The Cast And Crew Of ‘My Adventures With Superman’ Talk Season 2 And Beyond (EXCLUSIVE)

Last month, the world’s eyes centered on the Instagram account of James Gunn, blockbuster filmmaker and the head of DC Studios. Gunn had unveiled the first official image of his iteration of Superman, played by David Corenswet. In the picture, Clark Kent pulls on his iconic red boots, preparing to save Metropolis from a presumably catastrophic beam of light. The image evoked the belief that Superman was just a regular guy heading to work, a guy who happens to be a superpowered alien, and his “work” is saving the planet from ruin. It’s a significant strategic shift for the Man of Steel after a decade of Zack Snyder positioning Superman as a conflicted, somewhat distant demigod. At first glance, Gunn appears to be taking a comparatively modest approach, bringing Superman back to Earth to reconnect with the masses that have arguably forsaken him.

Quite a bit of work has already been done to reorient Superman in the public imagination, albeit on a smaller scale. Last year, as everyone anxiously anticipated who would don the iconic red cape and boots on the silver screen, My Adventures with Superman premiered on Adult Swim. Developed by Jake Wyatt and animated by Studio Mir, the series follows Clark (voiced by Jack Quaid) as he balances life as a reporting intern with the Daily Planet with his budding powers and alter ego. While it had plenty of action and recognizable faces from Superman’s storied mythology, the series primarily focused on Clark’s interpersonal relationships, from his friendship with Jimmy Olsen to his fledging attraction to Lois Lane. The tight and intimate storytelling paid off, with positive reviews, steady ratings, and a second-season renewal.

The warm reception to My Adventures with Superman “floored” the cast and crew, who spoke with Geek Vibes Nation ahead of the second season premiere. Alice Lee, who plays Lois, explained, “I was on the internet looking at the tweets, videos, and fan art. People were taking their time to create these things, which meant that it really resonated with them. I was just in awe of the love and support we were getting.” Ishmel Sahid, who plays Jimmy, echoed her sentiments. “It was well received, and as more episodes came out, people still had that same energy. It’s always icing on the cake when people like what you do, and I’m still shocked and thankful that people enjoyed the show.”

Key to the positive reception is its tonal balance, especially in the brevity of a 22-minute episode. One episode will likely span swoon-worthy romance, zippy action, emotional duress, and silly hijinks without losing track of the characters. It isn’t easy work. Wyatt quipped, “We start with every dream and then realize we have ten episodes at 22 minutes.” He and his fellow showrunners Brendan Clougher and Josie Campbell take a thousand-foot view of the season, throw everything they want on the board, and whittle it down through the process of scripting, storyboarding, and animation. “We ask what we can keep, what creates meaning, and what progresses our characters.”

Those questions are answered through the lens of the core relationship of Lois and Clark. “The rom-com is the spine,” Campbell explained. “What their relationship is like for the entire season, from episode to episode, is what we start with. Every action scene, villain, and character is there because they can either support or complicate their love lives and relationships.” The first season was broken into key tentpole moments for the central couple, like Clark’s first lie to Lois about being Superman, Lois finding out the truth, them getting together, and Jimmy feeling left out. The showrunners fleshed out those moments by ascribing a specific villain or challenge that would further complicate them, from General Lane to a kaiju.

While the second season will continue that successful tradition, the cast and crew are excited to push their characters into new, challenging territory. The first season saw Clark pushing past the definitions that humanity put on him — hero, weapon, god, and monster — to self-actualize. The second season will see the ascendant Man of Steel grapple with the definitions of his other identity: Kryptonian. “He hasn’t dealt with Krypton and its expectations for him, and he doesn’t really understand them,” Wyatt explained. “We wanted to say, ‘Okay, you’ve dealt with the strangers. Let’s go back home and see how your identity change plays with family.’’

“Krypton is a big deal in season two, physically and emotionally,” Campbell said. “Clark was adopted on Earth, and as far as he’s concerned, he’s an Earthling. That may not be the expectations of people in space, so we’re going to see that play out.”

The push and pull between Clark’s human and Kryptonian identities are poised to complicate his relationships on Earth and his heroism. “Our Superman is this person born with absolute, implicit power, and the core theme of his powers is what do you do with it to make yourself a good person, which is using it to help others who don’t have it. Season two further complicates that answer.” Wyatt added, “All identities are socially constructed, so what happens to who you are when a new society comes to get you?”

Clark isn’t the only character reconciling their identity in the wake of monumental change. Lee is excited to see Lois come into her own at the Daily Planet while grappling with her relationship with Clark. “She’s finding her voice,” Lee said about Lois. “So we’ll be exploring how she stands on her own two feet in a more grounded way.” Strong as she is, Lois won’t be without her vulnerabilities, particularly with Clark. “She’s dating a superhero, so we’re seeing her insecurities and fears alongside her strength, which I think makes her more dynamic and complex.” Jimmy will also have opportunities to demonstrate his complexities. “I want to showcase Jimmy’s journey of him going from boy to man in a blink of a second,” Sahid said. “There are times when he’s goofy, but there are also times when he can be very serious and somber, and his feelings are hurt. It was important for me to show that he has a wide range of emotions.”

Given the first season’s success and the anticipation for the second, the future of My Adventures with Superman would appear bright. The showrunners are looking forward to the future of all three characters, charting their journeys to reach what Wyatt calls their “ultimate, final Pokémon evolutions.” However, anyone familiar with the state of superhero animation understands that critical acclaim and promising ratings are merely the first step. Whatever the ultimate version of Superman looks like, audiences will need to show up in order to see it.

”We need everybody to watch season two so that executives can see that there’s a lot of people watching,” Campbell said about the series’s future. When asked about what he was looking forward to next from the series, Wyatt joked, “more money from Warner Bros. Discovery.”

If that money from Warner Bros. Discovery comes in and a third season arrives alongside James Gunn’s Superman, 2025 looks to be a genuine renaissance for one of pop cultures’s greatest heroes.