Superman | Girl Power!

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"Why do you let her walk all over you, Abbot?"
"If you knew her the way I do, Corben, you'd understand. She may look soft and all, but she's a striker, a killer, in a word, phenomenal." - Metallo and Kyle Abbot, Whisper in the Wind

Women have played a role in the foundation of the creation of Superman, literally and figuratively. From the matronly Martha Kent to Lois Lane, a global icon in her own right to characters that have played a role in other media from Lana Lang and Cat Grant to Maggie Sawyer and Chloe Sullivan to Mercy Graves and Tess Mercer.

This production continues that tradition.

Lois and Martha have a unique relationship. Both care about Clark tremendously, though Lois sees their relationship, at least initially, as friendship only. Martha treats Lois as if she was her own child at times. Lois has a better relationship with Martha than her own parents, a relationship that only strengthened once Clark finally revealed his dual identity with Lois. In a way, there's even a sisterly bond with Lois and Lana, though there remains a bit of awkwardness between the two for obvious, yet unsaid reason.

Until the tenth season of Smallville which has her as a mousy, yet conniving conservative traditionalist character, Cat Grant had always been portrayed as a ditsy, bimbo character who is nothing more than a man-chaser and a homewrecker, especially when it comes with interfering with the lives of Clark and Lois. In this incarnation, I'm transforming her into a hybrid character. Yes, she's still a little sultry and, to use her phrase, "the grain of sand irritating Lois's panties" when it comes to Clark, but there is a hint of intelligence to her.

She's computer-savvy and opinionated. Cat covers the pop culture of the city as well as the lighter side of the heroes of Metropolis, especially Superman, who she refers to as "perfection wrapped up in a funny red sheet."

Cat is very similar to Smallville's Chloe Sullivan's attitude and personality wise for the most part, except a little more combative towards Lois. She often goes to blows with another rival, media pundit and loudmouth Morgan Edge, often disagreeing on everything, especially the need for Superman in Metropolis.

Morgan's not alone in his disdain towards Superman, His More Edge/Les Will radio show co-host is a notorious rock DJ known as "Livewire" Leslie Willis. If Howard Stern was a 25-year-old woman, it would be "Livewire" Willis. She has started an anti-Superman campaign on her radio shows and created a genuine fervor against the hero.

On the day of the rally at Centennial Park, she got struck by an energy pulse, which mutated her into a blue-skinned electricity-generating being. Though he was nowhere near the scene, Leslie, now embracing her Livewire moniker full time, blames Superman for her new condition and becomes the final recruit of Intergang.

Joining Livewire in Intergang is Whisper A'Daire, a redheaded shapeshifting immortal. Once a member of the League of Assassins, she and her companion/bodyguard Kyle Abbot has joined Intergang not out of hatred toward Superman, but rather curiosity about the two backers of the group, the financial backer Lex Luthor and the crime lord known only as Boss Dark Side. She is cold, methodical, and even-tempered, and her allegiance is only to herself and Abbot. She knows how to manipulate those around her, and even she realizes Superman could help her to justify her means, though he does have limits on what he'll do.

Maggie Sawyer, one of the two commanders of the Special Crimes Unit, is Superman's closest ally on the police force, He goes with her head more than she goes with her heart and guts when she's on the streets of Metropolis. She can speak her mind quite eloquently and professionally, but she does get a little nervous when confronting with the media, a strange situation considering she lives with her partner, Toby Raines, a well-known reporter for a national cable news outlet covering the exploits of Superman and presenting them to the world.

Traci Thirteen is a strange girl. Abandoned by her father because she chose to follow her late mother's path of being a sorceress, Traci is aware of the magic around the city, world, and dimensions. She knows that life is told in chapters and aware that many versions of herself and the others around her exist. Unlike most the other costumed heroes in Metropolis, she actually respects Superman, not only because he saved her, but because he is actually purehearted. She does laugh at his insistence of using glasses as a disguise.

Jade and Matrix, members of Lex Luthor's superteam Team Infinity, also respect Superman. Jade is the daughter of a long-retired hero of long ago and a Chinese/African-American botanist who died at childbirth. She can create energy weapons with a thought. Many, including team leader Skyman, felt that Jade should lead the team, but she didn't want to interfere in Mr. Luthor's ambitions for them. Their other teammate, Fury, isn't that impressed.

About Episode 22 and 42

The most experimental episodes of the series will be the reprogramming episode (Catch) and the multiverse-hopping episode (The Ultimate Answer). Both numbers and titles are references to literary works (Catch-22 and The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy).

Catch chronicles the Eradicator program completing the resurrection of Kal-El, the last survivor of Krypton. The word "catch" is essentially the connection word used to interlock all the memories, especially concentrated amounts of memories. All Kal-El sees are memories and visions, including words, moments of silence, abstract imagery, a few blips of multidimensional images of the casts, including comic, animated, and live-action imagery and sounds, from the moment he left Krypton to his life in Smallville, his graduation, his newfound powers, and memories of the people around him, with a few glimpse of what's to come and foes he had never seen. It's not a traditional episode of an animated series, and it is an homage to the Human Instrumentality Project, a device seen and used in the controversial, final two episodes of the popular anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, "Do You Love Me?" and "Take Care of Yourself."

Exactly 20 episodes later, Mxyzptlk comes up with a sinister plan to get rid of Superman in every dimension. Prankster asks his impish partner "Why not?" Thus, the title of the episode (The Ultimate Answer). Each dimension has a different, yet familiar incarnation of Metropolis and Superman himself. A Fleischeresque Superman, a Filmation/Hanna-Barbera-like Superman, a Reeve-esque Superman, a DCAU Superman, and a Smallville Blur-like version will be seen, all in animated form. Traci Thirteen, a sorceress from the current world, tries to correct the rifts Mxy and Prankster were creating before it devours all dimensions. Throughout the dimensions, the three hoppers will be designed in the styles of those eras.

Both episodes are celebrations of Superman's multimedia history throughout the decades.

Next: The Hero