Mr. Mxyzptlk is hear and he's going to cause trouble.
Last time on My Adventures With Superman,
Lois and Clark went in search of Jimmy. They entered a mysterious fenced off
area of the local forest and found Jimmy’s phone, which had a video of him
being kidnapped by a giant monster. They trigger some robot sentries and are
chased through the woods. Weirdly, Clark’s powers seem to be on the fritz, as
he isn’t as strong as normal, and he can’t fly. He saves Lois from a turret,
and she asks him if he lied about liking her to keep her from figuring out his
secrets. More robots chase them before he can tell that that’s crazy. Jimmy,
meanwhile, is having a lovely time with his captors. He’s being held by “Bigfoot”
aka Monsieur Mallah and his life partner The Brain. They were researchers for
Cadmus Labs, a government thinktank that was adapting mysterious alien
technology. They were taken out by Taskforce X, the government kill squad they
were working with, when it was discovered that they were working on
non-military applications. Mallah and the Brain escaped by causing an artificial
black hole to destroy the lab. Clark and Lois reach the main lab and reunite
with Jimmy. Clark almost tells Jimmy he’s Superman, only for Jimmy to cut him
off and say he knew the whole time. Their ‘discussion’ is interrupted by more
robots attacking. Mallah and the Brain have the idea to cause their unstable
blackhole to overload and then stabilize to destroy the robots. While they get
ready for the boom, Lois and Jimmy ask Clark why he kept his secret from them,
Clark admitting that he was worried they’d treat him differently if they knew
he was an alien. They both insist that they won’t and just want him to be open
with them. The Blackhole almost sucks them in, but it then stabilizes into a
wormhole to another dimension. Everyone says goodbye to Mallah, and the Brain
and it looks like the trio forgive each other. After they leave, the General
arrives at the facility and instructs his new lab monkey, a visibly mutated
Ivo, to start working on something with the tech. OH, and it was revealed Clark’s
powers weren’t working due to a “Red Sun Omega Field.” Enough Recap. Let’s get
to it.
We open at the Kent family Farm.
Clark tells Lois and Jimmy no more secrets and activates his baby ship to show
them the obelisks. While Jimmy geeks out about Alien tech, Clark and Lois hug
and she asks him why he brought them there. He admits to his ulterior motive, he
wanted to be sure absolutely nothing could stop him from asking her out. If you
listen carefully, you can hear Ma Kent squeeing in delight from the farmhouse.
Not really, but it’d be funny.
Jumping forward a day or two, we’re
shown Clark… overplanning for his big date. He’s got a minute by minute, event
by event schedule that seems to aim to keep Lois in a constant state of wonder and
awe for like 3 hours straight. And, obviously, with his powers he might be able
to do it. Jimmy points out that Clark is really putting a lot of pressure on
himself to make this work, Clark saying it must be perfect because Lois
deserves it. Jimmy is a little weirded out by this so heads out, saying he’s going
to hang out with Lois… Only to discover she’s also gone a little overboard
trying to research as part of a “thanks for being you” gift for Clark. She’s begun
researching his past and is trying to connect the dots to figure out where he comes
from. She’s confident now that she’s gotten the research going and struts off
to be ten minutes early for her date with Clark. … Only to realize a moment
later she’s still in her sweats and that she left her dress at the drycleaners.
She and Jimmy run off to try to get it. As they run, a mysterious green light
flash and several people in future tech armor appear and seem to be tracking
Lois.
Back at the apartment, Clark puts
the finishing touches on his date plan, saying that it’s just going to be the
two of them without any weird Superman stuff to ruin it… and as if on cue
someone knocks on his apartment door. He opens it to find Mr. Mxyzptlk, a blue imp-looking
creature, who claims to be an interdimensional peacekeeper in need of help.
Clark literally slams the door in his face, saying nope, only for Mxyzptlk to
appear in his apartment, flash a badge and saying he needs Clark to put on his
suit and come with him. Clark tries to pretend that he isn’t Superman, only for
Mxyzptlk to laugh and say that in nearly every universe Clark Kent is Superman.
Using his phenomenal cosmic powers, he flashes Clark through several other incarnations
of himself, we see the Superman: The Animated Series, The Fleischer Superman,
Super Friends Superman, and Super Crab from Weird Earth. Mxyzptlk tells Clark
that there’s an infinite Multiverse out there with Infinite Supermen, but he’s
here because Clark’s Lois is in danger. He causes a mirror to show Lois hogtied
before that group of people in the armored helmets, saying they’re a group of
interdimensional criminals and they’ll hurt her. Clark suits up and says they need
to get going. Mxyzptlk tells Clark that the base will have defenses to keep him
from portaling in, so Clark will need to break in. He makes a portal and they
both get sucked through. Clark drops his phone as they go and misses Jimmy
texting him that Lois is running late and that he’s with her. Shoot.
Jimmy and Lois are running through an
alley to get her back to her apartment. Clark’s clock says it’s 10:15, so they’re
really racing to be ready in 8 hours. Jimmy notices it’s weird Clark left him
unread, but Lois says that’s good because it gives her time to change. A portal
opens in front of them, and we meet the bucket heads… who all turn out to be variations
of Lois Lane. There’s Leader Lois, who seems to be a Lois in her 40s, Punk Lois
who dresses in a spike jacket, and Louis Lane, the dude. They’re the League of
Lois Lanes. Leader Lois tells them that they need to come with them.
Clark and Mxyzptlk arrives in a facility,
Mxyzptlk is winded from the trip, saying that he’s not as strong as he used to be.
He tells Clark that this is the place and Lois is right on the other side of
the door. Clark rips it open and is immediately tackled by a giant robot dog.
Jimmy and Lois arrive in the LoLL’s
flagship. Leader Lois explains that their group was founded by “Lois Prime” the
first person to discover the multiverse and they try to police it as best they
can. I find it incredibly funny that Lois Prime is clearly her design from the
early comic runs… but at no point does Lois question why that Lois is a white
lady and she and the other Lois’s are Korean. Leader Lois explains that they recruit
the best Lois’s to help with it, Louis Lane saying that it’s around their 21st
birthday and their first Pulitzer. Lois points out she’s 23 and is clearly
insecure that she is apparently 2 years behind the best version of herself.
Jimmy spies a young Black woman, asks which Lois she is, and learns she’s
Jalana Olsen, a gender swapped Jimmy. Again, no joke from these two about how
the prime version of themselves is white. Leader Lois explains that the League
lets Jimmy’s in too, and then gets to why they brought them here. Mxyzptlk, a self-proclaimed
chaos god, was nearly captured by the league before he escaped. Turns out,
someone opened a wormhole to their universe, dubbed earth 12, just as they were
capturing him a few days ago. Yes, this is the portal that Mallah and the Brain
used. Jimmy asks why they need their help and Punk Lois says it’s because their
Clark is helping him. Lois says that there’s no way that Clark would help a bad
guy, Punk Lois scoffs at this, and Leader Lois tells her that no is saying he
is but both Clark and Mxyzptlk are missing. Lois thinks they need her help to investigate
and find Clark, but they just steal one of her hairs and use a scanner to try
to search for Clark’s Tachyon trail. Punk Lois makes a remark about them not knowing
what they’re dealing with. Leader Lois tells her to shut up and that Lois and
Jimmy can have a look around the ship while they talk. Except for one room that
she personally locks in front of them. Suspicious.
Clark and Mxyzptlk enter the vault.
It’s a museum filled with easter eggs of the DC universe, we see Hawkgirl’s mace,
Dr. Fate’s helmet, Stargirl’s javelin and many more items scattered about.
Mxyzptlk tells Clark to smash while he grabs. Clark pieces together that Mxyzptlk
tricked him to coming here to rob the place. Mxyzptlk admits to it, saying Clark
isn’t the smartest person from Krypton since he fell for it. Yep, first
reference to Clark’s homeworld and Mxyzptlk is using it as an insult. Damn. He
smashes one case and grabs a tape recorder. Clark tries to stop him, saying he’ll
return what he stole, he’ll turn Mxyzptlk over to whoever deals with him, and
then he and Lois are going to go on a normal date. Mxyzptlk, being a cosmic
level sociopath, tells Clark that he’s seen countless versions of Clark, and
like all those others he’s destined to be weird, different, and alone. Keep in
mind, according to DC, all versions of Mxyzptlk are the same being, he just changes
his appearance to best match whatever reality he’s projecting himself into. So,
he’s not just blowing smoke here. Mxyzptlk suddenly drops to the ground, saying
that he lost something precious to him and that’s left him weakened. But he’s strong
enough for one last trick and opens a portal under them.
Back at the ship, Jimmy distracts
the Lois’ by saying he wants to get footage for a Flamebird episode about the
Multi-verse. This really excited Jalana, who says she’s also a Flamebird and
that Jimmy is the first other Olsen she’s met that is one. They compare the
weirdest stories, Jimmy mentioning the decaying government lab that definitely
didn’t have a brain and Gorilla in it and Jalana says Telepathic Horse. She
goes to show Jimmy the footage much to the Lois’s dismay. While that’s going
on, Lois breaks into the secret room. She finds an archive of the Lois’s. Earth-52’s
Lois is a multi-award-winning reporter, Earth 24 (which looks suspiciously like
a Kingdom Hearts character) Lois got a key to the city at 19, and Earth
1 Lois is ready to meet with her dad. She looks at a Superman file, only to
find it redacted. The computer says that it’s restricted and that it’s only
accessible at headquarters. She’s pulled out of her research by the computer
alerting them that Superman and Mxyzptlk just jumped to Earth 14, after robbing
Earth Prime’s Space and Superhero museum. Lois tries to say this is a misunderstanding,
that they should all know that because of their own Clarks, but Punk Lois says
that maybe she doesn’t know Superman as well as they think.
Clark and Mxyzptlk arrive in a
desert, Mxyzptlk saying hhey just have to wait for them to show up. The Lois flagship
arrives. The Lois’s gear up, getting guns with a familiar green glow to them. The
guns are designed to “neutralize” a Kryptonian. Leader Lois says that Clark is
too powerful to give the benefit of the doubt. Lois tries to stop them but gets
thrown into their brig. Leader Lois says that Lois isn’t league material, but
she’s like them enough to be a problem. They leave her in a tube but bring
Jimmy out with them. Mxyzptlk confronts them, noting that there’s all these
Lois Lanes but not one Clark. Clark flies in and grabs Mxyzptlk, and the Lois
fire on him. He’s hit with green energy that causes green veins to pop on his skin
and crystals to form on his hands. Leader Lois says the Clark is neutralized, and
now they’re going to deal with Mxyzptlk, only to discover he’s gone. She orders
the others to look for him… only to find out that Mxyzptlk is stealing their ride.
Jimmy shouts that their Lois is on the ship. Clark recovers and tries to fly
after it but he’s a second too slow. Leader Lois tells Louis to rig up their gauntlets
to follow them while she keeps an eye on Clark.
In the void between realities, Mxyzptlk
celebrates, saying he lived happily ever after, only to hear a gun cock behind
him. He laments using such primo lies to avoid this exact situation. He dubs
her Participation Trophy Lois. She learns that Mxyzptlk is headed to the Lois’s
base, he doesn’t know where it is but Lois Prime did and that’s why he stole
the tape recorder, and she lets him go there. She wants to know what the other
Lois are hiding from her. Mxyzptlk points out how odd it is that Lois met a
legion of herself and the first thing she did was suspect them of lying, before
laughing and saying Lois Prime would have loved her. She didn’t trust other
Lois’s either. He pops out Lois Prime’s secret master key and uses it, redubbing
Lois the fun one.
They arrive at the League headquarters.
They walk through a hallway with hologram statues of various Lois Lanes, Lois
saying it’s beautiful but Mxyzptlk saying it’s a bit pretentious. Lois asks him
what he knows about Clark, to which he says lots, but it’ll be more fun to
watch her figure things out. He leaves Lois to search. She calls up the
Superman X file and gets an orb. She can’t figure out how to open it and asks
Mxyzptlk for help. He opens a vault full of weapons, saying that it’s been fun
but now it’s time to take back what is his. He puts on his usual Bowler hat,
which shapeshifts into a crown. A third eye on his forehead opens and he gets
surrounded by a purple aura. He starts opening portals all over the place, Lois
runs through one and fall around the base. He says its time to get everyone off
his back. The Lois’s and Superman portal in and realize how screwed they are.
Mxyzptlk makes dozens of copies of himself and fires bursts of energy at them.
Clark tries to heat vision him away but he dodges. Clark flies over to Lois.
They both apologize for ruining their date, listing off their flaws (she’s the worst
Lois, he’s weird) before kissing. Jimmy runs over and tells them to stop making
out and help!
The Lois’s are able to destroy individual
copies but he’s too powerful to take out. Lois notices him leaping through
portals and says she has an idea. Clark flies at Mxyzptlk and the two go on a merry
chase, flying around the area through portals until he blasts Clark. Mxyzptlk
declares himself the winner, saying that Clark isn’t strong enough to beat him,
but Clark counters by saying he’s strong enough for one last trick. Lois then
reaches through a portal and nabs the hat, returning him to his depowered state
and then Jimmy tackles him through another portal. The hat is locked up and
they prepare to put Mxyzptlk in confinement. Leader Lois is about to do
something to the trio, but they’re gone. Jalane says that the grabbed a busted
gauntlet and teleported away. Their computer is too fried to track their tachyons
again, so they’re in the wind. Leader Lois just groans and says they’ll lock up
Mxyzptlk and call it a day. We get a shot of Jalane from behind, and from her
powering down gauntlet, it’s pretty clear she made an exit for them. Flamebirds
for life!
Clark, Lois and Jimmy land in their
Metropolis. They realize that they made it back at 9:30 pm local time. Jimmy bails,
saying he’s tired and then gives Clark a thumbs up. Wingman, thy name is James Olsen.
Clark says it’s too late for dinner, Lois cuts him off with another kiss and
asks him to treat her to coffee. They fly off.
We don’t see the date (we’re robbed!)
but given Lois’ happy dance and twirl when she gets back to her apartment it
went extremely well. She collapses on her couch and remembers the orb in her pocket.
She fiddles with it and it starts playing a video in green. The video is of
various Supermen laying waste to the Earth. Their costumes are homages to Earth
Prime Superman, Ultraman, and Lor-Zod, all Evil Supermen. Mxyzptlk appears in
her apartment, asking her if she figured it out yet. She asks him isn’t he
supposed to be in jail, he says yeah but it didn’t take. He’s much too interested
in the drama of this universe to miss out. Lois asks him if this is another
trick. He says no, just like how not every Lois Lane wins a Pulitzer, Lois
finishes by saying not every Superman is good. She pops open the container… and
a little green crystal falls out. Mxyzptlk says that things just got really
interesting and that it’ll be fun to watch her figure it out. He vanishes as
Lois looks at the crystal.
Well… damn. This show had a tall order
in making its own version of Mr. Mxyzptlk separate from the one most often
voiced by the late great Gilbert Gottfried. I like what they settled on. The
blue flying imp design is so far removed from the big-headed bowler hat wearing
Mxy that comparing them is apples and oranges. This version of him seems calmer
than in others, which is probably a side effect of having his powers diminished
in this part of the multi-verse with his hat gone. Also, loved that it was
indeed his bowler hat before it morphed into a crown more fitting with the
anime style of his new form. He also had a ton of great lines “You smash, I
grab,” “Oh, if it isn’t Lois, Lois, and What’s His name.” “I was, didn’t take,”
are a few of his better zingers. I totally believe that Mxyzptlk is too
powerful to be contained (even like this) and too enthralled by new Superman and
Lois drama to even do his usual thing of playing along with being captured for
at least a little while. As to the multiverse stuff… I was kind of hoping that
we’d go a few seasons before peaking behind the curtain and seeing the breadth
of reality, but I think this had just the right amount of Multiverse to make it
interesting without reality breaking. The whole thing is really to make Lois
worried that something might happen to her Clark to make him evil. Shame that the
recording didn’t include, ya know, CONTEXT for the evil Supermen. At least two
of the three are versions of Clark raised by people other than the Kents or are
Clarks that suffered utter heartbreak that drove them insane. … I’ve seen
Ultraman portrayed as being the secret ID of Clark Luthor or as an identity Clark
took up after the death of a loved one, hence why he’s in a weird between
state. Regardless, they’re Clark Kents that are extremely different from this
Clark Kent, who follows the mold of “good midwestern boy trying to help with
his incredible powers.” I liked the designs of the alternate Lois’s and the
gender-swapped Jimmy, though again I think they missed out on making a few
jokes about how weird it’d be for them to realize they’re white in many
universes. Just saying. Lois and Clark getting to have their first not-cheek
kiss while chaos explodes around them is perfect and I’m glad they had a great
date even if we didn’t get to see it. Lois having a chunk of Kryptonite is… troubling,
but I suppose there’s only one person in any universe better equipped to have
that as a “in case of emergency” plan and as far as we know, Bruce Wayne is
still training to be a ninja. Oh, and once again, I do enjoy the acronym for
the League of Lois Lanes ends up being LoLLs. Next time, Zero Day, part 1. See
you there.
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Twitter: @BasicsSuperhero
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