If you’re a fan of Superman, My Adventures With Superman offers a new and exciting spin on his classic story. So when viewers noticed the title of the fifth episode in Season 3 was “The Death of Superman,” they understandably braced themselves – it seemed like another retelling of the famous comic book event from 1989.
Everyone knows the famous story of Superman’s death at the hands of Doomsday, even if they haven’t read the comics. But for those who followed the story as it unfolded over several years, the true antagonist was Hank Henshaw, who transformed into the terrifying Cyborg Superman. While Doomsday hasn’t appeared in My Adventures With Superman yet, Hank Henshaw is a major player in Season 3.
The Death of Superman Was a Comics Stunt That Became an American Cultural Moment
In less than two years, it will be the 90th anniversary of Superman’s debut, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Their story of a powerful, costumed hero fighting for justice launched the superhero genre. Over the past nine decades, Superman’s adventures have been told in every kind of media, making him one of the most recognizable fictional characters globally. That’s why the recent announcement that DC Comics was planning to kill off Superman – known as Kal-El – made headlines and captured everyone’s attention.
The story was straightforward. Superman was the star of five monthly comic books and also regularly appeared in Justice League. The fight against Doomsday – a powerful and unstoppable monster – took place across all those comics and felt massive, stretching across the entire country.
Even back in 1992, most fans expected Superman to return. But for over six months after his apparent death, four different heroes, like Cyborg Superman, attempted to take his place.
Beyond introducing new characters like Steel and Connor Kent into the official storyline, the rising price of Action Comics #1 led to a frenzy where people waited in long lines to purchase multiple copies of Superman #75. Many hoped to sell these comics later for a substantial profit to fund things like buying a house, paying for college, or achieving financial security.
News organizations reported on the sale and how fans responded. More significantly, it marked a turning point in American culture, showing that comics weren’t just for children, enthusiasts, or those who preferred visuals to reading. They were becoming a mainstream form of entertainment.
The Death of Superman Had a Life Beyond Comic Stores and Collectible Shops
Sales for Superman #75 were much higher than DC Comics anticipated. Even more impressively, this issue and the stories that followed helped boost overall sales of Superman’s monthly comics after a long period of decline. Within a year, Roger Stern and Louise Simonson each wrote novels based on the storyline, which were published as books. The story was also adapted into a BBC radio drama by Dirk Maggs, initially released on cassette tapes and later available on CD.
Following the success of the original stories, a video game adaptation was released for the Super Nintendo, and later for the Sega Genesis in 1995. Recognizing the story’s significance as a landmark comic book event, Warner Bros. also requested a screenplay for a potential movie.
Of course, it joined the stack of many other unproduced screenplays, including .
The first DC animated movie released directly to video was Superman: Doomsday in 2007, and it kicked off a series of adaptations of that story. Over ten years later, the DC Animated Movie Universe, inspired by the New 52 comics, released Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen for home viewing.
During the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” storyline in the Arrowverse, Elizabeth Tulloch and Tyler Hoechlin filmed a brief scene showing Lois grieving over what appeared to be Superman’s body. The story elements from that scene were later used to bring the series Superman & Lois to a conclusion in its third season finale and fourth season premiere.
What sets My Adventures With Superman apart is that Superman doesn’t die, despite what the title of episode 5 might suggest. Instead of a direct adaptation, the season feels more like a fresh take on the Reign of Supermen storyline. The show reveals that Lex Luthor is the one who transforms Hank Henshaw into Cyborg Superman, and it previously introduced John Henry Irons as Steel in season one.
The show features Superboy as Jonathan Kent from the future, but he’s wearing the leather jacket usually associated with his son, Connor Kent. Although there’s plenty of advanced Kryptonian technology that could potentially create something like the Eradicator, the show introduced Bizarro in Season 3, and he may end up serving a similar purpose.
My Adventures With Superman ‘Killed’ the Man of Steel, But Clark Kent Is Alive
In Reign of the Supermen, the story focuses on several new characters who aren’t actually Superman (Kal-El), as he’s missing and advanced Kryptonian technology is being used to bring him back. Instead of fighting Doomsday, Clark battles Hank Henshaw, and he receives assistance from both Jon and Supergirl.
When Clark stops Hank, he unexpectedly loses his superpowers. As always, problems quickly arise for him, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen – this time in an episode called “Party Animals.” This is the first time Clark can’t use his powers to help, and it makes him frustrated and angry.
What I really love about My Adventures With Superman is how it handles Superman’s ‘death.’ So many stories show the aftermath, but this one focuses on Clark. It’s amazing because it’s not about Superman being gone, it’s about Clark Kent having to live without his powers, without being able to help people – something that’s always been him. And honestly, this version of Clark is one of the kindest, most understanding Supermen we’ve ever seen, so seeing him struggle with being powerless is a completely fresh challenge. It’s something we haven’t really gotten to explore in almost 90 years of Superman stories!
Since My Adventures With Superman is a short streaming series with only 10 episodes, the story moves quickly. Clark didn’t lose his powers until halfway through, leaving just three episodes to really delve into this new and interesting take on Superman’s struggles.
With “Party Animals” concluding as the characters fell through pink portals, it’s possible he’ll be ready for action again before Episode 7 ends. Even so, viewers witnessed a fresh take on Clark facing unusual difficulties, and the writers successfully revitalized a well-known 34-year-old story.
My Adventures of Superman debuts new episodes on Sunday morning at 9 AM, streaming on HBO Max.
2026-07-27 20:37