TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Superman and Lois Episode 7: Man of Steel

While I did stop watching Supergirl during its second season, there’s a moment in Season 1 that I’ll never forget for all the right reasons. Because when we entered the season, we learned that the DEO was headed up by a man named “Hank Henshaw’, who comic fans know as the Cyborg Superman. However, within a few episodes, the truth was revealed, he wasn’t Hank Henshaw at all, he was J’onn J’ozz the Martian Manhunter and I freaked the heck out. Tonight, “Man Of Steel” pulled that same thing again and the effect was just as good.

Because from the first episode if you recall I wasn’t happy that Superman was going to be dealing with a Luthor, even one from an alternate Earth. Turned out, the whole thing was a bluff. It wasn’t Lex Luthor or Alexander Luthor (Earth-3 reference) or any other Luthor, in fact…it was John Henry Irons. AKA, Steel.

Steel was a character born from the “Death Of Superman” arc in the comics, and he became a key part of Superman’s allies, including being featured in Superman The Animated Series (voiced by Michael Dorn no less) and was in the Justice League Unlimited carton (voiced by Phil Lamarr). In live-action…well…he was in that Shaq movie…but let’s move on here.

The reveal of Steel was cool in various ways, but the best one was the reveal of his hammer, which is obviously a key part of his aesthetic in the comics. And the fact that he made his suit (not comic-accurate but give it time) with his daughter made it all the more compelling. Seeing more of his backstory did flesh out the character…even if it did come with some drawbacks, but I’ll get to that later.

The whole building to the reveal was well handled. From Lois calling out Steel at his trailer, to the bait and switch move where Clark entered the RV to scope things out, to the flashbacks from the other Earth, it was well done, and it made the reveal even cooler (although we now know why Steel hasn’t been featured in Supergirl and such as he’s been dead the whole time).

And you know that this isn’t the end with him, it’s only just starting, so how it’ll come to pass makes me eager for the next set of episodes.

Now, the other main storyline was of course Jordan’s powers overloading his senses (not unlike a certain scene from the Man of Steel movie). Jordan learning to deal with it was well-handled for the most part…but…did they have to do the whole “he listens in on his brother and his crush at JUST the right moment”? Like, dear gosh, you couldn’t have done anything less trope-y? I’m glad Jonathan went wild on him because he totally deserved it, and it was just a stupid thing.

Then saving their dad though? Much better move.

As for Lana, I liked how they’re doing this as a slow-burn with her. She’s trying to learn what she can and act natural…but she knows she’s got to be careful else she’ll be sending people to their death…and having her friend end up one of the “eggs” helps seal just how dangerous and stressful this is going to be for her.

Going back to Steel, the only real problem I have is that they’re doubling down on the “alternate-Earth evil Superman” story from basically Injustice of the “Red Kryptonite” stories of old and since we KNOW this is the Multiverse version of Irons/Steel, and he knows nothing about our Superman (as he didn’t see Clark as a “threat”) that means that he’ll have to be convinced over time and honestly that has been done before in other shows including Supergirl that honestly shouldn’t have to be repeated. But, given how they handled this (and even explaining the “Captain Luthor” bit) I’ll give them a chance to explain it all.

In the end, “Man of Steel” helped prove why Superman & Lois is shining in its first season. It didn’t get everything right, but it definitely got a majority of it right.