Editor’s Note: The following are spoilers for Superman and Lois Season 3.
On the CW Superman and LoisClark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) - in their romantic relationship - pack up in Metropolis to start a new life in old little Smallville along with their twin sons John (Michael Bishop) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin). But life in the small town turns out to be anything but peaceful as Smallville becomes the center of supervillain activity from businessman-turned-Superman’s half-brother Tal-Ro (Adam Raynor) to eccentric cult leader Ellie Alston (Ria Kilstedt). This repeatedly endangered Smallville, its inhabitants, and the world, such as when Allston merged with her other self from Bizarro World and attempted to fully merge the worlds. Then, in the third season of the superhero drama, the long-awaited appearance of Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz) leads to the arrival of another of Superman’s greatest foes: Doomsday. However, the inclusion of Lex Luthor on the show isn’t necessarily something we’re celebrating.
Lex Luthor was used too much in The Superman Tales
The most obvious reason for our lack of enthusiasm for the arrival of Lex Luthor Superman and Lois is that the character has been extensively explored in the real-time adaptations of Superman. While we love Superman in almost every iteration, and every adaptation manages to breathe new life into the character in some way, there’s really nothing new with Lex. He is a selfish billionaire mastermind who corrupts everything he touches and manages to take over even the most powerful. We have already seen examples of this twice in Superman and Lois with Lex forcing everyone else - employees and convicts - to do his bidding in Stryker’s prison, and then convincing Superman’s Bizarro to let him kill himself repeatedly until Doomsday was born. His superpower is money and his willingness to go either way due to his sociopathic tendencies. (There are enough Lex Luthor wannabes in real life already, thanks a lot.)
Besides, we’re still burned out from Lex (played by Jon Cryer) has completely overtaken the last two seasons of The CW. Super Girl. The writers were so excited to use Lex that everything in the show somehow became about him, which was absolutely exhausting to watch and permanently ruined the character for many viewers. His tricks are old and exaggerated, and his ability to constantly manipulate and control all the people around him is about as plausible as people not recognizing Clark Kent as Superman because of a pair of glasses. At the very least, it is somewhat reassuring that Superman and Lois a version of Lex that we haven’t seen before. He has been in prison for almost two decades after being accused of one of the few crimes he Not commit. The revelation that he has a daughter is rather unexpected, although it certainly fits the show’s theme. Could that be enough to bring the character to life and make him worth watching another Superman-Lex showdown?
‘Superman and Lois’ should stick with unexpected and underrated villains
To be honest, it was a big relief when Superman and Lois The first season showed Wole Parks’ character was John Henry Irons instead of Lex Luthor. Whether this was the original plan, Lex’s exclusion automatically set this Superman adaptation apart from others. This gave the show and viewers the opportunity to see Superman face-to-face with other iconic DC villains live. For example, the inclusion of Onomatopoeia as the main villain in Season 3 was exciting, fantastic, and inventive (since the comic book character had to be twisted for the story to work). Likewise, a story revolving around Bizarro’s Superman allowed us to see our favorite hero in action, as well as explore a different side of being the Man of Steel that didn’t work out so well for the Clark Bizarro version.
After all, the character’s transformation into Doomsday was an unexpected and almost perfect twist. The main villains of each season are Tal-Ro, Ellie Alston and Bruno Mannheim (Chad L. Coleman) - all this brought something new to the history of Superman and a lasting legacy of this show in the future. It was incredibly rewarding to watch Superman go head-to-head with enemies that show a different side of the character and prove his many abilities as a hero, rather than having to back down from familiar enemies like Lex who can only be stopped in so many ways.
The inclusion of Lex Luthor is especially troubling in light of Season 4’s cast cuts.
Unfortunately, they already kind of promised that Lex would already be a burden in Superman and Lois Season 4, but it’s all the more disappointing that it came at the expense of some of our favorite Smallville residents. All of the main cast except Hechlin, Tulloch, Bishop and Garfin were cut; they have been offered the opportunity to return as guest stars for the upcoming season, although it is not clear who exactly will remain. But, in addition to this news, it was announced that Cudlitz had become a series regular for a 10-episode fourth season. This clearly promises a bigger story for Lex next season, which will keep a close eye on him. Is this the intention Superman and Lois writers, this will completely change the tone of the series, and Lex’s presence will no doubt be a huge weight on the show, detracting from what many have loved about the show since it premiered.
Lex Luthor didn’t need to be introduced, let alone become a series regular in what would likely be the show’s final season. It’s already sad to lose so many characters we’ve come to love, at least in the sense that from now on they won’t be in almost every episode. Plus, it’s sad to think that we’re losing a character that wasn’t given credit in live action, like John Henry Irons, in favor of yet another incarnation of Lex Luthor battling Superman. There were so many stories to tell to the other characters that were sacrificed to shift the focus to Lex. There are so many other villains to explore in order to test Clark and Lois in new, unpredictable ways.
The first two seasons of the series Superman and Lois currently available for streaming on Max.
Source: Collider
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