It was kind of clear that Clark Kent wouldn’t actually die in “The Death of Superman” episode from this week’s My Adventures with Superman.
We’re only five episodes into the show’s third season. While killing off Superman and trying to resurrect him would have been an interesting plot twist, the show prefers something more metaphorical. Since Superman is still alive, how did he end up powerless instead?
Super-family vs Henshaw
“The Death of Superman” picks up immediately from last week’s episode “Guess Who’s Slammin’ to Dinner?” left off. Hank Henshaw/Cyborg Superman is attacking Metropolis to force Superman to face him.
Clark, his cousin Kara and his son from the future Jon give it their all but Hank delivers a brutal beatdown to all three Kryptonians, particularly Clark.
That’s because Hank has a core of green Kryptonite inside his chest, giving him a weapon to weaken Kryptonians and a power source he can draw on. The Kryptonite taints Clark and Kara’s veins green as it’s poisoning them, and the prolonged exposure causes Clark to sprout Kryptonite crystals from his body.
When Hank gets his hands on Jon with an arm cannon aimed at the boy’s face, Clark powers through the Kryptonite poisoning. He smashes the arm cannon to bits as he’s racing towards his son then rips the Kryptonite core out of Henshaw’s chest before crushing it in his bare hand.
At first, Hank tries to self-destruct to take Superman and Metropolis out with him. Once he learns that Jon is half-human and came from the future to stop him from ending the world, a horrified Hank peacefully shuts down.
After the dust settles and Jon returns to the future, Clark reveals to Lois Lane that his powers are gone. And without his powers, he can’t be Superman anymore.
How Did Clark Lose His Powers?
What is Kryptonite exactly? The simplified answer is that it’s a glowing green rock emitting a specific type of radiation that scrambles Superman’s cells. It disrupts his body’s ability to absorb and process the energy from Earth’s yellow solar energy, which is the source of his powers.
Based on what we saw in “The Death of Superman,” as Clark summons the strength to save Jon, the green Kryptonite crystallizes inside of him until it completely dissipates.
It looks like Clark’s body purged itself of all the Kryptonite poisoning him yet you can tell he’s pushing himself past his limits. The combination of overexerting himself plus exposing himself to more Kryptonite radiation seems to be too much for even Superman to bear.
The closer Superman gets to Hank, his veins are green again with Kryptonite crystals popping out of his skin.
When he rips out Hank’s Kryptonite heart, the Kryptonite inside of Superman changes from green to blue until all the solar energy his body had stored is burned out of his system.
What Happens Now?
Now that we’re in the second half of season 3, the next couple of weeks will probably focus on Clark adjusting to life as a normal man. I’m assuming Kara and maybe Bizarro will step up to take Superman’s place until Clark’s powers return. And since there’s a lot the characters don’t know about Kryptonite, it would be a good opportunity to do some world-building.
Because now that Hank is gone, it’s only a matter of time until Lex Luthor asserts himself as the big bad of the season.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if a convenient solution drops into Clark’s lap that restores his powers, assuming they don’t return on their own. Superman might be “dead” for now but that never lasts for very long.
New episodes of My Adventures with Superman airs every Saturday at midnight ET/ 9:00 p.m. PT on adult swim (Cartoon Network).
