My Adventures with Superman Season 3 has very much been what fans hoped it’d transition into. While a bit inconsistent here and there, the HBO Max and Adult Swim cartoon dropped Clark Kent (Jack Quaid) into a myriad of problems. Since de-powering him, Clark has struggled without his Man of Steel identity. All because he isn’t certain if he’ll ever be able to protect his loved ones again. The latest chapter, “Vae Victis,” (which, when translated from Latin, means ‘Woe to the Vanquished) dials down into the depths of desperation in his desolate soul, presenting an intriguing history lesson that threatens the Man of Tomorrow (eh, former) even more.
This chapter presents the kind of cerebral test that truly pushes this Superman to the limit. He’s accustomed being so invulnerable or winning over enemies akin to anime characters like Dragon Ball Z’s Goku or Naruto — unsurprising, given how much this series leans into its anime influences. Season 1 saw Kal-El overcome the Suicide Squad, shut down Amanda Waller’s (Debra Wilsom) Task Force X initiative on the whole, and win General Sam Lane (Joel de la Fuente) over.
With the military’s Checkmate regime out the picture, Clark spent Season 2 trying to shore up his relationship with Lois Lane (Alice Lee) and ensuring his cousin, Kara Zor-El (Kiana Madeira), didn’t give into Brainiac’s (Michael Emerson) plan to conquer. Thankfully, Clark got Supergirl to join him and defeat Brainiac. But Season 3 has been all about breaking Kal mentally and physically.
Lois and Clark have been trying to avert a harrowing future that eliminates Superman and leaves his legacy in tatters. Now, they have to figure out a way to stop the Eradicator (Steve Blum) from enslaving the future and wiping out the House of El across all timelines. This penultimate chapter, however, focuses on the warriors — not just Clark — on the chessboard. More so, if they’re mature and equipped for what’s to come.
The result? A pessimistic series of events that leaves fans with the kind of despair they had walking out the theaters after Thanos (Josh Brolin) snapped half of all life away in Avengers: Endgame. Without further ado, let’s get to cookin’ and analyse the trouble that Metropolis, Team Clark, and oh, yeah, the entire timestream, are all in.
My Adventures with Superman Revives the Sadistic Brainiac
Episode 9 begins with Clark and Bizarro (also voiced by Quaid) at the Fortress of Solitude. Clark has been having visions insinuating he needs to be here to regain the powers he lost fighting Hank Henshaw/Cyborg Superman. But after being blindsided and incapacitated by Bizarro, Clark discovers the horrifying truth.
Bizarro has been possessed by Brainiac. Earlier this season, Clark thought he and Kara exorcised the villain’s digital presence and erased him from reality in what’s essentially the ‘Recycle Bin’ of the Fortress’ mainframe. But, as expected, it was a stupid plan because Brainiac’s virus has infected all the Kryptonian drones around. As for how Brainiac co-opted Clark’s clone, well, plot convenience.
Brainiac shows up and admits the visions Clark have been having aren’t directly related to him (go figure), but it’s all in a day’s work. Brainiac gets to taunt Clark with one giant trial, even if his minions didn’t call the superhero home. Nonetheless, if Clark can prove he’s worthy, he’ll get his abilities back. All he has to do is illustrate he’s a powerful conqueror like his ancestors.
Brainiac is very much a fundamentalist and extremist wrapped up in one. The reason being is he’s pure: the original Brainiac from Old Krypton who was programmed to spread the planet’s culture. He’s not the iteration from Season 2 that was based in Kandor and had his own motives of domination on a personal level. This version wants Clark to exude the energy of his people and make up for losing to Henshaw. That’s what true strength is, after all.
My Adventures with Superman Throws Superman Into the Past (Sort Of)
Winning and not embarrassing Kryptonian history is the order of the day. How is this done? Well, by lopping Clark’s mind into a digital simulation akin to The Matrix or the X-Men’s Danger Room. Clark is given a shield with his House’s sigil, a sword, and a caveman look that mashes up Conan the Barbarian, Spear from Primal, and one that pays homage to the Justice League two-part episode in 2003, “Hereafter.”
The latter saw Clark get shunted into the future and become a caveman of sorts after being ‘killed’ by Toyman’s disintegrator beam. He’d work with Vandal Savage to find the technology needed to go back and fix the broken timeline. That Superman fought and tamed wolves, and battled giant cockroaches. The ordeal tested his mettle and character. This story, however, has a more cathartic task.
Superman is in the same state his ancestors were in during their primitive era. They couldn’t harness powers such as flight or durability. They had to dig deep to fight off invading aliens, who turn out to be Coluans (Brainiac’s species). The Kryptonians killed these enemies, took secrets from them to power up (again, by plot convenience) and even learned how to turn their sun into Rao, the Living Sun.
Now, Rao’s offspring powers Clark’s Fortress in what fans can only hope will be explained in future episodes. Yeah, it’s quite an exposition dump. In any case, Brainiac is adamant that Clark must echo what came before, kill the villains and only then will the drones re-power him. Oh, and he better not die in the simulation or he’ll die in real. Wow, who’d ever have guessed he’s, like, the One?!
My Adventures with Superman Reveals Flaws In the House of El
While Clark goes through his techno-healing, Lois has problems to deal with back in the city. Waller wants to be proactive for the next wave of attack from the Eradicator. She is using Lex Luthor (Max Mittelman) to track where the self-generating being made from Clark’s DNA will appear next.
Waller is dismayed Superman won’t be around. But she sees assets in his children from the future: Jonathan (Darren Criss) and Lara (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport). Waller wants them to fall in line.
Unfortunately, Sam is nowhere around for tactics, which feels like a big gap after he played such a major role in the cartoon with Checkmate and the military movement against aliens. Superman & Lois used him deftly, too, in this very role of bridging the gap between the military and Superman’s kids.
Plus, it’d have been nice to see him interacting with the Super Siblings and help Lois win them over after their paranoia and cynicism. The fact their Lois talks about how bad her relationship with Sam was adds to this.
Anyhow, present-day Lois has her hands full. She’s worried knowing Future Lois sent them back from the dystopian future. But while Lara warms to her and sees similarities to that General Lois, Jonathan is rebellious. He’s angry how everyone relies on Superman, even when he’s not around, and envious no one sees him as a replacement. Yup, he’s immature and surly, but because he has known so much grief, it’s forgivable.
Meanwhule, Lois and Lara bond, building trust, which leads to Lois deciding she can use Kara to temper Jonathan’s rage. Once Kara awakens and finds Jimmy (Ishmel Sahid) waiting alongside her during recovery, their romantic arc takes an upswing. Kara sees sacrifice, dedication, loyalty, empathy and compassion, i.e. everything she ever wanted in Jimmy.
They’re finally embracing true love and being soulmates. But a blushing Supergirl is interrupted by Lois. The intrepid reporter brings her hot dogs for fuel and sustenance. And as a bribe for a task: retrieve Jonathan from outer space. The boy sped off after arguing with Lois about how no one sees him as the new Man of Steel. If Kara doesn’t bring him home, it’ll increase the likelihood of the apocalypse coming to pass.
My Adventures with Superman Makes Supergirl the Ultimate Mentor
Jonathan is upset when Kara meets him on the moon playing catch with a meteorite. He’s angry with himself, though. He let Lara run off on her own, which led to Lex setting the Eradictor loose in the first place. Thus, they failed to kill the being that created their own haunted future, without even realizing they’d be the cause. Not to mention, Jonathan thinks he’ll keep messing up the timeline and failing on his own.
Lois already reamed him out for not listening to instructions, so his insecurities are acting up. He can’t help but feel like an incapable fraud. It doesn’t matter if Superman is around or not; Jonathan lacks confidence in his leadership skills. Kara reveals that attitude is a mistake. Supergirl confesses Superman isn’t perfect but people think his lack of giving up makes him perfect. It’s all about tenacity and grit.
Supergirl admits she won’t give up on her nephew. The world needs them. The fate of everyone depends on them being a family. Jonathan returns, surly as ever, and insistent he won’t follow directives from Lois or Waller. But Lois doesn’t care about his obsession. She hugs him and lets him know she’s glad he’s present.
My Adventures with Superman Reveals Doomsday With a Twist
Slade Wilson (Chris Parnell) interrupts in his Deathstroke gear and lets the heroes know Waller and Lex found a temporal anomaly. The military has dubbed this Operation: Doomsday. They’re predicting the Eradicaator will return from the timestream at the location Brainiac’s forces tried to invade years ago during ‘Zero Day.’
The alliance must be ready to ambush the Eradicator at this Checkmate command post now deemed “Area Zero.” Waller is wary about Lex being careless after he went rogue to make the entity in the first place. But he wants redemption. He persists in his mantra: something is coming, so they must be ready.
Waller summons the troops, nodding to when she and Sam rallied the military fight Brainiac’s army. The first line of attack will be the superhumans led by Slade. Lois makes it clear, though, the Kryptonians will be marshalled by Kara. Waller has no choice but to go with the flow.
While Kara trains Superboy and Supergirl, tanks roll in, the Kryptonian drones that fell in the invasion have been re-purposed, and John Henry Irons/Steel shows up. The tech genius makes weapons for the legion. Sadly, Steel isn’t even given a speaking role, which diminishes his character after being such a crucial part of the Reign of the Superman arc in DC lore when Clark died in the ’90s.
This series has done commendably with queer representation and people of color such as Waller, Jimmy, Lois and Sam. But it doesn’t feel right that such an important Black figure in Superman’s source material gets sidelined into the disappointing ‘Magical Negro’ trope perpetuating in Hollywood. It’s cool that he makes a sword for Jonathan and spear for Kara but so much nuance is left on the cutting room floor given how close John and Clark were. Such a sad stigma to play on.
That awful stereotype aside, the alliance soldiers on. Past members of Task Force X show up. They sought atonement after trying to kill Clark. And while Sam’s not around, they have no problem working with Waller: the very woman that enslaved them. Some sass towards her would have felt organic, but this episode feels like it’s on a tight schedule.
The strategic planning culminates in Lex trying to sneak out, thinking it’s a “sinking ship.” Jimmy reminds him it’s his ship as he caused the problem in the first place. Jimmy leaves Lex to mull over how fake he has been and if he wants to pretend he is a hero or truly become one. Just man up and find a paucity of bravery is tantamount to what Jimmy tells him. While Earth battens down the hatches, Lex must choose what mark he wants to leave on the world.
Lex eventually stays on but he’s of little help when the Eradicator comes through his portal. When the tyrant emerges through the rift and jokes about the genocide to come in his cleric look, Jonathan slices him in two. But as the teen gloats, one half becomes the cleric Eradicator and the other a behemoth who smashes Jonathan into the ground. The cleric jokes, scouring the targets with his muscle, that he’s here to make sure the heroes will never have a Superman to defend them, aka it’s clobberin’ time.
My Adventures with Superman Shows Clark Kent’s True Strength
While this war ensues, Caveman Clark fights off the Coluans. He ends up marooned with one in particular. Clark struggles with his primal side but is able to stave off his basic instincts. He won’t hurt the alien and become a monster. The alien doesn’t grasp this at first. However, Clark helps him recuperate, going as far as to use his sword as a splint to brace the being’s broken hand.
Clark wants peace, not war. A friendship blossoms as Clark tries to get him back to his clan. He shelters him in a cave and even battles a giant creature to protect him. As all this occurs, Clark rejects Brainiac’s programming, which wants to make him into, well, Hulk. Clark refuses to smash, even when he finds the tribe and they try to attack. The injured alien comes to and wards them off, indicating Clark is an ally.
This is where we see Clark’s true strength: his heart and soul. And, also, the humanity the Kents taught him on the Smallville farm. The Kansas man is stunned to learn these aliens aren’t invaders. They’re refugees who sought a home, which adds a dark twist to his galactic dynasty. Krypton was a cosmic empire built on slaughtering innocents and the blood of women and children. Clark won’t partake in that vicious, toxic cycle.
An embattled, aggressive Brainiac breaks this resistant Clark out the matrix and lets him know he failed. He didn’t dominate the opposition. The agitated Braniac says servitude is integral; the Coluans were weaklings who were meant to be subjugated. This catalysed the Kryptonian empire and saw them thrive. Clark, though, takes a massive shot, asking where is that extinct empire now? Destroyed after their arrogance couldn’t foresee the natural disaster and impending implosion.
Brainiac argues this is the order of the universe. It gave the Kryptonians purpose. Otherwise, what’s the point of the last 10,000 years? Clark surmises this Brainiac, the original, was the person he befriended and saved. This logic, this code, this algorithm was merely the being the Kryptonians assimilated and gaslit. They conditioned, erased his identity and made him a slave; one who cannot emancipate his mind. It nods to post-colonial societies who still think colonial overlords and masters had and will have their best interests at heart.
In Clark’s case, as he apologizes for what was done to Brainiac, it’s near impossible to free the Coluan’s digital imprint and memory from the digital plantation. Brainiac’s drones subdue Clark. As they restrain him, Brainiac is keen to punish him for this pretence of mercy. Cue up the Robert Pattinson ‘Someone get these beggars out of here!’ meme from The Odyssey, please?
The drones are about to stab Clark to death, admonishing him how there can be no compromise. However, Bizarro acts out. He destroys one of the drones and screams. He emits a shockwave that leaves Clark bruised. Kal has the Brainiac fleet to deal with. Now, he has this Bizarro, whose mind is fractured and ready to crush everything and everyone in sight. With no powers at hand, Clark is lost and petrified as he watches this clone Superman gear up for blood to end the episode and set up the season finale.
Is My Adventures with Superman Season 3, Episode 9 Good?
As usual, it’s a mixed bag. But mostly good. The tribulations of Superman are solid. It’s nice seeing him in this human, vulnerable state, reminding audiences how good and incorruptible he is. What stands out is how this also feels like Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex being given a second chance in animation to find absolution after the Snyderverse.
This cartoon, additionally, does a great job of making the Kryptonians scary. David Corenswet’s Kryptonians are implied to be the same way in James Gunn’s DCU, while Snyder’s Krypton was haughty and cruel, too. In this case, the Kryptonians do garner some sympathy as they had to kill to evolve and survive. It opens the door for fans to feel for General Zod if he comes into play soon.
Still, this series is running into the drama that other cartoons such as X-Men ’97 has. It’s not easy cramming in so many plot threads and characters into a cartoon that has no more than 10 episodes per season. Character development suffers and sub-plots that have been built up get short-changed. Here, we don’t get much of Jimmy inspiring Kara or much of their love buoying her on into battle. It lowers the stakes and scraps tension.
The plot holes and missing characters feel weird as well. As mentioned, there’s no suspense with Task Force X and Slade-Waller, or talk of where Sam is during needy times. There’s even the odd arc where no one queries why Clark didn’t take Kara to the Fortress with him to heal. He thought she was dying but he just left her?
Her experiencing the trial with him would have had more impact as Brainiac raised her as his daughter. Seeing the plight of Coluan children dying would have added more emotion to their bond, while showing Clark he’d never walk alone (hi, Liverpool fans!).
Qualms aside, all in all, this cartoon has something for everyone, even the Absolute Superman fans who enjoy seeing the character being subverted. The action is raw, unfiltered and dynamic. All it needs is better pacing, a tempered story servicing major characters apart from Clark’s kin, and episodes that run more than 22 minutes. Heck, hopefully Season 4 curates more episodes.
It’s so delectable watching a narcissistic Brainiac feigning being a ruler in his identity crisis, Kryptonian culture being dissected as oppressive, Lex repressing his altruism due to his ego, and Team Superman ready to give their all to save the planet. Most of all, the theme of destiny is being translated decently off the script.
Ultimately, with some fine-tuning down the line, this cartoon’s potential can be maxed out even more and lay a justifiable claim to being one of the most substantial, differentiated and engaging Superman stories ever.
My Adventures With Superman Season 3 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
My Adventures With Superman Season 3 will officially premiere Saturday, June 13 at midnight ET/PT on Adult Swim (technically Sunday at Midnight, but whatever), and later that day on HBO Max — meaning Sundays, likely at 3am ET. The season will be 10 episodes long, with one episode dropping per week until the finale.
Here’s the full list of episodes in My Adventures With Superman Season 3, with premiere dates (and as a note, we’ve included the Adult Swim premiere date; once again, it technically debuts Sunday on Adult Swim at night, and debuts on HBO Max on Sunday morning).
- Saturday, June 13, 2026: My Adventures With Superman Season 3, Episode 1
- Saturday, June 20, 2026: My Adventures With Superman Season 3, Episode 2
- Saturday, June 27, 2026: My Adventures With Superman Season 3, Episode 3
- Saturday, July 4, 2026: My Adventures With Superman Season 3, Episode 4
- Saturday, July 11, 2026: My Adventures With Superman Season 3, Episode 5
- Saturday, July 18, 2026: My Adventures With Superman Season 3, Episode 6
- Saturday, July 25, 2026: My Adventures With Superman Season 3, Episode 7
- Saturday, August 1, 2026: My Adventures With Superman Season 3, Episode 8
- Saturday, August 8, 2026: My Adventures With Superman Season 3, Episode 9
- Saturday, August 15, 2026: My Adventures With Superman Season 3, Episode 10 *Season Finale*
Where To Watch My Adventures With Superman:
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