unique origin justifies his shared abilities with Superman. Nevertheless, X-Kryptonite becomes an easy conduit to arm other characters with superpowers.
X-Kryptonite grants superpowers to ordinary people like Tag Harris (Wern Lee), a high school peer of Jonathan and Jordan Kent. When the Kent twins discover Tag’s powers, they seek assistance from their father and grandfather. With his speed rivaling Superman’s, General Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh) takes Tag under his wing, training him among other metahumans, a term more commonly used in the DC Comics realm. However, Tag is not the sole beneficiary of X-Kryptonite-induced superpowers. In the second season, X-Kryptonite is trafficked by dealers in Smallville. Jonathan Kent (Jordan Elsass), driven by his desire to enhance his football skills and harboring jealousy towards his super-powered brother, succumbs to the allure of the “illicit” substance. However, when the authorities get wind of “X-K”, Jonathan halts its use. Still, this doesn’t spell the end for X-Kryptonite’s ubiquitous role in granting superpowers.
An Overabundance of Supermen
The familial connection between Tal-Rho and Kal-El added a fresh twist to Superman’s backstory, making it logical that the main antagonist of the first season would share Superman’s powers. The same holds true for Jordan Kent (Alex Garfin), who is being groomed to step into the superhero arena in season 3. However, in “Superman & Lois,” the Kent-El family doesn’t exclusively possess super strength, speed, x-ray vision, and laser-eye beams.
The second season introduces Bizarro, an alternate version of Superman from a parallel Earth. He possesses all of Superman’s powers but in reverse – breathing fire instead of ice and freeze vision replacing heat vision. While Bizarro’s introduction undoubtedly excites comic book enthusiasts, it adds to the increasing tally of superpowered characters. Perhaps if X-Kryptonite was not as easily accessible, Bizarro’s entry could have been more dramatic and posed a greater challenge to Superman. But with Tal-Rho, Tag, and other X-K-influenced metahumans in the picture, Superman has already bested many of his power-mirroring adversaries.
Adding to the metahuman tally in season 2, the military introduces its team of superbeings, the “Supermen of America,” assembled by General Mitch Anderson (Ian Bohen). Among them is Tag Harris, one of the earliest metahumans to exploit X-Kryptonite for its power-granting abilities. Even though Bizarro slays other members of the Supermen of America, Tag manages to escape, severely wounded. Additionally, General Anderson himself taps into the power of X-Kryptonite, enabling him to defeat and kill Bizzaro. Hence, X-Kryptonite bridges the gap between humans and Kryptonians, even their Bizarro counterparts. But the potential of X-K doesn’t end here.
X-Kryptonite: A Lifeline?
In the ongoing third season, crime boss Bruno Mannheim (Chad Coleman) revives past criminals like Henry Miller/Atom Man and equips them with Superman’s powers. Previously, Miller was a pyromaniac who wreaked havoc in Metropolis with flamethrowers and grenades. However, after Mannheim infuses Miller’s body with X-Kryptonite and the blood from Bizarro Superman’s corpse, Atom Man matches up to Superman, even without his signature flamethrower. Like Tag and other “Supermen,” Miller transforms into a metahuman.
After Superman defeats Miller, the enigmatic villain Onomatopoeia ends Miller’s life using her supersonic sound powers. She is revealed to be Bruno Mannheim’s cancer-afflicted wife Peia (Daya Vaidya), and they preserve Miller’s body for further experimentation in their quest for a cancer cure. When Mannheim attempts to thwart John Henry Irons (Wolé Parks) from turning him over to the authorities, he revives Miller, only for Atom Man to fall at the hands of both Irons and Superman.
Assuming that “Superman & Lois” exists in a separate universe from the Arrowverse, devoid of other metahuman heroes like Supergirl or the Flash, it seems too coincidental to stumble upon superpowered individuals, particularly those possessing the same powers as Superman. However, with the advent of X-Kryptonite in Season 1, the assumption is that anyone could potentially harness some of Superman’s Kryptonian abilities.
While it’s logical for Superman’s kin, including Tal-Rho and Jordan Kent, to possess these powers due to their Kryptonian lineage, and even for a Bizarro version of Superman to have similar powers given his parallel Earth origin, the idea that regular humans can acquire super strength, speed, and flight due to a common drug like X-Kryptonite dilutes the essence of what makes Superman “super.” Going forward, the show needs to devise a more imaginative approach to escalating the superhero stakes instead of simply bestowing Superman’s powers onto other characters.
