Superman & Lois episode 4 revealed a metahuman whose powers are similar to a minor character from the last Superman TV show, Smallville. The episode shows Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) helping his sons deal with a kid called Tag Harris (Wern Lee), whose body shakes at an uncontrollable speed.
The scenario serves as the first of perhaps many metahuman conflicts upcoming that the Kent boys will get involved in.
Humans possessing superhuman powers has been a common trope for Arrowverse characters, particularly in Supergirl and The Flash. Taking Tag and X-Kryptonite as possible indications, it would mean that metahumans could end up playing a significant role in this new Arrowverse show as well.
In 2001’s Smallville, Clark Kent (Tom Welling) had to face off against many superpowered humans in high school, but they weren’t essentially “metahumans.” Rather, the show referred to them as “meteor freaks” and “meteor infected,” as their powers had originated from Kryptonite.
But what is interesting to see is that the powers of the metahuman from Superman & Lois are eerily similar to that of a character from Smallville season 1, Earl Jenkins. Jenkins, who is played by Tony Todd, is a longtime friend of John Schneider’s Jonathan Kent and suffered from unusual, frenzied seizures that caused his body to shake at an unnatural speed in episode 8 of the TV show.
During his seizures, no one would be able to touch him as they would be thrown back due to the sheer intensity of his movements. The same happens with Jonathan and Jordan in Superman & Lois when they try to help Tag calm down during one of his episodes. Similarly, like Earl, Tag doesn’t want to harm anyone and, sadly, has no control over his body during his seizures.
This leads to a probable link between the origins of both characters’ powers. Tag received his after being exposed to a mysterious substance that was most likely X-Kryptonite, or so was revealed at the end of the episode.
In the comic books, the mineral is known to grant human beings temporary powers, which would substantiate Tag’s powers. Earl, too, got his powers from the meteors of Krypton. His seizures were activated after being exposed to the element at one of Lex Luthor’s facilities.
Sadly, Earl couldn’t be saved by the end. But with Tag being admitted to metahuman school, perhaps the narrative for these special beings will change in the Arrowverse’s new show.
About Superman & Lois
Superman and Lois is an American superhero drama television series developed by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti for The CW. It is based on the DC Comics characters Superman and Lois Lane.
The CW show follows Clark Kent, a.k.a. Superman’s, return to Smallville with Lois Lane and their two sons Jonathan and Jordan Kent. Their idyllic life is disrupted when new dangers unravel in the super family’s life.
The TV Series stars Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Jordan Elsass, Alex Garfin, Erik Valdez, and Adam Rayner. The show was renewed for Season 3 in March 2022.
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