WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman & Lois Season 2, Episode 4, "The Inverse Method," which aired Tuesday, Feb. 2 on The CW.
Superman & Lois centers on one of the Man of Steel's greatest foes in "The Inverse Method," as Bizarro crushes almost everyone standing in his path. The supervillain reveal comes while Lois Lane also faces a ghost from her past. Charismatic cult leader Ally Alston, who previously targeted Lois' sister Lucy, resurfaces and begins a coordinated attack on Lois' journalistic credibility over a past article written about her. And while the adult Kents are occupied with their own crises, their sons Jonathan and Jordan have issues of their own that could pose disastrous consequences themselves.
In a flashback from five years ago, Lucy is unnerved by how perfect her sister's life is while she lives with her to get back on her feet. Lucy decides to move in with Ally instead, despite Lois' misgivings and suspicions about her. In the present, Lois learns that Ally continues to lead her zealots, the Inverse Society, and it's clear there's no love lost between the two women. Ally tells Lois to listen to an upcoming podcast that is set to air the following morning. On the podcast, Lucy recants most of her anonymous claims against the Inverse Society, claiming Lois misquoted her as part of a personal vendetta against Ally.
Superman & Lois then goes to the Arctic, where Bizarro uses his fire breath on the strange crystal serving as his medallion -- a development witnessed by Clark through his telepathic link to his doppelgänger. Bizarro then sets his sights on his Kryptonian counterpart, attacking Superman at his own home. As the two super-powered figures grapple against each other, Bizarro's medallion glows brightly before John Henry Irons drives away Bizarro with his hammer. As Henry analyzes the medallion's energy signature, he also implores Clark to get help from General Anderson and his super-powered squad to even the odds. Reluctantly agreeing, Superman gives Anderson the data he has on Bizarro -- but warns him that his team isn't ready to take on such a major threat.
Jordan uses his powers to stop two teenage shoplifters at a friend's family convenience store, but is accidentally filmed by the store's security cameras. Panicking, he calls his grandfather Sam Lane, who personally scrambles the CCTV footage and advises Jordan to be more cautious using his powers in public. Jonathan impresses his football coach during practice boosted by the strange properties of the performance-enhancing drugs he got from his girlfriend Candice. After practice, Jonathan continues to feel the effects of the drugs, which makes Natalie concerned about him as the two walk home from school.
Later in the episode, Lois' editor Chrissy Beppo tries to infiltrate an Inverse Society meeting while Lois tracks down Lucy living in a nearby hotel room to confront her about reverting to defending Ally and the Inverse Society's mission. Aware of Chrissy's presence the entire time, Ally surprises her by showing her secret camera footage of Lois and Lucy's confrontation. Chrissy's trust in Lois' journalistic integrity is visibly shaken and she decides to meet with Ally to learn more about Lois.
Anderson dispatches his team of Supermen to face Bizarro in Bolivia, but the supervillain kills two of the soldiers easily and wounds the third. Sensing the battle, Superman and Steel charge in and once again drive Bizarro into a retreat -- though Steel is gravely wounded as his armor hasn't fully been repaired since his the last time the two fought. While Henry recovers in a hospital, "The Inverse Methods" ends with Jordan approaching his grandfather to secretly coach him on using his powers -- a request that Sam agrees to.
Developed for television by Greg Berlanti and Todd Helbing, Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET/PT on The CW.