My Adventures with Superman: Season 2 Premiere Review

My Adventures with Superman is a wholesome show, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have an edge. The first season reimagined Superman as a young guy in today’s world and made some minor changes to the details of his origin story. He’s a different Superman, one that fears his heritage more than recent adaptations and the inaugural episodes of the second season dives into it.

Season 2 continues to explore Clark’s struggle to balance his regular life with his responsibility to humanity. Love is in the air as it’s Valentine’s Day, but Clark and Lois’ relationship is complicated by General Lane’s disdain for the superhero. That doesn’t stop Clark from trying to make plans for the special day, but that only lasts so long before he, Lois, and Jimmy are whisked away to the Arctic, eventually stumbling upon the fortress of solitude.

The episode wastes no time setting up the biggest addition to the series: Supergirl. It’s also here that Clark learns more about his Kryptonian heritage from his father, with a sequence reminiscent of a similar scene in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Naturally, learning about a long-lost super cousin weighs heavy on Clark, portrayed wonderfully by Jack Quad’s performance.

Jor-El’s screen time is limited, but it’s effectively used. We go from seeing the more serious side of him to one that jokes about Clark’s relationship. It’s a small moment, but it grounds their relationship with each other and Earth’s culture. It’s not all serious though, as Jimmy’s new lifestyle of being a millionaire gives way to new jokes at the Daily Planet, shaking up the dynamic of the core trio at the office.

But there’s also a sense of disbalance in episode one, which doesn’t follow up on some of the setups regarding Clark and Lois’ relationship by the end. It starts as a Valentine’s Day special and ends with a convenient action sequence, one that barely gives us a better look at Amanda Waller and her new status.

That changes immediately in episode two, “Adventures with My Girlfriend.” In one quick montage, we get to understand Amanda Waller’s headspace. Along with the episode’s ending, it also set up the larger narrative framework that the season will revolve around.

One of the more frustrating aspects of season one was seeing General Lane’s disdain for Superman. Sure, the twist revealing him to be the leader of the team hunting Superman throughout the season was fun, but it didn't resolve on a satisfying level. Thankfully, headway is made between the two, and I can’t wait to see how Sam and Clark’s relationship develops throughout the season.

The second episode is essentially a prison break story that does a lot to advance the plot and position all the chess pieces in their correct places. It balances humor, drama, and action fairly well. There is one story trope that I don’t like, and that’s tension through miscommunication (or lack thereof), though I think that should be resolved fairly soon when the girl of steel enters the picture.

Fans had a suspicion that Alex, the intern working at AmazoTech, was actually Lex Luthor. Well, that surprise was revealed prematurely in the show’s official trailer, but the reveal still hits well in the second episode. There’s a great scene and role reversal between Lex and Jimmy about realizing one’s ambition and reaching out to fulfill their dreams, becoming the highlight of the episode. It also gives Jimmy more importance in the overall story by turning him into the impetus for Lex’s growth into a villain that further separates this Superman show from the rest.

While I’ve only watched two episodes, it’s clear that we’re about to get another strong season that retells the classic Superman story in a new light. With James Gunn’s Superman movie on the horizon, I can’t wait to see how this story continues to stand on its own.

Here is the official synopsis for season 2 of the show:

My Adventures with Superman season 2 will premiere on Adult Swim on May 25, and stream on Max the following day.