Adult Swim’s My Adventures with Superman has cemented itself as a premier superhero series, masterfully blending classic caped crusader lore with dynamic anime-inspired storytelling. Showrunners Jake Wyatt and Brendan Clogher have consistently pushed boundaries in their reimagining of the Man of Steel’s iconic rogues’ gallery, and they are now priming fans for the third season with an ominous glimpse of one of the hero’s most formidable adversaries.
Viewers first met S.T.A.R. Labs pilot Hank Henshaw (voiced by Max Mittelman) in the second season, where he harbored a deep-seated suspicion that Superman was a dangerous extraterrestrial threat. His fears were seemingly validated when Brainiac’s (Michael Emerson) Kryptonian AI compromised Superman and launched a full-scale assault on Earth. During the chaos, Henshaw attempted to intervene but was left shattered after being struck down by the alien space station.
Given the tell-tale “L” insignia featured on his suit, it appears that Henshaw was salvaged and reconstructed as a cyborg by his benefactor, Lex Luthor. In a recent discussion with Entertainment Weekly, Wyatt and Clogher confirmed that the upcoming season will draw heavy inspiration from the seminal 1993 Reign of the Supermen comic arc, which marked the debut of Cyborg Superman. That narrative emerged from the ashes of The Death of Superman, exploring a world desperate for a replacement hero—a void filled by characters like Steel and the upcoming introduction of Superboy.
Image: Warner Bros. AnimationIn the original comics, Cyborg Superman acted as the primary antagonist, colluding with the warlord Mongul to terraform Metropolis into a monstrous engine of war. While the returning Superman ultimately thwarted his plans, the devastation left behind served as a catalyst for future tragedies, including the eventual dark turn of Hal Jordan. There is a strong possibility that My Adventures with Superman is laying the groundwork for a similar narrative expansion, particularly as the creators are currently developing a spinoff, My Adventures with Green Lantern.
The spinoff will spotlight Jessica Cruz, who is slated to make a guest appearance in the third season of the parent show. Clogher hinted that the spinoff will draw stylistic cues from the same legendary Toonami programming block that informed My Adventures with Superman. “Our take on Superman is very obviously inspired by Dragon Ball Z… Lantern is inspired by a very different part of that same Toonami block. It’ll become incredibly obvious once we release our first promos,” Clogher remarked.
The third season of My Adventures with Superman debuts on Adult Swim on June 13.
Source: Polygon
