Superman & Lois: Jordan’s Emerging Powers Are Tied To His Emotional State
While movie and television fans have watched a lot of versions of Superman over the years, Superman & Lois brings a new role for him on screen: that of a father. By making Clark and Lois parents, the show brings in more than simply superheroics and Metropolis conspiracies. It also sees their teenage sons deal with learning that their father is an actual superhero. Part of that is Jordan developing Kryptonian abilities of his own.
Lois and Clark only found themselves telling their children the truth because of Jordan's abilities manifesting as a teenager. What's interesting is that his twin brother Jonathan doesn't appear to have those abilities. It's entirely possible that both twins will eventually have a similar power set to their father, but for now, Jordan faces a steep learning curve while Jonathan observes. The emergence of powers, however, is just one of the many differences between the two. In fact, Jonathan's tendency to be the brother more in touch with his emotions might be part of the reason his powers are amping up very quickly.
The abilities associated with Kryptonians in DC comics make for a long list. A lot of them have been demonstrated in both Supergirl and Superman & Lois already. Jordan, however, has only shown to be developing four by the midpoint of the first season.
The first is invulnerability. It's no secret that Superman is able to withstand pretty much anything thrown at him. He's not completely invulnerable or immortal, but he's incredibly durable. The first hint that Jordan has abilities is him shielding his brother from falling pipes, absorbing the force of the impact himself.
Heat vision makes an appearance next. Jordan blasts laser-like beams from his eyes at a party when it first happens. It's happened multiple times since then, and Jordan can't control it very well.
The third is strength. He might not be able to throw a car in the air or support a bridge like his father, but Jordan can pack quite the punch. Jordan can hold his own against football players twice his size, and he's taken to training with Clark to focus his strength better.
The most recent ability to manifest is super hearing. Jordan starts hearing literally everything going on around him and it makes it incredibly difficult for him to focus. It's also very painful. Jordan has a hard time learning to control it, but eventually, he gets the hang of it.
What's most interesting about Jordan gaining these abilities is just how they manifest themselves. Jordan never spontaneously gains power. Instead, they're all in response to moments of heightened emotions. Usually, in fact, those emotions involve distress on Jordan's part.
When Jordan saves his brother from impact, he's scared that both of them will get hurt. As he explains it to Clark and Lois though, he becomes completely calm and realizes he can take it. His super strength appears to manifest in the same situation though Clark gets him to tap into it later. When he uses heat vision for the first time, it's after being attacked at the bonfire. Jordan tries to apologize to Sarah's boyfriend for kissing her, but is attacked anyway. The super hearing only activates after he's in danger yet again. Tag attacks him, repeatedly hitting him when he accuses Jordan of causing his own speed abilities. It's after that Jordan starts to notice that certain sounds are painful.
What all of these situations have in common is that Jordan is scared or angry. Teen angst is nothing new in a CW series, but Jordan's angst causes power flare ups. Jonathan often has to remind Jordan at school not to get angry or scared so that his abilities aren't obvious.
In Superman & Lois, Jordan is very quickly labeled the more emotional of the two brothers. Jordan takes the lead in talking to him when his parents upset him. Clark apologizes for missing therapy with him. Lois reminds the family of his social anxiety. Jonathan, on the other hand, appears as a perfectly well-adjusted social butterfly.
The key is that he appears that way. Jonathan gets upset when the family moves to Smallville but quickly gets over it. He drinks when upset that his girlfriend dumped him and lashes out at Sarah Cushing. The minute his brother needs him though, he's fine all over again, those emotional moments forgotten.
While Jordan leans into his feelings, allowing himself to feel the good and the bad, Jonathan doesn't. It would be a stretch to say he's closed off from his emotions since he's still a teenager and he still has outbursts. His, however, are shorter-lived. Jonathan seems to have placed the responsibility of being calm and controlled on himself. When Jordan gets emotional, whether happy or sad, his powers appear stronger.
Jordan is currently learning how to control his powers, but those same techniques are ways to help with anxiety. He's frequently told to take deep breaths, to focus his attention, and he even calls for help. It's Jordan who has the clicker to call Clark, not Jonathan. As Jordan learns to manage his anxiety, he'll likely also learn to manage his powers. Perhaps in the second season of Superman & Lois, the script could be slightly flipped between the two brothers.
The dichotomy between Jonathan and Jordan doesn't mean Jonathan will never get powers. It's entirely possible he'll get different ones from Jordan. Jordan was a late bloomer as a teenage human. Perhaps the same is true for Jonathan as a teenage Kryptonian.
There are two moments in the show that demonstrate Jonathan might still have latent abilities, even though he wasn't affected by the simulated red sun like his father and brother in a recent episode. Flashbacks to the boys as small children show Jonathan taking a football and perfectly throwing it. His throw also happens to break the rope holding up a tire swing. In the present, Jonathan manages to stop his brother from punching another football player, though it does leave him with a serious injury.
The first moment, when Jonathan is unfalteringly happy as a child, makes Clark think his sons might gain powers. When they show no signs for years, he dismisses it. The second moment is a moment of panic on Jonathan's part. He knows his brother is stronger, but puts his hand in between the other teenagers anyway. He also moves remarkably fast when he does it, which means he might already have some diluted version of Clark's own super speed. It's not a blur like the Flash's super-speed, but it's fast enough to raise suspicion amongst fans.
Clark Kent proves that he's one of the most controlled heroes in the Arrowverse thanks to Superman & Lois. While he does demonstrate genuine excitement and amusement when interacting with Kara on Supergirl, he never gets upset there. He might have more in common with Jordan than he lets on though.
An early episode of Superman & Lois sees Lois attacked while pursuing a lead on a story. In fact, she's attacked by someone with Kryptonian level strength and has to call Superman for help. The fight that ensues is Superman's most brutal to date in the Arrowverse. To be fair, the audience hasn't seen him have to fight people one-on-one much. It's clear that he often pulls his punches to prevent the full force of his strength after seeing this fight though. When Lois is in danger, he holds nothing back. Even his facial expressions demonstrate that he is livid rather than focused. Giving into his emotions in the moment helps him deal with the threat as he lets go and appears even stronger.
Perhaps Jonathan just needs to let go of his carefully controlled emotions to find the Kryptonian within. Just how Jonathan will develop remains to be seen, but one thing's for sure. In Superman & Lois, the characters allowing themselves to feel their emotions is a good thing.
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