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*This review is Spoiler-Free and will not mention major plot points but will give a general overview of the season
Superman is having his renaissance, as the last decade for the Man of Steel was fraught with questionable decisions that made him more of a joke in the public eye. As the Snyderverse of DC films portrayed him more as a cold god like being that isn’t about safety or the lives of everyone but only certain individuals, the amount of alternate stories of him in the various direct to video movies as an antogonist, and him being a “villain” of sorts in the 2024 Rocksteady game Suicide Squad Kills The Justice League. However, with the release of last year’s James Gunn’s Superman, the public perception of the character has been slowly turning around. That movie’s Clark Kent was a great portrayal of the character, moving away from the bleak darkness of Zach Snyder’s DC Universe (which had its place but isn’t needed for all stories) to the more light hearted yet serious take on the character that is very reminiscent of not only the comics but also previous media incarnations of the character. Clark was kind, he fought for not only the lives of those he cared for but for the protection of all life, and was a dork when he wasn’t playing hero. While it’s easy to point to Gunn’s Superman as a turning point, the seeds were planted much earlier with the new animated TV adaptation of Superman; My Adventures With Superman. Originally picked up for twenty episodes split across two seasons for Cartoon Network. After some internal shake ups that happened at parent company Warner Brothers after its merger with Discovery was complete, CN decided to drop the show. Yet deciding it shouldn’t go to waste, Adult Swim decided to pick up those episodes and would premiere its first season in 2023 on Thursday nights at Midnight. After which its second season would air a year later but move to premiere first on its Toonami programming block on Saturday nights. The show must’ve done very well on the network because after season two completed its run production ramped up for a third season along with an upcoming spin off with the Green Lantern characters. After waiting two years for this new season, the wait was well worth it as My Adventures With Superman season three is another great season that props up the human element of the character while also introducing more intimidating foes for him to fight. It also portrays a bright future for DC’s animated elsewhere universe moving forward.
After defeating Brainiac in season two Clark, Lois, Jimmy, and Kara are enjoying the downtime after defeating an invasive threat such as that. Yet, despite all that Clark is thinking about the future of not only Metropolis but his future with Lois. Yet before he can settle down new threats and friends show up. Will Superman be able to defeat the new threats of Metropolis or will he be struck down for good?
Throughout season three, the future is a prevalent theme. For many the future is scary and can be quite uncertain but it is not set in stone and we can shape it anyway we can. Lois Lane throughout this season has a lot of thoughts about hers and if it’s one she wants or can even manage. It’s easy to imagine the worst outcomes of it but a lot of this season is more focused on the hope of it. Despite how bad it could get, if we keep fighting and build a better tomorrow that inspires the future to not look as bleak as it could be.
It’s a fantastic moral which is what the character of Superman represents. Its themes came during an important moment in the US’s current history and with all the craziness going on. Its tackling the future is something we need to hear at this moment in time when everything in our world is scary. It does a great job with it and never becomes heavy handed. Despite the full move to Adult Swim this season is more or less the same as its original production order when Cartoon Network greenlit it. Don’t expect to see a ton of blood or swearing. However, I feel like it doesn’t need any of that. It got the character of Superman right which as previously mentioned can be misinterpreted badly.
While I have given a good amount of praise I will say I do think that this season can juggle too much in the short ten episode run time. As the later introduction of certain characters could’ve given us more time to know them and I do think certain plot points can get convoluted by the end. The core storyline is still good enough that those feel like minor nitpicks and not major complaints. Yet it is something that I keep thinking that they could’ve done a better job with.
Regardless, My Adventures With Superman season three continues DC’s winning streak of releasing great content in the DC Universe. Superman is a character that means a lot to me. As a kid I idolized this character from watching the early Fleischer shorts that aired on Cartoon Network, through syndicated runs of the Bruce Timm Superman The Animated Series, or to even the various movie incarnations through DVD’s or VHS this character can inspire generations and I feel this new Superman series is one that will not only inspire but raise a new line of Superman fans. He feels timeless and despite various missteps a decade ago it’s clear Warner wants to keep this character alive and wants him to be the face of DC alongside their other big hitter Batman. I can only hope future Superman projects are just as good if not better than what we currently have now.
Final Verdict: 8/10
