Not all heroes wear capes.

Superman & Lois Season 1 Episode 12 found many characters uniting to save Clark's life, but the last person I expected to help was John Henry Irons. 

If you watch Superman & Lois online, you know John has struggled to think that Superman is anything other than a villain after what happened to his world, but with the multiverse, there are always big changes between the realities.

Now that John has helped, hopefully, it means Wole Parks will be bumped up to series regular because there's a lot of potential with this character.

Lois revealing Superman's identity was a true shocker, but she recognized that her back was against the wall. Had Lois not made the plea, there's a good chance John would have sent the rocket in Clark's direction.

John desperately wanted to believe that this iteration of Superman was pure evil, but now that he's witnessed the good in him and how his family would defend him, it seems John will be a pivotal part of the heroes in Smallville.

I would have preferred more of a struggle when Clark was trying to fight through the evil inside of him. There were a lot of great storytelling possibilities here, including keeping Clark evil for a considerable arc.

The tension was choked out of the narrative because of how quickly he returned home. After the way Superman & Lois Season 1 Episode 11 concluded, it seemed likely this dark Superman arc would make up the final episodes of the season.

John: I know what you're going to say.
Lois: You need to hear this. I have told you repeatedly that this world is different from yours, that our Superman is different from the monster who destroyed your Earth, that he would never turn on humanity. And you have asked me just as often how I know that for sure. I've never really answered that question but I'm going to now. The reason I know how much Superman loves humanity is that he's not just someone I report on, he's everything to me, he's the love of my life, the father of my sons. John, Superman is my husband.

• Permalink: You need to hear this. I have told you repeatedly that this world is different from yours,...

Then again, there's still time for that. Morgan may be in custody, but with his minions still roaming the streets of Smallville, there's a good chance they will break him out and allow his reign of terror to continue.

Morgan's father wants him to fulfill his potential, but I wonder whether we will get to a point in which he will say that he's not living to please people, thus allowing his storyline to end with him taking back the power.

Yes, his actions have been heinous, but he's been brainwashed into believing what he's doing is right. That's something that will resonate with Lois and Clark if they truly believed he was ready to make a drastic change.

Jonathan and Jordan working together to help save their father was another highlight. The brotherly bond has been a strong aspect of the series since the beginning, and while they've had their moments, it's nice to see Jonathan helping Jordan harness his abilities.

Jonathan has struggled without a sense of purpose due to his father and brother having abilities, but it now seems clearer than ever that he's at peace with what is happening and will find a way to help out at every turn.

Diggle's arrival was somewhat surprising. He's appeared in a string of Arrowverse shows since Arrow concluded, but Superman & Lois utilized him the best.

The Oliver name drops and the references to glowing boxes helped elevate all of this. It looks like the Green Lantern rumors have finally been put to rest unless of course, he doesn't want anyone knowing his identity.

However, if he was this superhero, he would have probably been a huge part of the mission to save Superman.

Lois: John Diggle.
Diggle: Lois Lane. So, this is where you and Clark moved the family.
Lois: Yeah, we thought a slower pace of life might be good for us.
Diggle: Well, it looks like that didn't go quite as planned.

• Permalink: Well, it looks like that didn't go quite as planned.

It was nice to see him go in on Samuel for seeking assistance and then going after Superman. Diggle knows Superman and has been a part of some world-destructing drama with him in the past, so he wasn't going to let this slide without a fight.

Lana and Kyle vs. the townsfolk belonged in another episode. There was so much going on that they could have been removed from this installment altogether.

It was understandable that the town would be against them. When all is said and done, it looks like Lana was the one pulling the strings, picking who became the test subjects for Morgan.

Then there was Kyle, who had been singing the praises of Morgan throughout the first half of the season, so they both looked like they had big parts in the events.

It's harrowing to think that Kyle thought he was helping the town by bringing jobs to it, but it's hard to forget how obnoxious he was in the initial episodes of the series.

The only good part of his arc is the way it humbled him. He finally realized that his family means everything to him, and everything else can just be forgotten about.

Getting on the good side of the town will be an uphill battle, but at least the family is together. Did anyone else wonder where Sophie was throughout until she returned?

The show conveniently forgets Lana and Kyle's youngest child exists half of the time.

"Through the Valley of Death" was a decent installment, but it ended some of the plots prematurely, leaving me to question how the final three episodes will be able to maintain the level of action we got earlier in the season.

What did you think of it, Superman & Lois fans?

Did you want there to be more of a struggle to bring Clark back from the brink of destruction?

Are you happy John Henry Irons helped?

Hit the comments.

The series continues Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.