Review: My Adventures With Superman S3 E10 The Return

My Adventures With Superman S3 E10, 'The Return', aired this last weekend, the season finale for season 3 and possibly the show's final show. No season 4 has been announced yet. I can only hope that the we get more of this show because it (and this season in particular) has been astonishingly good.

This season has been a sort of mash-up of comic stories - The Reign of the Supermen for sure given the multiple versions of those comic characters we have seen. But I'd throw in something like Zero Hour given the time travel implications we have seen throughout. 

As I have said, the storyline of Superman and Lois meeting their future kids and trying to change their horrible future has been compelling enough. But through in Lois' doubts of her own future, Clark dealing with being depowered for half the season, and Kara's growth into a loving, optimistic, fierce Supergirl has all been fantastic as well.

It all comes down to this episode with the House of El fighting a highly evolved version of the Eradicator, a mix of Superman's powers, Doomsday's powers, and Lex's fears of alien conquerors. Without Superman, the team is frankly outmatched. But they show how determined they are by continuing the fight. 

But it really hinges on The Return of Superman and his true power, wanting to help people, wanting an ordinary life with ordinary happiness, and willing to sacrifice himself to help others.

It ends with a crazy cliffhanger. It would be a fine final shot if this show does end here. But I need more. 

And as usual, the whole thing has the feel of Dragon Ball Z, Neon Genesis, and other comic classics smushed into Superman lore and I am here for it.

On to the show.

Last episode we learned that the Coluans had been conquered by the Kryptonians, forced to serve as Brainiacs. With Clark not espousing the conquering ways, the Brainiacs decide to kill him. This enraged Bizarro to the point he was going to kill the Brainiacs. 

And then Clark steps in and stops Bizarro's killing blow. He calms the usually docile Bizarro. Brainiac is confused on why Clark saved the beings who were trying to kill him. It's the right thing. It's that easy.

When Brainiac kneels before the 'Lord of Krypton', Clark tells him 'no one kneels'.

That is the core of this Superman. Helping everyone. Giving everyone a second chance. 

Perfect.

It wasn't Brainiac sending those visions to Superman.

It was Rao, a living sun which powers the Fortress. And Rao could restore Clark's powers ... at a cost.

More on Rao at the end of this. But interesting that a burning small sun is in the center of the Fortress this whole time.

Back at the Zero Day site, the Eradicator and his brutish duplicate have been having their way with the super family. Johnathan is about to give up.

Check out Supergirl. They won't know if they aren't stroung enough unless they try. She is willing to fly into the fray to save her friends and this world, even if it means her own death. Heck, she's been near death before this very season. 

Incredible.

When the brutish Eradicator tries to kill Jimmy and Lois, Supergirl flies in.

Love how much Supergirl has grown over this season compared to her troubled past in the last. She won't let harm fall to her family. HER FAMILY !!!

Love it.

And then she, Johnathan, and Lara team up to destroy this thing, flying through the center of it and making it disintegrate.

Love seeing the family team up in this way.

But it isn't enough. The military retreats. 

The smooth Eradicator says that he has fought this fight on many timelines, always growing and evolving, always winning. He knows what the heroes fear and that is their loved ones being killed. It activates the fallen military mecha and has it attack our heroes.

Check out Lois picking up a machine gun!! More on this later too!

It truly seems like the team is going to lose when the Eradicator suddenly shows the ability to create more of the brutes, making 5 of them to fight our heroes. Nice pull back shot here of them creating a phalanx to fight Johnathan, Kara, and Lara.

Just when it looks like all is lost, Lex shows he can be a good guy and puts on a device that lets him mentally attack the Eradicators. It works briefly! 

Good for this Lex to realize he's been on the wrong side of things here. That he is responsible for all the devastation out there.

But the mental attack goes both ways. After a brief victory, the Eradicator turns the tables on Lex.

I don't think we can call Lex a good guy yet. But nice growth.

There have been plenty of simmering character plots this season.

One has been Lois' fear of the future, of making mistakes, of being a poor parent.

Here Johnathan falls and it looks like all will be lost. But he thanks Lois for being the best thing in his terrible future. 

It's a great moment for him and her. It is the character moments in this show that really make it such a great exploration of these characters.

But before all is lost, before the brutes can kill everyone, who returns ... Superman!

Clad in Kryptonian armor, he gives his love to his family.

Another simmering character plot has been this Johnathan's resentment of Clark not being around and his sense of failure for being unable to save the day. 

We get to see that get paid off a bit when Superman asks for Johnathan's forgiveness for not being around. Superman also says Johnathan can take the weight of being Superman off. He is there now.

Just another great moment.

I have talked about Superman''s ethos this season, of his approach to conflict.

We see it again here when he actually offers peace to the Eradicator. "It doesn't have to end like this." It's a chance to stop things peacefully. Which is crazy given the evil this thing has done. But that is what this Superman does.

The Eradicator evolves one last time, into a sort of Jor-El looking being and doesn't take the offer.

And so it is on. The Eradicator and his brutes against the entirety of the House of El. Love that dramatic shot of the whole group.

The fight breaks down to Superman against the main Eradicator and the family against the brutes. 

I have already mentioned Supergirl's journey this season. But this is one of the best moments.

She says it out loud. She was brought to this world to destroy it. But her family and friends made it her home. They changed her. And she won't lose.

That last panel isn't her screaming in pain; it's her powering up. She definitely hits the next level. Seems like Super Saiyan 3.

But this fight drains her. She can't help against Eradicator Prime.

Back to Superman, he skirmishes with the Eradicator and talks about how people on Earth just want to be with their loved ones. What is there to fear in that. What is wrong with the Eradicator?

Such a cool moment.

But when the Eradicator won't back down, then it is time for this All-Star Superman to lay the smack down.

Each punch he lands is so powerful it seems to de-volve the Eradicator back to the original form.

Defeated, he prefers death than giving up his own perverse fight to kill Superman.

What a crazy ending. 

And just like that the threat is over. 

There was a lot to like about the brawl. The resiliency of the family. Kara's fight. The fact everyone down to Bizarro got a moment to shine. And, of course, Superman to the end offering a more peaceful way out. 

Nothing left but the wrap-up.

Lois hugs Johnathan. 

Who knows what the future will be. Who knows if this Johnathan will even exist in the future he returns to. But Lois and Clark will keep fighting to create a future he deserves.

It leans into the arcs both of them have been on.

Jimmy is ready for a 'committed relationship'. 

But in a twist, it is now Kara who wants it to be a 'promising friendship'.

Too funny.

Lex did all he did because he has looking into the universe and has seen horrifying things. He was preparing. 

If we get a season 4, we have to be getting Apokolips.

Clark tells Lois that there was a price for his getting his powers back.

We see him inside Rao wracked with pain.

It was a price he was willing to bear. Of course. This Superman is ready to suffer everything to help people, to save his family.

And then the end shot, Lois proposing to Clark.

I am sure the internet is going to have a field day with this. But it is a great ending to her story this season. Clark has already talked about sharing a farm with Lois and having kids. He may not have proposed properly. But he proposed.

She was the one who was scared about the future. So this is a great ending especially because he says yes.

Now that is an ending. 

Bring on Season 4!

But two more thoughts.

Surely Lois picking up a machine gun is a nod to her wielding one back in the Fleischer Superman cartoons.

And when Superman meets Rao, 'the living sun' has shimmering light inside it. It reminded me of the beating heart, the soul of Yui, inside Eva Unit 1 in Neon Genesis Evangelion. But of course, sometimes I see things that aren't there. 

But given the nods to other comics and anime, I wondered if I was right. I asked show-runner Jake Wyatt on X.  Here was his response.

I'll take it!

So give me your thoughts! What about this episode, this season, this show?