After the very public scuffle between Clark and his Kryptonian cousin Kara Zor El, there were bound to be some problematic outcomes. Especially because it has allowed detractors and enemies another chance to incite paranoia against the alien superhero. Just as the series previously made a point against the prevalent xenophobic tendencies of the government along with the privatization of the military, the seventh episode of the ongoing season of My Adventures with Superman offers a critique of these through the aggressive overtaking of Metropolis by Task Force X.
Previously, it was revealed that Kara was brainwashed to act as Brainiac’s enforcer and took over entire planetary civilizations under the Kryptonian AI’s command. Eventually, Brainiac learns about Clark’s superior abilities and captures him with the intention of weaponizing him, whereas Kara becomes remorseful after learning the truth about her past. Surprisingly, Jimmy and Lois had ventured in the deep space and appeared right in front of Kara in the final moments of the previous episode. How they managed to pull it off is the central topic of this episode titled “Olsen’s Eleven.”
Spoilers Ahead
What is the Human Defense Corps?
As the episode begins, Waller is seen to have taken control over Metropolis and instated martial law in anticipation of Superman’s return. According to Waller’s speech addressed to the people of Metropolis, Superman and Kara are invaders who can wreak havoc at a moment’s notice if they remain unchecked. To prevent something like that happening, Waller and her Task Force X agents have formed the Human Defense Corps, a government-backed initiative where potentially dangerous technologies from private conglomerates like Amazotech and Amertek have been weaponized by Lex Luthor. The Human Defense Corps takes control over Metropolis to ‘protect’ the city and awaits Superman’s return to extend their own version of greetings to him. Waller’s military tactics to divert public opinion involve muzzling the media’s popular opinion of Superman, as she wants to force the fabricated truth down everyone’s throat.
Why Did Jimmy and Lois Go to Livewire?
Meanwhile, Lois and Jimmy are getting restless while pondering the fate of their best friend, Clark, and Lois has been feeling regret ever since nearly breaking up with him before he was taken away by Kara. Lois comes up with this wild idea of stealing an Amazotech jump-drive spaceship from STAR Labs and using it to bring Clark back to earth. She has planned to take help from the supervillain Livewire to infiltrate STAR Labs and steal the spaceship. Jimmy isn’t too fond of this idea, given the fact that Livewire knows about Lois’ connection with Superman, who has time and again thwarted her villainous plans. But seeing how desperate Lois has become, he agrees to go along with her plan.
Obviously, Livewire initially refuses to help Lois and Jimmy, and that too with such a high-risk job, but as Jimmy empties his entire net worth which he had accumulated through Flamebird, to make the deal more financially lucrative, she agrees. However, Livewire’s lover and partner in crime, Heatwave, isn’t willing to assist her, as she thinks her tendency to take up risky missions will end in misery, and she walks out. Livewire decides to continue with the mission anyway and states that their mission will need people who know their way around a spaceship.
How Did Monsieur Mallah and Brain Come Into the Picture?
Responding to Jimmy’s request, Monsieur Mallah and Brain join the mission. Series fans might be confused, like Lois, as the last time we saw them during the first season, they had moved on to another dimension to find a place where they could live together in peace. Mallah reveals that they had traveled to different worlds, but not only did each of them have a version of Mallah and Brain to begin with, but they were also villainous. Therefore, they decided to return to their earth at last and lay low, which is when they once again came into contact with Jimmy. The genius scientist duo didn’t need much convincing to help their good friend Jimmy in his time of need.
Livewire makes a plan to infiltrate STAR labs, while the Mallah-Brain duo plans to locate the spaceship, make some modifications for a deep space jump, and fly along with Jimmy and Lois to find Clark. However, Lois takes the Kryptonite shard she found previously during the events of the first season along with her, as she is deeply mistrustful of Clark’s cousin and a bit prejudiced against her Kryptonian heritage. Jimmy tries to argue with her, as he knows Kara a bit better than her after the duo had acquainted themselves with each other previously, but their conversation gets interrupted while planning the mission at hand.
How Did Jimmy and Lois Stumble Upon Kara?
As planned, the team manages to infiltrate STAR Labs, and Mallah-Brain get to work, covering up surveillance and locating the spaceship. On the very day, coincidentally, Waller and Agent Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, decided to pay a surprise visit to STAR Labs to check on Lex’s ongoing Project M, and unfortunately, Waller spots the security breach quite easily. She initiates facility lockdown and sends Slade to apprehend the intruders, which causes Livewire to bail out to save her own skin. In the meantime, Mallah and Brain get distracted obtaining a Europium (a rare metal that allows dimensional travel) core, leaving Jimmy and Lois alone. However, the duo manages to sneak through the ventilation shafts and reach the jump-drive spaceship. However, without Mallah-Brain, operating the ship is impossible, and Lois breaks down, believing she has lost the chance to rescue and make amends with Clark.
Lois’ worries are over as Mallah-Brain returns, modifies the ship with upgrades, and launches it to make the deep space jump. However, Lex sends his prototype assault mechs from Project M to hunt them down, and with no Superman to rescue the team, it almost seems like it’s over for them. Miraculously, Livewire and Heatwave make a last-minute entry to decimate the droids, much to Jimmy and Lois’ surprise. It is revealed that Livewire and Heatwave had separately planned on their own to steal advanced weapons from STAR Labs while abandoning Lois and Jimmy, but sympathized with Lois after hearing her agonizing over Clark’s fate. Which is why the duo decided to return and help Lois and Jimmy in their direst hour—and eventually, the spaceship launch becomes successful.
Jimmy argues with Lois about giving Kara a chance, and as Lois begrudgingly agrees to do so, she also realizes that Jimmy might be infatuated with Kara. As Mallah-Brain launches the ship for a deep space jump, they reach the other side at an uncontrollable speed. Right at that moment, the team stumbles upon Kara, who was pondering her past actions, and she catches the ship to stop the turbulence. The episode ends as viewers wonder what course of action Kara is going to take. Now that she knows the truth, she will assist Jimmy in rescuing Clark, but for Lois, it will be an uneasy alliance.
