Warning! SPOILERS for the Superman and Lois season 2 premiere.
The unexplained visions of destruction Superman experienced in the Superman and Lois season 2 premiere highlighted a weakness within Superman’s powers that is rarely explored outside of the comics. While Superman’s extrasensory abilities are impressive, that sensitivity can also overwhelm him if he is caught off guard by excessive stimuli. This seemed to occur during the fits brought on by Superman’s visions, which were accompanied by a high-pitched trilling noise.
While Superman’s vulnerability to Kryptonite is well-known outside of superhero fandom, the fact that his super senses can be a curse as well as a blessing is more obscure. In one instance, in the Injustice comic book series, Black Canary was able to use her sonic powers to briefly incapacitate Superman at close range. Superman and Lois season 1 explored this idea in depth, showing the restraint Clark Kent required to leash his full power, as he taught his son Jordan how to focus his mind so that he could safely use his super-hearing and zero in on certain frequencies.
“What Lies Beneath,” the premiere episode of Superman and Lois season 2, found Clark experiencing strange visions, which caused him to freeze up twice during the episode. One of these attacks came as he was saving a North Korean submarine from sinking. The second came during a strange seismic event in Smallville, which inflicted a considerable amount of property damage. During both incidents, Superman clutched his ears in pain, as the skin around his eyes began to glow red, like when he almost lost control of his heat vision in the past.
What Is Wrong With Superman In Season 2?
It is unclear if Superman’s visions are the result of some kind of psychic attack or part of a subtler sonic effect. It’s also possible they are a side effect of Superman’s considerable powers in the Arrowverse, which might allow him to become an unwitting receptor of someone’s attempt to broadcast a warning regarding some coming danger. This is a possibility, as Superman’s hearing allows him to listen to radio signals and other electronic broadcasts without an electronic device. The same principal has been used as an explanation for Superman’s heat vision in some stories, suggesting he can expel the energy in his body as various forms or radiation, with his heat vision being a practical application of focused microwaves.
The previews for the next episode of Superman and Lois show that Superman will be exploring these visions, which may be tied to the coming of the Arrowverse version of Doomsday. The coming season will also see Jordan, who suffers from anxiety attacks, ironically becoming a mentor to his father, teaching him how to avoid being overwhelmed by his visions. Whatever the cause of the visions, the idea of a prophecy plagued Superman is an interesting hook with which to open Superman and Lois season 2.
