‘Superman and Lois’ Man of Steel Review: Surprise Reveals in Multiple Universes Leads to a Fantastic Episode

David Ramsey (John Diggle on Arrow) steps up as director and knocks Man of Steel out of the park, with some gorgeous shots, flashbacks and well-choreographed action.

Man of Steel dives deep into the mysterious Marcus’s past by teaming Lois and Clark up, provides Lana with a new mission and showcases the development of new power for Jordan. The absence of Kyle Cushing is a bonus and while jealousy is an annoying trait, it makes sense for Jordan’s new power.

I didn’t really like Sarah taking out her frustration with Jordan on Jonathan at the beginning of the episode. However, she does apologize. I’m curious to see whether Sarah’s going to keep digging or not.

With the non-spoiler details out of the way, lets dive into superhero theatrics, family drama and more in Man of Steel. Superman and Lois is airing on The CW and streaming on the CWTV app.

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Sensory Overload

Man of Steel picks up moments after the ending of Broken Trust. Clark flies off with Jordan in his arms to the Fortress. Similar to Clark as a youngster, Jordan is developing super hearing. He’s having a difficult time isolating sounds. Jordan is overwhelmed and spends most of the episode with noise-canceling headphones.

Sarah misdirects her anger towards Jonathan instead of Jordan. Jonathan is once again forced to lie to Sarah about Jordan missing school. The difference this time is he tells the truth for the most part. Jordan is missing school due to Tad attacking him.

Sarah eventually apologizes to Jonathan after he strikes up an awkward conversation with another girl. Jordan is able to focus his hearing enough to eavesdrop on Jonathan and Sarah’s conversation. When Jonathan comes home, Jordan’s jealousy rears its ugly head. His accusations fall on deaf ears. Jonathan unleashes on Jordan using very similar language that Jordan used on Clark when he was eavesdropping on Jordan at school. Another great scene by Jordan Elsass as Jonathan here.

Jordan’s hearing comes in handy in the episode’s climax. He overhears his Dad’s battle with the mysterious Marcus. With Jonathan at the wheel and Jordan providing directions in the passenger’s seat, the Kent twins are able to rescue their father. After the eventful conflict, the brothers’ makeup. Lois and Clark also tell the boys the truth about everything they know.

The Jordan-Jonathan subplot was solid, not mind-blowing, nor did it need to be. There are already a ton of surprises in store, so having a storyline that tells a simple story is effective. I also like how the twin’s storyline dovetailed with the adventures of Lois and Clark.

Lois and Clark

Lois now has multiple mysteries to untangle. She’s still trying to find out what Morgan Edge is up to with X-Kryptonite and who Marcus really is after last week’s episode.

After Sarah’s kidnapping, Lana offers to help Lois with her investigation into Edge. Due to her to promotion, she has access to Edge. The billionaire tasks Lana with forming a leadership committee. Edge volunteers Kyle for a spot, which Lana declines. I only mention that tidbit, because that one line is the only reference to Kyle in this episode, which is great. Lana’s story is just getting started here, but I like the direction.

Meanwhile, Lois heads out to Marcus’s RV. He offers to talk inside. Lois controls the situation and sets up a new time and public place for them to talk. Clark rides with Lois to the meeting. While Lois sits down with Marcus, Clark snoops around the RV.

Before Marcus can reveal much, Lois gets a phone call from Chrissy with X-Kryptonite shipping information. Clark learns about Marcus’s Captain Luthor alias, which is still not his real identity.

Lois and Clark tail the semi-truck carrying the kryptonite. Thanks to Clark’s vision, they can tail from miles away, which is a fun touch. Luthor is a step ahead of the journalism duo. He stops the convoy. Superman quickly leaves the passenger seat and escorts the van to a desert high-rise.

Lois, Clark and Captain Luthor have a quick conversation. In exchange for talking to Superman, Luthor will give Lois the Kryptonite. The violent meeting between Superman and Captain Luthor leads to a surprising revelation: Marcus/Captain Luthor is really John Henry Irons aka Steel.

Man of Steel in Multiple Universes

Wolé Parks is phenomenal as the determined, intelligent and ultimately tragic John Henry Irons. During his conversations with Lois on this Earth, we see flashbacks to Irons’s life in his world.

In this alternate Earth, he’s married to Lois and has a daughter named Natalie. Superman leads an army of Kryptonians who destroy Metropolis. Ramsey does a great job capturing the terror of an evil Kryptonian army.

Lois is killed by Superman while making an on-air plea to keep fighting. John and Natalie channel their grief into building a mechanical suit and the RV. He’s able to just barely make it to this Earth.

Man of Steel’s climax features a fight between Irons and Superman. Irons pretty much dominates the fight. He weakens Superman by using Red UV lights that contain radiation from the red sun. Then using a gigantic hammer he takes it to Superman. A well-time entrance by Jordan and Jonathan breaks the fight up. The episode ends with Irons in military prison and him reflecting on his failed promise to return quickly to his daughter.

Man of Steel Final Thoughts

Just another great episode of Superman and Lois. There just seems to be a lot of confidence in what this show is and what it isn’t. The first season is on a similar if not slightly better trajectory than The Flash and Black Lightning.

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