I don't see it, either.
Spoilers Supergirl - Season 2
- Thread starter Commander Richard
- Start date
Earth-38.
I think we need to take refuge in the claim that this was some Lex Luthor superscience device that "irradiated" the atmosphere, whatever that means. Perhaps we should assume that, rather than literally contaminating the atmosphere with lead particles -- which would settle out into the ground and water before too long anyway -- it's somehow infused the air with some superscience energy field that mimics the toxic effect of lead on Daxamites.
Really, though, this ending has some unfortunate implications, given the fairly recent news that the current administration has slashed the budget for the EPA's cleanup of lead in Flint, Michigan and elsewhere. It's not only scientifically absurd to treat lead contamination as harmless to humans, it's in extremely poor taste given current events. I was really hoping the producers would have the judgment to ignore the traditional "lead is Daxamites' kryptonite" conceit out of respect for this ongoing tragedy -- no such luck.
Superman is the ultimate superhero. He is the greatest force for good in all comics. He doesn't lose fair fights at full strength.
Superman lost a fair fight to Kara. They made it a point to have him make that point. They made it a point to have him lose to someone that is physically weaker, or should be, and far less experienced. They made it a point to say that the kryptonite didn't weaken him.
Then they had him go around telling anyone that listened that Kara was Earth's champion, not him because again, Kara beat him.
Then they also had him, on top of that, tell Kara that he wouldn't have been strong enough to make the decision Kara did.
So yeah, they diminished Superman quite a bit in this episode.
If the fate of the Earth comes down to one on one hand to hand combat, and you have Superman deferring to someone else, yeah, Superman has been quite diminished.
That's fair, but given the events of the episode, it might have been good for Kara to have a line to that effect.
And this is a writing weakness. Supergirl doesn't need Superman to be weak for her to be strong. She is strong. You're right about Wonder Woman, but of course in that movie, they made Superman both weak AND stupid to make BATMAN look strong. It's a common weakness of writers and it sure explains why we haven't had what I believe to be a good Superman movie since 1980.
It's not like Superman can't be written well. I enjoyed Smallville a lot--same with Lois & Clark and I loved the 1996 cartoon.
That's good to see. Superman needs to be the center of the DC universe in any incarnation. He's the hero that other superheroes admire. Having him dumbed down in this episode was hard to watch, and kind of ruined the finale for me. It was a good season but I didn't like the last two episodes.
Yet they had him essentially kissing Kara's butt the rest of the episode and talking about how she beat him. Even in training for the fight, Kara got the edge over him as if she's a better fighter.
Just because someone doesn't like an episode doesn't mean the answer is change the channel. Another, better, answer is to hope that the writers can improve. They don't seem to have this problem in their other shows.
He's Superman, not Super-old-man. The physical differences between a man and a woman are pretty great, and if you put Melissa Benoist, assuming she was trained, in a fight against a lot of 60 year old men, don't bet on Benoist.
A year training with the DEO doesn't counter over a dozen years saving the world, including as they mentioned, fighting on War World. So no, Supergirl would not be more polished. He's Superman.
Yes, the show is called Supergirl, but that doesn't mean Superman has to look weak to make her look strong.
True, but that just shouldn't happen, and that's bad writing. Superman's reaction to being beaten was in character. But that doesn't mean the writers got this right.
Lead is everywhere, and all Supergirl had to do was wear a lead suit in combat.
I'm okay with how they portrayed Superman in this episode. As noted, Supergirl is closer to her physical prime (by human standards), and we've seen Superman's attachment to Lois be his downfall in a number if what-if stories (in which Lois's death causes Superman to become authoritarian or outright evil). It's certainly reasonable for Clark to doubt his ability to sacrafice Lois (even if he might do so when actually forced to make the choice).
By the way, Superman really needs some training to defend against mind control and delusions. That storyline is becoming a bit if a joke in this show.
And I have no defense for how the show used lead. That was just bizarre.
By the way, Superman really needs some training to defend against mind control and delusions. That storyline is becoming a bit if a joke in this show.
And I have no defense for how the show used lead. That was just bizarre.
Am more some people will have issues with Kara kicking Superman's ass but am not an insecure teenage boy so I don't give a dam. DCEU has the multi verse so am sure in some other verse Superman can kick Kara's ass 
Why didn't Queen whats her face use the sliver krypton on Kara?
The Whole Lead thing seems like a sucky plan because whats to stop them wiping out all life from orbit if they are forced off planet. Also how much Lead exactly? last time I checked wasn't Lead dangerous to all carbon based life forms? surley enough Lead to contaminate the entire atmosphere would effect life on the planet in some way?
Why didn't Queen whats her face use the sliver krypton on Kara?The Whole Lead thing seems like a sucky plan because whats to stop them wiping out all life from orbit if they are forced off planet. Also how much Lead exactly? last time I checked wasn't Lead dangerous to all carbon based life forms? surley enough Lead to contaminate the entire atmosphere would effect life on the planet in some way?
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Funny how Kryptonian B losing to Kryptonian A would be acceptable, but Kryptonian A losing to Kryptonian B causes a problem. They're both Kryptonian, they're both in the same family, and they're both Super. Why would people have a problem? I can't quite put my finger on it....
Yeah, I wondered the same thing. It's not like one couldn't easily come up with something, like it somehow runs out or runs down, and there wasn't anymore to use on Kara. But, yeah....
That these people never watched Buffy? and grew up to accept Woman can kick ass
Look lets not beat around the bush, we all know why some people on this board have an issue with it. They are sexist, plain & simple. You can believe your not but the rest of us know you are.
Superman is what we like to call "a grown up"
some people on this board could clearly learn from his example.I think you mean Batman
who also kicked his ass.
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Superman actually gets stronger with age. In the comics, we learn that Superman resides in the sun tens of thousands of years in the future. Kryptonians on Earth hardly age like humans, and Superman would be at his physical peak. The claim that Superman is getting old is simply non-existent.
And again, unless he were like 90 years old, he wouldn't lose a fair fight.
Actually, he came back from that beating, and he beat Doomsday after Doomsday took out the entire Justice League. And Doomsday would beat Kara.
It's not about accepting a woman can kick ass. It's about the idea that you need to make a male hero weak to prove that point.
Also horrid and unrealistic writing.
It's not sexist to acknowledge the physical superiority of Superman and that equal rights do not change genetics.
Put a woman in an MMA ring against a man, both pros--see what happens.
And again, unless he were like 90 years old, he wouldn't lose a fair fight.
Actually, he came back from that beating, and he beat Doomsday after Doomsday took out the entire Justice League. And Doomsday would beat Kara.
It's not about accepting a woman can kick ass. It's about the idea that you need to make a male hero weak to prove that point.
I think you mean Batman
Also horrid and unrealistic writing.
It's not sexist to acknowledge the physical superiority of Superman and that equal rights do not change genetics.
Put a woman in an MMA ring against a man, both pros--see what happens.
It's beyond me how this example constantly gets brought up in debates about men and women with superpowers/magic.
Are either of them aliens with physiologies we don't fully understand?
Female Kryptonians might be stronger than male ones. It's canon now.
Or Supergirl is just better than he is.
Big deal.
Or Supergirl is just better than he is.
Big deal.
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The argument is sexist. Superman is fictional. Genetics means nothing.
Superman being the ultimate male power fantasy is probably the reason, yeah. 
Honestly, I prefer the well adjusted, "nice" Superman of the Supergirl show over the Man of Steel version of Superman. I did not have an issue with how Superman was portrayed in this episode. He fought hard against Supergirl when he was under the silver k influence. He was smart to think of trial by combat as a possible solution to the problem. He also did a good job of fighting the daxomites on the ground. And he gave Supergirl good advice.
Now the reason he lost to Supergirl is simply because it fit the story. By losing to Supergirl, it provided a justification for why Supergirl would be the one to fight Rhea. And since Supergirl is the star of the show, the writers wanted Supergirl to be the one to fight Rhea. If Superman had won then it would have made no sense why he did not challenge Rhea to trial by combat. I think the issue that some are having is that in comics where Superman is the main character, he is the champion of Earth and he is the one who challenges the villain to combat and wins. So people tend to see Superman that way. But on Supergirl, we have to remember that he is a supporting character, not a main character.
Now the reason he lost to Supergirl is simply because it fit the story. By losing to Supergirl, it provided a justification for why Supergirl would be the one to fight Rhea. And since Supergirl is the star of the show, the writers wanted Supergirl to be the one to fight Rhea. If Superman had won then it would have made no sense why he did not challenge Rhea to trial by combat. I think the issue that some are having is that in comics where Superman is the main character, he is the champion of Earth and he is the one who challenges the villain to combat and wins. So people tend to see Superman that way. But on Supergirl, we have to remember that he is a supporting character, not a main character.
So woman are allowed to be strong as long as it doesn't involve men being beaten up?
There is nothing genetically weaker than woman FULL STOP! There are plenty of woman who can beat beat men up and vice versa. Superman is the same as Supergirl both aliens made stronger on Earth, the dam sun doesn't decide to give Superman 10% more simply because he has a dick.
No, but the damn sun decides to give Superman more solar energy and power, simply because he has been here longer.
This show wears its beliefs and agenda's very publically on its sleave. It seems silly to deny that, for the sake of argument. Agree to disagree if you must. Shrug.
They could have ended up with the same scenario without being hamfisted about it.
I also agree that a Superman, fighting for the sake of the Earth, against Zod, would NOT be beaten. Kara was holding back, because she knew who she was fighting. Superman was fighting for the highest stakes possible. I can't imagine Clark losing to Zod in that situation (whether it was really Zod or not is irrelevant.)
This show wears its beliefs and agenda's very publically on its sleave. It seems silly to deny that, for the sake of argument. Agree to disagree if you must. Shrug.
They could have ended up with the same scenario without being hamfisted about it.
I also agree that a Superman, fighting for the sake of the Earth, against Zod, would NOT be beaten. Kara was holding back, because she knew who she was fighting. Superman was fighting for the highest stakes possible. I can't imagine Clark losing to Zod in that situation (whether it was really Zod or not is irrelevant.)
