My Review of Superman And Lois 4x10: "It Went By So Fast"

 

Written by Brent Fletcher And Todd Helbing

Directed by Gregory Smith

Clark: "What do you think Superman and Lois Lane will be remembered for?"

Lois: "I'd like to think truth, justice."

Clark: "And a better tomorrow."

When it comes to the Arrowverse (and yes, I consider this show to be a part of it), we've had some hit and miss and unintended series finales. This one on the other hand was on another level of sheer brilliance.

Last week, it looked like we getting Superman killed by Doomsday yet again and I said this episode would subvert that overdone story. I was right and it did. Doomsday didn't kill Superman, even though he came pretty damn close to it during the episode.

Instead we got a rather poignant sacrifice from the character in space with Superman watching his end. I felt bad for poor Doomsday but he got a rather poignant exit. Easily the best handling of the character since the eighth season of Smallville.

As for Lex Luthor, that guy burned every bridge and then some. He got his ass handed to him by Lois, a public downfall courtesy of Amanda, another ass whooping by Superman and oh, once back in prison, he had to contend with Bruno Mannheim being in charge. Should've just left the Kents alone when everybody told you to, Lex.

All of that happened within the first half of this series finale. The second half was for family and community. We had Lana and John tying the knot and Kyle and Chrissy enjoying the parents of boys. There's a rather lovely exchange between Lana and Kyle as well as Jordan and Sarah. 

Of course, there's also Clark and Lois themselves. They talked about their legacies and we got to see them grow old together, use their influence to save so many lives, see both Jordan and Jonathan become adults, get wives and have many children. Then there was the gut wrenching final five minutes.

I bawled my eyes out when Lois died for real and then Clark living a bit longer without her, getting his own dog named Krypto and then there was his death too. This season was leading to it all along but it still floored me. The final shot especially was one of the most beautiful moments from the show. If you don't well up during those last few moments, you've got a heart of stone.

- Isn't it fitting that the WB/CW DC era (2001-2024) began and ended with Superman?

- I was right about David Giuntoli appearing in this episode but I thought he was going to be Batman. Instead he played an older Jonathan.

- Did Lois see her father before dying? It's a pity we didn't get Dylan Walsh back for one scene.

- Lois in the red dress, she looked stunning. Thematically, it made sense that's how Clark would see her in the afterlife.

- I loved the shot of Superman, the Super Sons, Steel and Starlight working together.

- Chronology: 32 years passed as we got towards the end of this episode.

It Went By So Fast certainly was an apt title for this episode. Four seasons, 53 episodes and some of the best storytelling in the Superman mythos ever. This was an incredible series finale and both Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch gave us the best modern version of these characters to date. I couldn't be more happier with this episode, even though it made me cry.

Rating: 10 out of 10 

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x09: "To Live And Die Again"

 

Written And Directed by Jai Jamison

Superman (to his family): "I love you all."

Woah, did we just do Batman V. Superman again here? I knew we weren't done with Doomsday and of course, Lex decided the best use of his fancy new suit was to make that thing into an even worse killing machine than before.

Doomsday got a very nice new look for his final form but sadly any hope of Lois tapping into any remaining humanity was a no go. Lex made sure that this time he was focused on killing Superman once and for all. Oh and Lex also decided he wanted a front row seated and all of Smallville nuked for good measure.

It turns out that when an entire town rejects your money, its enough to want to use Doomsday to destroy it. Even Amanda realised that Lex was completely out of his mind and decided to abandon him and throw her lot in with Lois. The one person who had his back all season. Lex really doesn't play well with others.

Amanda's sudden change up did feel a tad rushed but it worked more or less. Thanks to a brief return from Bruno Mannheim, Lois realised that the likely dead Cheryl was another Amanda and that was enough for Lois to wise Amanda up to Lex. Lex also blowing up on Amanda may have also contributed to her change up too.

As for Jonathan and Jordan - well of course they're not strong enough to take out Doomsday. That should've been a given. However that didn't stop either from showing their true heroics in helping citizens to flee Doomsday while their father tried to stop the latter. There's actually a great scene with Jordan and Vicky May and it's easily the best the character has ever had. It's that good.

- Vicky May's had fries for Jordan and a French dip for Jonathan. The former wasn't best pleased.

- Lois has become something of a PR liability thanks to her Godfrey interview.

- I thought we'd see more of the other cast but I'm assuming they're bring saved for next week's big finale.

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous left off. 

To Live And Die Again does seem like it's repeating what we did earlier in the season with Superman and Doomsday but something in spite of having a 60 year old heart, the former might have a very different outcome. I can't believe there's only one more episode to go.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x08: "Sharp Dressed Man"

 

Written by Brent Fletcher And Todd Hellbing

Directed by Michael Cudlitz

Lex (to Amanda): "Now that is a killer suit."

As we edge closer and closer to the very end of this show, there's time for Lex to make a few more underhanded moves against the Kents and Superman. What better way with some good PR?

Enter talk show host Gordon Godfrey. Yes, the mystery has finally been solved in terms of who Tom Cavanagh was playing this season as he popped up here.  Usually, this guy's connected to Darkseid but here, Godfrey's sole purpose was to make Lex look to the general public. He might have just succeeded.

Despite being encouraged by Clark to go the rebuttal route, Lois instead agreed on go on Godfrey's late night show to challenge Lex publicly. At first it looked like Lex was winning, then Lous almost came out on top. She nearly had Lex but then Dr Milton Fine (Nikolai Witschl) got the upper hand.

Assuming he's Brainiac, they really did wait until the last minute to introduce the guy. They also made sure that he made a lot of noise in this episode. When he wasn't scuppering Lois's attempts to take down Lex, Milton also went after John and Natalie.

The antics with faking a crash in order to gain access to their suits was a clever ruse. Unfortunately for John and Natalie, it also worked with Lex having the suit he really wanted. Yup, despite some initial setback, Lex won this round. He even got a kiss from Amanda.

- Lois was officially cancer free, there was jokes about her grammar and that favourite bar of hers was referenced.

- Otis ended up being killed off screen. Lex didn't lie about Otis beating him up in prison.

- Bit of a subplot with Jonathan and Candice breaking up as well as a dated Jamie Kennedy reference. Would a teenager in 2024 even know who he is?

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

Sharp Dressed Man certainly saw Lex coming out on top while also foreshadowing a predicted fate for Superman in light of recent events. Just two more to go.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x07: "A Regular Guy"

 

Written by Katie Aldrin And George Kitson

Directed by Gregory Smith 

Clark: "My name is Clark Kent and I am Superman."

Three years ago when Supergirl aired its final episode on the CW, the show decided to have Kara Danvers out herself as the Girl of Steel to Cat Grant. Three episodes before the series finale, Superman has done the same, though not entirely by choice.

With the locals in Smallville increasingly aware of his true identity, Clark tried his damndest to put the genie back in the closet and he almost succeeded. Then Candice's idiot father made an unwelcome return and Clark pretty much had to out himself as Superman in front of everyone.

Of course Lex was involved in using Candice's father but most people weren't buying Clark's attempts to hide his identity anyways. He really wasn't fooling anyone, especially embittered teenage boys. However taking control of the narrative was where Lois came into her own.

Bringing back Janet (who's actually related to Jimmy Olsen. How did I not know that?) was a good way for Clark to get his side of the story out there. It also led to a nice final scene reunion with Jimmy (Douglas Smith) and I'm hoping this wasn't the only appearance for him.

Jimmy was mostly in flashbacks, trying to get Clark to join the softball team with mixed results. Clark either kept missing or being late for games and tried to downplay his actual skills. It even got to a point where Jimmy worked out he was Superman and Clark had to make him think otherwise.

I really do wish we had seen Jimmy much earlier in the show in general but if this was his only appearance, it's a nice enough one for the character. Clark and Jimmy's friendship fractured in flashbacks but by the end of this one, it did seem to be on the mend.

- Nice reference to Bibbo's bar by Jimmy in flashbacks as well as Clark doing a story on Intergang.

- There was a Kyle/Chrissy subplot about a dream house that Lois and Clark ended up helping with.

- No Lana, Sarah, John or Natalie in this one. Will we see them again before the finale itself?

- Chronology: Not long since the events of the last episode.

A Regular Guy certainly worked for a good coming out as Superman story. The flashbacks were good and hopefully there will be an interesting aftermath. Has Lex lost a tactical advantage now?

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x06: "When The Lights Come On"

 

Written by Kristi Korzec And Brent Fletcher And Todd Helbing

Directed by Ian Samoil

Lex: "What are you thinking?"

Amanda: "Well, the first thing we need to do is get you a killer suit."

Now we're into the second half of this season (and it's going by so fast), you'd think losing the chance to be in his daughter and grandson's life would make Lex reevaluate his choices. Nope, he's just going to double down on them even more.

Determined to relocate LexCorp to Smallville just to antagonise the Kent family, Lex's overt fixation on getting even had even Amanda McCoy questioning his judgement. For a moment, I thought she was going to abandon him. Then that last scene happened instead.

Amanda went from trying to make Lex see some sense to actively encouraging his vendetta. She suggested a killer suit. Lex bloody well needs one because even when his strength and powers are dampened, Clark can beat the shit out of him.

That fight scene between Clark and Lex under the red lighting might be one of the best onscreen sparring we've seen with these two in Gheorghe 80+ years of history. Both of them really went for it and while Lex could partially claim a "moral" victory, he underestimated his opponent yet again. Better get that suit rather sharpish, Lex.

Of course, while Lex got his ass beat by Superman, he also made enemies out of the Smallville residents too. He couldn't get Aidy Manning to sell her farm for 10 million and his attempts to get Lana taken out by Otis failed due to a baseball bat wielding Sarah. Yeah, it really wasn't Lex's week anyway you look at it.

As for the Kents themselves, Lois had no problem filling Amanda in on Elizabeth while Clark resorted to hair dye to combat the salt and pepper look. As for the Kent Boys, they did either too much, too little and took Sarah to Greece while she planned for a life outside Smallville. I think the reduced episodes have done wonders in striking a balance with the teen stuff for this show.

- Everyone in Smallville knows that Clark's Superman and now he knows they do too. Coach Gaines even tried to get the Kent boys back on the football team.

- Amanda's clearly being written as someone who has romantic feelings for Lex. The latter's also clearly aware of it too.

- With all this talk of being human, I do wonder if this show will have Clark retire as Superman with Jonathan and Jordan sharing his legacy.

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

This was another strong episode. When The Lights Come On absolutely delivered with that fight scene between Clark and Lex as both Tyler Hoechlin and Michael Culditz really went for it. Im at the point of looking forward but dreading each episode as we get closer to the end.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x05: "Break The Cycle"

 

Written by Adam Mallinger

Directed by Elizabeth Henstridge

Elizabeth (to Lex): "If you truly want to break the cycle, you'll leave this all behind. Please, it's the only way, Dad."

With one episode, all I'll say is can we see more of Elizabeth Henstridge please? Because the scenes between her and Michael Culditz were incredible in this episode.

All season has seen Lex in pure vengeance mode because Lois's action cost him seventeen years. Its also been greatly emphasised that Lex's anger has been over losing those years with his daughter, Elizabeth. With this episode, he got the reunion he wanted, thanks to the woman he hates. 

However, any chance of Lex actually breaking his own cycle of anger and hatred just couldn't be broken. Clark/Superman tried to get through to him as a father and Lex rejected his efforts. Then there was meeting Elizabeth as an adult and expectant mother.

Yup, the reveals with Elizabeth came pretty heavy here. She had been living in France, adopted a British accent, had completed medical school and was six months pregnant with a boy. Yet none of that was enough to get Lex to relent in his determination to take out the Kents. Elizabeth did make the sensible decision to walk away from her father and his fanatical tirade.

Of course, while appealing to Lex's humanity, I love that Lois also had a plan B too. I thought she was mad summoning Doomsday but appealing to his humanity and getting him to flee actually worked. Is that it for the character? I'm not entirely convinced we won't see him again before the finale but it was satisfying to see Lois get a win over Lex.

Last but not least and proof that it really has been a long time between seasons, I completely forgot about both Candace and Denise as characters. Both returned this week for the Jonathan and Jordan subplot. The former figured out their big secret and the latter had to be told by Jordan. At this point, just get Clark to do a social media post revealing he's Superman before Lex outs him out of spite.

- Elizabeth went to lengths to not tell Lex about the identity of her baby daddy. The younger version of Elizabeth was the focus of the flashbacks.

- As well as appearing in the episode, Elizabeth Henstridge also Directed it and did and did an excellent job.

- A lot of absences in this one too. It's really now you notice those reduced supporting roles.

- Chronology: Clark was dead three weeks ago. Lex guessed that alien technology revived him.

I thought Break The Cycle might have been the best episode yet this season. The arrival of Elizabeth and her scenes with Lex, Lois's risky back up plan actually paying off and even the subplot with the boys. I liked all the plots this week.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x04: "A Perfectly Good Wedding"

Written by George Kitson And Max Kronick

Directed by Gregory Smith

Thug: "You're supposed to be dead."

Superman: "Not bad for a dead guy."

At the end of last week's episode, Sam Lane had died and Superman got his heart in return. The very opening sequence does t waste time in having Clark return to Lois and his sons and it's a beautifully executed reunion.

However, beautiful as it was to see the Kent family reunited, it also was a strained one too. Clark/Superman had to lay low from Lex as he recovered and having the heart of a 60 year old man came with its own limitations. Clark learned that the hard way while also training Jonathan up.

It seems that in two episodes, Jonathan has mastered a lot of the basics where once again, Jordan's feelings of inadequacy reared their head. Fortunately we did have him talking to both Lois and Sarah at different points in the episode that made this subplot a bit better to watch. I'm over Jordan's insecurities at this point.

However if Superman was hoping to have the element of surprise over Lex, that certainly went out the window by the end of the episode. The world was now aware of Superman bring alive again and all thanks to him stepping in when Jonathan was out of his depth on a rescue mission. Eh, it had to happen.

Of course between Kent family drama and Superman outings, there was also Kyle and Chrissy. I hadn't missed them so far this season but this episode touched base by having Chrissy's mother be a spanner in the works for their upcoming nuptials. A spanner or a much needed mirror into this thrown together couple?

As the episode unfolded and the Kent barn served as a wedding gathering, both Kyle and Chrissy realised they were rushing into a marriage that neither prepared for. No, they didn't break up but they did put their wedding on hold and for a subplot I didn't initially have much interest in, I appreciate how the show managed to handle the story in between the better material of the week.

- Gretchen real name was Cheryl and she did feel bad about Sam. She's also known Lex for over thirty years.

- Kyle's favourite colour is burnt orange and Chrissy is laying off the gumming due to her pregnancy. She also wore her mother's wedding dress, who had Chrissy when she was 19.

- Coach Gainss provided the music while Lana, Lex, John and Natalie were absent from the episode.

- Chronology: Weeks passed but I notice from Sam's headstone that the show is in 2024.

For a wedding that didn't happen, I thought there was enough good drama going around to keep A Perfectly Good Wedding interesting. The Kyke/Chrissy subplot managed to compliment the main plots and the limitations Superman now has to deal with are an interesting development.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x03: "Always My Hero"

 

Written by Brent Fletcher And Todd Hellbing 

Directed by David Giuntoli

Sam (to Lois): "I guess this is goodbye for now. I love you pumpkin, more than you could ever know."

Oh, Sam Lane. You've had quite a trajectory. From being a skeptic of Superman to the Man of Steel's very saviour. I knew this season would have to tie up loose ends for a lot of the supporting cast but this was unexpected.

In flashbacks, we had Sam learning of Clark and Superman being the same person and yeah, it wasn't something that Sam reacted to the best. In fact he saw him pressuring Superman into joining the DOD and even telling Clark to leave Lois because he feared that she would be hurt by him at some point.

Now we know that Clark didn't listen to Sam and instead married Lous and we even got flashbacks to the say itself where Sam drew comparisons between himself and Clark. He wasn't subtle in his comparisons but he wasn't wrong either. In fact by the end of this episode, he was too spot on with the comparisons.

Continuing Lex's nasty streak, the unfortunate Jones was forced into getting Sam to admit where Elizabeth's whereabouts were and Sam literally faced up to Doomsday instead of giving Lex what he wanted. While it did sadly result in Sam's death, it turned out that Sam intended to die all along.

I can't believe that Sam was so determined to get a heart donor for Superman that he made sure his own heart would suffice. It was a plan he only let John Henry Irons in on and one that might work if Lara's calculations were anything to go by. With Sam dead, it also seems like both John and Natalie will be sticking around the DOD.

As for the rest of the episode, Jonathan got powers and a rivalry between him and Jordan intensified as a result. Lex didn't waste time in telling Jordan about the choice he forced on Lois from the previous episode. Jordan's reaction was predicable but with bigger stakes at play, at least we didn't have to focus on it for too long. Now let's get to bringing Superman back from the dead.

- Elizabeth Tulloch's really life husband, David Giuntoli directed this episode. I wonder if he'll appear in a later episode.

- John and Natalie were officially given the names Steel and Starlight by the DOD while Amanda was annoyed by Lex being more fond of Doomsday than tending to LexCorp in Metropolis.

- We got a return of Martha and a brief flashback to the pilot when Jordan first discovered his powers.

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

Always My Hero was quite the episode. A touching final episode for Sam with great character driven flashbacks and a solution to the dead Superman problem. Dylan Walsh did a wonderful job and along with Lex's continued nastiness, John and Natalie's returns and Jonathan's powers coming to the forefront, this was fantastic.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x02: "A World Without"

 

Written by Katie Aldrin And Kristi Korzec

Directed by Sudz Sutherland

Superman (to Lois/Jonathan/Jordan): "I'll always be here at the fortress to help, however I can but out there, it's just going to have to be the three of you."

Yup, this two part opening episode just didn't let up with the heavy stuff. A dead superhero, a vindictive arch enemy and a family desperate to get their patriarch back, regardless of the consequences. Oh and more former regulars involved in the mix.

With Superman put in a regenerative status at the Fortress of Solitude, it was up to Jordan to play hero and try and retrieve his father's heart. Unfortunately for Jordan, not only did Lex not find him remotely intimidating but he also was several steps ahead of him. In fact, who wasn't Lex ahead of this week? It felt like he was outsmarting everyone.

I mean he easily saw through Sarah's attempts of keeping him distracted and there was something particularly evil about the way he forced Lois to choose between her sons. Then there was his glee in tormenting Jordan while stamping on Superman's heart. Again, this might be one of the darkest iterations of Lex we've seen in a while. His insistence with remaining in Smallville to torment Lois bring the icing on the cake.

Worse than that, Lex now knows that Superman and Clark are the same person and Lois now has to deal with the imminent fallout of Lex eventually using that knowledge to blow the Kents apart. Still, there's still something amusing in watching Lex's associates bring baffled by his fixation on Smallville while ignoring the say yo day activities of LexCorp.

The last scene with the Kents in the Fortress of Solitude was particularly heartbreaking. As much as I don't want this dead Superman story to be dragged out, especially given that we have less episodes this season, the acting in these scenes are brilliant. Everyone has brought their A game for those moments as the Kents are barely holding together.

I also thought this episode utilised both Lana and Sarah rather well with both of them having their own interactions with Lex. Lana in particular was willing to incur Lex's wrath by trying to stop his acquisition of the hotel across from the Gazette. However, its pretty clear that Lex will be more than a match for Lana but I look forward to more scenes between the two of them.

- Amanda was trying to get Lex to do an interview with Janet Olsen. We'll be meeting Jimmy Olsen this season.

- Though she has yet to physically appear, we already saw pics of Elizabeth Luthor (Elizabeth Henstridge) as Amanda helped Lex get closer to finding her.

- Absent from this episode included Sam, John, Natalie, Kyle and Chrissy. Chuck also worked out that Superman was Clark Kent.

- Chronology: Exactly where the previous episode left off.

A World Without certainly didn't let up and it upped the tension big time. They've really written themselves into a corner with Superman's death and it's going to be interesting to see how they resolve this one. These first two episodes have kicked things off brilliantly for the show.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 4x01: "The End & The Beginning"

 

Written by Brent Fletcher And Todd Hellbing

Directed by Gregory Smith

Lois (re Superman): "This was not supposed to happen. Not before me."

It's been over a year since the events of the third season finale and with the arrival of the fourth and final season, the era of the CW take on DC will culminate to its conclusion. It's been quite an interesting 18 years, hasn't it?

Anyways, last time we encountered the residents of Small illegal, we had a newly released Lex Luthor trying to bully Lois Lane into retirement, kidnap her father and of course, he managed to transform poor Bizarro into Doomsday and sicced him on Superman. Yup, this version of Lex Luthor isn't fucking around.

In fact this opening episode made it abundantly clear that his grudge against Lois wasn't going to end any time soon. He threatened her yet again with him also blaming her for his own daughter abandoning him and almost came close to killing Sam Lane this week.

Yeah, poor Sam. He almost escaped Gretchen and Otis but ended up being buried alive for his troubles. Fortunately Jordan actually managd to get to him in time but it was certainhly rough going before the big rescue moment.

As for the Superman side of things (and Clark too), we weren't too short changed. There was a lot of flashbacks with Superman/Clark and Lois and yet again, I'm reminded of the sublime chemistry between Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch. These two are absolutely amazing to watch and I'm going to miss them when the final episode airs.

Getting back to the present day stuff, the Superman and Doomsdsy fight was brilliantly choreographed with the farmer's heart being removed by the latter for Lex Luthor. Then the episode decided to end by giving us it's own version of The Death Of Superman arc. Yup, that's story again but that end scene was suitably devastating.

- Lex's other right hand woman, Amanda McCoy (Yvonne Chapman) popped up and she's definitely got feelings for Lex. Lex had hair in his flashbacks with Lois at the Daily Planet.

- Absent from this episode were Lana, Sarah, Kyle, Chrissy, John and Natalie.

- I liked that local guy Chuck (more on him next episode) had Jonathan and Jordan's backs when the boys met Lex at Vickys.

- Chronology: From where the previous season finale left off.

I thought that The End & The Beginning was a great way to open up this final season. The stakes have definitely be raised by this more vindictive version of Lex as well as the brutish Doomsday and the hints of Brainiac. Is Superman going to be dead for most of the season? Let's hope not. Still, a great opening episode. 

Rating: 8 out of 10

DCU Blog - July 2024 Edition: SDCC Highlights And More

Well, July certainly turned out to be a very busy month for DC. Various things confirmed in the press and also at SDCC itself. Buckle in folks.

The second trailer for Joker: Folie A Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga was released last week, further solidifying the jukebox musical format. In theatres from October 4th. Harry Lawtey will play Harvey Dent in the movie.

Filming for Superman (2025) has now completed. Will Reeve, the son of Christopher Reeve will appear in the movie. The movie will be released July 11th 2025.

Casting for the roles of Ruthye and Krem have started for Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow. The movie starring Milly Alcock as Supergirl will begin filming later this year. The movie will be released June 26th 2026.

DC Studios unveiled their new logo. It's basically the same as the one from 1976-2005.

Kumail Nanjiani has been heavily rumoured for the role of Booster Gold in the DCU. The fact that James Gunn hasn't denied it is interesting. An announcement must be imminent.

Lanterns will now go to HBO as well as Max. Hal Jordan will be older than John Stewart in the project. Casting for the roles has begun.

The Penguin will air on Max and HBO from September 19th. It'll take a place a week after the events of The Batman. Colin Farrell will reprise the role for the sequel, due to film in early 2025 for an October 2nd 2026 release. Mark Strong is a recast Carmine Falcone.

The first trailer for Creature Commandos was released last weekend, confirming the December 2024 release on Max.

All 10 episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader will be released on Amazon Prime from August 1st. Hamish Linklater will voice Batman while Minnie Driver will voice a female version of The Penguin named Oswalda Cobblepot.

Joel Kinnaman will reprise his role of Rick Flag Jr in the second season of Peacemaker. Details as to how have not been revealed.

The third season of My Adventures With Superman will introduce Superboy and a bald Lex Luthor. 

The fifth season of Harley Quinn will be released on Max from November. Spin off series, Kite-Man: Hell Yeah! is currently airing on Max. 

The first trailer for the fourth and final season of Superman And Lois was released during the weekend. It'll premiere on the CW from October 17th. Tom Cavanagh will appear in the final season.

Paradise Lost is circling it's lead writers. Circe (Anya Chalotra) will be a main cast member in Creature Commandos.

The Sandman has added Ann Skelly, Ruari O'Connor, Indya Moore, Douglas Booth, Freddie Fox, Laurence O'Fuarain, Clive Russell, Jack Gleeson and Steve Coogan to the cast as Nuala, Orpheus, Wanda, Cluracan, Loki, Thor, Odin, Puck and Barnabas respectively. Boyd Holbrook and Jenna Coleman will also return as the Corinthian and Johanna Constantine for the second season.

In some bad news, the Arkham series will no longer be going ahead. So far, it's the only DCU project to have been cancelled.

Those are the highlights of this month. So far, this year has been shaping up nicely for DC.

DCU Blog - April 2024 Edition: Supergirl Finds Director, Kents Casting, Peacemaker Season 2 Films And More

Another busy month in regards to all things DC. A round up of various news items.

Joker: Folie A Deux finally premiered its first trailer, showcasing Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga as Joker and Harley Quinn respectively. 

Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell have been confirmed as Jonathan and Martha Kent for Superman. Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor will be the main villain of the movie.

Nathan Fillion has recently talked lovingly about how his Guy Gardner will be a flawed character for Superman. 

As of now, the scripts for both Waller and Lanterns are yet to be completed, despite scoopers implying otherwise.

Craig Gillespie has been tapped to direct Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow, starring Milly Alcock.

The documentary/movie Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will hit theatres in September.

2025 will be the Summer Of Superman as James Gunn and Peter Safean revealed at Cinema on this month.

Creature Commandos is still in post production but will premiere on Max during the autumn.

Season 2 of Peacemaker officially went into production with James Gunn directing. Four other directors will also be helming the upcoming season.

AdultSwim recently showed a preview for the second season of My Adventures With Superman. It'll air from May 25th. 

Both Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix), which got 3.1 millìon views during it's first four days and Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part Two (Physical/Digital) are currently available to watch.

Clive Russell, Jacqueline Boatswain, Segun Fawole and Michael Lyle have been cast in undisclosed roles for the second season of The Sandman.

The final season of Superman And Lois has wrapped filming and will air during the autumn on the CW. BBC1 are currently airing the penultimate season in double bills on Sunday afternoons.

The Flash TV series that starred John Wesley Shipp will get a Blu-Ray release from June 14th.

The third and final season of Sweet Tooth will be released on Netflix from June 6th.

DC Pride 2024 will be released from May 28th. 

That's it for this month. Let's see what next month will bring for DC.

DCU Blog - March 2024 Edition: Teen Titans Movie Go, The Penguin Trailer Released And More

Another busy month for DCU fans with a lot of information being spilled. 

In news that will shock absolutely no one, it was revealed that The Batman Part II will now be released from October 2nd 2026.

Joker: Folie A Deux will be a jukebox musical and contain at least fifteen cover songs. Lady Gaga has written music for the movie.

A potential costume reveal for David Corenswet in Superman will likely happen when the character starts outdoor filming next month.

James Gunn has confirmed yet again that no film will be officially greenlit until there's a script DC Studios are happy with.

A movie focusing on the Teen Titans will be written by Ana Nogueira, making this her second script following Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow.

Patty Jenkins has confirmed that her Wonder Woman journey is over. She's recently confirmed to be back for Rogue Squadron.

My Adventures With Superman will get a comic series released in June, serving as a bridge between the first and second seasons.

Action figures for Batman Forever will be released during summer 2025. The set will include Batman, Robin, Two-Face and Riddler with parts to build the Bat Creature from Bruce's nightmare.

The Penguin will premiere in the Fall on Max. The first trailer released this month, hinting at a rather violent and dark show.

The second season of Peacemaker will begin filming in June as confirmed by Jennifer Holland.

Waller won't begin filming until next year and will come out after both Superman and Peacemaker Season 2.

Sean Gunn has mentioned playing a more grounded version of Maxwell Lord for the DCU.

Douglas Smith has been cast as Jimmy Olsen for the final season of Superman And Lois. Yvonne Chapman will play Amanda McCoy.

Another trailer for Suicide Squad: Isekai was released but a release date for the series has yet to be confirmed. 

Dead Boy Detectives will be released on Netflix from April 25th.

Production Weekly have listed a Constantine movie being in development.

That's it for this month. Let's see what happens next lol.

DCU Blog - November 2023 Edition: Superman Major News Items, Productions Resume, Etc

Yup, the strikes are officially over and as a result, a lot of news has trickled over. Notably in regards to the future of DC. 

In terms of Superman: Legacy casting, Nicholas Hoult will be Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo will be Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio will be Eve Teschmacher and Maria Gabriela De Faria will play The Engineer.

James Gunn has also debunked certain rumours about the movie's plot that overzealous scoopers have been spreading.

The marketing has kicked in for Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom but tracking for it's opening weekend isn't particularly great.

Zack Snyder has confirmed that he's done with DC but did express an interest in making a movie about The Dark Knight Returns.

The upcoming fourth season of Superman And Lois has been confirmed to be the show's last. It'll air on the CW in 2024.

There's rumours of a Korean Huntress movie being in development by Jung Byung-Gil, who will write and direct it. 

Lanterns will apparently comprise of ten episodes with Nathan Fillion appearing in three as Guy Gardner.

Harley Quinn has been renewed for a fifth season on Max while Batman will not appear in the second season of My Adventures With Superman.

Both The Penguin and The Sandman have resumed production. 

Anya Chalotra is rumoured to be voicing classic Wonder Woman villain Circe for Creature Commandos. 

The Brave And The Bold's casting isn't something to expect soon, though John Logan is now rumoured to be writing the script. 

Ana Nogueira has been confirmed as the writer for Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow. 

Netflix recently released the first trailer for Dead Boy Detectives, due for release in 2024. A character from The Sandman will appear in the show.

Expect something DC related at CCXP this weekend. I'll cover it next month. Likely going to be mainly about the anime Suicide Squad show next year.

Although it did badly in theatres, Blue Beetle has been a hit for Max. Xolo Mariduena will reprise the role in the DCU.

A Lobo project is also rumoured to be in development. I bet we can guess who'll be playing that role.

That's it for this month and quite a lot to go through. It's only just beginning though.

DCU Blog - June 2023 Edition: Superman: Legacy Cast, The Flash Disappoints And SDCC News

Well this month certainly delivered some harsh blows and some potentially exciting stuff. It's really never a dull moment for DC fans, one way or the other.

The Flash finally debuted on the big screen and sadly it hasn't been the hit we'd all hoped. So far it's made over $210 million at the box office with it heading to digital from July 18th.

Ezra Miller did however attend the LA premiere of the movie on June 12th and even talked to some of the press about the character.

It was also revealed that two different endings had been filmed, prior to the one we ended up with. 

Andy Muschietti however has been locked in to direct The Brave And The Bold for now. Ezra Miller and Sasha Calle's futures are yet to be confirmed.

However the biggest news to end the month was James Gunn confirmed that David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan will play Superman and Lois Lane for Superman: Legacy. Filming won't start until 2024 for a July 11th 2025 release.

Both Alex Skarsgard and Bill Skarsgard have been considered for the role of Lex Luthor. That casting will be confirmed in due course.

Members of The Authority will also appear in the movie as will other heroes.

More reshoots happened this month for Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom with Jason Momoa posting about it on social media. The film will be released from December 20th.

It's been confirmed that while Blue Beetle isn't a DCU movie, the character is supposed to be the first character for the new era as well. The movie will be released in theatres from August 18th.

James Mangold has recently talked about working on Swamp Thing. However the movie will be a while before it happens.

James Gunn has also confirmed that they're miles away from casting the DCU Batman.

DC will have a panel of sorts for SDCC for comics and animation. In terms of the DCU having a panel there, it's not looking likely.

Season 2 of The Sandman has begun filming with Netflix releasing it in 2024. Ruari O'Connor has been cast as Orpheus.

The CW have renewed Superman And Lois for a fourth season of 10 episodes with only Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Cudlitz, Alex Garfin and Michael Bishop remaining as regulars. Gotham Knights however was cancelled after one season.

Animation fans have the debut of My Adventures With Superman from July 6th on Adult Swim/Max and Season 4 of Harley Quinn from July 27th on Max. A three part documentary called Superpowered will premiere on Max from July 20th.

Russ Bain has been recently cast for Creature Commandos while The Penguin has halted filming until the writers strike has been resolved.

Again a very busy month for DC and it's fans in general. It'll be interesting to see what the second half of the year brings

My Review of Superman And Lois 3x13: "What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger"

 

Written by Brent Fletcher And Todd Helbing

Directed by Gregory Smith

Superman: "You're not a martyr."

Lex: "And you're not a hero. Just a fool in a cape."

Well, it's a good job this show managed to bag itself a fourth season because this would've been one hell of a cliffhanger to have things on, huh? A change is coming when this show does return in 2024 and the seeds are being planted right here.

With a massive cast reduction slated for next season and potentially two main actors not returning at all, this episode almost felt like a goodbye for a lot of characters. I mean some stories kind of ended but not really.

Take Kyle and Chrissy for example. They only started dating at the start of the season and now they're going to be parents. It's a nice development for the pair. Then there was Sarah, whose testy dynamic with Jordan finally came to an impasse where they decided to keep their distance from one another. For now, that's probably not a bad idea.

Then there's John and Natalie. They're heading to Metropolis to do more DOD stuff but not before John had sex with Lana. The show left it too late to properly pair John and Lana up and now it'll never happen. Though Lana did you with the idea of moving to Metropolis but would she really uproot her life to go there? 

As for Sam, we know Dylan Walsh isn't retuning at all next season, which seems foolish especially given that he's now Lex Luthor's hostage and this episode didn't have him saved by Superman or even Lois or Jordan/Jonathan. How do they resolve that next season without Dylan Walsh?

Speaking of Lex, he stayed out of sight until he had his henchwoman Gretchen seduce and snare Sam and brief flashbacks showed both him and Otis surviving Inverse Superman's attack. Then the latter got transformed into Doomsday.

The last five minutes of Superman and Doomsday were the best part of the whole episode with the former getting almost killed by the latter. Then the pair ended up on the moon and we now have to wat until next year to see how this problem gets resolved as Lex moves in on getting his revenge on Lois. Again, it's a good job this show got renewed for a fourth season.

- Lex kept killing Inverse Superman multiple times (with help from Otis and Gretchen) to get the latter to become Doomsday. 

- We got flashbacks to various scenes this season as Lois's voice was what got Superman to break free of Doomsday's grip.

- Coach Gaines reappeared mostly to mess with Jonathan. I had not missed that character.

- Chronology; Exactly 32 days since the previous episode.

What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger would have absolutely have made for a frustrating series finale but as a season finale, it's pretty great. Doomsday looked a tiny bit iffy but posed a believable threat and the action sequences were well done. I'm glad we have another season of this wonderful show to look forward to.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 3x12: "Injustice"

 

Written by Michael Narducci

Directed by Sudz Sutherland

Lex (to Otis): "Grab my things. I'm a free man."

It really is a good thing that this show go renewed for a fourth season because waiting this long for Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz) to show up and not get to see the show deliver on him would've been so disappointing. One episode in and this is an intrigiing version of the popular villain.

Through the Supergirl show we had John Cryer on fine form during that show's fourth to sixth season, serving as an excellent foil and now we've gotten something different. Someone more physically threatening and with an almighty axe to grind as well.

Having spent seventeen years in prison for a crime he didn't commit didn't mellow Lex as a person. In fact he wasted no time in using force to get the Warden to play by his rules during his incarceration along with getting the prisoners to play ball as well. Oh and he's got revenge on his mind.

I found it rather amusing that the first thing Lex did was to walk all the way to the Kent farm by himself while flashbacks covered his prison spell. Hs eventual confrontation with Lois and Clark also meant that he meant business about her goong into retirement. 

Seriously, the acting between Michael Cudlitz, Elizabeth Tulloch and Tyler Hoechlin in those scenes were utterly fantastic. Having Lex around next season as a regular will definitely elevate the show. The bigger question though is how does both Lex and Otis survive a rat eating and feral Inverse Superman though. At least we won't have too long to wait for that answer.

As for the rest of the episode, Jordan was reckless with his identity, everyone was sick of covering for him (Sarah especially) and then he basically outed himself by not flying away after a tornado incident. Plot wise, it wasn't bad but everything concerning Lex was so much better. 

- Lex has a daughter in her thirties. They never revealed her name by the way. I wonder why?

- Kyle relaxong his treatment of Jonathan also caused some tension in the episode while George Jr realised Superboy/Smallvile Samaritan was from Smallvile.

- No John, Natalie or Chrissy this week and did I spot some flirting between Sam and Lana?

- Chronology: Some time since the events of Bruno's downfall.

Injustice made for a great debut outing for Lex Luthor and Michael Cudlitz played all of his scenes to perfection. A brilliant penultimate episode to set up the finale. I cannot wait to see how this season will end.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 3x11: "Complications"

 

Written by Katie Aldrin And George Kitson And Brent Fletcher And Todd Helbing

Directed by Jai Jamison

Superman (to Bruno/Matteo, re Peia): "She wanted me to tell you she loved you both, forever and always."

I have to be honest, I actually expected Peia to die a few episodes back so the fact that she made it until nearly the end of the season/potential series was a miracle in itself. However this was the episode where she died and Bruno's dynamic with the main protagonists changed up too.

There was no way that siphoning anything from Inverse Superman wasn't going to end badly and for Peia it meant losing total control of her powers with her body being unable to handle it. The moment she inadvertently killed Dr Hook cemented her doom as well.

While Bruno went into full denial mode about Peia's fate, Matteo at least tried to help his mother and even Natalie was willing to help. In the end it took Superman to bring Peia out of harm's way so that she could let go herself and die peacefully. 

With Peia's death, Matteo getting a pardon and Bruno co-operating with the DOD, there's still the imminent appearance of Lex Luthor but right now, there's also Inverse Superman and he doesn't look a bit pleased. Better send him back to his own Earth next episode.

As for the rest of the episode, we had Lois undergoing a double mastectomy while Peia was breaking apart. There were plenty of emotional scenes with all the family and recovery aside, it does seem like this particular storyline's drawing to a happier close.

Last but not least, Kyle wasn't pleased with Chrissy not telling him about Superman but thanks to Lana, he did step up when Sarah began to spiral during the episode. It was one of the better handled Cushing side plots this week.

- Why I do get the feeling they're going to end the season on a Lex shaped cliffhanger that will never get resolved?

- Jordan managed to prevent a near fatal accident in Lois's operating room while freaking out over his X-ray vision.

- Sarah got a waitressing gig at the diner while Bazoomas got another shout out this week. Is there no Jitters in this universe?

- Chronology: Not long from where the last one left off.

Complications did manage to live up to its title but again, it hit all the right notes with even the Cushing side of things being pretty decent too. Just two more to go.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 3x10: "Collision Course"

 

Written by Max Cunningham And Max Kronick

Directed by Elaine Mongeon

Peia (to Lois): "I really wish things would've been different. In another life we would've been great friends."

The thing is, I definitely Peia was absolutely telling the truth there and given the Multiverse, there has to be a universe where both her and Lois are the best of friends. In this one though their differences were too hard for either one to ignore.

Lois wanted to be the better person and let Peia be the one to confess about her part in Moxie's death, even though Peia pointed out that Lex was a far greater evil than her or Bruno could ever be. With only three episodes left and a renewal not guaranteed, there's little time to cement that theory about Lex.

Anyways, Lois nearly had Peia on side but a visit from Matteo pretty much changed the game when the latter was able to slip Peia the cure. A cure that worked rather welland left the DOD in shambles as a direct result.

With the Mannheim family well and truly reunited and on the same wavelength as one another and Lex about to arrive, what about the rest of the episode? Well, a B plot about teenage partying took some  surprising turns this week.

Jordan spent too much time moping about Sarah and Junior getting close to one another but saving them from a car crash ended up putting Kyle on the right direction. Except for the bit where he was convinced that it was Jonathan with powers but a certain reveal from Clark soon tod Kyle more than even he was expecting to find out.

At this point, Kyle was the last regular on the show to be in the know and I'm surprised it was revealed the way it was but at least it's out there. Though needless to say, I'm not expecting him to react well when he realises that Lana, Sarah and Chrissy all knew before him.

- Candice returned for the kegger plot and Jonathan was probably the only one who didn't drink at the thing.

- The episode did open with Lois ringing the bell and saying "screw cancer" with her family there as support. Lana and Chrissy also had a meeting with Governor Kerry Wexler.

- No John Henry Irons or Natalie in this episode. 

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

Collision Course certainly threw in a few decent curve balls with the way the second plot of the week led to that reveal while the A plot also moves up a gear (what's to be done with Inverse Superman now Peia is cured?). I really hope these last three episodes can deliver.

Rating: 7 out of 10

DCU Blog - May 2023 Edition: The Flash Fan Screenings, CW Shows On Bubble And More

Yup, another eventful month for DC fans as we head towards the make or break movie making its debut, future castings and the possible ending of remaining CW Shows. Buckle in folks.

For the last week, fan screenings for The Flash movie have been taking place all over (including at Cannes) and the reception has been largely positive. 

Some cameos have been leaked but I'm not mentioning them here out of respect but the last few minutes of the movie will be unveiled upon screenings from June 12th onwards.

A final trailer was released, which revealed the return of Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth. Saoirse Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso have confirmed to be playing Patty Spivot and Albert Desmond respectively.

Meanwhile the trades have revealed that several actors have been considered for key roles for Superman: Legacy.

For Superman himself, the following actors seem to be in consideration - Nicholas Hoult (also rumoured for Lex Luthor), David Corenswet, Tom Brittney, Andrew Richardson and Jacob Elordi.

For Lois Lane, the actresses being considered are Samara Weaving, Phoebe Dynevor, Emma Mackey and Rachel Brosnahan.

Funko Pops are on the way for the upcoming Blue Beetle movie (August 18th). Carapax and Victoria Kord are the main antagonists.

Although it may largely depend on the success of The Flash movie, Andy Muschietti was a tad coy when asked about possibly directing The Brave And The Bold.

Mike Flanagan recently shut down rumours of directing a solo project focusing on Clayface. There's currently a Hollywood writers strike.

A trailer for Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom should be coming within the next few weeks.

Both Superman And Lois and Gotham Knights are on the bubble with both shows likely not to get renewed by the CW as they merge with Nexstar and reduce scripted content.

The CW have also passed on the Diggle spin off, Justice U.

Max (formerly HBO Max) have confirmed that The Penguin series will be a limited series. Filming had been halted due to the writers strike.

Netflix have confirmed the third season of Sweet Tooth will be it's last season.

That's it for this month. Join me next month to see what gets unleashed as the DCEU's final days beckon.