WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Superman & Lois Season 1, Episode 13, "Fail Safe," which aired Tuesday on The CW.
In Superman & Lois, one of the most shocking twists came with the revelation that Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner) was really Tal-Rho, the son Lara had before she married Jor-El. He's on Earth to replace humanity by implanting Kryptonian essences in Smallville's citizens, but thanks to John Henry Irons, the Man of Steel was able to stop him. Unfortunately, that victory's short-lived because Tal has officially become Superman's most sinister enemy.
Tal's in lockdown at Sam Lane's military base as John used a special red solar flare to weaken him. They've got him in a kryptonite cell, but the villain's been hearing voices which ties into the orb he tried to use to release the essences of his people.
This device was created by Lara, but Tal, as well as his dad, Zeta, misappropriated it, calling it the Eradicator. Just when Tal was about to release the trapped 'souls' using his heat vision, John's missile detonated and blew the orb up. It left fans wondering what happened to the weapon, but hints were dropped as Tal's eyes were changing color in the cell. He was also hearing noises, which suggested he may have absorbed them all.
That's now confirmed as Tal remembers how his dad wanted to make him a vessel. He was mistreated during his conditioning on Earth, using Zeta's crystal for tutelage. Sadly, it became abuse, with Zeta holding out Lara's crystal in order to get Tal to do what he wanted.
Tal-Rho was further enraged decades later when he found out that Zeta hid that he had a brother, trusting that Kal would join their crusade. Unfortunately, Superman's spurning of the offer has triggered a mental breakdown where Tal finally accepts Zeta's way as the right one. He bonds with all the voices in his mind and then smashes out of the cell, floating away. Tal heads off to the sun and we see him absorbing the flames, officially becoming the Eradicator. It's a different take as opposed to the dangerous Kryptonian weapon that first appeared in 1989's Action Comics Annual #2. Created by Roger Stern and Curt Swan, it started off as a unique machine appropriated by the militant Kem-L so it could be used to preserve Krypton's culture.
It eventually became a vessel that was able to alter the Kryptonian genome, producing Daxamites for war. In DC Rebirth, it used the DNA of the House of El to become the perfect Kryptonian, so that seems to be the path Tal-Rho is walking now. With John as a potential Steel, Clark back to his powered self and Jon in training, the emergence of this Eradicator hints that a spin on the '90s Reign of the Supermen storyline is coming soon where the villain wreaked havoc.
Ironically, the way he's absorbing the sun evokes the sun god, Rao, so this version of the Eradicator might be poised to become even more extremist. Tal doesn't seem to be his old self anymore and with Zeta's presence in his mind, Earth may well be doomed.
Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
0 Comments