Superman & Lois’ X-Kryptonite Twist Supports A Jonathan Powers Theory

Warning: SPOILERS below for Superman & Lois season 2, episode 7.

Jonathan Kent has inched towards developing powers on Superman & Lois, and General Anderson offers more evidence that he will alongside his brother Jordan. Superman & Lois season 2 has thrown many new elements at viewers, from the arrival of Bizarro—who was initially teased to be Doomsday—to the increasingly sinister presence of cult leader Ally Alston (Rya Kihlstedt). The show also added a new complication in Superman’s teenage son Jonathan Kent (Jordan Elsass) not only developing powers, but how he’s done so.

Jonathan’s powers were brought about by his use of X-Kryptonite, which grants humans a level of Kryptonian powers. While viewers may have been excited to see Jonathan finally develop metahuman abilities, the path he took to get them wasn’t an admirable one. Sure enough, the discovery of it by the Kent family and Smallville High School has major negative consequences for Jonathan.

Jonathan is far from the only character using X-Kryptonite on Superman & Lois, and at least one character doing so could pose a serious threat to Superman. That would be none other than General Mitch Anderson (Ian Bohen), who has had major philosophical differences with the Man of Steel in season 2. Anderson powering up with X-Kryptonite could also be for more than just adding another super-powered enemy to Superman & Lois. With their differences as characters and in their motivations, Anderson might also be laying the foundation for Jonathan to finally develop powers on his own.

Anderson’s Superman & Lois Story Flips Jonathan’s X-Kryptonite Plot

In the episode “Anti-Hero”, Superman & Lois followed up one unexpected development of Superman being imprisoned with another of General Anderson developing powers. This was revealed when Superman and Tal-Rho (Adam Rayner) are learning more information from Bizarro when the super-powered Anderson arrives at Tal-Rho’s Fortress. With the source of Anderson’s new abilities being X-Kryptonite, his sudden powers come very unexpectedly.

After Anderson ostensibly kills Bizarro, he subsequently gives the second alien pendant to Ally Alston. With Ally plotting to use the pendants in her villainous scheme, Anderson is evidently eager to be a part of it. With his X-Kryptonite use also likely to continue, this makes Anderson the flipside from Jonathan Kent.

Jonathan’s X-Kryptonite Lesson Supports Superman & Lois Powers Theory

After Lois and later Clark learn of Jonathan’s X-Kryptonite use, both heavily scold and reprimand their son for dabbling in drug abuse. Clark in particular really leaves an impression on Jonathan, who faces expulsion from Smallville High School and his future upended. “Anti-Hero” ends with Jonathan alone in his room in tears, and while a heartbreaking image on its own, it doesn’t necessarily portend doom and gloom. On the contrary, Anderson’s X-Kryptonite use in the same episode shows Jonathan has a brighter future.

Jonathan confesses to Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) that his decision to use X-Kryptonite as a performance-enhancing drug was partially motivated by envy of Clark and Jordan (Alex Garfin) having powers while he doesn’t. It was also already known that Jonathan took up X-Kryptonite with the knowledge of it being used by other players on the football team. Jonathan, still being a teenager, is motivated by very human and very understandable emotions to use X-Kryptonite as a shortcut to getting powers. Meanwhile, Anderson is at the opposite end from Jonathan, using X-Kryptonite as a weapon to enable him to defeat Bizarro and Superman.

In not heading down a path of wanting to hurt other people or conquer the world, Jonathan simply needed to learn his lesson about the dangers of drug use. With “Anti-Hero” ending with Jonathan’s entire life thrown into upheaval (and even the also struggling Jordan feeling some of the heat for his knowledge of the situation), it’s safe to say that he has. With Jonathan swearing off X-Kryptonite and showing that his heart remains in the right place, he needn’t be kept in a state of shame. In recognizing the human drive behind Jonathan and his learning from his mistake, Jonathan can earn his powers in a natural way as a narrative reward.

Why Jonathan Getting Powers Is Perfect For Superman & Lois Season 2

Superman & Lois changed things up from the source material by making Jordan, not Jonathan, the Kent son with Kryptonian powers. With Jon Kent becoming Superboy, and even later Superman, in the comics, Jonathan’s lack of powers was as surprising for many viewers as the show’s Doomsday mislead. It established that Superman & Lois was very much crafting its own story in Clark raising his twin sons in his hometown while continuing his life as Superman. Still, that didn’t mean that Superman & Lois was going to maintain a singular status quo, and Jonathan is the best indicator of that.

With his brother Jordan having powers, albeit not fully developed yet, Jonathan has acted as an intermediary at times. Jordan struggling to harness his abilities while covering them up has taken its toll on him due to his social anxiety disorder. The combination of Jonathan’s support for his brother and his envy have done the same to him, hence his X-Kryptonite use. Superman & Lois has invested viewers in Jordan and Jonathan’s individual stories with respect to their powers. For Jordan, harnessing his powers to their fullest has been the core of his story. For Jonathan, it’s been a mix of the thrill that he’s started developing his own and the horror of how he has done so.

The added element of the roles Ally, Anderson, Tal-Rho, and Bizarro occupy in season 2 shows how much power and what one does with it is a major focus of season 2. Jonathan’s story of grappling with his mistake and yearning for the abilities his father and brother have is a major thread of that tapestry. By having Jonathan learn from where he went wrong and the importance of using his powers responsibly, unlike Anderson, him finally gaining them would be a fantastic cap-off for season 2.

If Bizarro’s warnings about Ally getting hold of the pendants are any indication, Superman & Lois could be headed for a cataclysmic season 2 finale. Indeed, if Ally becomes Parasite, she could be as much of a challenging foe as Tal-Rho was. Jonathan’s X-Kryptonite story, while seemingly a smaller plot element, could be a bigger piece of that puzzle than it seems. With Jonathan realizing his mistake in how he acquired his powers, Anderson getting his in the same way sets them up as two sides of the same coin. By giving Jonathan a villainous opposite in Anderson, that only adds to the possibility that he could take flight with Jordan and his father when Superman & Lois season 2 ends.

Superman & Lois airs new episodes on Tuesdays on the CW.

About The Author

Brad Curran
(714 Articles Published)

Growing up, Brad developed an innate love of movies and storytelling, and was instantly enamored with the world of adventure while following the exploits of Indiana Jones, Japanese kaiju, and superheroes. Today, Brad channels his thoughts on all manner of movies, from comic book films, sci-fi thrillers, comedies, and everything in between through his writings on Screen Rant. Brad also offers philosophical musings on martial arts and the filmographies of everyone from Jackie Chan to Donnie Yen on Kung Fu Kingdom, where he’s also had the privilege of interviewing many of the world’s great stunt professionals, and hearing plenty of gripping stories on injuries incurred in their line of work and the intricacies of designing the acts of death defiance he first thrilled to as a youngster. When he’s not writing, Brad enjoys going on a ride with the latest action hit or Netflix original, though he’s also known to just pop in “The Room” from time to time. Follow Brad on Twitter @BradCurran.

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