Warning: SPOILERS for My Adventures with Superman season 3, episode 2 are ahead!In his nearly 90 years of existence, Superman has battled a wide variety of villains. Some rank among DC Comics’ greatest antagonists, such as Lex Luthor and Brainiac. Others reside in more obscure territory, like Insect Queen and Terra Man. That lineup grows even bigger when accounting for enemies he chiefly battles with the Justice League, like Amazo and Darkseid.
The point being, Superman has one of the largest rogues galleries among all the superheroes. The same can be said for the X-Men over at Marvel Comics. Since the mutant superhero team was introduced in 1963, the adversaries they’ve battled have included Magneto, Apocalypse, Mister Sinister, and William Stryker, among many others.
With both properties having been around for so long, it makes sense that one would occasionally influence the other, both in the comics themselves and in other media. Case in point, the latest episode of My Adventures with Superman season 3, titled “Mobile Suit Toyman,” featured a gender-flipped version of Omega Red, another popular X-Men villain.
The Whip Has The Same Ability As Omega Red (With A Bonus)
Omega Red, who was introduced in 1992’s X-Men #4, has a variety of natural mutant abilities, including super strength, enhanced healing, and emitting poisonous pheromones. However, his most visually-distinguishing power are the two carbonadium coils that were implanted in him by the Soviet government. Omega Red can unleash these coils from his arms and drain an adversary’s life force with them.
The Whip, a fellow Russian, has a similar setup in My Adventures with Superman. Although various DC characters have gone by that moniker, the Adult Swim series introduces an original incarnation who’s hired to be the muscle for a group of bank robbers. Except, rather than pull off the heist “quick, easy, and quiet” as instructed, Whip causes an explosive scene, as she wants to pick a fight with Superman. Because her metal whips are empowered by Kryptonite, she thinks she’ll be able to easily defeat the Man of Steel.
The Whip Is A Unique Villain For Superman To Fight
Though Whip does give Superman a run for his money, she’s ultimately defeated when her kryptonite power source runs out of juice, rendering her whips incapable of harming My Adventures with Superman’s titular protagonist. However, while she makes for a fun twist on longtime Wolverine enemy Omega Red, she stands out for more than just her choice of weaponry and Russian accent.
As she’s fighting Superman, Whip flirts with Clark, calling him “my little umbrella” and saying he’s “cute” when he “suffers.” That admiration doesn’t deter her from wanting to beat the Kryptonian superhero, though, as she believes by doing so, she’ll become the “new highest paid muscle in town.” Humorously, Whip is disappointed upon learning Superman protects people for free, Even more amusingly, after he leaves her tied up for the police to collect, the mercenary declares that she “loves him.”
Whip is certainly not Superman’s most formidable opponent, and her appearance teased that more foes armed/empowered with kryptonite left over from Brainiac’s invasion are coming (similar to what happens in Smallville). Nevertheless, she has a funny dynamic with him, simultaneously pining for the hero and wanting to kill him. It would be amusing to see Whip become a recurring enemy in My Adventures with Superman. Each time she’d return with her whips upgraded, and each time she’d be beaten by Superman. It would provide another source of comedy for the TV show.
My Adventures with Superman season 3 airs new episodes Sundays at midnight on Adult Swim. “Mobile Suit Toyman” was also notable for introducing Auliʻi Cravalho’s Jessica Cruz, who will lead the spinoff My Adventures with Green Lantern.
- Release Date
-
July 7, 2023
- Network
-
Adult Swim
- Showrunner
-
Jake Wyatt
- Directors
-
Diana Huh, Jen Bennett, Kiki Manrique
- Writers
-
M. Willis, Angela Entzminger, Aman Adumer, Brendan Clogher, Cynthia Furey, Jake Wyatt, Josie Campbell