Arguably the most effective issues in regards to the previous few a long time of superhero glut is the variety of choices obtainable throughout movie and tv. Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins delivers a grounded portrayal of Batman’s early days. WandaVision bent actuality for a surreal journey by way of TV historical past. Ant-Man’s a heist film with super-suits. For a hard-R take a look at what individuals with superpowers may actually do, look no additional than The Boys. And for the primary time since Henry Cavill placed on the go well with and cape in 2013, there’s a tackle Superman that’s truly… dare I say it… enjoyable?
That’s the quick vibe of My Adventures With Superman, which returns for a second season on Could twenty fifth, following the primary season’s debut final summer time. The Grownup Swim collection, streaming on Max, finds a lot pleasure in enjoying with these characters, together with a deeply felt love for good ol’ Clark Kent from Smallville.
My Adventures With Superman brings the character again to fundamentals, a quasi-origin story that begins with younger Clark Kent (Jack Quaid) figuring out he’s totally different, although not sure why, precisely, he’s in a position to leap buildings in a single sure. He’s additionally obtained different issues happening, as a result of he and his finest pal Jimmy Olsen (Alice Lee) have simply gotten internships at The Day by day Planet, the place they first encounter a dynamic (barely extra senior) intern named Lois Lane (Ishmel Sahid).
This Clark is probably one of many sunniest and most open variations of the character because the days of Christopher Reeve. The colours of his go well with are shiny blue and pink; he believes persons are essentially good; he’s obtained an enormous crush on Lois however loads of love left over for everybody and all the pieces else. And Jack Quaid’s efficiency nails that youthful exuberance and occasional awkwardness — the one potential disadvantage is the cognitive dissonance followers of The Boys may expertise, when listening to the voice of Hughie in a present that’s arguably the whole polar reverse of the Prime Video collection.
Past its innate wholesomeness, Adventures stands out for the velocity with which it strikes by way of plot: For one factor, this Lois is possibly a little bit smarter than previous on-screen equivalents, and nearly as quickly as Superman turns into a public determine, secret authorities forces start mobilizing with an eye fixed on him as a risk. Plus, the “adventures” a part of the title isn’t an exaggeration — the collection options some overarching plot threads, however most episodes function a stand-alone storyline, starting from Die Exhausting-esque motion to a jaunt by way of the multiverse to the worst Thanksgiving ever.
Solely two episodes from Season 2 had been made obtainable for critics, but the vibe from Season 1 stays constant in these early installments, whereas additionally persevering with to maneuver the story ahead (together with the reveal of at the very least one new main villain). All of it works so nicely — from the anime-style design to some nice dialogue to the robust supporting voice solid (together with Chris Parnell as lethal mercenary Deathstroke/Slade Wilson, which is actually a genius alternative).
Which is why it’s just a bit unhappy, that it feels unlikely we’ll ever get greater than two seasons of the collection. The potential tragedy of My Adventures With Superman is that it acquired a two-season greenlight in 2021, when all the pieces about the way forward for DC Comics variations was in flux. Since then, Warner Bros. has introduced in Peter Safran and James Gunn to supervise the newly shaped “DC Studios,” which is able to launch in 2025 with the Gunn-directed Superman, starring David Corenswet as the brand new on-screen Clark Kent.
The intention is for DC Studios to be a unified cinematic universe, versus the sprawling confusion that was the previous decade or so of movie and TV tasks that always overlapped. (Keep in mind when Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen popped by to go to The CW’s Barry Allen? That was an actual factor that occurred.)
So whereas Adventures showrunner Jake Wyatt stated in 2023 that Gunn preferred the present and “we’ve been allowed to do our two seasons with no interference and loads of approval,” there’s no indication {that a} third season is a risk. On this case, it seems like we would as nicely simply recognize what we’re getting — slightly than mourn what might have been.
Hopefully Gunn and Corenswet make notice of this Superman’s sunny outlook, although. As a result of after the dreariness of Zack Snyder’s take — to not point out this more and more darkish world through which we dwell — the necessity for a Superman who can encourage audiences has not often felt extra profound. Even with comedian e-book motion pictures usually on the decline, the potential of the style stays potent. There are such a lot of various kinds of superhero tales, in any case. Certainly there’s room for optimism in at the very least considered one of them.
My Adventures With Superman debuts Could twenty fifth at midnight on Grownup Swim, with new episodes additionally streaming on Max.