After months of speculation about the future of the series, Superman & Lois closes out its third, and thankfully not final season, with a major showdown and its main ensemble each at personal crossroads. With scenes that not only pay off longstanding character arcs but building to a massive cliffhanger to close out the season, the Season 3 finale, ominously and accurately titled, "What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger," doesn't waste a minute of its runtime. With behind-the-scenes news of the series potentially significantly trimming its main cast for the planned fourth season, hopefully this finale won't whiff on the payoffs it sets up across the episode.
Going into hiding after threatening Lois Lane, Lex Luthor plots his revenge on her and Superman after taking over Bruno Mannheim's abandoned secret headquarters under Metropolis. Though wary of the supervillain's inevitable return, the Kent family is more than busy with celebrations going around Smallville as they contemplate their own next moves heading into the summer. As the Cushings, Langs and Irons each reconcile with major life decisions ahead of them, they find these plans suddenly derailed as Luthor's vendetta comes to fruition, with Superman caught in the crosshairs.
There is no huge standout among the cast, with "What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger" feeling more like a true ensemble effort, especially bittersweet following reports that the main cast will be largely pared down moving forward. The episode itself sets up in-universe reasons why several characters may not make regular appearances in the upcoming Season 4, provided they appear at all, though most of these sendoffs aren't particularly satisfactory and perhaps tacked-on at the last minute. Everyone is reliably good across the season finale, with the Kents' various family friends each getting time to shine as their character arcs building throughout the season come to a head.
"What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger" ends with the biggest action set piece the season has had, after going relatively and noticeably light on the action for much of it. Michael Cudlitz's Lex Luthor is quickly becoming the most memorable antagonist Superman & Lois has ever had, delivering on the character's menacing reputation and dangerously calculating demeanor. The actual climatic fight closing out the season is one that's been teased since its earliest episodes and delivers on that high bar of expectation before coming to an abrupt finish.
All in all, "What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger," provides the last glimpse of what made Superman & Lois so great for its first three seasons, which is to save the communal aspect of the story. Making Smallville the primary location instead of Metropolis and building out its cast gave the show a fresher, fuller approach to the expectations surrounding the superhero genre. This proved especially crucial in Season 3 as its usual superhero stakes largely took a backseat as Lois battled cancer and the rest of Smallville endured their own personal crises, underscoring the story's sense of heart.
Looking back, Superman & Lois was hitting its stride this season despite the already visible cutbacks compared to previous seasons, including a shortened episode order for Season 3. Looking forward, one can only hope the creative team is able to distill what makes the show so special and a cut above the standard superhero television fare even with the reportedly increased limitations going into Season 4. The Man of Tomorrow and his family certainly deserve all the flowers they can get, and this season finale establishes the case fell on much wider shoulders than Superman himself.
Developed for television by Greg Berlanti and Todd Helbing, Superman & Lois Season 3 is available to stream on The CW App, and will be available to stream on Max July 28.