***Spoilers for Invincible season one and up to episode seven of My Adventures With Superman.***
At the midway point in season one of My Adventures With Superman (MAWS), Lois Lane confronted Clark Kent about being Superman. Not only was this a big sticking point in their burgeoning relationship, but it took place against the backdrop of episodes of romantic tension. As a new fan of Superman (thanks to this show), I expected some criticism on how this compared to the last 45 years of official reveals. However, much of the fan discourse decided to pit Lois against Amber Bennett from Amazon Prime’s adaptation of Invincible.
It’s the classic “you lied to me” romance arc in superhero media (especially, but not exclusively, when the hero is a man in a heterosexual relationship). Regardless of gender makeup, this situation is ripe for discussion of power dynamics—maybe even how consent factors into superhero relationships. Instead, most take this conflict as a part of doing business, with the significant other just having to deal with it. She can be angry, but she has to ultimately understand big strong man is trying really hard and just exist as the prize she’s written as. Many writers and audiences demand to see a performance of stoicism appreciated.
There are obvious exceptions, like (most) Lois Lanes and Selina Kyles, among others, but when Invincible aired, all hell broke loose after a Black teenager, Amber, didn’t meet these unreasonably high standards. Two years later, people still rehash the vitriol towards Amber as she’s become a “low” that significant others dare not reach. Now, that’s bleeding into the MAWS conversation. There are two major approaches to the criticism of Lois invoking Amber. Some believe that Lois is worse than Amber, while others feel that Amber is a new low that Lois didn’t reach. Both rely on the premise that Amber expressed her anger about her significant other’s reveal in the “wrong” way.
Reluctant reveals
Let’s backtrack for a second and revisit how each situation played out, starting with Invincible. Desperate to not lose his girlfriend after months of disappearing on dates (and a life-threatening event), Mark reveals his secret identity to Amber. Unfazed, Amber shares that she knew for a few weeks, and by the end of the season, it’s clear that their relationship is dead. (As former TMS editor Princess Weekes stated, it’s unclear at what point in the story Amber figured it out.) Viewers jumped to call Amber the real villain of the show—the “hypocrite” for lying to him about knowing. These reveals gave those who hated her from the start of Invincible a reason beyond *vibes* to hate Amber.
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As one of the less fully realized characters in the main cast, there’s reasonable room to not connect or empathize with Amber. However, it’s nearly impossible to distinguish who doesn’t care for her for this reason amidst the rampant hate. A lot of people continue to express hate that Amber’s Black in the show (while she’s white in the comics) and is an open feminist. It doesn’t matter that Amber is less of an adulteress than in the comics, or that her story with Mark parallels Mark’s parents’ (Omni-Man and Debbie) fraught relationship. Any action would garner hate.
In MAWS, the situation starts and ends very differently, with Lois actively trying to uncover who Superman is throughout (partly due to escalating dangers and partly to earn recognition as a real journalist). When clues point to fellow Daily Planet intern Clark, the budding investigative journalist works to get him to come forward. After he refuses, she steps off the roof knowing he’ll swoop in to save her. Is this the best idea? No, but it’s an homage to Superman 2, and other reveals. The episode ends with Lois walking away from Clark, both distraught.
Preordained and predicated on parody
After a mission to rescue Jimmy Olson in the next episode, Clark and Lois jump past friendship and plan a date. Sure, they’ll continue to go through the wringer, but this beloved canon couple are Facebook official. The show was working towards this. Unlike most Invincible viewers (for canon and social reasons), the audience of MAWS were largely conditioned to root for them. Lois and Clark are among the most iconic fictional couples in pop culture history, making their reunification nearly preordained. Mark and Amber’s situation is almost the opposite. Comic fans know that Amber’s relevance is fleeting. Those introduced to the character via the show see a relationship between Atom Eve and Mark as a possibility because the writers emphasize that tension early on.
Additionally, Invincible is a parody of the superhero genre, especially Superman. Yes, the show is very emotional and gory, but it’s constantly lampooning aspects of the genre. Other than to possibly get closer to Mark’s final relationship, the show’s handling of Amber likely aimed to question The Reveal Trope. After all, between the juxtaposition of Mark/Amber and Omni-Man/Debbie, trust is a core theme in the story. Despite trying to tackle this trope by showing an under-explored and realistic response, the show still sets up Amber for failure. This is mostly because we very rarely get scenes with her outside of scenes with or about Mark. Between the three characters, even Debbie gets more dimension.
This is also why it’s unfair to put Amber next to Lois for better (as a slight) or for worse. MAWS is mostly about Lois Lane. MAWS primarily features Lois’ perspective. Here, she’s much older than Amber and is a better fleshed-out character with decades of familiarity. MAWS is also silly, hopeful, and earnest, whereas Invincible is desperately reaching for hope amid despair. Each woman does the best they can, and they reflect the tones of their respective shows. Neither situation (or writer’s room) is perfect, but it’s unfair to pit these fictional women against one another.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the work being covered here wouldn’t exist.
(featured image: Amazon Studios and Adult Swim/Max)
