Big Blue Is Back and Better Than Ever in My Adventures with Superman Season 2

Last year, Adult Swim’s My Adventures with Superman was an unexpected treat. Offering a new take on the (admittedly overdone) Man of Steel and boasting some adorable anime-inspired animation to boot, the series thrived through its cute central relationships and coming of age angle, as it delivered an overarching mystery surrounding its hero’s Kryptonian identity. In its second season, My Adventures with Superman expands on the charming relationship between Clark (Jack Quaid) and Lois (Alice Lee), offers Jimmy (Ishmel Sahid) a chance to be more than just a third wheel, and fills out the Kryptonian lore in big, big ways. In short, it’s another goddamn delight. 

Picking up where last season left off, My Adventures with Superman continues to follow Clark, Lois, and Jimmy, now fully-minted reporters at the Daily Planet, as they navigate their new positions, relationships, and family drama. Clark is plagued by dreams of the mysterious Kryptonian he saw on Zero Day; Lois searches for her father, who has been missing since the final battle; and Jimmy’s Flamebird empire has taken off, though not without a few new road bumps. Task Force X, led now by the perpetually-hateable Amanda Waller (Debra Wilson), is still making power moves, attempting to amass more weaponry to neutralize the person they deem an ongoing threat to humanity: Superman. As Clark and Lois settle into a comfortable romantic relationship, their bond is put to the test when it’s revealed that there is another Kryptonian still alive: Clark’s cousin Kara. As the team prepares to face the fight of their lives against Task Force X, Clark continues to question his place in humanity, his unknown origins, and his connection to those he loves—all while always making time to save the day. 

The most refreshing aspect of this new season is how quickly it’s hitting our screens. It was less than a year ago that the first season debuted, and to have these characters back in our living rooms week after week so quickly is nothing short of a gift. But even beyond the ways this series feels like a return to form for episodic, appointment-viewing animation (and picks up the baton from the excellent X-Men ‘97), this season is just an admirably consistent continuation of those wonderful first 10 episodes.

In the first two episodes made available for review, the relationship between Clark and Lois is more adorable than ever, but it’s clear that, just because they now find themselves in a comfortable partnership, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy one. They bicker with and romance each other by turns, all while an underlying tension colors their interactions. Clark is still an alien, after all, and he still has so many questions about his home world and culture that he just doesn’t have answers to, and that creates a slight hesitance in their dynamic that is needed alongside the sickly sweet, gooey romance. 

And when it comes to Kara herself, she is mostly a footnote in these first two episodes, a presence hanging in the distance with a promise of more in the future. Her origin is altered slightly, but I’ll reserve any judgment one way or another until she actually makes a full appearance within the show about whether those changes work. Based on this series’ excellent track record of canon changes and alterations, I think it’s safe to say that fans of the Girl of Steel will have nothing to worry about when that time comes. 

The performances continue to be fun and playful, especially Quaid’s adorably awkward Superman, and the animation sequences are still incredibly well-done. In watching the beginning of this second season, it’s hard not to think the same thought I had the first time around: this is truly the best future for the Man of Steel. It’s a new and adventurous take on his mythos, all while honoring the core spirit of what makes Superman one of the most beloved superheroes of all time. And the creative team behind the series holds an obvious adoration for the character, his family (both found and Kryptonian), and his world, which allows the story to push forward with a propulsion of nerdy call-outs and grounded emotion.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no!—it’s more delightful Superman stories on our screen every week, thank Rao. 

My Adventures with Superman premieres Saturday, May 25th on Adult Swim, streaming next day on Max. 

Anna Govert is the TV Editor of Paste Magazine. For any and all thoughts about TV, film, and her unshakable love of complicated female villains, you can follow her @annagovert.

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