WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman & Lois Season 2, Episode 6, "Tried and True," which aired Tuesday, March 1 on The CW.
Superman & Lois has always had a strong focus on family and just like its superhero patriarch, the interpersonal relationships within the Kent family have always appeared to be bulletproof. Season 2 has put this to the test, with Jonathan visibly becoming jealous of his twin brother Jordan inheriting their father's superpowers while he struggles to maintain his place on their high school football team with his own abilities. Jonathan went to drastic measures to close the gap and return to teenage glory -- causing a serious rupture in the brothers' relationship, which was particularly apparent in the latest episode.
Jonathan learned that one of the players on the team has been taking performance-enhancing drugs in the form of processed X-Kryptonite, the substance that empowered Tal-Rho's army of Kryptonian spirits in Superman & Lois Season 1. After discovering his girlfriend Candice is an X-Kryptonite dealer, Jonathan began taking the drug for himself. While this did indeed improve Jonathan's physical performance, it also massively insulted Superman's legacy while making the high schooler considerably more irritable and violent, pummeling Jordan during a friendly sparring session overseen by their grandfather Sam Lane. In the aftermath, Jordan learned Jonathan was developing powers of his own when Jonathan snapped and his eyes began emitting heat vision.
Jordan's suspicions grow when he discovers an X-Kryptonite inhaler among Jonathan's belongings and overhears that their classmate Timmy -- who had been dosing himself with X-Kryptonite -- faced serious health issues from prolonged use of the substance. This leads to the two brothers having a falling out after one of Jonathan's games, with General Lane breaking up the fight but things still rocky between the two siblings. Though she isn't aware of the full scope of what's occurring, Lois notices this tension between her sons only to be distracted by a new family crisis involving Superman.
Jordan and Jonathan endured the usual bouts of sibling rivalry before but Jonathan's mounting jealousy towards his brother but his decision to use X-Kryptonite has caused a rift between the normally close pair. Jordan is understandably concerned over what Jonathan is doing to his own body, with these fears rightfully fueled by the revelation that there may be more long-term side effects than anyone was privy to before ingesting the X-Kryptonite. It's only a matter of time before Clark and Lois learn what's going on with their boys and that talk is sure to be an uncomfortable one.
The normally mild-mannered Jonathan is now in the thralls of an X-Kryptonite powered rage that causes him to lash out at friends and family alike, with Jordan the first to endure this backlash. The Kent brothers have been each other's support system since relocating to Smallville at the start of the series, with Jonathan going as far as to have his hand broken to maintain Jordan's secret when he lost his temper but this brotherly love has it a clear snag.
But with the X-Kryptonite revealed to have unhealthy consequences, Jonathan may have just become a ticking time bomb that Jordan is scrambling to defuse. And with Superman in trouble with the U.S. military, the Kent family might have more problems than even they can handle.
Developed for television by Greg Berlanti and Todd Helbing, Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET/PT on The CW.